If it surprises you that my favourite focal length is the 50mm equivalent (35mm on Fuji X-cameras), you are probably new to my blog - welcome!

Fujifilm had already two 35mm lenses in their line-up: The XF35mm F1.4 (my all time favourite) and the XF35mm F2. Both of these are excellent in their own right. But they have the same downside: price. Don’t get me wrong, those lenses are both good value for money. But if you’re just starting out in photography and/or on a budget, the price can be a barrier to enter the wonderful world of shooting with a standard prime lens. Enter the new XC 35mm F2. Fujifilm Belgium was kind enough to let me borrow this lens for a couple of days, together with an X-T30. That way I could test a realistic combination that is within reach for most photographers.

Long before I developed grey hairs, I started taking photography seriously with the Canon 50mm F1.8, nicknamed the “plastic fantastic”. It was cheap but the optical quality and the wide aperture made it a steal. The XC 35mm F2, is Fuji’s plastic fantastic. I’d say it’s even a plastic more fantastic.

The image quality of this new lens is amazingly good for a fast prime in that price range. I don’t do scientific tests, but I figure the image quality is close to that of the XF 35mm F2. The lens doesn’t have the character of my beloved 35mm F1.4 but it holds its own in the character department. I was also pleasantly surprised about the autofocus speed.

But you can’t make a great lens at a low price without some compromises. For starters, there’s the way it’s built. It doesn’t have weather sealing and it’s mostly plastic (including the lens mount). Like all XC-lenses, it doesn’t have an aperture ring. You can control the aperture on the camera body and that works perfectly fine (although I really like the aperture rings).

Although I have and enjoy the higher end cameras and lenses, it was a very pleasant experience to shoot with the X-T30 and the Fujinon plastic fantastic. I never felt limited in any way. For hardcore professional use, I’d still recommend to invest in the higher end lenses and cameras. But for the average photographer, this would be just fine. Even the kids got along really well with this user friendly combination.

I strongly encourage all my students to learn how to shoot with a 23 or a 35 lens. You won’t be able to use the cool distortion effect of a wide angle lens, nor the flattering compression of a long lens. You can’t rely on the flexibility of a zoom lens either. All lenses have their use of course but for the purpose of learning, a 23 or 35 will teach you lots of important photography lessons. And with the XC35mm F2 I now have a great cheaper option to recommend to budget conscious photographers.