I’ve told you before that the Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 is my favorite lens. I have the new version with the aperture ring and weather-sealing—the old version is optically identical (and the autofocus is identical), but it lacks an aperture ring and weather-sealing and costs just a little more for some reason. While the “Mark II” 27mm f/2.8 is the better option, it can be a little difficult to find. Fujifilm has had a difficult time getting the lens to stores, and stores sell out pretty quickly after they receive them. A number of you have stated your frustration trying to get your hands on one. There is a new alternative, though: the TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 Autofocus.
I’ve shot before with a different TTArtisan lens—the 35mm f/1.4—on a Nikon Zfc, and was actually impressed by the image quality. It was no Fujinon or Zeiss or anything like that, but it was noticeably superior to the Nikkor 28mm lens that came with that camera. I suspect that this one will be similar: deliver decent image quality, have character, be solidly-built, and cost a lot less. In fact, the MSRP is only $160 (or $150 if you buy direct from Pergear), which is very affordable for an autofocus lens. If you can’t find the Fujinon 27mm, or if you cannot afford the Fujinon lens, this seems like a good alternative to consider.
I believe that the TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 is a little bigger than the Fujinon 27mm f/2.8, so it isn’t quite as pancake, but more like the Fujinon 18mm f/2 pancake. It has a rear-lens-cap USB connection for firmware updates, which I think is interesting. I’ve never used this lens personally to verify any of this, but maybe someday I will.
I personally wish that TTArtisan would have instead created a different focal length pancake lens—maybe that’s in the plans, who knows?—and I think a 23mm pancake or 50mm pancake or 12mm pancake would be nice options. For reasons that I don’t understand, there aren’t nearly enough good pancake options for Fujifilm cameras. I mean, a selling point of APS-C is the compact size (compared to full-frame), so why not offer more tiny lenses to take advantage of it? I do believe that competition is good, so I’m happy to see this TTArtisan lens as an option for Fujifilm photographers, and I hope they make more lenses that are similar in the future.
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 Autofocus Amazon
I found my 27mm fuji from a canera store in Californis after hunting for a couple weeks. It is a wonderful lens and use it almost exclusively for street unless I’m going for more context, and then I use the 23mm. Equally superior lenses.
I have also used TTartisans and 7Artisans lenses and have been very pleasantly surprised at the quality both of manufacture and image quality. All were manual focus though, so glad there are autofocus options also. Though I would recommend looking at Viltrox also. They are so nice they could be mistaken for fuji lenses.
There are a lot of good choices, for sure! I’ve had mixed results with some of the cheap Chinese lenses, but one thing is for sure: they have character, which I appreciate. Thanks for the input!
i love my dirt cheap TTArtisan 35mm 1.4 lens. Has been on my X-T4 for over a month now. Still can’t believe i’m enjoying a € 80 lens this much. This one will be on my list for the future.
Awesome! It’s a solid lens that seems like it should cost more than it does. I need to get one for my Fujifilm cameras….
A hair tighter than 27mm would have been interesting, something between 30 and 32mm. I know some folks find APS-C 35mm awkward, however good Fuji’s f/2 and f/1.4 offerings are, since it is a bit longer of a focal length than a full frame 50mm. An f/2.8 pancake around 31mm could be a slightly wide nifty-fifty, but be notably smaller than the Sigma 30 or Fuji 33–again good lenses, but on the larger side.
*Just got the 35/2 this weekend. It’s blowing my mind. I love it.
The 35mm f/2 is an excellent lens. It was my most used until I got the 27mm f/2.8. I still use it sometimes (mostly when my wife has confiscated the 27mm…), but it is much less frequently used than it used to be. I think a 33mm or 35mm pancake could be interesting. I appreciate the input!
I think it’s good news they are trying to dip their toes in the Fuji AF world. I agree with you on the focal length pancake concept. Canon made an exceptional pancake 23/f2 (for the M system – RIP) that was fast, quiet, and really pancake size. If Canon can do it for $200, I don’t see why Fuji can’t for $400! I’d be willing to give up the aperture ring for better focusing motors and larger aperture than 2.8 when say buying a 3rd party lens. Sigma, Samyang, and now TTArtisans all have the potential to create great AF small primes.
Yeah, it’s a real shame that there’s not something like that. I’d buy it for sure, whether from Fujifilm or a third-party manufacturer. I would definitely prefer the aperture ring, though. 😀
Hi. I’m in the process of buying a new lens for casual indoor family pictures as my 16-80 f4 is not the best performer as the days are getting darker. From your experience is an f2.8 sufficient enough to handle low light? Else I was thinking about an 23mm 2.0 which is also more portable as the f1.4.
I find that the f/2.8 to be sufficiently fast in most scenarios, but occasionally that one stop of f/2 makes a difference. I think it really depends how much low-light photography that you do. I hope this helps!
Hey Ritchie,
quite a while since I asked but I got the 27mm and I’m really happy!
It’s my daily lense and I don’t feel I’m missing out on low light capabilities.
Awesome! The Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 is my personal favorite lens. I use the TTArtisan 27mm sometimes, too.
Hi,
I’ve got the XC35mm and as everyone know, it’s the same as the XF35 but it’s not the same build quality. Also, for everyday photography and family photography, my XT30 is often with me. That’s why the XT30 with a lens like the 35mm is a really good deal, tiny and mighty. But sometimes the 35mm is not enough wide. The XF27mm WR should be the next, more wider (but not too wide as the 18mm). The problem, it’s a bit expensive (I’ve got lot of hobbies) and TTArtisan brings a good solution to me. But I don’t know if it’s a good deal (of course, for the price, yes it is..) or if I should wait to have more money in my pocket for the Fuji version.. Also, Fuji Rumors writes about a 23mm mk2, more compact (but not a pancake)… aaah my mind is lost 🤯
Have a good day ✌️
I’m not sure if the TTArtisan is any good or not… my suspicion is that it is good but not as good as the Fujinon. The more smaller lenses made available, the better. I hope the 23mm II is indeed more compact. Thanks for the comment!