The following chart presents a comparison between basic parameters of different autofocus 23-24 mm class lenses that are designed to cooperate with APS-C/DX type sensors. The new Fujinon is not the only pancake-type lens in this group, also the faster Canon can be counted as one. Also the Nikkor Z DX 24 mm f/1.7 is very shapely and it features a very fast f/1.7 aperture. Still, it's the Fujinon that is here the lightest and, along with the Canon, the smallest and small wonder - that's what you expect from a pancake lens.
In the photo below the tested lens is positioned between two other devices with a similar focal length, but also noticeably faster aperture-wise and, because of that, distinctly bigger. On the left you get the Viltrox AF 25 mm f/1.7 Air and on the right the Sigma C 23 mm f/1.4 DC DN.
The Fujinon XF 23 mm f/2.8 R WR starts with a metal mount that surrounds a contact plate and a dark, matte tube that sticks out a bit over the contacts. Inside that tube moves a rear element, 18 mm in diameter. With sharpness set at the minimum focusing distance it is positioned almost 1 cm deep from the tube's edge; at infinity it is more or less at the same level as the contacts. Everything is properly blackened, matted, without any slits through which you can spot electronic parts inside.
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The proper body of the lens, like the mount, is made of metal. It starts with a smooth, immobile ring on which you can find a red square, making an alignment with a camera easier, inscriptions with the serial number and the place of production, the Philippines in this case.
A metal, mostly ribbed aperture ring is the next part. It is just 8 mm wide but it's quite comfortable to operate, with an additional nub inside which there is a red button that allows you to switch the ring to the A mode. On the ring you also can find focal length markings from f/2.8 to f/16, along with the aforementioned A position. The settings can be changed every 1/3 EV step.
Further on you find a small immobile part of the casing, and then a ribbed manual focus ring that, with the width of just 3 mm, might be called microscopic. If your fingers are a bit thicker moving this ring might be tricky – you have to be extra careful in order not to change the aperture value by accident while setting the focus with this ring.
This ring doesn't have any distance or depth-of-field markings due to the fact that it is a focus-by-wire mechanism. In order to cover the whole distance range you have to turn this ring through an angle of almost 180 deg. It is a significant value, allowing you very precise settings but you have to add that the distance mark on the display moves incrementally, in full accordance with incremental sounds of the mechanism itself. Filmmakers won't be happy for sure.
The front element of the lens is just 13 mm in diameter and is positioned inside the tube that changes its position as you set the focus. It is surrounded by ribbed elements of the barrel and a non-rotating filter thread, 39 mm in diameter. On the outermost rim you can find also inscriptions with the name and parameters of the lens.
It's worth mentioning that this lens is available in black or silver version.
The optical construction is rather simple, as befits a pancake type of lens. You deal here with 8 elements positioned in 6 groups. Two elements are aspherical. Inside you can also find an aperture with as many as 11 blades; you can close it up to f/16 at the maximum.
Buyers get both caps, a small hood with a separate cap, and a soft pouch.
