I switched to Fuji for the compactness so I'll be keeping my 35 1.4, I love that lens!

I've had my 35mm f1.4 since early 2012. it was my first fuji XF lens and I will be the last one I hang on to... and I own a lot of XF lenses, That is saying something.

As an xpro3 owner i can see why they keep the old one. Without the lenshood you can still use it with the optical viewfinder- i‘m pretty sure this wouldnt be possible with a bigger lens. This is the only f1.4 in the lineuo where this is possible and i love it. i made 40x60cm prints of the old one and they are perfectly sharp as well- as far as i can tell however

$200 increase to a $600 price is a lot IMHO, that's a 1/3 increase.

What I love about the older lens: Less weight. It matters a lot to some of us.

After going through the video and looking at examples, I think I should get the older 35mm 1.4 . Smaller and considerably lighter and cheaper by 200$. Loss is weather resistance and slightly improved corner sharpness. Not big deal for a body like XE4 which is not weather sealed.

Great review, thanks! I love the character of the old 35mm and as it has made me thousands with critical technical studio work I didn’t sell it but keep in on my ‘Walkabout’ Fuji X-E4. The new 33mm is my new benchmark lens that does EVERYTHING perfectly and is now my main studio lens for critically sharp product, commercial and multi GigaByte stitched images of artworks.

Size & weight matter. That’s why I moved from Leica to Fuji X. My eyes got tired by rangefinder manually focussing over the years, but I wanted by all means keep the small and lightweight pocketable gear, so the XF 35/1.4 was the lens that steered me to Fuji, a move I’ve never regretted. Where on the market do you find a fast 50mm equivalent so small and lightweight, particularly in conjunction with the XT-20/30 or XE-3/4? Plus I like the more analog Image rendering of that lens. In quite a number of cases you’re less seeking the punchy image but the more lyrical one.

Wait what do you mean slightly heavier? It's exactly twice the weight as the old 35.

Double videos today. C and J are on fire 🔥

Jordan always does Chris a favor when he shoots with a Fuji. Chris looks great

great review and comparison. I love my 35 though, its almost glued to my camera.

The new lens seems like a brilliant bit of glass. The challenge isn't so much comparing which lens to buy for many of us...it is rather a question of 'Does the new lens justify upgrading from the XF35/1.4 we already have and love?" For ME, the answer is "No...the XF35/1.4 is still every bit as wonderful as it has ever been and the XF33/1.4 doesn't offer me enough of an improvement to justify the additional cost. IF I had NO 'normal' prime currently, then yes, the XF33 looks to be the smarter purchase.

Lovely portraits of your daughter! Thanks for the review too 😊

Fuji is going to keep the old lens because people are convinced it is magical. It has a dedicated cult following so Fuji isn't going to touch it. I am not here to speak of magic in lenses. However, I will say that the pursuit of corner to corner sharpness is what you end up with when people complain about clinical rendering. The more you correct a lens the flatter an image becomes. That distortion, those softer corners, and those other defects and the way not everything is sharp contributes to 3D perception. Furthermore, the poor corners of the 35mm f/1.4 are exaggerated. The lens has field curvature and in most cases when you photograph real scenes there is no issue with corner sharpness. These tests are fine but they are limited. You don't get a true feel for a lens until you actually spend time with it and use it in various situations. Only then can you truly judge a lens.

Love my 35mm 1.4. Absolutely my favourite lens in my collection.

Interesting video Chris thanks and a good promotion of both. Apart from weather sealing on the 33 the optical differences are so minor that they are irrelevant to me except for the added weight for walk around. So I’m going to buy the old 35 and really will enjoy it. The 33 is rumoured to be compatible with the new 42mpx cameras expected this May so will be interesting to see how the old 35 handles these.

The 33mm lens seems to render with more contrast. But I love my 35mm and won't part with it. Together with the X-Pro1 they were my entry into the Fujifilm XF world. Love the sensor, love the camera and lens - especially love the aperture ring!

It's bigger, it's twice the weight, it costs 1/3 more and doesn't really do anything better. But it's great for those who want a video friendly lens with weather sealing.

It's a great move by Fuji to keep the 35mm alive.

Hoping there's a square lens hood for this one 🤞🏻

Great comparison. Although I think the real test is comparing it to the viltrox brand one. At such a cheap price point I don’t see this selling too much except for the hardcore fuji only users. (And even a lot of them are heavily impressed with viltrox like I was)

Perfectly happy with my 35mm paired with XT20 for walking around city type shots, never disappoints

Very informative video (as usual) From your personal perspective, would you prefer the new 33mm 1.4 vs 18mm 1.4 as a first Fujifilm prime?

I think the even tougher comparison is actually to the 35mm f2. Similar focus speed, quiet, WR, IQ. For most people, is the substantial size/ weight/ price difference worth the 1 stop benefit?

well this is even faster than the rumors website. Great vid!

I'm pretty sure fuji is aware of the famous "magic" that the og 35mm produces. Theres a reason they had to make it a very clinical 33 1.4 instead of replace the 35 1.4. that lens is sorta the legacy lens of the x mount, and there's no way they'll replace it. Who knows probably even the engineers prefer the 35 over the 33

Just as a side note: Chris and Jordan should do a podcast. As much as I love watching their reviews/videos, I could just listen to their voices for hours. Love your work, keep it up!

XF35/1.4 + X-Pro1 is my prefered combo until 2012, and it will remain like that. Results are just unique, and when there are not, it is my fault.

I just got my 35mm 1.4f. I returned the 23mm f2 for this. I don’t think I’ll need the 33mm if I have the 35mm. The small difference in quality can’t justify another £500+ purchase for me. Only difference is the 33mm is described to have faster and quieter AF. I think if you don’t have the 35mm (f1.4 or 2) the 33mm maybe a suitable option for you!

As someone who only has a 23 F2, I think I might grab the 33mm as my next lens.

I'd be interested to see an objective review between this and the viltrox 33 1.4

This new lenses has LM autofocus motor for better AF in video. Fuji is in the proces of upgrading their lens lineup with lenses using the Liniear motors.

I heard the 23mm F1.4 is gonna get updated! I am soo pumped up if the 23mm F1.4 version 2 (WR) gets better then we could expect the 35mm 1.4 version 2 to be good cant wait!

will stick with the 35 f2 as that already has water resistance and living on the coast the 1.4 would never be needed - low light? Flash or tripod solves any problems for me.

It was a pleasant surprise to see Pictou lead off the photo gallery.

Those four letters man… LM WR. So exciting!

the thing with the 35 f1.4 being that old is that you can get it for WAYYY cheaper on the used market, and there is ton of them. In France there is a lot of those between 350 and 450€, compared to the 800€ price tag of the 33mm 1.4, if you want a lens that produce similar results, but are willing to make a few compromises to pay half the price, well I'd say that's still a good option. no point of buying it brand new though

The 35mm f/1.4 suits better the smaller cameras like the X-T30 or X-T200

How about a comparison between the Fuji 33mm and the Tokina 33mm f/1.4 ? That would be cool !

Wondering why you didn't talk about the aperture ring lock. This is my main reason to replace the older lens.

It is nice that if you want a 50mm equivalent, Fuji now has options in $200 increments. The 33mm looks nice though, would love to see a comparison with that Viltrox 33mm 1.4.

I just do modest video projects - even so, I wonder if my standards are too high. What I mean is, I have the inexpensive XF 35mm f2, and the focus breathing on it is excessive enough that I just avoid the lens lately (the 50mm f2 is very good, though). In this review, at about 3:40, where it is said that the focus breathing on the 33mm f 1.4 is not too bad, the example being shown while that is being said is, to me, very noticeable and would result in a shot I would not want to keep. Am I too "focused" on focus breathing? - Dave

I was never a wide angle person, but I love Fujifilms 14Mmm. I don’t know if they’re gonna redo it but the one I got is I’m happy with.Scott

probably better for the more dedicated and professional portrait shooters, but I feel like I'll stick w my 35 1.4 hahah

This is the comparison we needed! Thanks guys. Really tempted by the wr but disappointed they made it bigger and heavier, that rules it out as a walk-around lens I'd say. (Also corner sharpness is the most irrelevant thing ever lol)

I'd go for the older lens anyway. I don't care about balls or AF "smoothness"..

The original 35 1.4 was my first Fuji lens with my old XE-1. You'll have to pry it from my cold dead fingers before I let it go.

I have the Fuji 35mm/1.4....Not enough change for me to switch. I'm staying with the original 35/1.4

Is it me, but the newer 33mm seems to have better color contrast. One reason I used the Zeiss Touit 32mm over the Fuji 35 mm lens in the past.

I feel like with fuji's ibis and incoming budget primes from sigma sony aps-c will have a hard time competing. Unless we get a budget full frame.. either way that's some exciting stuff and hopefully the whole industry will benefit from it!

The 35mm f/1.4 has been my ‘go to’ lens for commercial work since day one. It is so sharp and distortion free that it gets regular use digitising large artworks in stitched sections creating 2m, 300ppi multi gigabyte reproduction images. I will be interested to test the 33mm but can’t see how it would be better for what I do. Thanks for the great review guys. Your camera studio test shots provided the evidence that got me and my company photographers to switch from Nikon to Fuji years ago!

Love mine 35mm F1.4 !!!!!

The one thing I wanted in an update is faster AF. This one is a pass, I’ll be sticking with the 35mm.

$800 for this or $279 for the Viltrox? Only you can decide.

I think you are missing some points. The 35mm f/1.4 can be found for half the price, even when both are used. It also weights nearly half as much (187 g vs 360 g). Both are light, but that's a big difference either way. I will try the 35 first. I did consider the f/2, but the f/1.4 only costs a bit more, weights about the same, and I don't need fast autofocus or weather sealing for a few portraits of family members. When I use it for architecture, I will stop it down to f/5.6 or so anyway. Still, I do get the appeal of both of the other 33/35mm lenses. The same can't be said for the 23 and 50/56mm lenses in terms of weight. Still, the f/1.2/1.4 variants can be had for just a bit more, and about half of the new versions. Here, I find it very hard to choose. I think, I will go with 23 f/2 and 50 f/2, as they are about half the weight, and I don't need more lenses faster than f/2. I want Fuji to update their 14mm. It can be made both smaller and lighter; something similiar to the 16mm f/2.8 and 23/35mm f/2 lenses. I would pair it with the 8mm f/3.5, 23mm f/2, 35mm f/1.4, and 50mm f/2 for architecture and some occasional family meetings. Of course I won't bring every lens every time, but mix it a bit up. When it comes to tele, I think the 70-300 will do the job.

Wow that was fast.. love this focal length but I'm stickin with my 35 f2 for now.. too many other needs.. There's a 23mm mark2 comin also, isn't there?

What lens should I get for my Xt5 as my first? Street photography mainly

I'm more interested in the new 23mm 1.4 ...

I think main reason that 90% people will keep 35 is price. if they can afford xf33, they will throw freaking noisy xf35 right away. Weight and size sound so reasonable to justify

Great!

Not sure, old lens has a little more pop and character, I’m actually leaning more towards the older lens - which is not what I wanted, nor expected.

These new fast lenses are looking very similar with each other, same story as the "slow" primes Fuji is making, so I'm just curious: are these new lenses made of metal or plastic? I own the old 16mm 1.4 and it is almost fully metal, I think, it's a beauty!

I really like the 35mm1.4. If they could perhaps make a mark 2 version like the 27mm. Same optics but perhaps linear autofocus and weather sealing

My New dream lens 🥺

Wonder how this compares to Viltrox 33mm f1.4.

I will pick this new and the news pz lens

You look like Richard Karn. Thanks for the video

They may use the older 35 as a kit lens. In my country, Fuji offers a X-E4 bundled with the 35 for 300 usd extra for the lens. Pretty good.

Great, they don't even touch on the one thing I was interested in, close focus - both distance-wise and performance, if the 33 focuses closer and maintains decent sharpness wide open at CFD then it's definitely worth the extra.

Interesting FB post by Carl Hare of the Fujicast a short time ago showing a stark difference in sharpness and chroma ab between the 33 and 35 1.4. It’s startling. Link isn’t shareable, sorry but worth seeking out.

XT4 + 33/1.4WR vs Z6II + 50/1.8S would be an awesome comparison video given that both setups hit almost identical price points.

Maybe the 33/1.4 will handle the higher megapixel cameras introduced in the near future, more so than the older 35/1.4 (Resolution)

Ill buy the old one just for the lens hood

Those “strange rainbow patterns” are the points of light from the sun hitting the color filter array, bouncing back against the exit pupil, and back into the sensor. I see this sort of thing on lenses that have been well-corrected for sharpness and aberrations and with the sun directly in the picture - it shows up often with my GFX 50R and the 50mm f/3.5. The older 35mm f/1.4 wasn’t as well corrected, which has other potential image quality downsides, but its imperfections do, inadvertently, alleviate reflection issues such as this.

Wow quick review drop

Must be a very complex optical design to have the same weight as a 16/18mm 1.4 . This 33 field of view is suppose to have a simple element formula. Not here for that much heft. Hopefully Zeiss releases an updated 1.8 planar 32mm.

hey amazing!!! i LOve Fuji

No LoCa test? If I remember the old 35mm had nasty loCa

I'm happy with my small 35mm f2

the question not raised in the video is if you already have a 35 f1.4, should you get the 33mm f1.4. From what I have seen in this review and elsewhere, the answer is a no.

can't help but notice, is it the sound of motorcycle crushed at 3:59 ?

I would rather go with 35mm f1.4 + new focusing motor.

Do you guys have an XF 23mm LM WR on hand?

I can see a number of people keeping the older 35mm f1.4 for now. I do wish they made a 33mm F1.2. Small difference however would grant me what I would want to move over. For travel the 16-55mm F2.8 and a 33mm F1.2. In the future a 45 megapixel aps-c sensor for travel photography would be perfect setup.

Hi, I notice there is focusing sound for my xf33mm, is it normal

Look at those stars!!!!

Oh goodie

Fujifilms lenses are just getting to big. I will stick with my 35mm f1.4, awesome lens. Perfect? No. Great? Yes!

The Bokeh looks better on the 35mm in my opinion. I don't like it to be round.

what does the 1/10th and 1/6th Noct mean?

I was supposed to buy the 35mm one. But after watching this review, it makes me want to buy the 33mm instead. From what I've seen, the "character" is still there.

Maybe the biggest difference will be auto focus in low light

1:25 She's got a commanding presence, but her mom's still got those cheekbones ;)

Why don’t Fuji update their roadmap anymore? I did not know this was coming. Would be cool to see a comparison between this and the Laowa 33mm 0.95.

One thing not mentioned... what if we already have the 35mm, worth the upgrade?

Compare to sigma 33mm F1,4?

Is it a re-branded Viltrox like the Tokina?

😍

$200 is a big difference 😅 as an owner of the old 35 1.4. I’m intrigued, but don’t think I’ll be getting it.