Am I missing any other 18mm prime lens options for Fujifilm's X-Mount system? There's the new Fujifilm 18mm 1.4, the older 18mm F2, and that super-thin pancake from 7Artisans. There are a lot more options for a 16mm prime lens.
The 18mm f/2 really isnt that bad. Image quality and everything else is fairly close to the 35mm f/1.4 which everyone loves. The 18mm and 35mm compliment each other very well. Optically not perfect, but fun and good lenses IMO. Voigtländer has really been dropping awesome lenses for the X Mount recently! One is tempted to go all manual focus with these Voigtländers :)
There is a photographer I follow, I only know him as PhotosByPreet” and he shoots with an X-Pro3 and the XF18mmF2. His photos are fantastic. I’m sure I could have worked with it but I am trying to use more manual lenses to practice with.
I bought mine a month ago at the local photo store (Germany). It offers some challenges - e.g. correct focussing, and - yes - critical focussing can become important depending on the need to "pixel peep" for cropping and / or large format printing. But it's a joy to use, and it goes nicely with the Voigtländer Nokton F1.2 - compact, small combo for most street purposes (X-Pro 3), fun to use as soon as you've learned how the lenses work in real life. I also use the Fujifilm XF 16mm F.2.8 on occasion for reasons - have owned it for quite a while. Both lenses have their specific use cases.
It's been available in the US since March 1, 2024 at Camera Quest, the official Voigtlander US distributor. Just checked and they are still showing In Stock. Love mine.
@@ChrisFreitag B&H gets them from Camera Quest... Edit: there's always a delay there. I assume it's to give CQ an "exclusive" period to sell at full retail ($595 in this case) before wholesaling them to B&H. That part is just a somewhat educated guess though.
I use this one on my XH2S but I also owned the Xpro3 and can imagine it working there perfectly. Have to shoot some more - first 350 shots look good. Not razor sharp but close up pretty good. Not sure if I would use it for landscape, need to do some more testing but even at f8 it has weak corners. But for everyday shooting it is a lot of fun and makes my XH2S small again 😊
@@ChrisFreitag Shot a lot at f8 today and for some reason the lower left corner seems to be the weakest. But overall a nice performance definitely! Will keep it on and shoot some more travel. 🧳 Shots will follow on instagram soon 🙃
How are you getting along with the lens. Love how compact it is, but is it too compact? With the focusing tab so close to the body, do you find it easy or difficult to focus quickly? I wonder if Voigtlander will eventually release a Nokton 18mm. That would be great.
Funny you should ask, that little focus tab is surprisingly difficult to locate without first knowing where it is. I feel like I’m already adjusting how I reach for the camera to help with that but it was definitely an issue. Otherwise, I’ve been happy with the photos.
Stunning lens. I’m looking for a 18mm but not sure how I’d get on with the manual focus. Also I might sound silly but is there an indicator to let you know when it’s in focus?
Well not from the lens itself but the Fujifilm bodies have Manual Focus Assist modes that give you some help. I use focus peaking (red) but others prefer to trust their eyes. There is an indicator on screen of what focal length you’ve got dialed in.
@@ChrisFreitag yeah, different purposes. In fact I would prefer the voigtlander 27 mm and 18 mm pancakes over the fuji alternatives, because you don't need an autofocusing motor on pancake lens most of time. Thank you for the video!
Am I missing any other 18mm prime lens options for Fujifilm's X-Mount system? There's the new Fujifilm 18mm 1.4, the older 18mm F2, and that super-thin pancake from 7Artisans. There are a lot more options for a 16mm prime lens.
Yeah there aren’t many options!
The 18mm f/2 really isnt that bad. Image quality and everything else is fairly close to the 35mm f/1.4 which everyone loves. The 18mm and 35mm compliment each other very well. Optically not perfect, but fun and good lenses IMO. Voigtländer has really been dropping awesome lenses for the X Mount recently! One is tempted to go all manual focus with these Voigtländers :)
There is a photographer I follow, I only know him as PhotosByPreet” and he shoots with an X-Pro3 and the XF18mmF2. His photos are fantastic.
I’m sure I could have worked with it but I am trying to use more manual lenses to practice with.
@@ChrisFreitag Preet is the man and his style is very unique in the most positive way. Love him!
I bought mine a month ago at the local photo store (Germany). It offers some challenges - e.g. correct focussing, and - yes - critical focussing can become important depending on the need to "pixel peep" for cropping and / or large format printing. But it's a joy to use, and it goes nicely with the Voigtländer Nokton F1.2 - compact, small combo for most street purposes (X-Pro 3), fun to use as soon as you've learned how the lenses work in real life.
I also use the Fujifilm XF 16mm F.2.8 on occasion for reasons - have owned it for quite a while. Both lenses have their specific use cases.
That’s essentially what I’m after.
It's been available in the US since March 1, 2024 at Camera Quest, the official Voigtlander US distributor. Just checked and they are still showing In Stock. Love mine.
I’ve not heard of them before, thanks for the tip. B&H listed it as “coming soon” as of the making of this video.
@@ChrisFreitag B&H gets them from Camera Quest...
Edit: there's always a delay there. I assume it's to give CQ an "exclusive" period to sell at full retail ($595 in this case) before wholesaling them to B&H. That part is just a somewhat educated guess though.
I use this one on my XH2S but I also owned the Xpro3 and can imagine it working there perfectly. Have to shoot some more - first 350 shots look good. Not razor sharp but close up pretty good. Not sure if I would use it for landscape, need to do some more testing but even at f8 it has weak corners. But for everyday shooting it is a lot of fun and makes my XH2S small again 😊
I'm having a similar experience with it, shooting mostly at 5.6 and zone focusing. Sharp enough, has that softer look I prefer.
@@ChrisFreitag Shot a lot at f8 today and for some reason the lower left corner seems to be the weakest. But overall a nice performance definitely! Will keep it on and shoot some more travel. 🧳 Shots will follow on instagram soon 🙃
How are you getting along with the lens. Love how compact it is, but is it too compact? With the focusing tab so close to the body, do you find it easy or difficult to focus quickly?
I wonder if Voigtlander will eventually release a Nokton 18mm. That would be great.
Funny you should ask, that little focus tab is surprisingly difficult to locate without first knowing where it is. I feel like I’m already adjusting how I reach for the camera to help with that but it was definitely an issue. Otherwise, I’ve been happy with the photos.
@@ChrisFreitagI can confirm- I like tabs but this is small. If you shoot in vertical mode it is harder to find
What are the chances you rent/borrow the old 18mm f2 from Fujifilm and compare it to this new one?
That is a great idea! I will try to do that for my first impressions video. Thank you 🙏
Stunning lens. I’m looking for a 18mm but not sure how I’d get on with the manual focus. Also I might sound silly but is there an indicator to let you know when it’s in focus?
Well not from the lens itself but the Fujifilm bodies have Manual Focus Assist modes that give you some help. I use focus peaking (red) but others prefer to trust their eyes. There is an indicator on screen of what focal length you’ve got dialed in.
@@ChrisFreitag thank you Chris!!!❤️👍🏾
the 18mm isnt bad by no means. check my work done mostly with it.
Thanks
I want…
The lens is good.
For the price, it might be easier to get a whole ricoh gr iii 🤣
A fine device but not the manual experience I’m after here.
@@ChrisFreitag yeah, different purposes. In fact I would prefer the voigtlander 27 mm and 18 mm pancakes over the fuji alternatives, because you don't need an autofocusing motor on pancake lens most of time. Thank you for the video!
it's an "unBOXing" - show the f**king box!
🤷♂️ it was quick
@@ChrisFreitag Far too quick.... the box is what matters, not the lens.
I need help. I am trying to find something more ridiculous than an unboxing video.
Good for you!
Good luck 😉