The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR is a bright, fast walkaround prime lens that’s particularly well-suited to landscape and street photography. It also makes a good video lens thanks to its small size, light weight and confident, silent autofocus. Available only for Fuji X-mount cameras, all of which share an APS-C sensor size, it offers a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 27mm.
The Fuji XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR has a list price of 91,999.
Key specifications:
- Focal length: 18mm (27mm with APS-C crop)
- Aperture range: F1.4 – F16
- Stabilization: No
- Filter thread: 62mm
- Close focus: 0.2m (7.9″)
- Maximum magnification: 0.15x
- Diaphragm blades: 9
- Hood: Included plastic bayonet hood, optional LH-XF18 bayonet hood
- Weight: 370g (0.82 lb)
- Optical construction: 15 elements in 9 groups (3 aspherical, 1 ED)
| Compared to | Fujifilm XF 18mm F1.4 R LM WR | Fujifilm XF 18mm F2 RWR | Fujifilm XF 16mm F1.4 R |
| Price (MSRP) | $999 | $599 | $999 |
| Optical construction | 15 elements, 9 groups | 8 elements, 7 groups | 13 elements, 11 groups |
| Weather sealed | Yes | No | Yes |
| Aperture blades | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| Filter threads | 62mm | 52mm | 67mm |
| Minimum focus distance / max magnification | 0.20 m (7.9″) / 0.15x | 0.18 m (7.1″) / 0.14x | 0.15 m (5.9″) / 0.21x |
| Diameter x Length(no hood) | 69mm x 76mm(2.7″ x 3.0″) | 65mm x 34mm(2.5″ x 1.3″) | 73mm x 73mm(2.9″ x 2.9″) |
| Weight | 370g (13.1oz) | 116g (4.1oz) | 375g (13.2oz) |
| Lens hood | Included | Included | Included |
Product features
- Exceptional optical performance, even at F1.4
The XF18mmF1.4 utilizes three aspherical lenses and one ED lens among its 15 lens elements, spread across 9 groups, to minimize chromatic and comatic aberration. This means the finest details of animage will be reproduced with high levels of detail and sharpness The focusing group of six lens elements moves in unison to reduce aberration fluctuations, which can be caused by focusing, to deliver consistent sharpness at any focusing position on the lens.
- Designed for versatility
The XF18mmF1.4 has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 27mm and can achieve focus on subjects 11cm (4.33in) away from the front lens element. This gives it a broad range of applications from being used to make images of everyday moments to using it to create sweeping landscapes.
- Fast, accurate, and near-silent autofocus
The XF18mmF1.4 uses an internal autofocus (AF) system, driven by a powerful linear motor, to provide fast, accurate, and near-silent AF. From the lens’s minimum object distance (MOD) of 20cm (7.87in) to infinity, the focusing group of lens elements travels a total of just 2.5mm (0.1in). This means focus can be acquired in as quickly as 0.04 seconds*1 If the lens must travel from MOD to infinity to acquire focus, it can still be achieved in as quickly as 0.25 seconds For precise control when manually focusing, components in the manual focusing ring assembly have been specially engineered to respond with precision, especially when the focusing ring is moved slightly.
- Compact, lightweight and weather-resistant
The XF18mmF1.4 has a 62mm filter thread, measures 7.56cm (2.98in) in length, and weighs just 370g(0.81lb). This makes it incredibly lightweight and portable. While the lens barrel is made from metal,it is specially designed to weigh as little as possible without compromising its overall strengthThe lens has weather-resistant seals at eight locations along the lens barrel, making it resistant to dust, moisture, and temperatures as low as -10°C (14°F) The XF18mmF1.4 has an A (Auto) Position Lock to lock the aperture ring into the A position, which prevents accidental movement.
- Optional accessory
LH-XF18 Lens Hood for the XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR – A rectangular, aluminum lens hood for XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR helps to prevent lens flare and ghosting, which can occur when beams of light strike the front element of the lens.
For stills shooters, image quality is pretty decent in most respects, even when shooting wide-open. That’s particularly important as if you’re paying a price and portability premium for a bright F1.4 optic, you’ll likely want to shoot at or near maximum aperture quite often.
But with that caveat aside, we think the Fuji XF 18mm F1.4 represents a solid option for a bright, fast walk-around prime for X-mount shooters. And short of switching to a wider 16mm or more telephoto 23mm lens, it’s really your only option if you want a bright F1.4 maximum aperture. It’s certainly a different class to the now rather long-in-the-tooth XF 18mm F2 R pancake, and well worth the price premium over that lens.
