This Lens Gives You An Unfair Advantage - Fujifilm 18mm 1.4

[@tulasnaps]

All my photos are shot on this. It truly is one of the best lenses if 28mm is your focal length. Clinical at 1.4.

[@fvsch]

Watching in 4K on a 4K screen, I liked the B images more, and thought they would be the Q2 images for sure. Turns out they’re X-T5 images. (And I was motivated to find the X-T5 images good enough, since I own one and don’t have the money to own anything Leica ^^)

[@rudermanphoto]

It’s wild hey! The difference is very subtle in the final images, the biggest difference is really just in the use and handling of the camera itself tbh.

[@CrnaInBela]

Damn, I did not expect the comparison to be this close. At first I was 100% sure B was Leica. I still prefer 18mm f1.4 shots.

[@rudermanphoto]

It’s certainly a lot closer than you’d think!

[@kalistratov_photos]

Yesterday I had a trip on islands in Thailand. I decided to choose this lens over 16-55 for it, and it literally saved my trip, because the islands were crowded with tourists and it was much more fun to make compositions with the 28 FOV. In my opinion, this lens is optically more impressive than 33 1.4. It seems to have a better micro-contrast, it has almost macro capabilities, and the look of the images is more pleasing and creamy. That may be the reason it's more expensive than 33 1.4, even though it's just more difficult to produce a wide angle prime of such excellent performance. The metal lenshood sucks, because it's too heavy and the x-t5 becomes unbalanced to the front end. Don't buy it! :D

[@rudermanphoto]

It really is one of the best lenses Fuji makes, probably on par with the 90 f2, except a lot more versatile as 90mm is a bit too long to use in everyday situations. And the square hood makes it look sexy!! I will defend it for sheer aesthetic reasons alone haha

[@kalistratov_photos]

@@rudermanphoto I bought the metal hood for the 33 1.4 and totally regretted it, because every time I left the camera on the table it leaned forward 😂 That's why I had to convince myself that the standard plastic hood due to its complex shape on 18 1.4 is sexy enough 🤣🤣🤣

[@Jgheiler]

Do you think the xf18 has more micro contrast than the xf23?

[@rudermanphoto]

@@Jgheiler I haven’t tried the new 23 1.4 WR, but I imagine it’d be pretty similar. It most certainly is much better then the old 23 1.4 which I have tried though!

[@kalistratov_photos]

@@Jgheiler I didn't try the 23, however the whole lm wr lineup are the benchmark lenses (18, 12 and 33 lm wr models, the older 90 f2 also seems to belong to this lineup). No matter which focal length you choose you'll get the maximum image quality possible on a fuji camera. In fact the 18 and 23 focal length are not much different, the 18 just gives you a little more feeling of presence.

[@youarethechief]

Hey Matt, thanks for the informative video. I'd really love to try out that 18mm lens on my Fuji ! I did notice you mentioned for the crop sensor to multiply everything by 1.5. While this is true for the lens's field of view and the depth of field. Please correct me if i am wrong but this is not the case with the light gathering ability of the lens. So an 18mm lens f1.4 stays f1.4 in terms of light gathering capabilities. The depth of field or bokeh does however change, so it would be akin to a f2.1 on 35mm sensors.

[@rudermanphoto]

Yes you are 100% correct, the lens will still gather 1.4 worth of light, but the bokeh and field of view will be equivalent to 2.1 on a FF sensor :) This is a big reason why I love my 50 1.0 so much, yes I am aware full frame lenses would achieve more bokeh, but 1.0 is still 1.0 worth of light and when shooting in dimly lit situations it can be super useful!

[@youarethechief]

Thanks for the reply ! Yeah I often see this misrepresented by youtubers and people on blogs so I wanted to check if I maybe I was in the wrong. Ohh, the 50 1.0 is a dream lens. I unfortunately dont have any rental places to even test it out in my region. Did you get it second hand or new ?

[@rudermanphoto]

@@youarethechief haha I argued about this very topic with people in my 50 1.0 review, 1.0 is 1.0 no matter the camera it’s on, it’s just the DoF difference will be different according to sensor size! I bought it used, it’s an amazing lens, really one of a kind, but it is very heavy and unwieldy so I only use it when I know I need something with that kinda light sucking ability or if I want to do some beautiful portraits. Tbh the 56 1.2 is half the size and very comparable as a lens, not to mention much cheaper too. The 50 1.0 just has the cool bragging rights of being a 1.0 going for it too haha

[@JeffreyHauser]

Hi Matthew. Interesting comparison between the Leica 28mm f1.7 & the Fuji 18mm f1.4. I have the Fuji 16mm f1.4 & although I believe the image quality of the Fuji 18mm f1.4 is slightly better, I have no immediate plans to purchase the latter lens. I did however, purchase the Fuji 33mm f1.4 lens & it is unquestionably one of Fuji’s best lenses to date.

[@rudermanphoto]

I have owned the 16 1.4 in the past, and I wish I still had it to include some beautiful B-roll of it, I was initially not planning on getting the 18 1.4 as the 16 1.4 was a very, very good lens - one which I also much prefer the aesthetic look of too, but the 18 1.4’s focus ability especially in very low light environments and silent LM motor operation for video meant I ended up selling it after I got the 18 1.4. Also, I find 28mm to be just a little easier to work with and be more versatile then 24mm, which especially in club environments can make people look a bit too distorted when shooting portrait orientation. Nonetheless, the 16 1.4 still has the close focus edge on the 18 1.4 and that manual focus override clutch is awesome!!

[@mignav464]

Agreed! Good review. To me it's all size and weight to have to carry around for the day. So for that reason I pick the Q any day over any Fuji-combo with the 18/f1.4. That has already been the case ever since Fuji started making large and heavy (but optically fantastic) lenses like the 23/1.4 back in the day. That lens on my X-E2 was larger and heavier than my Summicron 35 on my M. To me that's a no-go.

[@rudermanphoto]

Leica sure do know how to make incredible and yet also very small lenses!

[@mignav464]

Yep, even though nowadays Voigtländer are taking up the lead in that category, making small primes as it seems. I think Fuji kind of lost their way in the X-System, their lenses are really fantastic, but many too large and heavy, for a system that's meant to be small. Often just as large and heavy as their full frame counterparts.

[@SergeyProskurnya]

I'd love your quiz with A/B choices !! :))

[@rudermanphoto]

Thank you!

[@dewalt5519]

I actually preferred photos B over A during the comparison and was sure B was going to be the Leica.

[@drchtct]

Got your blind test wrong. If you look at 4:35, A has way more noise than B.

[@Streetphotog-dn1zy]

it would be nice if fuji replaced the 18mm f2 with something so small waterproof and quick with autofocus. Whats the reason to cary such a huge apsc system ? If i want that size i can go to sony or nikon. Even canon has a small 28mm lens. I dont understand fuji even if i like some things on her. Why did she stop the x70 developing especialy when the ricoh goes so well on sales ? where is the xe5 and xpro4 ? where are the upadetes that she used to give ?

[@rudermanphoto]

Agreed, an updated 18 f2 would be my dream Fuji lens and yes an updated X70 would be amazing too, it’s a shame they have really cooked a lot of the recent releases, Fuji has definetly lost it’s way in my eyes - part of the reason why I sold off so much of my Fuji kit.

[@johnnyway8667]

Is it good for video as well? I think that Viltrox 27mm is the only other lens that is close to this quality but it might be too zoomed in for a versatile video lens.

[@rudermanphoto]

I use it for all my talking head sections! It’s a great video lens, the AF is super quick and fairly accurate, the only lens I have that I’d say is better for video would be the 16-55 2.8 just for sheer versatility.

[@MediumSpoon17]

what lens hood are you using for the 18mm 1.4?

[@rudermanphoto]

It’s the Fuji LH-XF18

[@francisgarofalo3434]

I'll take the Fuji 18mm 1.4 and put the other $5500 into my retirement fund

[@frankartale1026]

Love the shirt. Please tell me you are a fan. Megadeth rules... but seriously , the xt5 & 18 shots looked better than the Leica to me

[@rudermanphoto]

Of course! Rust in Peace is one of my absolute favourite albums ever! Tornado of Souls still has the best guitar solo of all time haha

[@nicklennaerts4791]

Keep up the great work! Cheers from Japan.

[@rudermanphoto]

Thank you!!

[@nicklasnilsson2041]

I use X-T5 with f1.4 33mm and love it! Maybe i should ruin my economy and buy the f.14 18 as well =)

[@perryvalton4245]

Got this on my XH1 right now.

[@LCM94120]

Best metal album ever 🤘

[@yashwinning]

I don't think it's the lens bro, I think it's you! Also, would be mighty curious to know if you've ever used the 16MM 1.4, and your thoughts on them. The cons you've mentioned about the 18MM seems to be the general consensus from pretty much everyone else, and also a major reason why most are still staying on the 16MM 1.4 and don't see any point upgrading. I myself have recently managed to grab a 16MM 1.4 at a fairly insane price and I'm impatiently waiting for it to get to me! I'm a sucker for character/personality over clinical sharpness, and I personally feel like Fuji's slowly losing their magic with how they're optically and physically designing their lenses. Their new lenses look so boring, and a sad far cry from how gorgeous their old lenses looked, and they're so optically perfect they're basically Sigmas now. Anyway, would really like to know your thoughts on the 16MM 1.4 if you've ever tried it!

[@rudermanphoto]

Hey! I actually did own the 16 1.4 before this 18 1.4, and it’s a lens I absolutely loved, it looked aesthetically better then the 18, it had a crazy close focus ability and the manual focus override clutch was awesome too! Image quality wise the 16 was fairly close to the 18, but where I noticed a difference was in sheer autofocus speed, accuracy and silence thanks to the 18’s LM motors which was what I needed as I used it as a primary video lens before getting the 16-55. I also found that in a dimly lit nightclub environment the 16 would sometimes just miss focus for some reason whereas the 18 just seems to have magical AF properties. I also personally found 28mm to be a more useful focal length for me, I am very comfortable shooting it and especially when you shoot portrait orientation it tends to not distort people as much as 24mm does. I think the 16 1.4 is an awesome lens, but the 18 works better for me in every respect so I am glad I upgraded, but I can see why some people would prefer just sticking with the 16!

[@JJHills-ho3br]

Can this lens be used with the XT-1?

[@rudermanphoto]

Yes! You can use it with every Fuji XF camera :)

[@edwin_ac]

In the comparisson, I thought B was the Q2

[@ajdrew_]

class video, thanks man

[@TungstenOvergaard]

In some of the nightclub photos you was using flash right?

[@rudermanphoto]

Yes, I use a Godox V1 flash for all my nightclub work :)

[@Mamo878]

@@rudermanphoto Sure, nightclub pics are usually done with flash. You get that whole '70s and '80s nightclub film vibe. But if that's the case, why use a fast lens like a f/1.4? Sort of the whole point of a fast lens is that you don't need much light in the first place.

[@rudermanphoto]

@@Mamo878 idk if you noticed the shots done without flash as well, the moody atmospheric ones - that is where the 1.4 comes in very handy, all of the shots done without flash are at 1.4!

[@eliaspap8708]

@@Mamo878a fast lens can only do so much it can never fix poorly light subject especially if there are harsh unflattering shadows across the face, a fill flash can help fix this.

[@TungstenOvergaard]

@@rudermanphoto Thanks for the answer! Very 90s vibe (but with much better IQ!) ;)

[@Mr.Stickyrice]

Thank you

[@jethrohaha]

difference is really minimal and I prefer B😮

[@ozuidema]

Great review! I consider myself a Fuji fanboy (recently got an XT5 as well), but the Leica images were easily spotted and, to me, nicer to look at.

[@rudermanphoto]

There’s a reason the Q2 is as highly regarded as it is! It’s an absolutely incredible camera, and the overall shooting experience is much better than the Fuji, but I suppose that’s what you pay 5k+ for haha

[@jackfiascoo]

Love your videos man, and yes the design is so boring indeed, such a shame Fuji makes those top notch lens look so dull. I actually got a 35mm f2 in silver just because it looks so good :) And completely agree on the comparison photos with the Leica - if it's hard to tell which one is what that's already close enough to not really matter

[@rudermanphoto]

Thank you for the kind words! The 35 f2 in silver is a stunner! Should get a Squarehood to match as well, I love mine, makes it look like a Leica lens haha

[@SummersSnaps]

MEGADETH! 🤘🤘

[@rudermanphoto]

Rust In Peace is one of my favourite albums ever!!

[@SummersSnaps]

@@rudermanphoto Oath!

[@Michaeltje2.0]

fellow Metalheads😎🤘 if you like Megadeth also try the Swedish Deathmetal band: The Crown :) underrated but soo damn good. powerful, lightning fast just pure awesomeness.

[@damirook8342]

Nice review but too biased towards Leica . Consumer camera vs pro stream . Its not the tool -its how you use it ;)

[@rudermanphoto]

Excuse me? I clearly say the 18 1.4 is basically as good as the Q, with examples; how on earth is that biased?

[@Zainphotography]

Nice lens but its ugly man. It doesn't even suit the aesthetic of their own camera bodies.

[@rudermanphoto]

The only issue with it 😭🤣 at least the square hood makes it look somewhat better.