Another appalling pun. Sorry…

So this is a brief look at the Carl Zeiss Touit 32mm for Fuji X Mount. First of all I should just mention how the lens is so sharp I cut myself…. I jest again, but it’s a very good lens. So is the Fuji 35mm, what gives? I think there will be some personal preference involved here because they have different “looks”. The zeiss excels in sharpness but has busier bokeh whereas the Fuji has butter smooth bokeh and a touch less saturation and contrast. Neither is really “better”.

The 32mm feels dense and well-built, yet remains small and light. It’s an autofocus lens and focuses perhaps a little quicker than the Fuji 35mm.

Zeiss has given the Touit range with smooth, rubber rings for focusing, and aperture control. The manual focusing rings feel smooth and well damped in operation, and enjoy a long throw for precise adjustments. Some have complained about the “cheapness” of these, I feel exactly the opposite. Just stand in the street with a Fuji lens adjusting focus and aperture and then try the same with the Zeiss. You’ll notice the Zeiss can be controlled very precisely, even with a single finger.

Back to the optical performance. It’s really very good, particularly in the centre. I suspect there are no sharper lenses in the centre for either Fuji or Sony NEX. This lens is really that good. Leaving sharpness to one side, the saturation and contrast are just right and the bokeh is to my preference.

In terms of aberrations, I believe CA is removed automatically, even in RAW for Fuji X cameras, so it’s a bit difficult to draw any conclusions on that. There is a tiny hint of distortion thats automatically corrected in Aperture and LR. Frankly, nothing to worry on.

So in the final analysis, is this worth getting? Yes, it is a better lens in my opinion than the Fuji 35mm. It’s more contrasty, has nicer colour and the sharpness in the centre is out of this world good.

But then it should be at the price. The Fuji 35mm isn’t a bad lens at all, so whether you get the Touit is a matter of personal preference. Personally, I’m glad I have mine!

Taken with my X-E1 and Zeiss Touit 32mm