The Fujifilm 27mm f2.8 R WR will pair well with the Fujifilm X-E4.
The new carry-combo for photographers may be what Fujifilm is announcing today. The company put forth their new Fujifilm XE4 and their 27mm f2.8 R WR. The latter is a refresh on the much-adored pancake lens from the company. And the XE4 is a refresh on a model that honestly we didn’t care much more. But if you want the rangefinder-style body at a lower price, then it’s what you reach for.
Most curious about this all though, is the bundle option. This is one of the few times that you can bundle a fixed prime lens with the camera. Fujifilm is one of the few manufacturers to do this. Everyone else does kit zoom lenses. But that’s not the case here. Perhaps Fujifilm is going for a more premium response with the XE4?
Fujifilm 27mm f2.8 R WR Specs
- Weather resistance
- “A” position on the aperture ring for automatic control
- f2.8 – f16
- 39mm filter thread
- 34cm close focusing
- 84 grams in weight
- Includes metal hood
- With the Fujifilm X-T4, you’ll get 6.5 stops of image stabilization
- Same optical quality as the original 27mm lens
- $399.95 price point, check Amazon for order info.
This sounds pretty awesome overall! You’re getting better build quality and weather sealing in this lens body. But my only concern is the image quality. The original lens was awesome. However, it was introduced back in 2013. The world and optics have changed a lot since then. Will the optics be able to resolve new sensors? I really hope so.
If I’m going by what history tells us, though, I feel those optics won’t last long. When Fujifilm introduced the X100, they said that the lens was designed to resolve higher resolution sensors. That didn’t last long. They eventually needed to revamp it. The original 27mm f2.8 was introduced in a day when the 16MP sensor dominated APS-C bodies. We’re at almost double that resolution now.
On the flip side, softer lenses can be enjoyable to play with. And modern Fujifilm bodies have clarity adjustments that you can build into the image quality. What’s more, it gets applied to the RAW files. So theoretically, the Fujifilm 27mm f2.8 R WR could be incredibly versatile. But it could also be a bit perplexing for newer users.
Fujifilm XE4 Specs
- Fujifilm is saying that it’s basically an interchangeable lens X100 camera. But that’s not really the case. There is no stacked ISO dial.
- X Processor 4
- 2.36 million dot EVF
- 3-inch touchscreen
- 26.1 Megapixel X Trans 4 sensor
- Shutter speed dial with a program function. No more auto mode.
- 180-degree tilting LCD screen
- Fujifilm is claiming it can fit into thin pockets
- 18 film simulations.
- 8fps burst in the mechanical shutter.
- 20fps burst in electronic shutter
- With the 27mm f2.8 R WR, it will cost $1,049.95. Body only will be $849.95.
- Black and silver variants.
What to Make of All This?
This is very cool! It’s more or less an interchangeable lens X100 with a slower kit lens option with better weather sealing. But the XE4 doesn’t have weather sealing. If it’s anything like the XS10, though, we’re going to be very perplexed on that statement. That camera survived some major torture that we’d never even put a camera through.
We have yet to test either of these products. But we’re excited to do so. The XE4 is probably going to be a fun option with not a lot of changes to it. And the 27mm I’m sure will be the star here. We’ve reviewed every single Fujifilm XF lens, but we haven’t touched the XC lenses. You can check them all out in our guide right here.
