LENS STORIES: Tomasz Lazar x XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR

XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR Impression

Life is a journey across places, time and space. A trusted friend on this journey for more than 10 years, photography’s helped me capture stories, people and moments that’ve been part of it all along.

Street art. That’s how photography and I started. Street art and Fujifilm. And now history has turned full circle.

The way I see it, street photography is not about methods. It’s the way we take pictures. The ability to find order in the chaos, to reveal what, to many, remains invisible. It’s not bound to the streets, either. You can actually find it anywhere.

I’ve always been fascinated by reflections, details, the play of light and shadow. They let you morph the prose of life into the poetry of every day, so that which is less direct becomes richer in symbols and innuendos.

Among my first favorite lenses for street photography and projects alike was, and still is, the FUJINON XF35mmF1.4 R. It has exquisite cinematic plasticity, is compact, lightweight, and you can take it anywhere.

I really like the 50 mm prime for its classic focal length that sees just the way the human eye does. It won’t distort the image, only show how we see it.

My long, intensive work with the FUJINON XF35mmF1.4 R may in fact have revealed several missing elements that would’ve made it indispensable in any conditions or situations.

I wasn’t entirely happy with the lens not being weather resistant or the Auto Focus lacking the speed I’d imagined it’d have. I’d expect that, with time, Fujifilm would make the sound decision to release a newer version of the classic 50 mm. Everything Fujifilm releases, however, embodies systematic evolution and growth. They put a lot of effort into meeting the users’ expectations. And it needs to be emphasized that they listen to the photographers they collaborate with and make proper use of the feedback received, which later brings very interesting results.

Hence the choice of the latest FUJINON XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR lens for my street photography project. I’ve attached it to a favorite of mine, the FUJIFILM X-Pro3 body. As early as during unboxing, I knew that I was dealing with a very solid, quality lens.

What caught my attention instantly when taking pictures was the dramatically enhanced Auto Focus. It just keeps providing opportunities to capture the moment, just as I expect it. Everything here works smoothly, quietly and flawlessly. And it’s the work of the brilliant, Linear AF system built into the lens.

The sealed, robust build makes shooting with the XF33mmF1.4 possible in all weather conditions. It’s vital if you want to make sure that your lens doesn’t disappoint you in the most important of moments as you’re working on your project or taking a specific shot.

The FUJINON XF33mmF1.4 lens and my X-Pro3 body make a perfectly balanced combination. This prime is not as light as the XF 35 1.4, but it’s an acceptable trade-off for a chance to work comfortably whatever the weather. Spending hours on the streets in search of shots for the project, I didn’t feel any discomfort to which I’d pay attention. Plus, the aperture and focus rings work smoothly, with great precision.

When mounted on the X-Pro3, the lens’s very good optical resolution is visible instantly, as is a pleasant bokeh. Combined with the features described above, both make it clear that the XF33mmF1.4 is a lens that Fujifilm has devoted a great deal of attention to in order to hone it to perfection. Fujifilm seem to have a plan to develop the X series in the years to come, and remain at the forefront of photographic equipment manufacturers.

It’s important to me that my photographic gear is an extension of the eye, not a source of problems. The XF33mmF1.4 lens turned out to be the former: a very good tool. It just works, and it’s precisely what I need. You should also keep in mind that the XF33mmF1.4 and the XF35mmF1.4 complement each other very well. Use them interchangeably, depending on the situation. They’re great, regardless of where you want to go, what you want to photograph, and what the shooting conditions are.

Fujifilm’s latest lens is bound to stay in my bag for good. I can feel it’s the beginning of a great adventure.