Endurism Spotlight: Fujifilm XF 35mm f/1.4 R
A Fujifilm X-T4 body cost €1.699 when it launched in 2020. A used one sells for around €850 today. The lens that lived on the front of it came out in 2012. The XF 35mm f/1.4 R still sells for close to its original price.
The object
The XF 35mm f/1.4 R is a fast prime lens for Fujifilm's X-mount cameras. It is mostly glass and metal with a simple aperture ring. The autofocus motor is the one serviceable part. Fuji services it. There is little else inside to fail. The mount is the same X-mount Fujifilm has used since 2012, so the lens fits every X-series body made since.
The money
A new XF 35mm f/1.4 R costs around €599. It has been on sale since 2012. Fourteen years later, a used copy still fetches €285 to €450 on Marktplaats. Camera shops ask €429 to €549 with a warranty. The money you put into this lens stays put.
The body is where the money leaks out. That €1.699 X-T4 is worth around €850 now. It lost half its value in six years. The XC 15-45mm kit zoom that came with it cost about €273 and resells for €135 to €175.
| XF 35mm f/1.4 R prime | The camera body you keep replacing | |
|---|---|---|
| New price | ~€599 | €1.699 (2020) |
| Years in service | 14 and counting | 6 |
| Typical resale now | €285 to €549 | ~€850 |
| Value kept | roughly two-thirds | about half |
Every camera system works this way. The electronics age and the prices fall. The glass in front keeps doing its one job for decades.
Ownership
A lens behaves like an asset in a way the camera body never does. You buy one good prime. You fit it to this year's body, then to the body you buy in 2032. A quality lens outlives three or four cameras. It still resells for most of its price when you are done. This is the patina dividend in hardware. The thing holds its money while the electronics around it fall away.
Put the money in the glass. The body is rent you pay the manufacturer. The lens is the part you own and get back.