I’ve had this lens for some time, having sold my Fuji 18mm f2 to help finance it. I loved the Fuji but I was starting to find it a little clunky with my XT5. Also I wanted to try manual lenses for the size and weight saving and since I don’t really need AF for my hobbyist work. I now have the VG 18mm, the VG 27mm and the VG 35mm, as well as retaining the Fuji 23mm f2 and Fuji 50mm f2, and can highly recommend them all. One caveat with the Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 which all Fuji users should be aware of is that it’s a ‘character’ lens. At f1.2 it is soft and has a glow to the highlights as well as flaring. Stopped down to f2.8 or F4 and it is much sharper and flare free. I love the VG lenses for their rendering and because they are really fun to use, they make me want to take my camera out and that can’t be a bad thing.
Hello, sorry it’s took a while to answer. The 18mm f2.8 and the 27mm f2 are both excellent lenses with comparable image quality and sharpness across all apertures including wide open. I would call them everyday, all round lenses. They are sharp but not razor sharp, so if that’s what you want then please go for the new Fuji f1.4 lenses instead. However, I find them sharp enough with lovely fall off and a rendering which some would call ‘vintage’ or ‘filmic’. I would just like to point out that I’ve now acquired the VG 23mm f1.2 Nokton and it’s fantastic, I can’t take it off my XT5. Wide open I would say it is sharper and has less blooming in the highlights as the 35mm f1.2. Again, not razor sharp but good enough for me and the rendering really appeals. Just thought I’d throw that in and I hope this reply helps in some way.
Just got it and now it's glued to my XT5. The combination is amazing, lightweight but the results are beyond my expectations. Really happy with the purchase!
That was a real nice conversation, Chris, thank you. When I decided to "get serious" (as a hobbyist) about photography I bought a zoom lens and a manual-focus-only prime to see how I felt about each. I found that I loved primes, but also that I didn't enjoy the lag between me raising my x-t30 to my eyes and getting my family's smile, and then watching it fade away as they waited while I fussed with the exposure and focus. So after a few months I sold the zoom and started buying auto-focus-capable primes. A few years later, I am now more comfortable with the exposure triangle and I find that what I really crave is something small that has character - but I am so often taking pictures indoors that I need the wider apertures. This has brought me to the Voigtlander lenses, and I'm comparing the 18mm and the 27mm. So it was very helpful to hear your experience.
Thank you! If you read some of the other comments, people are really passionate about the Voigtlander 27mm too. It boils down to focal distance and which you prefer. I personally go back and forth a lot.
It's worth mentioning that turning on focus assists will punch in zoom whenever you start focusing the lens. Also, changing the electronic distance scale to film instead of pixel will align with the distance scale that is on the lens.
A lot of great stuff in here, and then there is you talking, which is great. I get it that you really like using this lens, which answers the fundamental question. I think I even understood the 28mm, 3 levels of depth reference. So yeah. This is a good one. Thanks for trying to crank out more and more regularly, but I will take relevance over that any day. Carry on.
The only kind of review that I need, thanks for that :) I have owned many Voigtlander lenses. I currently owns the 23mm for fuji and love it. Probably gone get this one as well for my X-T2.
Hi Chris, I full agreed. This is a great lens for street and landscape. I give away my 18 f 1.4, it was sharps and fast, but it was not for me. I also owned the 27mm Voigtländer, but I prefer the Fuji 27 f 2.8 WR over this lens. 1. because I wear glasses and have problems to focus this lens when I take portrait and so on. I use the 18 mm in an other way, where I have not this problems. 2. the Fuji is weather sealed, an every day in use. One detail might be of interest: the older Fuji cameras like XPRO2 can´t communicate with the Voigtländer lenses. You get no exif data about the used aperture. Thank you for sharing your video, its fantastic tongue in cheek, great, I subscribed. Best regards, Bernd
Thank you, Bernd! That was a very kind comment. I feel like the Fujifilm 27mm F2.8 is a completely underrated lens in the Fujifilm community, people don’t realize how well the autofocus works, that it’s weather sealed, and that it produces great color. I recently got a comment on my First Impressions video that a person wasn’t seeing the frame lines in the OVF on their X-Pro2 and I went to the Voigtlander page and found out that the electronics don’t work for the older models. I should have stated that in my review.
I have had the Voigtlander 18mm and 27mm since they came out and from my experience, placing a filter on the lens and then placing the lens hood on top of the filter works perfect with no vignetting at all. I absolutely love these lenses and am at a point where I am going to sell all of my autofocus lenses with the exception of the marvelous Fuji 35mm f1.4. My only hope at this point is that Voigtlander gets around to making an X-mount version of both the 50mm f2 APO Lanthar and 35mm f2 APO Lanthar. My world would be complete (and there is hope as they are releasing these lenses for Nikon now to go with the Sony and Leica versions).
Love this video. Thanks for the information. Im a denver guy as well. This lens is on my radar now. I just got the pergear 25mm 1.7 for the xt50 and love the small compact feel but im also loving shooting manual as well. Love me some voightlander lens
Absolutely love this video my friend! Your insight and delivery are spot on and I NEED to try this little booger with my X-pro2. Keep up the good work! Much love from Tennessee🙏🏼
I just changed my Fuji 18 F1.4 for the Voigt 18 f2.8 and I'm running the same combo with Fuji 27mm. It''s just like you said, my heart is in the pancakes.
I got the Fujifilm 18mmf2, it renders absolutely the way I love. Combined with 35mm1.4 it's my perfect roadtrip setup. With the XE1 it's the closest I've come to analogue vibe images SOOC..... I own newer Fujifilm cameras and lenses but prefer the prints shot with XE1 and 18mmf2
You should be able to directly screw a filter to the lens. I have the 27mm and used to own the 18mm lens and never had vignette issues. Hope that helps
I'd love to hear your decision to go from the X-pro3 to X-T5. Been shooting the X-Pro2 for years now waiting on the X-Pro4 to release, seriously considering moving to the X-T5 in the meantime.
Well, I had the X-T5 and got the X-Pro3. I loved the X-Pro3 and was using it for everyday and street photography so I traded my X-T5 in for an X-H2 so I could do video and have the 40mp sensor to do landscape photography. But as I started to grow this channel and have a need for a secondary camera, the X-Pro3 wasn’t cutting it. Plus I really did miss IBIS as I shoot a lot in darker scenes and I don’t like using a tripod. That’s mostly the reason, needed a 2nd camera and I wanted IBIS. It wasn’t the 40mp sensor, although it is nice to have. I am surprised that I’m not missing the X-Pro 3 after having it for a year. I really enjoyed that camera. I guess I’m at peace with what I’ve got (for now).
Hi Chris, love your work on Glass and YT. I don't have this lens but I do have the Voigt 23 f1.2 for Fuji and 7 Voigt Leica M mounts lenses for my Fuji cameras and M11. I think Voigtlander is wonderful. I have sold my Leica lenses and I am also considering selling my Fuji XF 18 F1.4 and XF 33 F1.4. Manual focus is very appealing. See you on Glass
Thank you, David! I ended up trading my 18mm 1.4 after releasing this video, it just wasn’t the lens for me. Wish I hadn’t traded my Voigtlander 23mm, I miss it.
@@ChrisFreitagI’m tempted to go fully manual with the exception of lenses at the extreme - xf 8mm (amazing lens), xf 70-300 etc. I just enjoy manual more than auto focus.
I just bought this lens and a few thoughts after some short use. First, optically it’s far superior to the Fuji 18mm. I like the Fuji render a lot especially in video but this is better. Second, I feel this lens is truer to a real 28mm, I always felt with the Fuji was a little wider than 28 and as a result the subjects would seem slightly further away, definitely not the case with this lens. Lastly Fred Miranda has a detailed review of this lens and they really argue granular details and pixel prep, don’t overthink it, but this lens, it’s a beast.
I love 18mm on Fujifilm. It my favourite focal length. I have both the Voigtlander 18mm f2.8 and the Fujifilm 18mm f1.4. I think they are both amazing but very different. I love the Voigtlander for size, so I like it for street and it the lens I take if I head out to a restaurant (compact and nice for photos of family and food). I like the Fujifilm for low light, landscape, travel and where I want absolute sharpness and speed of operation. I think the Voigtlander has a three dimensionality about the images - but I’ve never tested against my Fujifilm to see if it’s a real effect.
I get that and I wanted to use the 18mm 1.4 that way, but I much prefer the 35mm focal length for landscapes. So I was reaching for my 23mm 1.4 more than the 18. The little pancake has found its way into my heart though, I love it for street and documentary photography.
In my First Impressions video, I talk about one of my challenges with the 28mm focal distance being the depth. I share a photo at the 5:38 mark and in that photo, you can see the vignetting. I have the hood on. ruclips.net/video/4UrNSgBRMak/видео.htmlsi=dVfIWhv06K0AU9EN
You should try the CV 27mm f/2. It's so good and a full stop faster than the TT and XF Fuji 28mm lens (and better than both of them). The CV 18 and 27 lenses are such a great pair (I also have the Ricoh GRIII and GRIIIx with the identical focal lengths).
That’s the second recommendation for this lens. I’m sure that it’s amazing but I already have a pancake lens at that focal length and I love that little Fujifilm 27mm. It’s a workhorse lense and it’s weather sealed.
With the XT5 & XT50 you can use the “Digital Teleconverter” @ 1.4x and 2x to get 28, 40, & 56 FF equivalents crops in camera. So, like a Leica; you like-a?
I think I mentioned to you before, but if you like this lens you really should check out Voigtlanders 27mm f2. It's got identical housing to the 18, but is f2 (unlike both the Voigt 18, but also the Fuji 27). Mine is almost permanently attached to my X-E4, and it's incredible to have a lens of that caliber in such a compact package (though I'm sure it's easier to manually focus with the EVF of the X-T5). Question: the Voigtlander 27mm is slightly hazy wide open. I don't mean this as a criticism, with f2 at such a compact size something has to give, and it's not a bad look. It's not quite full blown ”character lens” softness either. However, out of curiosity, is the Voigt 18mm f2.8 slightly hazy wide open as well? Interestingly: I *do* have the Fujifilm XF18mm f2. So it's like we own the ”mirror image” in terms of compact Fuji lenses. I like it quite a bit, but it's actually a bit larger than the Voigt 18/27 and Fuji 27, esp. with their lens hoods on. So I'm actually a bit tempted to get the Voigtlander 18mm f2.8 for it's compactness (though, the lower f-stop is giving me pause as I'm a bit worried about dimly lit situations which are common here in Scandinavia). Also: if the Voigt 18 is anything like the Voigt 27… it has… magical colors! The color rendering is one of my favorite things about this lens! As for schedule: unless your goal is to have youtubing as a job (which tbh seems like a pretty harsh job), I wouldn't worry about schedule at all! I *never* subscribe to channels merely because they post often (in fact: it's sometimes a reason I unsubscribe even!). Just make the videos you feel like making, at a pace that feels good to you! And speaking of: thanks for making the Voigt related videos in particular, I've really loved them, both because they're informational, but it's also just lovely to see fellow photo geeks speak passionately about their tools. Hope you're having a good weekend!
Thank you for that thoughtful comment, it’s always nice to read people’s take on these things and the added bit at the end about my schedule and making these videos made my day 😊 I haven’t specifically seen any softness at 2.8, but I don’t often use it at 2.8. I just looked at my Lightroom library and filtered by F2.8 and I don’t see any haziness at the edges, maybe some darkening. As for the light, I’m not sure you need to worry about that, as I’ve taken both my Voigtlander and my Fujifilm 2.8 pancakes out at night and do not feel I have trouble getting my shots. But I don’t shoot any moving subjects at night, they’re definitely still frames where I can stand and compose and take my time. I completely believe you about the 27mm Voigtlander, and I’m sure if I were looking for that focal length today I’d probably choose that over the Fujifilm. But I do have the Fujifilm pancake already and I believe it is a criminally underrated lens. I think because it’s so inexpensive, and the build is a bit plasticky, people assume it can’t be good. But I honestly find it to be a wonderful lens.
I'll second the recommendation of the 27mm. Having the 18mm and 27mm combo is an amazing small setup that you can literally have one lens on the camera with the other in your pocket.
@@ChrisFreitag Thanks for replying! I don’t agree that the Fuji 27 is underrated these days. It’s been getting a lot of love the last few years (esp. after they added aperture ring and WR), it’s often selling at retail used and good luck even getting it at all at retail. I mean, I was very unsure to get the Fuji or the Voigt and I’m still not sure if I made the right decision or not!
@@TylerAldrich I'm trying to decide between the 27mm and 18mm Voigtlander. I do mainly street, travel, general family photos. I'm looking for a lens for when I need minimal carry, and it would be the only lens I take. I tend to prefer wider angles, so my inclination is the 18. I have an X-T30, so no IBIS. The F2.8 of the 18 is giving me some pause because I do like to take night time street photos. Since you own both, any thoughts? Oh, I can get the 18 mm now, but would have to wait until March for the 27mm.
@en2ec You might want to double check that the Voigtlander connector pins work with the X-T30. I’m not sure they do. They’ll still work, you just won’t get any EXIF data from the lens, like mounting any vintage manual lens.
I was debating selling most of my Fuji lenses and buying the Voigtländer versions for my x pro3. Would have been a very fun change of things, but I have not done that yet. "Unfortunately" I am set with my Fuji glass and got everything I need and buying the same focal range again just for premium manual focus is not worth it right now. I enjoy my 35mm Nokton, but I would love to try their 35mm f/0.9 or the 50mm Nokton or well, their 18 or 27mm 😂 I sold my x pro3 recently and I am using my xh2 now, but the 35mm Nokton felt so nicely on the x pro3! I hope they release the x pro4 in 2025.
It’s good to keep a mix of auto and manual focus lenses, no need to go all in one way or the other. I’m curious what Fujifilm will do with the X-Pro4, if they make one.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience - after watching your "first impression" I have been waiting for this video. Like it. I love this lens, too, but I mostly keep it on my X-Pro3 (combo with the VC 35mm f1.2) - the package feels more compact than on my XT-5, and I like the viewfinder position. Re: Vignetting - I feel it is well controlled. So much so that I use the "hood" and I even have a slim UV filter mounted between body and hood so that I can keep the screw cap off while walking around and still protect the glass. Convenient.
Thank you for letting me know you’ve been waiting, that’s awesome. It felt right at home on the X-Pro3, but I don’t mind it on my X-T5. Yeah, I only used that hood for about 4 shots and I was kind of shooting into the sun so it might not have been a great test.
It’s just unfair to compare Fujinon 18mm 1.4 with Voigtländer. I would understand if you took Fujinon f2, but i’m not sure that f1.4 is made for street photography (or at least not for ‘a small kit’).
Yes, I agree that they are completely different lenses. I think I was more stating that one of them is state of the art and the other is manual and is slower but I have more fun with that one. Plus, it was the only other 18mm I have to compare it to.
@@ChrisFreitag i get it. Those who need 1.4 they go for it. On the other side 28mm f.f.e. is nothing but a street photography angle (and there is no need for 1.4). 🤷🏻♂️
Let me know if I answered your question or if you have more questions about the Voigtlander 18mm
I’ve had this lens for some time, having sold my Fuji 18mm f2 to help finance it. I loved the Fuji but I was starting to find it a little clunky with my XT5. Also I wanted to try manual lenses for the size and weight saving and since I don’t really need AF for my hobbyist work. I now have the VG 18mm, the VG 27mm and the VG 35mm, as well as retaining the Fuji 23mm f2 and Fuji 50mm f2, and can highly recommend them all. One caveat with the Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 which all Fuji users should be aware of is that it’s a ‘character’ lens. At f1.2 it is soft and has a glow to the highlights as well as flaring. Stopped down to f2.8 or F4 and it is much sharper and flare free. I love the VG lenses for their rendering and because they are really fun to use, they make me want to take my camera out and that can’t be a bad thing.
Yes to all of this!
Can you compare the quality of 18 and 27 VG?
Hello, sorry it’s took a while to answer. The 18mm f2.8 and the 27mm f2 are both excellent lenses with comparable image quality and sharpness across all apertures including wide open. I would call them everyday, all round lenses. They are sharp but not razor sharp, so if that’s what you want then please go for the new Fuji f1.4 lenses instead. However, I find them sharp enough with lovely fall off and a rendering which some would call ‘vintage’ or ‘filmic’. I would just like to point out that I’ve now acquired the VG 23mm f1.2 Nokton and it’s fantastic, I can’t take it off my XT5. Wide open I would say it is sharper and has less blooming in the highlights as the 35mm f1.2. Again, not razor sharp but good enough for me and the rendering really appeals. Just thought I’d throw that in and I hope this reply helps in some way.
Just got it and now it's glued to my XT5. The combination is amazing, lightweight but the results are beyond my expectations. Really happy with the purchase!
Well put. That’s how I feel as well
That was a real nice conversation, Chris, thank you. When I decided to "get serious" (as a hobbyist) about photography I bought a zoom lens and a manual-focus-only prime to see how I felt about each. I found that I loved primes, but also that I didn't enjoy the lag between me raising my x-t30 to my eyes and getting my family's smile, and then watching it fade away as they waited while I fussed with the exposure and focus. So after a few months I sold the zoom and started buying auto-focus-capable primes. A few years later, I am now more comfortable with the exposure triangle and I find that what I really crave is something small that has character - but I am so often taking pictures indoors that I need the wider apertures. This has brought me to the Voigtlander lenses, and I'm comparing the 18mm and the 27mm. So it was very helpful to hear your experience.
Thank you! If you read some of the other comments, people are really passionate about the Voigtlander 27mm too. It boils down to focal distance and which you prefer. I personally go back and forth a lot.
It's worth mentioning that turning on focus assists will punch in zoom whenever you start focusing the lens. Also, changing the electronic distance scale to film instead of pixel will align with the distance scale that is on the lens.
Thank you for this information! Always trying to learn.
A lot of great stuff in here, and then there is you talking, which is great. I get it that you really like using this lens, which answers the fundamental question. I think I even understood the 28mm, 3 levels of depth reference. So yeah. This is a good one. Thanks for trying to crank out more and more regularly, but I will take relevance over that any day. Carry on.
Thank you so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for putting in the legwork, great video. Keep up the good work
Thank you!
Thanks for the nice review. I think I will buy it for my Fuji x-t30II. Greetings from Hamburg/Germany .
I’m glad you liked it. I hope you enjoy the lens!
Great chat on this video, thanks! Yes, you've reassured me about this lens. I'll trade my XF23 ƒ2 . . .
Glad you liked it!
The only kind of review that I need, thanks for that :) I have owned many Voigtlander lenses. I currently owns the 23mm for fuji and love it. Probably gone get this one as well for my X-T2.
Thank you! I had the 23mm and regret selling it. I imagine it will come back to the lineup someday.
Hi Chris, I full agreed. This is a great lens for street and landscape. I give away my 18 f 1.4, it was sharps and fast, but it was not for me. I also owned the 27mm Voigtländer, but I prefer the Fuji 27 f 2.8 WR over this lens. 1. because I wear glasses and have problems to focus this lens when I take portrait and so on. I use the 18 mm in an other way, where I have not this problems. 2. the Fuji is weather sealed, an every day in use. One detail might be of interest: the older Fuji cameras like XPRO2 can´t communicate with the Voigtländer lenses. You get no exif data about the used aperture. Thank you for sharing your video, its fantastic tongue in cheek, great, I subscribed. Best regards, Bernd
Thank you, Bernd! That was a very kind comment. I feel like the Fujifilm 27mm F2.8 is a completely underrated lens in the Fujifilm community, people don’t realize how well the autofocus works, that it’s weather sealed, and that it produces great color. I recently got a comment on my First Impressions video that a person wasn’t seeing the frame lines in the OVF on their X-Pro2 and I went to the Voigtlander page and found out that the electronics don’t work for the older models. I should have stated that in my review.
I have had the Voigtlander 18mm and 27mm since they came out and from my experience, placing a filter on the lens and then placing the lens hood on top of the filter works perfect with no vignetting at all. I absolutely love these lenses and am at a point where I am going to sell all of my autofocus lenses with the exception of the marvelous Fuji 35mm f1.4. My only hope at this point is that Voigtlander gets around to making an X-mount version of both the 50mm f2 APO Lanthar and 35mm f2 APO Lanthar. My world would be complete (and there is hope as they are releasing these lenses for Nikon now to go with the Sony and Leica versions).
@@stevebailey2484 I love my 18mm now. One of my all time favorites, along with my 35 1.4 as you stated.
Love this video. Thanks for the information. Im a denver guy as well. This lens is on my radar now. I just got the pergear 25mm 1.7 for the xt50 and love the small compact feel but im also loving shooting manual as well. Love me some voightlander lens
Thank you, glad you liked it. It’s a great lens for getting lost in the crowds downtown.
Absolutely love this video my friend! Your insight and delivery are spot on and I NEED to try this little booger with my X-pro2.
Keep up the good work! Much love from Tennessee🙏🏼
Thank you, sir! You do need to, not want, NEED to try it.
I just changed my Fuji 18 F1.4 for the Voigt 18 f2.8 and I'm running the same combo with Fuji 27mm. It''s just like you said, my heart is in the pancakes.
Yep, I just sold the 18 1.4 today.
This is a very good user review, especially when you're getting talking feedback on “resolving” directly from the camera🤣
Thank you!
I got the Fujifilm 18mmf2, it renders absolutely the way I love. Combined with 35mm1.4 it's my perfect roadtrip setup. With the XE1 it's the closest I've come to analogue vibe images SOOC..... I own newer Fujifilm cameras and lenses but prefer the prints shot with XE1 and 18mmf2
I also have the 35 1.4 and I love it, so I’m sure I’d like the 18. I mainly chose the Voigtlander over the Fujifilm because of the pancake size.
You should be able to directly screw a filter to the lens. I have the 27mm and used to own the 18mm lens and never had vignette issues. Hope that helps
Yep, since making this video I have purchased an ND and the 43mm goes on the lens. So I don’t know what that hood thing is for.
I'd love to hear your decision to go from the X-pro3 to X-T5. Been shooting the X-Pro2 for years now waiting on the X-Pro4 to release, seriously considering moving to the X-T5 in the meantime.
Well, I had the X-T5 and got the X-Pro3. I loved the X-Pro3 and was using it for everyday and street photography so I traded my X-T5 in for an X-H2 so I could do video and have the 40mp sensor to do landscape photography. But as I started to grow this channel and have a need for a secondary camera, the X-Pro3 wasn’t cutting it. Plus I really did miss IBIS as I shoot a lot in darker scenes and I don’t like using a tripod. That’s mostly the reason, needed a 2nd camera and I wanted IBIS. It wasn’t the 40mp sensor, although it is nice to have. I am surprised that I’m not missing the X-Pro 3 after having it for a year. I really enjoyed that camera. I guess I’m at peace with what I’ve got (for now).
Hi Chris, love your work on Glass and YT. I don't have this lens but I do have the Voigt 23 f1.2 for Fuji and 7 Voigt Leica M mounts lenses for my Fuji cameras and M11. I think Voigtlander is wonderful. I have sold my Leica lenses and I am also considering selling my Fuji XF 18 F1.4 and XF 33 F1.4. Manual focus is very appealing. See you on Glass
Thank you, David! I ended up trading my 18mm 1.4 after releasing this video, it just wasn’t the lens for me. Wish I hadn’t traded my Voigtlander 23mm, I miss it.
@@ChrisFreitagI’m tempted to go fully manual with the exception of lenses at the extreme - xf 8mm (amazing lens), xf 70-300 etc. I just enjoy manual more than auto focus.
I just bought this lens and a few thoughts after some short use. First, optically it’s far superior to the Fuji 18mm. I like the Fuji render a lot especially in video but this is better. Second, I feel this lens is truer to a real 28mm, I always felt with the Fuji was a little wider than 28 and as a result the subjects would seem slightly further away, definitely not the case with this lens. Lastly Fred Miranda has a detailed review of this lens and they really argue granular details and pixel prep, don’t overthink it, but this lens, it’s a beast.
The utility I’ve found in this lens is unrivaled. It really is a beast.
I love 18mm on Fujifilm. It my favourite focal length. I have both the Voigtlander 18mm f2.8 and the Fujifilm 18mm f1.4. I think they are both amazing but very different. I love the Voigtlander for size, so I like it for street and it the lens I take if I head out to a restaurant (compact and nice for photos of family and food). I like the Fujifilm for low light, landscape, travel and where I want absolute sharpness and speed of operation.
I think the Voigtlander has a three dimensionality about the images - but I’ve never tested against my Fujifilm to see if it’s a real effect.
I get that and I wanted to use the 18mm 1.4 that way, but I much prefer the 35mm focal length for landscapes. So I was reaching for my 23mm 1.4 more than the 18. The little pancake has found its way into my heart though, I love it for street and documentary photography.
I enjoy the lens, but the focus tab still gets lost sometimes. I'm thinking about adding something, like a thin piece of rubber with adhesive, maybe?
A rubber pull would be a lot easier to identify quickly, that’s for sure.
Would be intertested to see some tripod pictures with and without the lens hood, to see this vignetting you talk about... thanks
In my First Impressions video, I talk about one of my challenges with the 28mm focal distance being the depth. I share a photo at the 5:38 mark and in that photo, you can see the vignetting. I have the hood on. ruclips.net/video/4UrNSgBRMak/видео.htmlsi=dVfIWhv06K0AU9EN
You should try the CV 27mm f/2. It's so good and a full stop faster than the TT and XF Fuji 28mm lens (and better than both of them). The CV 18 and 27 lenses are such a great pair (I also have the Ricoh GRIII and GRIIIx with the identical focal lengths).
That’s the second recommendation for this lens. I’m sure that it’s amazing but I already have a pancake lens at that focal length and I love that little Fujifilm 27mm. It’s a workhorse lense and it’s weather sealed.
With the XT5 & XT50 you can use the “Digital Teleconverter” @ 1.4x and 2x to get 28, 40, & 56 FF equivalents crops in camera. So, like a Leica; you like-a?
I used the digital teleconverter a little bit after getting the X-T5 but don’t do that much anymore because I can just crop in myself.
I think I mentioned to you before, but if you like this lens you really should check out Voigtlanders 27mm f2. It's got identical housing to the 18, but is f2 (unlike both the Voigt 18, but also the Fuji 27). Mine is almost permanently attached to my X-E4, and it's incredible to have a lens of that caliber in such a compact package (though I'm sure it's easier to manually focus with the EVF of the X-T5).
Question: the Voigtlander 27mm is slightly hazy wide open. I don't mean this as a criticism, with f2 at such a compact size something has to give, and it's not a bad look. It's not quite full blown ”character lens” softness either. However, out of curiosity, is the Voigt 18mm f2.8 slightly hazy wide open as well?
Interestingly: I *do* have the Fujifilm XF18mm f2. So it's like we own the ”mirror image” in terms of compact Fuji lenses. I like it quite a bit, but it's actually a bit larger than the Voigt 18/27 and Fuji 27, esp. with their lens hoods on. So I'm actually a bit tempted to get the Voigtlander 18mm f2.8 for it's compactness (though, the lower f-stop is giving me pause as I'm a bit worried about dimly lit situations which are common here in Scandinavia).
Also: if the Voigt 18 is anything like the Voigt 27… it has… magical colors! The color rendering is one of my favorite things about this lens!
As for schedule: unless your goal is to have youtubing as a job (which tbh seems like a pretty harsh job), I wouldn't worry about schedule at all! I *never* subscribe to channels merely because they post often (in fact: it's sometimes a reason I unsubscribe even!). Just make the videos you feel like making, at a pace that feels good to you! And speaking of: thanks for making the Voigt related videos in particular, I've really loved them, both because they're informational, but it's also just lovely to see fellow photo geeks speak passionately about their tools.
Hope you're having a good weekend!
Thank you for that thoughtful comment, it’s always nice to read people’s take on these things and the added bit at the end about my schedule and making these videos made my day 😊
I haven’t specifically seen any softness at 2.8, but I don’t often use it at 2.8. I just looked at my Lightroom library and filtered by F2.8 and I don’t see any haziness at the edges, maybe some darkening. As for the light, I’m not sure you need to worry about that, as I’ve taken both my Voigtlander and my Fujifilm 2.8 pancakes out at night and do not feel I have trouble getting my shots. But I don’t shoot any moving subjects at night, they’re definitely still frames where I can stand and compose and take my time. I completely believe you about the 27mm Voigtlander, and I’m sure if I were looking for that focal length today I’d probably choose that over the Fujifilm. But I do have the Fujifilm pancake already and I believe it is a criminally underrated lens. I think because it’s so inexpensive, and the build is a bit plasticky, people assume it can’t be good. But I honestly find it to be a wonderful lens.
I'll second the recommendation of the 27mm. Having the 18mm and 27mm combo is an amazing small setup that you can literally have one lens on the camera with the other in your pocket.
@@ChrisFreitag Thanks for replying!
I don’t agree that the Fuji 27 is underrated these days. It’s been getting a lot of love the last few years (esp. after they added aperture ring and WR), it’s often selling at retail used and good luck even getting it at all at retail.
I mean, I was very unsure to get the Fuji or the Voigt and I’m still not sure if I made the right decision or not!
@@TylerAldrich I'm trying to decide between the 27mm and 18mm Voigtlander. I do mainly street, travel, general family photos. I'm looking for a lens for when I need minimal carry, and it would be the only lens I take. I tend to prefer wider angles, so my inclination is the 18. I have an X-T30, so no IBIS. The F2.8 of the 18 is giving me some pause because I do like to take night time street photos. Since you own both, any thoughts? Oh, I can get the 18 mm now, but would have to wait until March for the 27mm.
@en2ec You might want to double check that the Voigtlander connector pins work with the X-T30. I’m not sure they do. They’ll still work, you just won’t get any EXIF data from the lens, like mounting any vintage manual lens.
I was debating selling most of my Fuji lenses and buying the Voigtländer versions for my x pro3. Would have been a very fun change of things, but I have not done that yet. "Unfortunately" I am set with my Fuji glass and got everything I need and buying the same focal range again just for premium manual focus is not worth it right now. I enjoy my 35mm Nokton, but I would love to try their 35mm f/0.9 or the 50mm Nokton or well, their 18 or 27mm 😂 I sold my x pro3 recently and I am using my xh2 now, but the 35mm Nokton felt so nicely on the x pro3! I hope they release the x pro4 in 2025.
It’s good to keep a mix of auto and manual focus lenses, no need to go all in one way or the other. I’m curious what Fujifilm will do with the X-Pro4, if they make one.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience - after watching your "first impression" I have been waiting for this video. Like it.
I love this lens, too, but I mostly keep it on my X-Pro3 (combo with the VC 35mm f1.2) - the package feels more compact than on my XT-5, and I like the viewfinder position. Re: Vignetting - I feel it is well controlled. So much so that I use the "hood" and I even have a slim UV filter mounted between body and hood so that I can keep the screw cap off while walking around and still protect the glass. Convenient.
Thank you for letting me know you’ve been waiting, that’s awesome. It felt right at home on the X-Pro3, but I don’t mind it on my X-T5. Yeah, I only used that hood for about 4 shots and I was kind of shooting into the sun so it might not have been a great test.
Is this lens sharper than Fuji 18mm f2?
Unfortunately I can’t answer that as I’ve not used that lens. All I can say is that I have no issues with sharpness and detail on the Voigtlander.
It’s just unfair to compare Fujinon 18mm 1.4 with Voigtländer. I would understand if you took Fujinon f2, but i’m not sure that f1.4 is made for street photography (or at least not for ‘a small kit’).
Yes, I agree that they are completely different lenses. I think I was more stating that one of them is state of the art and the other is manual and is slower but I have more fun with that one. Plus, it was the only other 18mm I have to compare it to.
@@ChrisFreitag i get it. Those who need 1.4 they go for it. On the other side 28mm f.f.e. is nothing but a street photography angle (and there is no need for 1.4). 🤷🏻♂️
Uhhh… I don’t know what it means 😂
What do I have to gain by lying? 🙂
95% of this video is just a close up of your head. When you do a lens review, we want to see the lens, use of the lens, and images from the lens.
We all feel that way