Broke down and preordered a 16/2.8 WR

Congratulations!

I like working the 16mm angle of view and for that angle of view I think f 2.8 DOF is appropriate.

I am certainly tempted. However, the Fujinon 50mm f2 R WR is next on my list. I already own the 14/2.8, 23/2, 27/2.8 and 35/2.
 
"Weather Resistant".

I've also pre-ordered the 16mm. The 24mm was my favorite focal length back in my film days. I actually wore out two 24mm Nikkors.

Been using the 14mm Fuji and I love it but it's a little too special purpose wide for the way I shoot, the 18mm isn't wide enough and the 16mm 1.4 is too big. I'm hoping the new 16mm is as good as the other Fuji lenses. I sorta worries me that it's made in the Philippines instead of Japan but I'm willing to take a chance.
 
William, I think you'll love the 50mm. It's not only one of the sharpest lenses I've ever owned, it also has a "look" that I find appealing.
 
BillBingham2 said:
Hey Ken, what'd you think of the 16/2.8 WR?

Thanks.

B2 (;->
Click to expand...

Well, since Ken cancelled his order, I'll jump in with an opinion. Note that I don't test lenses, I just take pictures. I've not tested flare, coma, distortion, chromic aberrations or vignetting because...well, I don't care. I seldom shoot pictures where these types of aberrations would make any difference to me. And when it comes to vignetting, I almost always add a little in LR anyway.

I can echo the observations of those online "reviewers" in stating it's a very small lens. To me that's a Good Thing since I never was interested in the f/1.4 version due to the size. I'm sure it's a great lens but it's overkill for anything where I need a 24mm equivalent lens.

In use, it handles great for my purposes. I don't use manual focus whatsoever so I have no idea how that compares but the AF is snappy, quiet and as accurate as any of the other Fuji lenses I've used. The aperture ring is tight, just like the other small WR lenses. Images are sharp (that's to be expected from a Fuji lens these days) and compare favorably to the 23/2 and 35/2. At first I thought mine was a little soft but using it more frequently indicated I was wrong about that. It's not as sharp as the 50/2. Not much is.

I never shoot JPEG so can't comment about what they look like. I don't use film simulations. If you do, they're there and I'm sure they will be consistent with the other cameras. Raw files are typically Fuji, easy for me to process in LR after converting to DNG with X-Transformer. Mostly I convert to B&W so I haven't done much color. I've read complaints about the other newer small Fuji "Crons" lacking the magic look of the older Fuji models (especially the 35/1.4). Using Raw files and some subtle post processing I don't see a lot of difference--the older Fujis might have a marginally high concentration of pixie dust but it's close. Maybe that's just subjectivity on my part but all I can say is I'm totally happy with all these lenses.

What don't I like? Not much. The lens hood is kinda dinky--what's new? I bought a metal wide angle screw-in type to replace it but I've used the lens mostly without a hood. Also I had one surprise--the lens is more useable in the XPro1 than the XPro2. That's because it brings up the upper frameline corners in the OVF of the XP1 but only the left side corner lines in the XP2. Of course using it with the EVF in either model is preferable but, if you were so inclined, you could use the OVF more effectively in the older XPro with less guesswork as to what you are framing.

I like the lens. I like it more the more I use it. When I was a photography newbie in the early 1970's I used a 24/2.8 Nikkor a lot with Nikon F and F2 bodies. It's a focal length that fits me well.
 
Thanks for your comments, Dogman! I’m finally ready to pick one up, I’m thinking a 16/35/50 kit will be good for everyday with my XP2.

How are you finding OVF framing accuracy to be with the XP2, though - are the framelines fairly representative, of at least workable? I’ve been using my 14 with both OVF and EVF, but it’s a bit of a leap of faith with the OVF.
 
The 16, 23, 35 group is now my normal kit and I occasionally throw in the 50.

For the past coupla weeks I've used the 16mm more and I'm now finding it pretty useable on both the XPro1 and XPro2 with the OVF. The image area is pretty close to being the entire viewfinder area. I can live with that. It's sorta like using an accessory finder on a rangefinder camera--you get used to the view being only a fair approximation of the actual image and you learn to work around it. Of course the EVF will be more accurate but I have some difficulties seeing the EVF in bright sunlight so it's good that the OVF is useable.
 
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