Which one of these primes should I actually get for street work: the 23mm f2 or the 35mm f2? Im totally stuck and honestly cant figure out which way to go after reading reviews for weeks and its driving me crazy because I have a trip to Chicago in ten days and need to buy something now.
I mostly do street stuff at night and Im worried the 35mm is too tight for narrow sidewalks but then the 23mm might be too wide and Ill have to get too close to people. My budget is super strict at $350 max so Im looking at used gear online. Is the 23mm really that soft wide open or am I just overthinking it...
In my experience, you should grab the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR. Most people find 35mm way too cramped for tight city streets like Chicago. Honestly, the softness issue on the 23mm is overblown... unless you are shooting stuff an inch from the lens, its sharp enough. The Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 R WR is great for portraits, but the 23mm gives you that classic street look without needing to back into traffic.
> Im worried the 35mm is too tight for narrow sidewalks but then the 23mm might be too wide Honestly, I spent years obsessing over those exact two focal lengths and it just slowed me down. In my experience, you should just grab any of the Fujifilm compact primes and stop overthinking the crop. If youre worried about getting too close, go with any of the longer Fuji glass. Theyre all pretty solid for street work. Just pick a direction and stick with it for the trip.
I'm honestly in the exact same boat as you, agonizing over these choices for my own trip and it is just exhausting. > Im totally stuck and honestly cant figure out which way to go after reading reviews for weeks I spent way too long looking at the Viltrox 23mm f1.4 AF X-Mount because the f/1.4 aperture and 11 elements in 10 groups seem perfect for night shots, but unfortunately, the real-world performance was a letdown. The lateral chromatic aberration around street lamps is just ugly, and the build quality feels kinda cheap... like the mount might not hold up if I am moving fast. Then I tried to find a middle ground with the TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 AF Fuji X, but I had issues with the firmware right out of the box. It is not as good as expected when you are in a hurry; the stepping motor hunting in low light is just frustrating and loud. I even looked at the Fujifilm XF 35mm f2 R WR, but the focus breathing is honestly distracting and I worry about the rubber gaskets in the WR system. If you are in Chicago and it starts sleeting, you need to know the lens wont die on you. Its disappointing that even with a $350 budget for used gear, everything feels like a compromise. I still havent made a decision either because I keep finding some reliability flaw that scares me off. Its a total headache...
