Agreeing with the others here... those f2 lenses are unfortunately a bit of a letdown. i had issues with focus reliability in dark alleys which is risky for once-in-a-lifetime shots. just get these instead:

• Sigma 23mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary
• Viltrox AF 23mm f1.4 XF The Sigma is way more reliable and sharp for the money. You wont regret having the extra aperture when it gets dark.

The Fujifilm Fujinon XF 23mm f2 R WR is the better pick for Tokyo. Its wider field of view handles cramped alleys better, so you wont feel restricted like with the 35mm.

honestly i had a pretty rough time in kyoto last year relying on those f2 primes. i thought theyd be perfect but unfortunately the aperture felt really limiting once the sun went down in those narrow alleys. i was constantly bumping my iso way higher than i wanted just to keep my shutter speed up for moving people and it was just super frustrating. my shots looked noisy and kinda flat. few things i learned the hard way:

• the f2 series is tiny but lacks that creamy rendering from the f1.4 glass
• tokyo at night needs way more light for crisp street shots i eventually switched to the Fujifilm XF 35mm f1.4 R and even tho its older the soul in the photos is night and day better. if you want ultimate portability tho maybe look at the Fujifilm XF 27mm f2.8 R WR pancake lens instead.

just saw this thread. honestly i had some issues with those f2 primes. bought them for the size but unfortunately the image quality just wasnt as good as i expected for the price. felt like a bit of a letdown. what kind of budget are you working with for this trip tho? ended up swapping mine for the Sigma 23mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary and its way better for the money. pro tip: stick to electronic shutter if youre trying to stay stealthy in crowds.

TL;DR: Sigma usually wins on value and low light, while Fuji has the build and weather sealing. Basically comes down to whether you want ruggedness or raw speed. Tokyo is gonna be absolutely amazing, you are gonna love it!! To add to the point above: I totally agree that the third-party brands are really giving Fuji a run for their money lately. It is fantastic how much the X-mount ecosystem has grown! I have used both for years and honestly, the third-party glass is often way better for the price if you dont mind missing out on the manual aperture ring sometimes. Just to help us help you tho... what is your actual budget for this trip? Also, are you looking for something specifically weather-sealed for those rainy neon street shots, or is having that extra light at night the only thing that matters? Ngl, those narrow alleys get dark fast...

Lol I was literally about to post the same thing. Glad someone else brought it up.

I've been shooting street in Tokyo for over a decade now and I've tried basically every combo on my Fujis. @Reply #2 - good point about the low light because those alleys get dark fast. In my experience, the 23mm is usually the way to go for the scale of the city, but it really depends on your style. I've got a couple questions to help narrow it down:

• How much do you care about weather sealing if you get caught in a sudden Tokyo drizzle?
• Are you strictly shooting during the day or are you planning on doing a lot of night photography? Size is one thing, but if you're constantly bumping your ISO because the lens is too slow, you'll end up hating the results regardless of the focal length.

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