In the world of Fujifilm, 23mm focal length is probably the most competitive.We have original XF23mm F1.4 R, XF23mm F2 WR, All X100 series house a23mm F2 lens and of course the latest XF23mm F1.4 LM WR. I really don’t know how many 3rd party 23mm lenses are there in the market. A quicksearch and here these are what I have found.1. Voigtlander Lens NOKTON 23mm F1.2 2. VILTROX 23mm f1.4 XF Auto Focus3. Tokina atx-m 23mm f/1.44. TTArtisan 23mm F1.45. 7artisans 24mm F1.4
The 23mm focal length is my personal favourite. As its an amazing general purposelens. One could do also anything with it. If I could take one prime lens with me; thisfocal will be it. And today we have another 23mm lens entering this highly competitive market. The Sigma 23mm F1.4 DC DN. Technically this is not a new lens. It’s been around for other mount like Sony, Leica and Panasonic.
I have the opportunity to test all their contemporary lens and this 23mm F1.4 is nothing short of great all rounder lens. If you are looking for a lens with good AF,IQ and price to match; I think Sigma will be a very logical decision. I don’t know theprice at this point of writing but a quick check base on the other mount its sellingat USD $549. I am not gonna talk about the performance and quality of this lens as you could find themon the web. Rather; I am gonna discuss how does this lens fit in this competitive market? Let talk about price from the most expensive to budget. Before that, have a look at the pricelist below.
1. $ 899 Fujifilm XF23mm F1.4 LM WR
2. $ 599 Voightlander Lens NOKTON 23mm F1.2
3. $ 549 Sigma 23mm F1.4 DC DN
4. $ 449 Fujifilm XF23mm F2 WR
5. $ 325 VILTROX 23mm f1.4 XF Auto Focus
6. $ 299 Tokina atx-m 23mm f/1.4
7. $ 109 7artisans 24mm F1.4
8. $ 99 TTArtisan 23mm F1.4
As you can see from above. From budget to the most expensive; it cost 9 times more. The equation doesn’t mean its 9 times better. The performance of the lenses varies andsometime the difference between good and great; is just that little bit. Doesn’t matter to manybut there are some photographers that are looking for that little bit better in performance,they will be willing to part with the extra cash.
Not because I am a X-photographer and therefore I am bias; rather as professional commercial photographer; I love the XF23mm F1.4 LM WR. For simple few reasons.Quiet, Fast, WR and most importantly; the IQ. This lens is sharp.
At USD $549, the Sigma it’s not really a bargain in this extreme competitive category. Unless you compare with Fujifilm. May I invite you to take a few steps back and look at the bigger picture. Where does this lens sits. Nothing is really bad about this lens. Good IQ, not far off from XF23mm F1.4 LM WR. It’s the best all rounder when compared the rest; if coughing out $549 is not an issue. Very able Auto focus. Good size and weight. This lens will definitely be a good choice for those that is looking at 3rd party lens with AF from a very reputable 3rd party manufacturer with more than 60 years in lens making knowledge. In a nutshell; thislens is a no brainer if you are a looking 3rd party prime lens. Plus it’s made in Japan.
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