In the following chart you can find a comparison between basic parameters of the Fujinon XF 23 mm f/1.4 R LM WR and other lenses of this class designed for mirrorless cameras with the APS-C sensor. As you can notice the new Fujinon is the biggest and the heaviest instrument in this group but you shouldn't be surprised – it also features the highest number of elements and a completely sealed barrel. Additionally, along with the Sony, it boasts a very short minimum focusing distance.
In the photo below the Fujinon 1.4/23 is positioned between the Fujinon XF 35 mm f/1.4 R and the Sigma C 30 mm f/1.4 DC DN.
The tested lens starts with a metal mount. It surrounds a contact plate and a rear element that is about 24 mm in diameter and doesn’t move. The element sticks out a bit over the mount as it is positioned in an additional, blackened tube. The whole area around the mount and the rear element is also properly blackened and matted, without any slits. From this side everything looks as it should and the lens remains completely sealed.
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The proper body of the lens is made of metal; it starts with a smooth, immobile ring on which you can find a focal length mark, a red rectangle making an alignment with a camera easier, its serial number and information that the instrument is weather-sealed and was produced in the Philippines.
Next is an aperture ring, 13 mm wide, mostly covered by metal ribbing. It performs as it should, allowing you to control the aperture every 1/3 EV step. Apart from the aperture value you also get an A position in which the camera chooses the aperture automatically. When you set the lens in A position the ring gets locked and in order to remove that block you have to press a button situated nearby.
Then you see an immobile, black part of the barrel, 12 mm wide, with a manual focus ring, 27 mm wide, covered completely by fine ribbing. It's a focus-by-wire construction, allowing you quite precise settings (which, by the way, can be completely destroyed by idiotic software of the camera; during the preview it can change the focus settings on its own even if you’ve chosen the MF mode). The lens, unfortunately, doesn’t feature any depth of field scale, and its focus throw amounts to an angle of over 180 degrees.
Behind the manual focus ring you see another metal part of the barrel; it doesn't move, turning smoothly into a hood mount.
The front element of the lens is immobile too, a bit concave, and 30 mm in diameter. It is surrounded by an inscription with the name and parameters of the instrument, along with a non-rotating filter thread, 58 mm in diameter.
When it comes to optical construction the lens consists of 15 elements positioned in 10 groups. Three elements are made of low-dispersion ED glass, two others are aspherical. Inside, you can also find a round aperture with nine diaphragm blades that can be closed down to a value of f/16 at the maximum.
Buyers get both caps, a hood and a soft pouch in the box with the lens. The pouch is of inferior quality, just a tad thicker than your ordinary optics cleaning cloth. It won't be able to protect the lens against anything for sure.
