Fujifilm XF27mmF2.8 – Black

3 reviews for Fujifilm XF27mmF2.8 – Black

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Alexandro Schuppe – April 10, 2025

   This is a great little lens. As other have stated don’t pay MSRP. The autofocus is not what I would call graceful, but it punches out reliably focused sharp/contrasty photos rather quickly. I suspect the people who are complaining about the autofocus have mostly pro gear. Make sure your body has the latest firmware! No it’s not up to Ultrasonic Canon EF lens auto focusing specs (or Olym m4/3 I’ve heard), but it’s pretty darn good. It’s certainly better than my canon 50mm f1.8 (aka the grinder, non-ultrasonic) Others have said don’t take pictures of the kids with this lens, but I don’t agree. Coupled with Fuji’s low sensor noise the F2.8 aperture is adequate. I loved setting my canon EF primes almost fully open, but frequently I paid the price with out of focus shots (moving subjects, action) due to the narrow depth of field F1.8 gives you. This lens sort of cured me of that problem comparing recent outings with the contrasting set ups. Point being is don’t shy away because this is not an f2.0 or 1.8 because for a lot of shooting scenarios you won’t shoot that wide open anyway and the fuji lens is sharp fully open. The glass is plenty sharp at this price too. If you are looking for an awesome single focal length walk about camera on a budget I can recommend the X-E1 (fall 2014 price are dropping) and this lens. End up having an amazingly cheap and sharp setup with low sensor noise at higher ISO’s and a great jpg engine. I’m taking tons of pictures and enjoying the results without feeling like I have to tweak every photo (canon). I’m new enough to the Xtrans sensor and this lens that I’m still giddy when the camera makes a good photo out of low cruddy light. It’s not a miracle worker, but I’m certainly having fun.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Fletcher Schaden – April 19, 2025

   This is a great addition to a Fuji X lens set. It’s tiny, light, and, when on sale, very reasonably priced. It has no image stabilization (of course, if you are using the newly-released Fuji X-H1, that doesn’t matter at all), and although it is an “XF” model (the higher-end lenses in the Fuji lineup) it is made in the Philippines, not Japan, like the other “XF” lenses are. It’s a bit noisy during autofocus, too, with an older focusing mechanism that is nowhere’s near as nice as Fuji’s newest piezo-electric focus motor models. But, cutting to the chase, if you are looking for a prime in this range, you’ll likely not be disappointed. Images are sharp as can be, color is very good (I would say, “natural”), and you’ll likely be pointing this thing at everything in sight due to its lightness and diminutive size. When it’s put on sale, as Fuji does every half-year or so, it’s a bargain, and it’s the type of lens that you’ll likely be happy about once you start looking over your photos. In spite of its very minor shortcomings, it’s a wonderful addition to the Fuji line.At 78 grams, this is one of the lightest lenses you’ll ever use. It’s pancake style also adds to its ease of use. So, let’s say you are shooting with the X-H1 camera, which is a bit on the heavy side. Putting this lens on that body brings the overall weight back in line with what we would more typically see in a mirrorless camera. It’s kind of a strange field of view (27mm) for a prime lens, a field of view that is neither wide nor telephoto. So, in some ways, it is a strange creature. On the other hand, it boasts a fairly wide aperture of F/2.8, so its good for random street shooting or even interior shots where you are not trying to gulp in big, wide vistas. It’s neither fish nor fowl, but it IS fun, and it takes great shots. The color richness is not quite up to the best of Fuji’s offerings, but its close, and its sharpness more than makes up for it (and, you can always shoot in “Velvia” mode, if you wish, or simply post-process to add some saturation if you wish it). I think most people agree it is overpriced at its retail level, but if you can get it on sale, it’s a great lens to have. There are just times you don’t want to be lugging around heavy lenses and just want to concentrate on having fun while shooting, and if the field of view can handle what you are wishing to shoot, this lens can’t be beaten.Compare it, though, with the Fuji XF 18mm prime, which is a little heavier (116g), but not much, has a MUCH wider field of view, and has a wider aperture of F/2, a fairly significant difference. I think the XF 18mm is great, and I use it quite a bit, but I might have to say that the 27mm is actually a tad sharper. The 18mm is $150 more expensive at retail level, and is made in Japan. So, it’s a series of tradeoffs, like all lenses, and I recommend both.Before closing, and not to muddy the waters, but another very light and unexpectedly good new (2018) entry into the Fuji lineup is their absolute CHEAPEST lens, theFujinon XC15-45mmF3.5-5.6 OIS PZ Lens – Black. That lens, too, is made in the Philippines and is not an XF lens, but an XC lens, where I suppose the “C” stands for “Cheapo.” But let me tell you: that little lens with all its plastic and its super lightness (136g) is an overperformer in every way. I am certain that many Fuji shooters will ignore it, bypassing it in their mind as a “kit lens” (which it is), and not worthy of a look. In fact, that little puppy really turns out some great shots, and, to boot, has on-board OIS. No, it doesn’t have the feel of those luscious “XF” Fuji lenses like the XF 56mm or the XF 90mm (or the XF 23mm or the XF 16mm), and its never going to match what you can do with those much more expensive XF lenses, but if you can get past that, it knocks out pictures that are really quite good. Plus, it gives you some zoom, and if you are shooting with ANY Fuji camera without onboard image stabilization, this lens magically adds it to the package. So, give it a thought when making a purchasing decision.But back to this XF 27mm. I can’t but give it a Five-Star rating, particularly when on sale. Sharp, good color, light, pretty fast focus, and physically small. A great lens.One More Note…If you have not yet looked into the Fuji X system (be it the entry X-A5 all the way to the new X-T3 and X-H1) the system is worth your time to investigate. It’s one of the most remarkable systems with which I’ve worked, and the quality of the images are so good that it is almost shocking at times. This really does include the entry camera X-A5, which knocks out superb images even with the plasticky XC 16-50mm kit lens (I use that lens all the time, along with the XF lenses), and when you consider the price reductions that repeatedly occur (the X-A1 with the kit lens has been at $450 for some time now), the system can really be cost competitive. Some of the “XF” lenses get quite pricey, but the reviews on them are almost uniformly excellent, and they can produce images that compete with the best of the biggest brands. These lenses are routinely compared with Zeiss, Schnieder, and Leica lenses, and my own experience lets me see why. The Fuji X-H1 has built-in image stabilization and is simply a delight with which to shoot. Image quality when paired with the XF lenses (and, as I say, even the XC lenses) can be stunning. The platform is worth looking into if you have not yet done so.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Miss Freeda Mills – May 7, 2025

   The 23mm was my dream for a long time, but I’m on a budget, so I began giving this one more and more consideration. I’m glad I did. It’s really turning my X-T1 into my walk-around-camera. With this lens, the camera fits into my coat pocket and is more unobtrusive than ever. While it certainly doesn’t look cheap, somehow I seem to get noticed less while taking pictures in the street. I leave it wide open all the time, there’s no point in getting fidgety with depth of field here. It’s a great lens to use with the autofocus assigned to the back button: You pull up the camera, you hit that button on what you want to focus on, after that the AF stops hunting, and you get to snap away, and you always come away with a sharp and lively image. (The AF is super quick, btw.) I’m shooting huge RAW files, and this way I really make more cropping decisions after the fact in Lightroom than ever before. This morning, I found a crazy interesting looking dude with face tattoos way in the corner of one of my frames, far from the subject I had originally focused on. I had literally not even noticed him when I snapped the picture. I cropped the picture to make him the new center subject. I also love taking this lens off, turning it around and “freelensing” around (see attached dog picture). It’s so light and tiny that playing with it in that way is easy and rewarding. Very happy with my choice, and if the budget should grow to allow for the 23mm, I think I’ll still hold on to this one for spontaneous shooting.