Five years later…

Decided that I should pen down my thoughts!

I never bonded with the 27mm f/2.8, despite the fact that it was with me for so many countries in the Americas. It became the bodycap for my x-pro1!

I have been a harsh critic of the 27mm f/2.8. Before you all think that I am just angry at life (which couldn’t be further of the truth!), take a second to understand where I’m coming from. If you were blessed to shoot with great lenses, such as the Otus series lens or as the 300mm f/2.8 Nikkor, or even say some Fuji lens (yes, among the best on the market!), you’re in for a bad surprise with the 27mm. It’s a good enough lens: just nothing worth $500CAD, far from it. I simply always thought that it was the worst Fuji lens in terms of sharpness and bokeh rendition.

I came to the conclusion that most people never shot with expensive lens… the web is filled with reviewers praising the 27mm f/2.8! As if it was an exceptional lens! Fuji shills? Kids in their parent’s basement playing with their first mirrorless lens? Who knows. I have a very unpopular opinion and I assume it. I think the 27mm f/2.8 is not a good lens. It’s a good body cap, and I would pay maybe $200 for it. But $400-500 is ridiculous. Now that we have the AMAZING 23mm f/2 (see a wedding I did here using mostly the 23mm f/2 Fuji!).

See the sample galleries below.

It’s not that bad. It focuses quickly. It’s compact (it has a pancake style). It’s good on sharpness. The bokeh is very meh, but some could live with it. It’s just that, now in 2020, you’ve got way better options! I would highly suggest you to rather get the excellent 23mm f/2 (reviewed here) or 35mm f/2, since they are more or less light-years away in term of rendering. Trust me.

The 27mm f/2.8 has a minimal focusing distance is 0.34 metres (1.1 ft). It’s lightweight. It’s only 78 grams! Compared to the 23mm f/2, I get why one would want a compact pancake lens.

Fuji is supposed to be releasing a MKII version of the 27mm. If they had weather sealing and fix the terrible bokeh rendition, I’ll be a buyer.

Cheers,
JP