If you’ve been following this ‘little’ story from the start, then you’ll probably understand it’s a story of contentment. A tale of following your heart when it comes to choosing your camera.
Of course, Fujifilm X is not just a camera range, it’s also a range of lenses. XF lenses (and some XC ones!)
Whereas X-Pro series lovers had to wait a very long time for the X-Pro2 to come out, people looking for XF glass have been spoiled by the rapidly expanding range of lenses!
What started off as 3 primes, just 4 years ago is now… well I’ve actually lost count, but it’s a lot!
Now as you’ll know, not only am I a big proponent of the 3 original primes (what they give away in speed to their newer brethren, they make up for in size and price, hey just my opinion) but I very much love the fact that they were designed around the X-Pro1.
So I think it’s high time we took a look at the XF prime lenses. Well the ones I own!
So now that I’ve stated my love of the 3 original primes, let’s start off with….
The XF27!!
Yes, yes – I know – it’s not an original prime!
In fact it may just possibly be Fuji’s most over looked lens. People don’t like it so much…
…Why?
Well it has no aperture ring, it comes with no lens hood (although a screw in one can be brought cheaply from ebay/amazon etc), and it’s not very fast (max F2.8).
Thing is… with Fuji’s X-Pro1 + XF18 + XF27 give away sale, I reckon that many of you X-Pro1 owners, own this lens…? Do you use it? Do you like it?
Now first things first…
I think it might be my least used prime.
But the thing is… when I do use it, I really like it!
One of my all time favourite shots was taken with it!
It’s very good for a lot of the stuff that I like to shoot. When ever I do use it, I end up using it quite a lot.
Now this is no place for MTF charts, or anything too dull like that! This is a place for rhetoric and pictures!
However, that said – let’s take a quick look under the corrected image!
This is what my downstairs toilet tiling looks like as a SOOC Jpeg.
This the same shot from RAW, with ZERO lens corrections applied.
As you can see there’s some image distortion and some light fall off (vignetting) inherent within the design of the lens. (Your RAW convertor should and your camera will automatically correct for this)
Remember (in fact ALWAYS remember) if the shot is good, no one will look past the content of the shot. No one that matters anyway, soft corners, light fall off yada yada, important, of course – but important to the image viewer, not as much as you’d think.
So let’s take a look at the little XF27, so often overlooked for it’s bigger, heavier and faster stablemates.
First it really is small, yet the focus ring is big enough to use comfortably. The lack of aperture ring is almost strange, but remember, this is how pretty much how every other digital lens works, you use a dial on the camera.
That’s it for the technical stuff. Yeah I know. But this just isn’t the place for it!
Instead, shall we see some shots with it?
So it’s not a macro, it’s not super close focusing and it’s not fast enough to make bokeh and subject isolation.
OK then. If that’s what you think….
Of course being a XF lens it’s sharp. But it’s really sharp, I mean, think of how SOME fast lenses are best stopped down a stop or two. Think of the XF27 wide open as something that’s been already stopped down a bit.
Again wide open at F2.8. Again SHARP. The flare is part of the shot… but look at how it photographs light, I mean seriously, let’s say that again… Look. How. It. Photographs. LIGHT. You can actually see the rays of light that comprise the flare. Open the image up in Flickr (press z on your keyboard when in Flickr) look at the sharpness of the Coke can, that I’ve shot wide open, against the light.
Seriously, is that a bad lens, a lens that can do that?
The human eye sees at approx. 40mm (in FF eqv), guess what 27mm comes out as when converted to FF length? (it’s about 40mm folks) Want pictures with the same sort of view point of what you actually saw?
This scene is about the same as I saw it.
This is one of my all time personal favourite shots. (It’s also completely 100% SOOC jpeg. By the X-Pro1)
In Preparation for this instalment I’ve been shooting the XF27 for most of the week. I’ve gone out with the X-Pro1, with the 27 mounted, and nothing else.
So here’s a recent shot.
Again wide open. Again bright unfavourable light. Again, sharp, sharp, sharp, with that contrasty XF character!
Want a small light lens that adds very little weight to your camera (and camera bag)? Want a lens that’s sharp and makes a similar picture to what you see? Want a lens that you can use to reportage and document your world?
Don’t want to spend a lot of money? That’ll be the XF27 then. (I just searched ebay UK sold listings and they’re trending at the £150 mark)
It may not be an ‘original prime’ But in my mind it sure captures the essence of the three original primes. Small, light, portable, discreet character filled and SHARP.
Sure it wouldn’t be my desert island XF lens, but I’m glad I’ve got it, and if applicable, so should you!
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One way you could help me is if you want to buy from Amazon, if you do so using the links below, then I will receive a small percentage of your expenditure, and you will pay NO MORE than you would have paid anyway.
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Fujifilm X-Pro2
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Thank You Very Much!
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The X-Pro Series Content: Referenced and All In One Place
The X-Pro Series Content: A Contents Page with Page Numbers and a Brief Description
Adam Bonn Fotografia 
Agreed! Here’s detail. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10210804172161308&set=p.10210804172161308&type=3&theater. and here’s bokeh. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10210804120760023&set=p.10210804120760023&type=3&theater.
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Thanks Nathan
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yep, my loved ever lens! btw, great collection of interesting tips!
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Thank you very much
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