Fujifilm 27mm F2.8 WR | BEST Street Photography Lens?

[@edwardbakker2571]

This lens is just a superb all rounder and not just for street and travel. I use it for anything including portraits and landscape. Great quality and value for money.

[@gunairy]

Totally agree!

[@arhturkim]

The lense reminds me of nikon 45 mm f2.8 mf lense with fm3a. Superb lense for street photography.

[@Vivid_Clicks]

This was a pleasureful change from all the other mumbo jumbo reviews . Well thought out , insightful and very well presented . Subscribed

[@gunairy]

Thanks a ton! Glad to have you onboard!

[@tuanazleyibrahim2038]

Thanks, I bought this lens in 2023 with xpro3. Love it.

[@gunairy]

Glad to hear it! I’m going to be out shooting with that exact same set up in Seattle this weekend ☺️

[@mwales2112]

My fav. street lenses are the Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron II or 35/1.4 Nokton-Classic MC II on my Leica M240's... Nothings faster than zone focusing...

[@gunairy]

That’s true zone focus is king where speed is concerned. I’m partial to simple spot AF myself on the other hand. ☺️

[@jimmason8502]

@@gunairy LOL. I'm a Fuji XPro3 shooter myself and the AF on the XPro3 is pretty excellent, certainly fast enough for street. But the Leica shooters have no choice, shoot at f11 or don't get the shot.

[@LC-nd9hv]

This lens is awesome and super sharp. So sharp it made it on the list for the new 40mp sensor (recommended lenses for the x-h2 and x-t5 list). You will love this focal length if you like Vivian Maier's works. It's approx. the same.

[@gunairy]

Yeah, something I didn’t stress in the video necessarily, but this lens is ridiculously sharp, especially considering pancakes aren’t normally known for their image quality!

[@angelaERDE]

@@gunairy Wonderful focal length, terrific optics, terrible focusing unit prone to suddenly failing and costing a fortune to fix only to risk it failing yet again. Needs to be updated as a Fujicron with a solid focusing mechanism.

[@gunairy]

@@angelaERDE I hadn’t heard of the focusing mechanism failing. That’s good to know. Sorry to hear about your experience with it!

[@angelaERDE]

@@gunairy Not just mine: I've encountered quite a few others online who've had the same experience so I wrote about it in my website. Also dropped into Fujifilm House of Photography and it seems it is a not uncommon experience of others dropping in there.

[@gunairy]

@@angelaERDE yeah and the screen issue on the pro 3 has me a little nervous too. All my gear is fully insured, so I’d never come out of pocket for a repair, but it’s nice to be able to trust it from a reliability standpoint too. Fingers crossed I stay issue free.

[@albertsmith9315]

I love this lens, everything except the tiny, ineffective hood. I bought the Squarehood version that they just put out for this lens and now I really feel that the hood matches the lens' quality. Its expensive, but I wouldn't be without it.

[@gunairy]

I hear you. I've had okay luck with the hood. Rarely use it, but it does block some flaring if you're getting harsh light from the side. Definitely looking into the squarehood version now though!

[@simon359]

I like the perspective of angle at around 40mm. But I’m not a fan of the F stop, too me it would be better to have an F2. I like more separation of my subjects. 🖖

[@gunairy]

That’s the biggest limitation of this lens for sure! Unfortunately we have physics to thank for that problem haha.

[@InertiaEffect]

Why do you need bokeh street though. Usually you'd want 5.6 and up for street photography.

[@gunairy]

@@InertiaEffect I agree, it's not usually the primary consideration for street, but it's all up to personal preference. Some like as much bokeh as possible, while others prefer the documentary style you're talking about. In my view, the size of this lens and its performance far outweigh the darker aperture, but it really just depends on how you shoot and what you're looking for!

[@slo369]

@@InertiaEffectyeah wide open is overrated and lazy imo

[@gastonfg]

Hi, glad to be your 699th subscriber. Very cool channel. This lens is my daily on the X-E4, with Squarehood's hood. I love the 35 f1.4 too, witch has a special mojo. When it's too tight, I make multi-shot panoramas with vertical shots.

[@gunairy]

Thanks for following along! I'm looking at 35's right now actually. I've been wanting something a hair tighter. Glad to hear you like the 35 1.4. That one's been on my list.

[@j_a_lee]

Good all round advice. Especially interesting to find that it tends more towards too tight. Perhaps then better suited to anyone whose subjects are more about the details than the context. I'm still considering this, as you say, as a cheaper way to get an X100V. Many times I find myself going somewhere and I can't be bothered to haul a load of kit. Could be the solution. Simply nice to see it mounted on a body to get an idea of the compactness. Many thanks for this video.

[@gunairy]

Of course! Glad you found it helpful! To be clear- 40mm doesn’t feel super tight in most cases, it’s still a very versatile focal length, but a bit tighter than 35mm for sure.

[@chanceseiler]

Great review! You got right to the point. Thank you

[@markusseitle3740]

i use it on my x-t3 for multiple years now. I'm not crazy about the focal length tbh. It' kind of a strange middle ground. And i think the "3d pop" is kind of missing and it slow und close focus is bad for a wide angle . BUT its still the lens that I use the most. For me my x-t3 is my "fun" camera that isn't supposed to feel like work. The form factor of the 27 makes it easy to carry my camera and use it more. That to me is way more valuable. This, the 16mm f 2.8 and the canon fd 50 1.4 are in my bag most of the time. (sometimes the viltrox speedbooster + smct 50 f1.4)

[@gunairy]

Sounds like a good kit! Yeah I hear that a lot. Any flaw you can find with the 27 is balanced out by how tiny it is. At least to some degree. I do agree that the focal length can feel a bit flat if it’s used a ton though. I’ve been having good luck with the 50mm length lately.

[@andrewwarren4414]

I got this lens with an X-E4 and love it. I tried a couple of other Fujifilm lenses, but just find this 27mm does all I want. For now. However, I do have my eyes on the new Voigtlander 27 in silver (for my silver X-E4) - I'd love to use a manual lens. Might just try it....(although I think I'll keep the Fuji 27 just in case).

[@gunairy]

Can’t believe how often I just shoot with this lens. I’d say 85% of all my photos in the last year have been taken with it. Unbelievably versatile for sure! Thanks for watching! ☺️

[@komali2]

This stays on my xe2 and it's the best jacket pocket camera now

[@gunairy]

Great set up for sure! I’m curious if they’ll add weather sealing to the xe line in the future. I like the idea of going even smaller than the pro3!

[@kevinmoore49]

I use it with my x-t3 so still fairly small and not too noticeable

[@gunairy]

Yeah Fuji does a pretty good job of keeping all their bodies small. Aside from the H bodies, I think this lens would fit nicely on any of them!

[@maxwellwellmax878]

i had the previous version on an X-M1 and it was a great combo!!!. is the new version better ??.

[@gunairy]

Honestly, I have never used the original. I would assume that they’ve made some improvements though! If I remember right, the old version didn’t have weather sealing or an aperture ring, but any other differences likely have to do with af speed and the optics.

[@lucianoadami7231]

@@gunairy le differenze sono ; il nuovo è wr e a la serigrafia dei diaframmi per il resto è uguale alla vecchia versione .

[@bill3117]

Great review. I want one for my XPro3! However they are out of stock everywhere.

[@gunairy]

It seems as though I lucked out a few months ago when I bought mine. They were pretty widely available back then. I do see one in like new condition on MPB right now though. Check around the used sites!

[@HaiTomVlog]

Nice review, I’m planning on picking this up eventually. I sure wish there was a Fuji 23mm pancake lens, though 😅

[@gunairy]

Thanks! That 23 f/2 is really close, but not quite a true pancake haha.

[@HaiTomVlog]

@@gunairy I thought about getting that one too, but from what I’ve seen about the minimal focal distance issue at f2, I’m still on the fence about it.

[@harttheplug]

I’d love it if canon made something this small. All my lenses are huge lol. But great video nick. Thanks for letting us peak into your world for a couple minutes🙌🏾

[@gunairy]

I appreciate it man! Yeah it’s so nice to have such a tiny set up sometimes. Makes my Sony gear feel massive 😂

[@Jackcarlyle01]

Canons got the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM for cropped sensors which works out to be the same focal length as Fujis 27mm. If you’re on full frame canon, they also have the full frame equivalent 40mm f/2.8 STM. Both are pancake lenses and are fairly cheap!

[@harttheplug]

@@Jackcarlyle01 I’ve got the 24mm 2.8 actually. I just have to get the ef to rf converter

[@greglarUK]

Really useful video, thank you 🙂

[@gunairy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@HanneBakkenWatne]

Would you recommend this for hiking-photography? I have a Fujifilm X-T4 camera with a 16-80mm lens, but I’m looking for a lens that is much lighter and more compact

[@gunairy]

It really depends on if it’s the right focal length. Personally I think it would be a little tight for certain landscapes, maybe the 18mm pancake if you want something super compact for wider landscapes?

[@FlosBlog]

I’d have the same problem as I have with the x100 lense - it’s just to small for me and I cannot focus manually with my big hands 😃

[@gunairy]

I find it fairly easy to focus because the ring is on the very front of the lens, but it’s more finicky than a bigger lens for sure haha

[@fujiandeye]

great explanation🙏

[@valhala73]

Great video!!! If you had to choose between the 23 f2 and this lens(27 f2.8) which one would you choose?

[@gunairy]

The 27 for me by far. It’s just incredible for the size and I like the the 40mm equivalent focal length a little better than 35.

[@valhala73]

@@gunairy Thanks!!! I own a 16f2.8 , 35f2 and 90f2 and I always enjoy better the 16f2.8…. My dilema is what focal length to incorporate to my kit!!!

[@gunairy]

@@valhala73 I have the 16 and 35 as well. I think the 27 fits nicely in the middle, but if your favorite is the 16, maybe the 23 is a better fit since it’s a little wider! Luckily these little f2 lenses are super cheap so you can experiment easily.

[@valhala73]

@@gunairy Thanks 🙏. Is true, the 16f2.8 is a focal length that I enjoy

[@Heart0rHead]

What would you say about 18mm f2 for the same purposes? Or maybe to work with 27 f2.8 in a pair.

[@gunairy]

I don't have any personal experience with that lens, though I have wanted to pick one up for a while. I would say it's from Fuji, so it's probably pretty solid, but it's not weather-sealed and it's getting old, so you might want to check how it does on the newer 40MP sensors if you plan to use it on one of the new cameras coming out.

[@NotyourType113]

I have recently bought xs10.. what would be the beginner lense for landscape photography?

[@gunairy]

Check out the Sigma 18-55! Pretty cheap, sharp, and a good start to help you figure out what you like to shoot with.

[@nelsonm.5044]

I bought this lens à few weeks ago to go with my X-T20, also what I love on this lens from its previous version is that you can set your aperture manually on the lens or automatic if you prefer. Also my X-T20 with this lens becomes a pocketable camera, quite small and very versatile lens from street, to portrait and even landscape. The only downside is the noise it's making when focusing but I can easily live with that

[@gunairy]

Yeah, definitely a little noisy. I don’t think a lot of folks will be using pancake lenses for videography, so my guess is Fuji wasn’t too worried about that here. Thanks for watching ☺️

[@tpastro]

this might be a stupid question, but when you say it becomes a pocketable camera, do you mean it literally fits in your pockets? i also own a xt20 and have been considering to buy this lens to go with it for street photography, and it would be a huge positive point if i could carry it around in my pants pockets

[@nelsonm.5044]

@@tpastrodefinitely it does fit in a jacket pocket, I have done it a few time ... pants pocket it depends what style of pants, I know it fit in the side pocket of one of my cargo pants

[@iTzJavvy]

Thinking about buying an X-T30 II and a lens between 23 and 27mm but the price difference is insane. Would the 27 be good enough for portraits and documentary photography?

[@gunairy]

I wouldn’t recommend a 27 for portraits, but for street and documentary it would be fine. You could still take portraits with this lens, but generally most portrait photographers prefer longer, faster lenses for the subject separation.

[@ElmarJournal]

I got this lens for very cheap, and then sold it, but really regretting it, as i much prefer this than 23f2, luckily got the very mint condition cheaper than previous comes with box and the hood, but honestly with also have GRIIIx is a bit overkill, but going to do test and compare both for IQ

[@gunairy]

Best of luck! The Ricoh cameras are super cool and obviously really compact too. I don’t think you could go wrong either way!

[@shy-guy5544]

Very nice review. One additional weakness of this lens is its minimum focusing distance of .34 meter, which is not particularly good for a f2.8 lens.

[@gunairy]

Thanks for pointing that out! I find that certain flaws can be forgiven in a lens like this, for my use case at least. The form factor makes up for its technical shortcomings- of which it has surprisingly few for a pancake. That said, size isn’t everything and Fuji makes a lot of small lenses, so it’s something to be aware of for sure.

[@archascents5157]

can you put filters on the lens?

[@gunairy]

Yep! 39mm

[@thxylivx]

Unfortunately, anything that resembles an X100V has gone up drastically in price. A used X100 is going for $569 right now, X100S was around $670, even something like the X70 Is pushing $800-$900

[@gunairy]

Yeah, it's absurd. When I made this video, I had just purchased the lens from MPB and they had 15 or 20 in stock at the time. You're right, it's impossible to find all kinds of fuji gear like this now.

[@nyomanambara7711]

X70 for $900?! Crazy. I bought in 2019 for only $300 with original leather case. Now it's between $400-$500 used in my country.

[@mialan5227]

I got it yeserday togther as part of my kit for xe4 for 949 GBP, quite like the how small it is.

[@gunairy]

That’s a great kit! I’m still interested in the XE line. The Pro 3 is a little more than I need in all reality.

[@beastii7414]

damn where did you order man?!

[@mialan5227]

@@beastii7414 London Camera Exchange, it was the last one from Chester Branch

[@dynamics9000]

Success is growing, once you stop growing you are not counted as successful person. it is just my humble opinion. By the way I enjoyed watching your videos, a fellow creator

[@gunairy]

Thanks for watching!

[@jedmorada4772]

f2.8 on an APSC lets in the same amount of light as an f2.8 on a full frame.

[@gunairy]

That’s an oversimplification. The aperture is the same, but due to the smaller sensor size, you’d need a faster lens to replicate the real-life performance of an f/2.8 lens on a full frame sensor. www.josephjamesphotography.com/equivalence/#1

[@kuroexmachina]

0:07 relax you're supposed to show the front, not the back

[@gunairy]

There were a couple of other points in the video where you can see the front of the lens better. I'll try to slow down a bit and show more details in the future if I end up reviewing more gear. Thanks!

[@don7117]

Great content. One suggestion - improve your lighting, especially when trying to show what you are reviewing. Not trying to be a dick - just some constructive feedback.

[@gunairy]

I'll definitely keep an eye on how I light and edit videos like this in the future. I can see where the camera/lens gets lost in the shadows here and there- definitely valid feedback for me. Thank you! ☺

[@ArielZazzali]

Great Advice. ThankS!

[@gunairy]

Thanks for watching!