DOES FUJIFILM NEED TO WAKE UP?! - VILTROX 27MM F1.2 REVIEW 

Wouldn't be shocked if Viltrox doesn't have any in stock since it seems like every photographer on RU-vid got one in the mail.

Very good review. Thank you. I have the Fuji 33mm f1.4 lens & it offers excellent optical performance & is fast to focus with its linear motor. So, I do not feel the need to purchase the Viltrox 27mm f1.2 lens. However, I recently purchased the Viltrox 75mm f1.2 lens for portraits. It is phenomenal & has NOT disappointed me. Viltrox has really became a major player with the release of their f 1.2 lenses & offers exceptional value for their price point. Best wishes for your channel.😊

Received it about a week ago. While the comparison to the 33mm is understandable, there are numerous other considerations. For contextual portraits, the 27mm provides a superior experience because of its wider frame. Additionally, it outperforms in sharpness and slightly excels in contrast. Overall, it's a superior lens at a more affordable price.

I take your point about the depth of field, but there is another way to think about it. I often shoot with my 33mm wishing I had my 23mm because in some circumstances it’s too tight. This is also the case with the 23mm sometimes finding it’s slightly wide in some circumstances. Answer? I just swap lenses. Easy, right? Well, yes, but in a commercial environment, that means losing time and possibly the shot (I shoot a lot of events). So, the 27mm at f1.2 can do a great job at replacing them both in these situations as it mitigates a lens swap, and as for depth of field, from the testing I have seen, the difference with the 33mm is minimal, and in theory it should destroy the 23mm f1.4 for shallow depth of field. Not that shallow depth of field is everything, but this lens really does suggest to suit replacing them both, at least for me.

Goughie. You're writing and production values are getting better with each new release. (not that they were EVER bad) Good work, I really enjoyed the review.

Awesome review... touched all the bases for me.... Thank you.

thanks for the review, i really enjoy ur videos

Thanks, that was useful!

I am a Sony shooter but do have a Fujifilm x-e4 and I have the Viltrox 75mm f/1.2. It is big but the quality is amazing and I am not buying a bigger body to enjoy the lens. I usually carry it with the XF 23mm f/2. I will probably buy the 27mm Viltrox as well.

Viltrox has also created a 33mm f/1.4 lens for the Fuji FX Mount. I own it, and for less than half the price, it performs brilliantly. After watching this video, I would be interested in a comparison video between the original 33mm lens and the Viltrox version

I wish they would do “Pro” manual focus lenses at these less common focal lengths. That way we could have nice optics in smaller and lighter package.

Viltrox does very good job with this lens overall quality looks amazing, swirly bokeh looks lovely, but when it comes to that size and weight I wonder a purpose to stay in crop? I guess it's possible to keep pancake size and make it at least f2.2 - in the world of m43 there is panasonic 20mm f1.7 that's also pancake and if we map aperture equivalence we will end up somewhere around f2.2.

Just purchased it today, I never saw such a good build quality, and such sharp photos. Not only that, but the lack of any aberrations and distortion, this lens is above anything else from Fuji. It is big and heavy, but after you try this aperture ring you forget everything. Just not sure if it will be a bit narrow for what I used to, but it sits perfectly between 12, 18, and 56.

Got mine today :) .... thx for a great review ..... quick question .... Is it possible that 1.01 the newest firmware for Fuji X mount ?? Their website is a bit confusing.

You've announced this review and it came, great job as always!;) To come back to your marketing trick I do think this lens would be a no brainer even if it was f/1.4 as it would make the lens smaller and it would still cost less than the 33mm Fuji. Furthermore, depth of field does not tell the whole story as background rendering might vary. Based on a side by side comparison by Xing Liu, the Viltrox actually does render backgrounds a tad softer than the 33mm if both lenses are shot from the same distance. Apart from that, I perfectly agree with your conclusion that the Viltrox is a no brainer for the price if you can work around it's weight.

Wow, the lens is a real performer! I should message Viltrox to see if they'd like to send me one too. 40mm is my wife's favorite focal length. :D Very nice video!

I already have the 13,75,85 from Viltrox and now I'm sure I'll have this one in my setup amazing lenses

The swirl looks like the lensbaby or helios bokeh. This is pretty cool and the extra stops of light make it more attractive to me than the Fuji pancake at that focal length, weight be damned. I love the 33mm though. Cool to see 3rd party lenses going this route.

Thank you for the wonderful video. Compared to the XF 33mm 1.4, is the video AF comparable?

Thank you for a very balanced review. I am tossing up between this and a few other used fujinon lenses and your point about the cross over and ‘f1.2 isn’t that far from 1.4’ are true. I already own the older 35f1.4 but i find it too tight especially as i mostly shoot night street and landscape. Considering this or the 16-55 used…

wow, this lens looks awesome! too bad it's kinda big or else i'd be looking into getting myself one haha really love the photos at 4:30, your colors are amazingg!

Camera bodies tend to be getting smaller, lenses bigger. If you want to be discreet on the street, big lenses won't help. It does seem excellent value for money. Good review.

Greeting! Could you please make a video comparing the Viltrox 27mm 1.2 and the Sigma 23mm 1.4 for video recording? Or tell me which one is better for Fuji X-t 4. I'm a videographer and I'm not sure which of these two lenses to buy for video recording. Similar focal length, but I prefer the bokeh on the Viltrox. It seems to me that both lenses have a problem with autofocus for video and with focus breathing. Can the new firmware fix this problem? Thank you!

it would have been nice to have some comparison with the 33mm 1.4. Thanks for the video.

Would love a comparison between this and the Laowa 25mm 0.95.

I had their 23mm on my Fuji xt30 well made good quality lens no doubt about that, but, omg the weight of it when out for a photowalk. Also not as easy to sell used as you might imagine either.

There are many aspects to judging a lens for quality… aSo I will try to address the very main aspects, when comparing any third party (also this Viltrox lens), to original first-party lenses. Fuji does not have a 27 mm 1.2, they have the pancake 2.8 and a much larger 23 mm 1.4. Third party companies seem to be buying into the simplification of how to judge lenses, being held up to clinical sharpness as the holy grail… this is in fact not the only or not even nearly the only measure of any great lens… usability, optical character and micro-contrast (color spectrum levels of detail, might be a good short explanation), are far more important to actually using and getting great photos! I’ll bet anyone to honestly criticize any classic and universally known photo, based on its technical sharpness, but you cannot disregard the usability aspect here… if that photographer, of some epic wartime in-situation photo, had not been able to carry the weight, or relay on consistent durability, from his/her lenses, then the photo you so adore would never have been taken… The best camera you have, is the one you carry! I seriously doubt, that anyone using a 27 mm prime will bitch and moan over leaving f 1.2 behind for f.2.8, favoring lightweight (the Fuji 27 mm pancake) and high image micro-contrast over absolute sharpness. The Fuji 23 mm sacrifices weight, but gets you to f 1.4, and retains a constructions with a low lens element count. Viltrox, and yes - I have one of their lenses, and yes, the image quality in comparison to Fuji is atrocious - focuses on raw sharpness as the main grail of their products…. For every lens you add into the construction of the collective lens (in the barrel), you lose light and micro-contrast to each and every layer of glass/plastics that the light needs to penetrate (between front and rear elements)… Viltrox does not very public ally disclose the amount of ended in their constructions… Fuji does… only 7 in the 27 mm f2.8… and regarding maximum aperture at such a wide focal length - I challenge anyone to honestly find and argue that they moaned about not taking an image at 2.8, because they should’ve taken it at 1.2 or even 1.4… keeping in mind the high quality imaging we get today at even high ISO, your main issue at f 1.2 or 1.4, will be that any focus is razor thin, so your concerned about sharpness and such go right out the window. This may sound like a Viltrox-slam, and a pro-Fuji argument, but in fact, the points above, apply to every single third party manufacturer of cheaper and modern lenses - Voigtländer is an exception - I attribute this to their long photographic heritage… and they too prioritize low lens element counts, in their constructions…

The thing that Fuji is sleeping on is the prices they charge ( and I own the XS-10 + 55-200mm lens ). Its when viltrox releases a zoom lens with a wide aperture and a good price is when Viltrox give the smack down on the whole industry

Viltrox should make an f2 version of this lens. Same IQ and build, but in a much smaller package.

Fantastic review Goughie! Really impressive for a third party producing such high quality lens for Fuji. The rainbow artifacts are interesting... I'm for using "jello wobble" over rolling shutter now XD Excellent video as always! Cheers mate!

Can you do comparison video with xf33 side by side with sample images

Great lens option and seemingly a stunning lens. However this is a full frame size lens on an apsc camera. Before anyone comments that it is a 1.2 lens (which is true, no question) it is nearer a 1.8 equivalent on full frame and not to be compared to 1.4 size. I am glad as a fujifilm user we have more and more options. Good review.

You looked so unimpressed at having to photograph the wall 😂😂 lens looks great though!

i think you should try the voigtlander ultron 27 mm f2, great review!

Just need a viltrox 18mm f2 pancake to rival fuji now

I got this lens and it is every bit as good as the Fuji 18mm f1.4. Maybe better. The bokeh, the tack sharpness is unmatched.

How about the color rendering of this lens.. it's make fuji color different with this lens or not? compare to native fuji lens.. thanks before 😊

Engaging and informative! I don't even own the Fuji system lol

I'd love to see Fuji strike back with a 27 1.4, it'd probably be 30% smaller/lighter. I'd gladly pay the premium.

Their 13mm 1.4 is a great video lens. Also on the bigger size though

Regarding depth of field in comparison with the Fuji 33mm f1.4 it seems you made the mistake of comparing at the same distance to your subject. In real life you would always want to have your subject in the same size and therefore go closer to your subject with the shorter focal length. That‘s the reason why depth of field doesn‘t depend on the focal length at all but only on the f-stop. The increased subject isolation of longer focal lengths are only due to a usually more homogeneous background from the narrower field of view. No marketing trick here from Viltrox.

Clean post, even if timing w/lens release turns the channel into a marketing campaign element. Viltrox lenses tend to be heavy, although IQ is good and improving. Rainbow is likely internal lens flare. Firmware update should not be an issue - PC to lens via USB, as I understand. How often do you use your lenses at their widest aperture? Cheers!

Well made video and great review. By the way, just a heads up: if you receive a product for free, that is considered a "paid promotion" for legal purposes, and thus you should tick the box in the video options that it does or you'd be in violation of RU-vid guidelines. At least it doesn't seem as if you ticked the option since no "Paid Promotion" notification came up at the start of the video, which is what is supposed to happen.

I dont think Viltrox is better. First of all, i have the Fuji 23, 33 WR and the Viltrox 27 and 75. Viltrox made a really good pair of lenses, very sharp and ver solid construction...im impressed. Although, after a few months shooting with the four lenses, there is something in Viltrox that i dont like. i took some shots in studio and when it comes to make zoom in the images, the sharpness of the lenses affects the skin texture of models, looks like i put a denoise effect and it looks very weird...zooming 100% Fuji does a better work in the models skins, but for the price Viltrox is great!

Hello and thank you fir the video. 7:05mns: at F/1.4 you lose 28% of the light you have at F/1.2.

Native, superb, and reasonable size. If not for the price, the winner is the 33 f1.4 for me. Don’t understand thanks for APSC.

My only problem with this lens (as an X-E3 user) is its size and weight. if it's closer to an XF 23mm f/1.4 R, then it's a no-brainer.

My dude brought the brick wall in?! NOOOOO 😂- great video man I am 100% getting this lens. I’ve been waiting for this video and I’m not disappointed at all. Great job. And yes it’s the f/1.2, price and build for me.

What about the 27mm f2.8 mkii fuji pancake! I tried them both and I rather keep the pancake!

Optically it is fantastic. However the XF 33mm 1.4 is just as sharp unless you are zoomed in to 200%, DOF is about the same with the extra compression, it has faster auto focus, and most importantly it is significantly smaller and lighter. The 35mm 1.4 is literally 1/3rd the size and weight.

The Fuji 1.4 Primes are the biggest walk around prime lenses I‘m able to tolerate. They are right on the edge and already too big if I use them with a lens hood. So by this measure the Viltrox doesn’t make the cut.

If you use 3rd party lenses, does Fuji film simulations still work?

Viltrox makes an exceptional 33 1.4.

Does Viltrox make the Fuji badged lenses??

I've got the viltrox 23mm 1.4 and cant see the point in me buying this lens. Its to big.

f1.2 vs f1.4 means 1/2 Stop or 50% more light.

Wake up what for ? There is an excellent and complete XF series of lenses especially for that range of focal lengths.

Great review, well to the point. But marketing trick? No, not in my opinion. You get great image quality for a great price, the trade-off being the weight and size. As Viltrox is manufacturing this lens also for other mounts maybe that explains the latter a bit, I’m not sure. But it seems a great offer. Thx for al the work you put into your videos, and enjoy your lens🙂 Looking forward for you to use it and share some images long term.

this seems to be the lens that is getting all the attention. Its great for sure. But the 75mm f1.2 Viltrox pro is the one IMHO that is a stunning deal. this 27 is not head and shoulders better or cheaper than the Sigma 30mm 1.4 or Fuji 33 1.4. But the 75 1.2 is in a class by itself. More than a stop faster than fuji 90mm f2 and half its price

What lens are you using for your talking head A roll? It made your head so big I thought I was watching Alice In Wonderland.

I think Fujifilm got it exactly right. The main reason for 27mm lens is to make a pancake lens which they did for the X-E cameras. Tiny camera, tiny lens. As you would not trade your 23mm or 35mm for the Viltrox neither would many others. But who knows? With enough marketing by people who get free lenses, some may decide a giant 27mm lens, a focal length few have ever wanted, is ideal.

Sharper and cheaper. I don’t know what Fujifilm thinks.

Gimme 16mm apc f1.2

I don't think fujifilm need to wake up because making a lens small is a battle with compromise. Make a big lens is not a proplem at all, just like sigma. I really like your use case though!

They need to because I paid a lot of money for the 50m f1 and AF is trash meanwhile the Viltrox 75 1.2 is light speed fast

The size and weight is a deal breaker for me. I'll stick with my (FF!!) Samyang 35f1.8 on my A7IV.

I am not a fan of Chinese lenses because one of their opitcal gears damages my camera due to lack of QC back in 2018. Therefore I am not recommending any Chinese made lenses. However, all f.12 lenses are more like f1.3 lenses. Better stick to 1.4 lenses and save costs. Most people won't notice the difference between f1.4 and f1.2

Your DoF calculations are misleading because you forgot to adjust for framing. If you adjust for framing the DoF is pretty much exactly the same

Yes wake up Fuji

Chinese companies like Viltrox is all about copying, reverse engineering and not about innovation. I’ll support Fujifilm and buy Fujinon lenses.

let's adres the elephant in the room.....is it a fast or low light lens?

Viltrox i want too a lens free from review and keep it.

No, Fuji getting caught sleeping, free lens and no influence

The title should be "Does Sigma, Tamron, Tokina and Samyang need to wake up?" not Fujifilm.

For only £432 it's a bit of a bargain

ND FILTER???

It dose not have flare coating

If you wanna use this lens for video, you should pass and get Fuji 33 f1.4 LM WR instead. I returned mine

I'm pretty convinced now this is the hierarchy: If you don't need an aperture ring, go with Sigma If you prefer an aperture ring, go with Viltrox If you are professional and your clients take note of your gear, go with Fuji glass

i guess people are always looking for equivalence with full frame DOF specs, or at least roughly equal. 27mm f1.2 is roughly equivalent to 40mm f1.8 on full frame. F1.8 isn’t even a premium lens on full frame… it isn’t all about shallow DOF though. i find myself avoiding it more often than not these days. on full frame, you often have to stop down to eg f2.8 to get an acceptable DOF for the subject anyway, and older lenses like the EF canon lenses are sharper stopped down too, even more so with older lenses. the remarkable thing about fuji lenses and many other modern lenses is they’re sharp wide open, so effectively useable at similar DOF to older lenses

Can’t take this seriously because of the conflict of interests. Not for you maybe - money is money - but to your viewers, yes.

Gives you a free lens… no influence… You sound like the financial industry…

Does Fujifilm needs to wake up? No.. just talk about the lens you like and leave it at that so that manufacturers have their independent unique mind to come up with a completely unique lens/camera and so on. Who inspired Viltrox to come up with 27 and 75? None. So take it easy.

Bit too sharp and lifeless from everything I've seen of this lens. Not for me. Thanks for the video.