Fujifilm Fujinon XF 8mm 3.5 R WR

As a fan of ultra-wide lenses, and an existing owner of the XF 10-24, I expected to like the XF 8mm and haven’t been disappointed in my time with it so far. I love the compact size and light weight, making it an easy walkaround companion. Sure the f3.5 maximum aperture isn’t going to deliver much in the way of shallow depth of field effects nor match brighter lenses for astro work, but it’s allowed the lens to meet the size, weight and price point. I’m particularly pleased to find a standard - and actually surprisingly modest sized - filter thread, again making it an attractive option for both videographers and long exposure photographers, and all will appreciate the weather sealing. As for alternatives, there’s a bunch of third party 8mm lenses available in X-mount at a lower price, but they’re generally Fisheyes with considerable distortion, versus this XF 8mm which is a better-behaved ultra wide. Spend a couple of hundred more and you could get Fujifilm’s own XF 10-24 f4 in its latest weather-resistant version, which may not reach quite as wide, but boasts a flexible zoom range and the benefit of optical image stabilisation. It’s a tough choice between these two, but for sheer fun and drama without breaking the bank, the XF 8mm is a really attractive addition to the lineup which will delight both photo and video shooters.