Joined in 2023 
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Within the Fujifilm X-Mount ecosystem, there is a solid selection of primes lenses, except on the extreme ends of the focal range. There is only one super-telephoto lens (XF200mmF2 R LM OIS WR), and the widest prime lens is the XF14mmF2.8 R from 2013. I love the 21mm equivalent field-of-view in 35mm, which works out to 14mm on the X Mount, but there haven’t been many options coming from Fujifilm. It’s either the previously mentioned XF14mmF2.8 R or the WCL-X70 converter on the discontinued X70 to achieve this field-of-view, both at a maximum aperture of f/2.8. I have always wanted a Fujicron version of the XF14mm; a Fujilux version would be the dream but nothing so far from Fujifilm.
Center-sharpness remains excellent even when shooting wide-open and, while corner-sharpness drops off a bit by comparison, that’s no issue in practical terms. In portraiture and still life photography, softening towards the edges of the frame is generally preferable. Vignetting is quite mild, even at f/1.4 and again, a little vignetting can actually be an advantage for portrait and still life images. In-camera correction is generally available if you need it.
The lens is constructed of 14 elements in 11 groups, which includes four ED and two aspheric elements and a multi-layer coated, waterproof, front optic. It has a nine-blade aperture, weighs 420 grams, and takes a larger 67mm filter. As it is a fly-by-wire design, it comes with a micro-USB port that allows firmware upgrades which Viltrox has be forthcoming with. Out of the box, there are front and rear lens caps, a cloth case, and a lens hood. This lens responds very well to light sources in the frame and in most situations, the coatings do a very good job of preventing the image from losing contrast and washing out. There are occasions though, albeit rare when contrast does drop; light hitting the lens at certain very specific angles will cause a drop in contrast not across the whole shot, but at specific points in the image. Fortunately, there’s a hood included with the lens – it’s stored on the lens when not in use and can easily be clipped into position, and it does a good job of preventing contrast drop when the light’s in the wrong place.
With a minimum focusing distance of 8.6in (22cm), there’s immense potential to add a more dynamic look to your images through simply moving your camera closer and further away from your subject. I’ve shot many wide lenses in the past but most have been the manual focus – either vintage lenses from the days of film, or modern manual focus lenses. This one, of course, is an autofocus lens, and it’s been a real breath of fresh air. It’s wonderful to have the lens do the work of focusing, no need to use focusing aids like peaking or magnification, just frame the shot and shoot! The autofocus freed me from having to think about focussing and allowed me to focus only on the aesthetic aspects of the shot like line, form, shape, light and colour – as a photographer I found it liberating to let the camera and lens take care of the technical elements, leaving me free to concentrate on the visual components of the shot, and get on with making images! In this article I will explain my opinion on and experiences with each of four third-party ultra-wide angle prime lenses for the X-Mount, although these are all available for Sony E-Mount, and some other APS-C camera systems. The four lenses are the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4, Rokinon 12mm f/2, 7Artisans 12mm f/2.8, and Laowa 9mm f/2.8. From the general photography point of view, I am really enjoying using this lens in different situations. I also enjoy the challenge of being fixed to one focal length when out shooting, as I feel it tightens your compositional skills somewhat.
Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 STM ED IF Lens
It’s not perfect, inevitably suffering from flare when stopped down and soft corners, particularly at wider apertures. Its sweet spot is around f/8.0 where you can expect to routinely capture quality images. However that f/1.4 maximum aperture will appeal to those in search of light — think to mosh pit or starry sky — while also offering bokeh potential at a wide angle.
Center sharpness is great from f/1.4 but contrast is only good but gets better by f/2 and it is perfect at f/2.8
Cons:
As you can see from the lineup, the Fujifilm 27mm is a svelte pancake lens that really suits the ergonomics of a street camera; the Viltrox 23mm and 56mm look positively DSLR-like in origin by comparison. The 13mm is a step above those in both size and weight. Fringer EF-FX Pro III (v2.50), EF-GFX Pro (v1.60), NF-FX (v1.90) & NF-GFX (v1.20) Firmware Updates Released In-depth Fujifilm GFX 100II Sensory Analysis – ISO 80 is Smoke and Mirrors, Electronic Shutter Hasn’t Changed, and More Overall, the Rokinon is a excellent lens, especially now that the price point has come down so much since its launch. Excellent image quality, small size and weight, and a capable f/2 aperture makes it a winner for anyone who doesn’t care about the ugly sunstars and doesn't mind working with manual focus and aperture settings. 7Artisans 12mm f/2.8
Speaking of review samples, Damian is the first to publish his first look on the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 AF XF. The 7Artisans 12mm lens may not be as bright as the Viltrox or Rokinon, but its still plenty capable to use for photographing night scenes. Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Bright f/1.4 maximum aperture suits working in difficult lighting conditions and helps to maintain a relatively compact form factor. Of course there are, although perhaps unusually nothing that is directly comparable in terms of focal length and aperture. Fujifilm has a plethora of lenses, although the closest is the XF 14 mm f/2.8 R— along with 16mm and 18mm variants — while Sigma has also recently released its 16mm f/1.4 for X-mount. That places the Viltrox 13mm in a class of its own, and perhaps that was the intent. Should You Buy It?A lens with specs like these is an important part of my kit, and I use them regularly for architecture, real estate, print photojournalism, astrophotography, landscape, video, and documentary work. Preferring prime lenses to zooms for these purposes, my requirements are that it is wider than 14mm and has an aperture that is f/2.8 or brighter. I have owned each for approximately six months or more, and each one has found a use case in my professional or personal work. Focusing is critical in portraiture, especially when shooting at very wide apertures for a tight depth of field. We found that Eye AF worked very accurately and consistently with our Z-mount test sample mounted on a Nikon Z fc camera. Ultra wide-angle lens is designed for APS-C-format FUJIFILM X-mount mirrorless cameras. with it , you could portray anything. You can shoot environmental portrait, cityscape, landscape, architecture, or even macro photography.
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