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FUJIFILM SIGMA

BEST
HIGHLY IN
XF 23mm f/2 R RATED 35mm f/1.4 DG TEST

WR £429 HSM ART £599

WHEN YOU THINK OF DIGITAL THE GLASS THAT MARKED THE
reportage cameras, you may well start of the phenomenal rise to glory,
think of Fujifilm. The company has a this was the initial lens in Sigma’s Art
history of making cameras that are range and still stands up to close
compact, capable and extremely scrutiny today. It’s renowned for its
discreet. This is an ethos that goes ultra-sharp image quality through
hand-in-hand with the lens design. all apertures, as well as its relatively
This 23mm gives a popular 35mm budget-friendly price for the level
equivalent length and wide f/2 of quality on offer. Under the TCS
aperture that’s more than enough Above The 23mm is (Thermally Stable Composite) hood Above The Art range
for dull shooting conditions. It’s incredibly compact, you’ll find 13 elements in 11 groups has fast become one
weather resistant and packs in ten making discreet that include two aspherical elements, of the most popular
elements in six groups, as well as shooting the order three SLD (special low dispersion) and diverse in the
a brace of aspherical lenses. It may of the day. and one FLD (F low dispersion) current market.
not have the pomp of other lenses in elements to help keep imperfections,
test, but its optics are razor sharp at flare, ghosting and barrel distortion to
all apertures, from the centre right PROS a minimum, which it does very well. PROS
out to corners too. Incredible The nine rounded diaphragm Comes in a
What really makes this lens stand sharpness blades help keep any bokeh smooth range of mounts
out, apart from excellent sharpness, Light and in the out of focus areas, and the Excellent
is the compact design. Weighing in compact build HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) focus image quality
at a mere 180g, it’s discreet and Weather sealed system is quick, accurate and near Weather-sealed
design
easy to carry. It also gives you silent – essential if you’re working in a
CONS
a wide enough angle to capture hushed environment. It’s not as small
43mm thread CONS
the context in your scene. All of the and compact as some lenses in this
is an unusual Not the
above makes it a must for Fujifilm test, but it has an outstanding track
filter size smallest in test
users with a bent for documentary record and comes in a wide range
shooting. Unfortunately, while an of DSLR mounts, including Canon,
excellent lens, it narrowly loses out SPEC Nikon, Sony, Pentax and the L mount. SPEC
to our next pick. fujifilm-x.com Min aperture: f/16 sigma-imaging-uk.com Min aperture: f/16
Max aperture: f/2 Max aperture: f/1.4
Elements: 10/6 Elements: 13/11
Filter size: 43mm Filter size: 67mm
Min focusing Min focusing
distance: 22cm distance: 30cm
DxH: 60x52mm DxH: 77x94mm
Weight: 180g Weight: 665g

RATING RATING

Above A number of Fujifilm’s lenses Above The focusing scale comes in
feature manual aperture rings. handy if you’re manual focusing.

106 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY