I cannot comment on the 33mm lens since I have never used it.
On the other hand, I’ve had the 35mm lens essentially since it was introduced, a dozen or years since I got my first Fujifilm x-trans camera up through today’s XT5.
Perhaps the 33mm measures sharper? I have no way of knowing. But I do know that the 35mm is an exceptionally sharp lens, and in my own testing it holds up to taking full advantage of the resolution of the 40MP sensor. (It is hard for me to imagine the 33mm improving on the 35mm for landscape or anything else shot at typical apertures, though I can’t make any comparative claims about f/1.4 except to say that its pretty good on the 35mm.)
I’m not so sure about the “character” thing, though. I suspect that there would be no real visible “character” difference between shots made by talented photographers using the 33mm and the 35mm lens. (There’s a tendency among some photographers to start talking about “character” any time a lens is older. ;-)
One plus for some of us with the 35mm lens is is remarkably small size for a 35mm f/1.4 lens. Put the little rectangular hood on the thing and it is quite small.
Regarding bokeh quality, I also can’t offer much based on my experience except to say that its is quite good on the 35mm. (Is it just me, or do the 33mm examples earlier in this thread have “busier” bokeh than the 35mm examples.)
Mar 13, 2026 at 03:42 PM
Previous versions of gdanmitchell's message #17002571 « My thoughts on Fuji XF 35 vs. 33 »
