Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8

Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 vs Fuji XF 35mm f/1.4 R

Let’s take a look at how the Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 compares to the Fuji XF 35mm f/1.4 R in terms of sharpness:

As you can see, the Fuji XF 35mm f/1.4 R is a bit weaker wide open, but once it is stopped down to the f/1.8-f/2 range, it matches the Zeiss in center resolution. Once stopped down to f/2.8, the Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 is very sharp, surpassing the Fuji XF 35mm f/1.4 R in both center and corner resolution. The XF 35mm f/1.4 R shines at f/4, but the best corner performance is reached at f/5.6 mark, where it surpasses its competitor in the corners.

I would say that both lenses are fairly good here, with the Fuji XF 35mm f/1.4 R being a slightly better choice for stopped down performance.

Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 vs Fuji XF 35mm f/1.4 R Bokeh Comparison

Let’s see how the two lenses stack up against each other in bokeh. Take a look at the below comparison:

It is hard to decide which one looks better as there are pros and cons to each. The Fuji shows an onion-ring pattern in the highlights, while the Zeiss does not have the same problem. However, the Fuji does not have very well-defined borders, while the Zeiss does (and they are pretty thick). As noted earlier, this is due to differences in optical design, with the Fuji having an aspherical element, while the Zeiss has none.

Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 vs Fuji XF 35mm f/1.4 R Comparison Summary

To be honest, the Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 does not seem to be worth the $300 price premium. While both lenses seem to be quite good in terms of their sharpness, there are only specific apertures like f/2.8 where Zeiss shines, with Fuji providing better mid-frame and corner performance, especially when stopped down. In addition to being a slower lens and having less reliable autofocus, the Zeiss Touit suffers from much more pronounced barrel distortion (measuring approximately 1.55% vs 0.22% on the Fuji), as well as visible lateral chromatic aberration issues.

Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 vs Fuji XF 35mm f/2 R WR

What about the newer XF 35mm f/2 R WR? Let’s take a look at how the Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 compares to it in terms of sharpness:

Here, both lenses have very similar center sharpness at f/2, but take a look at the drastic difference in corner sharpness – the XF 35mm f/2 R WR is much better in this regard, at every aperture. The Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 has excellent center frame performance at f/2.8 though, which the Fuji cannot match. It looks like the Zeiss is a better fit for portraiture work, while for things like landscapes, the XF 35mm f/2 WR is the way to go.