For years, photographers have wanted a version of the popular 23mm f2 lens on the Fujifilm X100v. But Fujifilm had never given it to us. But now, there’s a brand new Voigtlander 27mm f2 that comes in silver and black. It’s not as wide or as slim as the 23mm on the X100V. But it’s a fast-aperture lens that’s pretty much pancake size. Combined with Voigtlander’s image quality, we think that it’s bound to be a bit with Fuji shooters.
The news of its impending release has been doing rounds on the internet for a few weeks, but it’s finally been announced. Cosina Voigtlander has set a June launch for their “Compact and easy-to-use” Voigtlander 27mm f2 lens. This is currently exclusive to the Fujifilm X-mount. I quite like how stylish yet simple it looks, and I’m hoping they release it for other mounts too.
Made Especially For Fujifilm X-Mount
We can’t quite say they teased us, but earlier this year at the CP+ show, Cosina displayed the black version of the Voigtlander 27mm f2 X-mount lens. They’ve now announced a silver version of this lens alongside the black one. Cosina says that the optics of this lens have been optimized for Fujifilm X series cameras. This would reduce the dependency on the camera’s optical correction functions and help present distortion and other optical aberrations. The exterior of the lens also sports a manual aperture control ring. Expect some smooth bokeh courtesy of the 10 aperture blades inside the lens.
If you’ve been a Fujifilm X100v fan for years, then this announcement is probably particularly fascinating because it will remind you of the lens on that camera with its small size. However, this is a 27mm lens and not the 23mm on the famous point and shoot.
The Voigtlander 27mm f2 X-mount lens has electronic contacts on its mount. This allows for quickly passing subject distance information to the camera, enabling focus peaking. You also get EXIF data transfer and support for IBIS in some Fujifilm cameras. Some of you might be unhappy to read that it’s an all-manual focus lens. Fear not; we’ve done many pieces on how to swiftly and accurately nail focus by applying zone focusing when using manual focus lenses. However, not all Fujifilm X bodies are supported for electronic communication via the contacts.
A 40mm Equivalent Focal Length
Considering the 1.5x crop factor of Fujifilm’s X series of cameras, the ULTRON 27mm f2 lens would give you an effective focal length of 40.5mm on a full-frame sensor with an f3.5 depth of field when shooting wide open. That’s not quite the traditional favorite focal length of 35mm for street photography. Nor is it any closer to the nifty 50mm focal length that I often reach for when heading outdoors. But this focal length is not alien to the X-mount, with Fujifilm themselves having two versions of their own 27mm (albeit slightly slower at f2.8). But if you find the former too wide and the latter too tight, this lens would probably sit just right with you for casual street or even travel photography. Look at this roundup we did to get a better idea of the kinds of images this focal length can give you.
What Would It Best Be Paired With?
Weighing only 120 grams, this lens is ideal for street photography. There would be only two cameras in the Fujifilm X range of cameras that I’d slap the Voigtlander 27mm f2 lens on:
Fujifilm XH-2S
With amazing colors straight out of the camera and up to 40 frames per second, the XH-2S is one camera that I wouldn’t mind using this lens on. In our review, we found that this camera produced such great images that we hardly needed to post-process them. Pair the black version of the ULTRON 27mm with this and head out to the streets.
Fujifilm X-Pro 3
This is a camera that I’ve often admired from afar. Not just for its beautiful design and stellar images but also for its more than capable battery life, making it a perfect walkabout camera. I’d use the lighter-colored version of theVoigtlander 27mm f2 with the Dura silver X-Pro 3 body and confidently head out.
Additionally, you don’t need to feel shy about getting close to the subjects you see on the streets. The ULTRON 27mm f2 X-mount lens can focus as close as 25cm or 9.8in.
It’s Coming In June 2023
On their website, Cosina has mentioned that the Voigtlander 27mm f2 lens will be available for sale in June of this year. There is no official word yet on a price, but pre-order links will probably be up on Adorama soon.
Below is a selection of images from the ULTRON 27mm’s page on Cosina’s website that were taken with this lens by photographer Kobayashi Kaworu
All images seen on this page have been obtained from the ULTRON 27mm lens product page on Cosina’s website
