Conclusion

Back in 2021 Fujifilm released the 27mm f/2.8 pancake lens along with the X-E4 rangefinder camera. Now with the 2025 launch of the new X-E5, they've taken the opportunity to release a wider 23mm variant.

The 23mm version also benefits from three key things - weather-resistance, an aperture ring, and a lens hood - whilst being practically the same size and weight.

Compared to the other two 23mm lenses in the X-series range, the XF 23mm F2 R WR and the XF 23mm F1.4 R LM WR, the new f2.8 option is smaller, lighter and cheaper, making it more well-suited to always being mounted on the new X-E5.

It's also similar to the fixed lens on the immensely popular X100-series cameras, so if you've ever wanted an interchangeable lens version of that camera, the X-E5 paired with the XF 23mm F2.8 R WR would make a great alternative choice.

On the flip-side, the focusing ring is even narrower than on the 27mm version, making manual focusing less intuitive than using auto-focus, and the implementation of the screw-in lens hood and accompanying hood cap is a little awkward, in that it precludes the use of filters (unless you remove the hood first) and the cap can be tricky to remove in a hurry.

We would also have liked to see Fujifilm address a couple of other key complaints about the 27mm equivalent, namely its lack of sharpness towards the edges of the frame and the very audible auto-focus motor.

This Fujifilm 23mm lens is remarkably sharp in the centre of the image virtually throughout the entire aperture range, with only f/16 suffering from diffraction. Sharpness at the edges, however, isn't so good, requiring the user to stop down to f/8 to get critically sharp results.

The maximum aperture of f/2.8 makes it quite easy to creatively throw the background out of focus, with the eleven-blade iris diaphragm achieving some lovely bokeh effects. Vignetting is practically a non-issue, and chromatic aberrations are present but very well-controlled. There is no barrel distortion and little vignetting even when shooting wide-open.

Delivering a classic 35mm angle of view, the new Fujifilm XF 23mm F2.8 R WR is one of the smallest lenses in the extensive XF line-up, forming a great partnership with the new X-E5 that we tested it with.

The only catch at the time of writing is that it won't be available as a stand-alone product until September 2025, which means that you'll have to buy it in a kit with the X-E5 if you want it right away. Thankfully that's precisely where this new lens is right at home...

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4
Ease-of-use	4
Image quality	4
Value for money	4.5