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Cameras that are born for autofocus always suck in manual focus, all of them, the user experience on that is always an afterthought. Manual focus can ben equally swift but you need to get cameras conceived to be manual focus. Unfortunately, in digital the only option you have is Leica M. And as much as I was skeptical... it became the best camera I've ever used in 15 years. Just go for older models and for used, cheaper lenses. An M240 with a cheap Voigtlander comes for less than 3K, which is still not peanuts but people spend much more on "the next boring mirrorless that is exactly the same as the one before". The shooting experience with a rangefinder (if well calibrated) is a bliss and despite having an old sensor, quality is there too. I had a Fuji X100V for a couple of years, I sold it right after I compared it with my "brand new" Leica M240 + a humble Voigtlander 35 1.4 Nokton. I compared them at medium apertures and with my surprise is that the Leica had much more resolution, micro contrast/tonal separation, and 3D pop. Things went even better when I paired it with a better quality 35mm lens. ISO wise, for my shooting style up to 3200 is ok, 1600 if you're really picky.

AF on the old one

Great honest video! I’m considering a Voigtlander lens for my X-E4 but can’t decide between the 27mm, the 23mm or the 35mm. I actually have the Fuji 27mm WR and what drives me crazy about that little lens isn’t only how cheap and loud the AF motor is, even when MF that lens makes an audible electronic “bump” sound. Anyway, I really would like a MF walk around lens; maybe I’ll try the Voigtlander 23 or 35mm or adapt my old Contax Zeiss pancake lens. Cheers!🙏

You’re beautiful

I backed the kickstarter and absolutely hate how it doesn’t sit flush against you when using it as a sling. That’s a deal breaker for me. Very disappointed.

My LUTs loaded just fine and are on a menu in the monitor, but as soon as I click "UserLUT" it applies A LUT but I have no way of telling which one because ever LUT in that list produces the same exact effect. That or the monitor doesn't remove the effect from the one it automatically chose and therefore doesn't apply the effects of any of the ones I choose. The pre loaded Luts that came with the monitor all change accordingly when selected though.

I got the neweer one it was on sale for about $12 Also got the small rig. I kept the neweer as it was a really good deal. Didn't justify the quality to be so much better on the small rig

Thank you Jackie so much for this very helpful video! I’ learning from you and want to express my appreciation to you!

I've considered all these lenses too, even bought the ttartisan 25mm f/2. But I'm just not in love with manual lenses (at this current point in time lol). I have been looking at/for this lens for well over a year but could never justify the over retail used prices. After watching your video, I started stalking the BH website again and luckily was able to snag the 27mm 2.8 the other day. It gets delivered tomorrow. I'm so excited about having a smaller, compact set up with AF.

I just got the voig 27mm f2 for my x-pro2 I love it , but I am a manual focus guy for years now. I have a diferent aproach. I had the 27mm f2.8 its a great little lens. Happy shooting.

Thanks for your recommendation! I just placed an order for the strap.

I got the Fujinon pancake 27mm f/2,8 with my pre-owned X-E4 when I bought it but I never used it much, because I quickly got the Voigtländer 35mm F/1,2 and then later the monstrous and insanely fun Voigtländer 35mm f/0,9... -However I recently began using the 27mm f/2,8 in specific situations where I think hit-rates without autofocus would be too low... -And it's such a nice lens and it renders pretty spectacularly I think, considering all the inevitable optical compromises made due to its size! The 27mm Fujinon is definitely a keeper for me and I am sure that I will get even more use out of it once I upgrade to a weather sealed body, like X-Pro 3, where it will be perfect for street photography during storms and rainy weather!

This is actually a great lesson and advice! Sticking to our needs and remembering why we're buying a lens. Usually, while we do our own research, we end up stumbling on different lenses and our own focus starts hunting back and forth, losing our initial interest in the process. At some point, we fall on the trap of going with something we don't really need because some reviewer said it's amazing. Maybe it is, for his/her needs. We should always make priority list and accept no lens is perfect and compromises shall be made (price, IQ, vignetting, size, weight, aperture ring, AF/MF, etc. ). We got to stick to our priorities and accept we won't get everything out of a lens.

what is the newest firmware for this monitor?

Straight forward. Informative. No fodder. 3 things 90% of the photographers out there leave out in their videos. Thank you for being real! ❤

Manual focus works very good especially for Street photography. I would suggest to learn zone focusing before buying any lens.

The focus throw issue is a dealkiller for a manual focus, street lens. Thank you for raising it. I've only seen it mentioned in one other video, from another person talking about their real, on the ground experience as well. I have the 18mm, where it is slightly less of an issue, but even for zone focusers like me, it keeps you from changing your zone quickly without having to stop and look at the LCD (as opposed to nudging gently with muscle memory). But for 27mm, I have the Fujifilm, like you do. Separately, I don't think it satisfies your other requirements, but on the 1% chance you didn't consider it, you could adapt a full frame 28mm lens to fix the focus throw issue, but this loses things like electronic contacts, small size, no weather sealing, potential distance scale accuracy issues, etc. Finally, also want to second the other commenter's thought that when the time (and budget) comes, to consider a Ricoh GRIII or IIIx if it meets your needs at that time. So many of us Fuji shooters have gone that route when wanting to go smaller and pocketable. Appreciate the real, lived experience perspective.

THANK YOU very much So helpfull thanks a lot

I love your genuine, honest style and sharing. No pretenses, no ego, and no fake shilling for manufacturers, even when you feel a deep connection with the brand. I appreciate your discerning attention to detail and explaining the pros and cons, ups and downs, of your latest moves. Yes, everything in photography it seems has a compromise, with tradeoffs, some hidden and some clearly evident at the outset, and it is hard to know all the pitfalls when one makes an expensive lens purchase. Subscribed!

Do you think putting 27mm on xt5 will beat xt100vi?

This is where the Nikon ZF shines, to be fair. It's SO easy to use MF with the excellent focus confirmation tools that are lacking on every other brand right now. If I was mainlining Fuji, though, I'm sure I'd lean towards an AF everyday lens for this very reason.

Thanks For the video. I watched your first video and happy to see the follow up. For some one like me Ive spent hours going through video display options to use the ipad and your video helped a bunch.

I bought the 33mm 1.4 and the 35 f/2 Love them both. I know that's great lens as well, (I almost bought it but the f/2 was a little smaller) but that 33 is just fantastic. It is heavier. But I tend to the extremes. In terms of sensor resolution you would only see a difference when blowing it up very large (literally pixel peeping), then you'd a slight improvement w/the higher res.

Huge help - tx I wish smallrig made the same L bracket one they make for the X-T4. It has an additional side bracket so you can mount it vertically on a tripod and it also add protection and gives a better two hand hold. That is not available. After watching this it looks like I'll go with the Hoage. tx again

Your sample shots (only 3 I guess?) gave me headache. Don't know if you know how to do macro but your samples are way out of focus, especially the bee. Where did you even focus on that one? The hair? Just because you can take a photo of a small thing doesn't mean you know how to do macro photography properly. I suggest you attend some macro classes.

So this could simply prove that the 35/1,4 cannot resolve the 40MP. COmparing it to the 33/1,4 would show that the 33 is better in almost every discipline (I have both) except "character". Even with both on a 26MP sensor. I even go further and say that the limitation is the APSc format, not the pixel count. 14MP more (40 vs. 26) provides virtually no extra resolution, sensor size however would. A 33MP FF like a Sony most likely outresolves the X-T5.

First off, thank you for a no BS video. Subscribed immediately. Great advice here. I am in love with the voigtlander. I find the focusing tab less of a problem when you shoot in an area that I'm familiar with. I have the f22 issue as well though. Fantastic lens, great IQ, beautiful sturdy build, but for quick street snaps, it can be w challenge

The insert is kinda large and terribly designed. I have nothing against idea how to use it nor how to use the Velcro. A little disappointed with it.

We have something in common😃, I have an iPhone 13 Pro as well and the exact same iPhone case. 😅 I’m also gonna keep it for another year, planning on waiting until the iPhone 18 pro is coming? 😎

I really Clever Supply straps, I have their adjustable strap with PD Anchors. Sadly they don't make it in green so i had to shop somewhere else, found a really nice adjustable leather strap made by a company called Woolnut and I'm in love with it. It's so elegant and nicely designed.

I seem to have a problem with the camera screens hitting my belt buckles. With the slide light I can quickly adjust the height.

the lens hood is very small and this is a significant thing for a lens like the XF27mmF2.8, has lots of sun flares whose main advantage is its compactness and lightness. It is very well made and the screwing onto the lens is smooth. It protects the lens, especially when you keep the camera in your pocket and you could touch the lens with your fingers when taking out the camera. It also does its job as a lens hood with good results. I tried to test its effectiveness using a flashlight with a very narrow beam pointed towards the lens and measuring the angle at which the light begins to "brighten" in the photo, because the beam hits the lens and inevitably part of the light is diffracted towards the sensor. Without a lens hood, the light beam hits the lens when it has an angle of 30° with respect to the plane of the camera. With the lens hood this angle increases by 45°. It is not a lot, especially if you consider that the field of view of the lens is narrower, but to make more "shadow" on the lens without tightening the FOV, it should have been larger. There are larger and more effective hoods, but they basically double the overall thickness of the lens and in my opinion the main advantage of the XF27mm is lost. Some people complain that with the hood you can't put the cover on the lens, but this is easily remedied with a cover that costs a few euros. The front diameter of the hood is 30mm and in this way the lens is really well protected.

Excactly my thoughts about the wearing the bag. It cannot be used as a sling - which is in fact the reason I bought this bag. And the size is too small. I backed this kickstarter project as well, and I guess the bag will now just be sitting in my cupboard - anyway: thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Thanks for this review! I got this bag in tan and love it. Completely agree about the camera insert being a bit unusable unless you have a smaller camera - though I've used it in a different sling (the Bellroy Venture 9L - very roomy & comfortable) and it's worked well to protect my Fujifilm X-T20. Also, I'm picky about aesthetics too ;)

>100 usd, it's nuts for a strap of cheap leather... may be comrtable but overpriced and not premium

Just the right time for this recommendations, since I'm looking for one for my new X-T4, so thanks!

Thanks.

I had the older Fuji p27mm but I wanted one with an aperture ring. The Fuji was out of stock and subject to robber pricing on eBay. So, I went with the TT Artisin, which I found on KEH for a super price. I live in Los Angeles, so weather sealing is not an issue.

Good for you, Jackie. It's good to have an interest in our mature years -- if nothing else it keeps the grey cells ticking over! You've a great personality and voice for talking to camera. I've watched a good number of your videos today and appreciated your perspectives on gear. Hope it all goes really well for you.

The voigtländer is a lens that peaked my interest, but not quite enough to purchase. I like the focal length but it's not one I instinctively grab. I have a rather big one, the Viltrox 27 that is used mostly for indoor portraits, not street. But with street, you very often don't need f2 or even f2.8, but rather 5.6 and 8. Why f2.8 can be plenty. I have the 16 and 30 2.8 and both need to be stopped down to f4 to improve results. And for street work, that's plenty. On a grey day it might mean bumping the iso a little - not an issue with the x-t5 which helps out anyway with ibis. Nighttime... I wouldnt be using an f2 or f2.8 other than in emergencies. Zone focusing is the way to go. I've seen others complain about the short throw, but at f4 it looks like you're already more or less covered from 3m to infinity. So, why not stop down? At the weekend I was indoors with the x100vi (my pancake, compact and street choice). Worse, it was a darkened trampoline park. Autofocus just wouldn't lock on or fire even adequately. So I switched to MF, optical viewfinder so I could even see the subject, but sometimes I just shot blind. I had to use the flash, but found f5.6 was enough to capture the subject in focus every time or a subject on a trapeze swinging towards me. But not just in the dark, I'll routinely switch to MF when using for street. And it's got awful manual focus feedback with no scale - why the Voigt. interests me! Possible alternative to the VI. But with MF, expecially for street, you have to zone focus. Then even with a crappy focus by wire, you'll focus qyicker than any AF system. I'd definitly be frustrated with such a short throw using f2 under 3m a lot of the time - and especially at the mimimum focus distance. But at which point I'd be using all tools at my disposal, including aperture to make life easier. I actually found the AF of the 27 2.8 (old and new versions) quite frustrating. Not exactly a pancake, but the 30mm f2.8 is nice and compact and super useful that it focuses so close with reliable, super fast AF. Pity you have to stop down to f4 to get acceptable sharpness... But if that's not a concern, highly recommended for street and as a walkaround.

Thanks for video. Just subscribed - I like your honesty. I have the Voigtlander 18mm which I really love. However, I agree with you, I wish the focus throw was larger. That said, the 18mm has larger depth of field so focusing precision is less critical than it would be on 27mm.

I have this 27mm Voigtlander lens. It’s an acquired taste, but I’m really enjoying it. I grew up shooting manual focus anyway, so it’s a throwback to that. For street photography, you can use a zone focus approach, and that works well. Just use a higher F stop and focus ahead of time using the focus tab and the distance numbers. The f22 issue is Fuji’s fault. I had no issue until I upgraded Fuji’s firmware. Anyway, I’m glad I have this lens. Its image quality is excellent. When I use it with my X-T5, it’s a very small setup that’s almost pocketable. The manual focus is fun once you get the hang of it. If you’re excited about this lens and thinking about getting it, don’t let this video put you off. Just know what you’re getting into and embrace it.

I sold my Fuji 27mm, AF was too slow. I have the tt artisans, AF is better and its sharper, but flare isn’t good and no weather seal.

Try zone focusing!!! The best of the best have been doing it for decades!

Have you tried hyperfocal with the Voigtlander? I have a Voigtlander 15mm that I can use with hf, although its hit and miss…

Your video is excellent ! I've taken note that a few video channels join visuals or particular to boost engagement. Fair a thught that might be fun to explore!''

Jackie, your honesty is appreciated. I enjoy the experience of using the TTArtisans AF. I also enjoy using some of their other manual lenses, especially the 17mm f/1.7. But for street photography I would never use f/2. Can’t see the point. All your street photography examples had everything in sharp focus. Zone focus for my kind of street photography is just fine. The Voigtländer is built around the fact that as you go away from the camera the depth of field stretches. Beyond 3m you have a very generous d-o-f. Anywhere beyond 3m and d-o-f is more or less infinite.

Mhh - in Special for Streetphotography I enjoy the hard end focus infinity stop and zone focus. In contrast to the Fuji 27 mk II my results are much more reliable. In Special I use the Voigtländer for MTB Tours - here the Fuji did struggle much to often….

Dear Jackie, I had to laugh, you are going through exactly the same process that I just went through. I want a pancake lens so that I can put my X-T4 in my jacket pocket. You expressed it correctly: what are your - your! - needs, not those of another RUclipsr. In the end I came to the same conclusion: I want autofocus, an aperture ring, acceptable sharpness and image and good communication between lens and camera. I'm taking the Fujinon 27mm WR. Thank you for your honest and friendly video, you can see how difficult it was for you to make the decision and answer your questions. I am a native German speaker, and I can understand your English perfectly (I wrote my "letter to the editor" in German and had it automatically translated). Thank you very much, a like & subscribe is a given.

Thanks Jackie. I take your message as a hard earned lesson. You should know what you want from the beginning. What works for a youtuber or friend it is not necessarily the same. In street I never use autofocus. I either use zone focusing (but with the 27 it starts to be more difficult) or have it in manual and focus with the touchscreen. Otherwise I miss the shot. With the x100vi it is easy peasy. In general I am not happy with the Fujifilm lenses autofocus though. Either they have lovely character as the 23 1.4 or the 35 1.4 or they focus better but the quality is low like the modern 23 f2. The new 33 14.4 and 23 1.4 may do it all but they are huge. So after buying Fujifilm I am happy I did not sell my Sony when I need AF. The Sony a7cr with the 40 2.5 is what I think you need. I switched to Leica and I am happy with my manual focus and errors but do not follow me.