p.1 #1 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
Current Fuji kit:
Fuji 16-55mm f/2.8
Viltrox 27mm f/1.2
Fuji 56mm f/1.2 R (first version)
Fuji 150-600mm f/5.6-8.0
Context:
I'm replacing my Fuji 16-55mm f/2.8 lens. I used it for many years, but I've noticed that the left 25% of the frame gets very soft at wider focal lengths. Its pretty severe in certain situations and definitely not expected performance. I moved to 40mp to improve the quality of my larger prints so this has become and issue, so I'm moving to a new lens setup. I primarily shoot landscapes/architecture and I'm used to using prime lenses (I shoot 6x6, 6x7 and 4x5 medium and large formats). I value sharpness and detail retention and size isn't usually a huge concern for me (used to shooting with bigger, heavier equipment).
Why I chose the Viltrox 27mm 1.2 over Fuji 23mm 1.4 or 33mm 1.4:
-Significantly cheaper (main reason for shooting APS-C over FF
-Just as sharp according to online resources
-33mm/35mm FOV I find too tight for my preference and the vertical FOV is similar to my 100mm lens for my 6x6 system (I like to crop to 4:5 for most images)
-23mm is going to make spacing with whatever I purchase for my wide angle awkward
-27mm fits well with my Fuji 56mm 1.2 R with the 2x "rule" for spacing primes. Would fit well if I end up getting the Viltrox 13mm
Build quality:
Overall is very, very good feeling in the hand. It feels nicer than my Fuji 56mm 1.2 R, and maybe about on par with the 16-55mm. The aperture ring my favorite of all the lenses I've used on my Fuji camera. The detentes are well defined, but soft giving it a higher quality sound than the sharper sounding clicks of my other lenses. I do wish the lens hood clicked in with more authority and the lens cap is a bit cheap feeling compared to the Fuji caps (might get a nicer cap).
Handling:
Smaller and lighter than the 16-55 but heavier and bigger than the 56. Fits well on my X-T5 with a grip extender and probably would feel fine without the extra grip. The auto-focus is snappy and much better than the 56mm. Probably not as quick as the 16-55, but I was able to track my cats just fine with it.
Image quality:
I have not experienced many lenses on the Fuji system nor their newest Mrk II lenses, but this is best I've experienced so far. I tested the lens by shootint a wooden fence straight on at a variety of apertures. At f/1.2 it is sharper than my 16-55mm lens at its sharpest focal length and aperture. It also beats out my 56mm R in terms of sharpness. The lens is sharp corner to corner and appears to be centered well enough. Sharpness in the edges improves noticeably improves by f/4, but was already great before then. There is a lot of vignetting before f/2, which is something that I don't mind much given the type of subjects I would be shooting with a wide aperture.
The bokeh overall is pleasing and is much smoother than my 56mm. But there is some mechanical vignetting that causes some drawbacks. First is what people might describe as "cats eye" bokeh. The effect is fine for specular highlights, but has some implications for fine objects near the edge. Lets say there was some out of focus text or tree branches near the edge of the frame and the image was shot at an aperture of 1.2. The text/branches kinda "split" a bit, almost like a double vision effect. This only appear in the edges of the frame at wide apertures and is caused by mechanical vignetting since the image cannot de-focus evenly and may only be noticeable with long thin objects in the frame.
There is almost no purple or green fringing to speak of with the Viltrox. When testing the 56mm R outside, the tree branches against the sky was a mess and very ugly by comparison. Lots of purple fringing and the bokeh looked kinda messy in that circumstance.
Closing thoughts:
I am honestly shocked at how good this lens is, especially for the price. While the focal length isn't an apples-to-apples comparison, it makes my 56mm feel cheap. And when I bought the 56mm, it was several hundred dollars more expensive! I haven't "field tested" the lens yet, but I hope to soon.
MISC:
I still need a wide angle lens to compete my kit and replace the 16-55mm. I'm not interested in the old 16mm 1.4. The new 18mm 1.4 looks good, but might not be wide enough. Viltrox 13mm 1.4 might be a bit wider than I am used to with a 2:3 aspect ratio and the lens isn't weather sealed. Fuji 8-16 is probably a bit too big and expensive and filters are a problem. Fuji 10-24mm WR is kinda soft in the corners. Sigma 10-18mm might be a decent performing for the cost and size/weight, but also isn't fully weather sealed and doesn't have a aperture ring
p.1 #3 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
It would be nice if Fuji made a 12mm f2. To me, the 18f1.4 is an excellent lens with sharpness, great color, smooth transitions, and nice close focus. But its not really wide. The 10-24 is my go to wide but I tend to use it at distance for wide landscape and don't have an issue with lack of sharpness. I have the 13mm Viltrox and had immediate issues with flare in bright, high contrast situations. Plus its kind of sterile color wise to my eye and a little harsh. I know I should work with it some more but don't find myself reaching for it. I haven't tried the newer Fuji 8mm but have heard good things. But it may be too wide for many things.
p.1 #5 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
SGinNorcal wrote:
It would be nice if Fuji made a 12mm f2. To me, the 18f1.4 is an excellent lens with sharpness, great color, smooth transitions, and nice close focus. But its not really wide. The 10-24 is my go to wide but I tend to use it at distance for wide landscape and don't have an issue with lack of sharpness. I have the 13mm Viltrox and had immediate issues with flare in bright, high contrast situations. Plus its kind of sterile color wise to my eye and a little harsh. I know I should work with it some more but don't find myself reaching for it. I haven't tried the newer Fuji 8mm but have heard good things. But it may be too wide for many things....Show more →
Samyang makes a 12mm f2, but I wouldn't expect the quality to be stellar unless you stop down quite a bit.
For some reason I can't pull the trigger on the Viltrox 27mm, despite that I do like the focal length. I think I'm worried about size, weight and resale value. Lately the market for used lenses, especially a smaller brand like Fuji, seems a bit depressed, and I'm finding that even lightly used lenses need to be heavily discounted to move.
If Fuji made a reasonably sized 27mm f1.4 or f2, then it would probably be quite popular.
p.1 #6 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
I tried the Samyang 12mm f2 several years ago. On the Fuji x-h1 at 24mp I found it to be reasonably sharp, especially considering the price, but difficult to use. The focus ring was very stiff and I don't really connect well with manual focus on digital cameras. Just wasn't an experience I personally connected with. Also just didn't really have much need for something that wide at that time. It was small, light, and had a small amount of distortion. The colors felt a bit off and unpleasant though, but I didn't use it much so it could have just been the lighting I was in.
p.1 #7 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
cirwin2010 wrote:
I tried the Samyang 12mm f2 several years ago. On the Fuji x-h1 at 24mp I found it to be reasonably sharp, especially considering the price, but difficult to use. The focus ring was very stiff and I don't really connect well with manual focus on digital cameras. Just wasn't an experience I personally connected with. Also just didn't really have much need for something that wide at that time. It was small, light, and had a small amount of distortion. The colors felt a bit off and unpleasant though, but I didn't use it much so it could have just been the lighting I was in.
p.1 #8 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
Interesting comments, thanks for sharing. My own issues with getting one is 1) my 16-55 is pretty darn good edge to edge at every focal length and 2) only weighs a bit more than the Viltrox 27, and 3) I have the fuji 27 which I enjoy for its size.
I am looking at the Viltrox 56/1.7 — hard to ignore at its price point, comfy size and very useful focal for my style shooting, though 50 would be even better for me so I’m waffling between it and the Fuji 50/2. If the Viltrox 13 were a smaller f2 version, I’d already own it.
p.1 #10 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
Warning: More ramblings.
Not sure what the best way to share the results without becoming a member, but I re-shot a scene with the Viltrox that I had done previously with the 16-55mm and the Viltrox continues to impress. As expected the entire image is sharper than the 16-55mm. Fine details are rendered in the image that were not visible with the zoom. One such example was a chain link fence far off into the distance. With the Viltrox it is possible to see the wires of the fence where it is completely invisible on the 16-55mm. The 16-55mm (ignoring the problematic edge) looks soft by comparison on the x-t5.
Of course this is zooming 100% into the image. On my monitor I can't really see a notable difference at a 50% zoom. But that changes noticeably at 67%. So unless you are printing big it doesn't really matter at the end of the day. And obviously this is a zoom vs a prime, and you would hope the prime lens has some sort of optical advantage over the zoom. So again, this is obviously not a fair comparison.
Does this lens make me a better photographer? Maybe? But that has to do with working with a prime lens vs a zoom rather than having sharper glass. Limits my options and makes work the scene rather than getting hung up on the perfect amount of zoom. Sometime less options can be better. Oh and better low light autofocus! Sometimes the 16-55 would miss during dawn and dusk lighting, but the Viltrox had a perfect hit rate (at least this one time).
I'm definitely more interested in the Viltrox 75mm now as an intermediate step before I reach for my 150-600mm zoom. I just wish Viltrox had a "Pro" 13mm or 16mm lens (or Fuji had a 16mm MKII) for something wider.
p.1 #11 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
Lens sharpness (however you define or measure it) is just one element of an image. Does a sharp lens make your a better photographer? No. Does a sharp lens capture more satisfying images that require less post-processing? Sometimes. Are sharp lenses fun to use? Absolutely.
There are very few lenses that have made me say "Wow" when I looked at the first images. The Viltrox 27 is on that list. The fixed focal length, size and weight may not be ideal for many users. But if it fits into your workflow, it is really worth having.
p.1 #13 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
gear-nut wrote:
Some images from the lens would be appreciated!
Nothing special, but here are some samples. Probably not the best example as they had to be resized due to the forum upload.
May 04, 2024 at 11:19 AM
MichaelFrederickPhoto Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #14 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
rsrsrs wrote:
bad news, i like the 27 so much that i bought the 75 as well.
anyway the sigma 16mm 1,4 is great.
cheerz Reinhard
I have the 13,27,33, & 75 primes. The 27 & 75 (and the 13) are amazing. I use the 75mm for my portrait business, I got the 27mm for full body shots so I am looking fwd to using it in 2024. I am doing a shoot on Monday and plan on putting to the test!
p.1 #15 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
After upgrading my trusty X-T2 with an X-H2, I found that my previously most used lens, the 16-55mm wasn't performing. Sold it and replaced it with the Sigma 18-50mm and am very happy. The cost and weight savings also resulted in sharper images.
I recently bought to Sigma 10-18mm and am happy with its sharpness as well. It's not great for photographing groups of people at 10mm due to the expected distortion—stretched out people aren't the best looking
But for the landscape and cityscape, it's a nice lens.
p.1 #16 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
I just picked this lens along with its sister 13/1.4 up as a pair. While I am NOT replacing my excellent 16-55, I do appreciate certain different primes for various reasons.
While both these lenses are largish-heavyish as Fuji X options, they are impressive optically wide-freaking-open! Build quality is excellent as well. With the latest FW, focus is fast and sure and smooth. Did I mention impressive wide open, corner to corner performance on my 40mp XH2?
p.1 #19 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
cirwin2010 wrote:
Why I chose the Viltrox 27mm 1.2 over Fuji 23mm 1.4 or 33mm 1.4:
-Significantly cheaper (main reason for shooting APS-C over FF
-Just as sharp according to online resources
-33mm/35mm FOV I find too tight for my preference and the vertical FOV is similar to my 100mm lens for my 6x6 system (I like to crop to 4:5 for most images)
-23mm is going to make spacing with whatever I purchase for my wide angle awkward
-27mm fits well with my Fuji 56mm 1.2 R with the 2x "rule" for spacing primes. Would fit well if I end up getting the Viltrox 13mm
MISC:
I still need a wide angle lens to compete my kit and replace the 16-55mm. I'm not interested in the old 16mm 1.4. The new 18mm 1.4 looks good, but might not be wide enough. Viltrox 13mm 1.4 might be a bit wider than I am used to with a 2:3 aspect ratio and the lens isn't weather sealed
I bought the Viltrox AF 13/1.4 as a wide angle (I already had the Fuji XF 18/1.4, purchased it with the X-T5).
It is wide, 20mm equiv. It's great, sharp, contrasty, good AF.
Like you I don't particularly like or gel with the 50mm equiv. lenses, so the Viltrox AF 27/1.2 Pro is a classic 2x focal length step from the 13mm and is likely to be my next purchase for the X-T5.
p.1 #20 · My initial impressions of the Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 on an X-T5 (and other ramblings)
Okay, took a walk around my office today with the 27/1.2 Viltrox. Here are some quick observations and some image comments for reference.
The lens is big, and heavyish. See the comparison frame with my old style 35/1.4 for reference. Too big for me to want to travel with it, but fine for dedicated purposes, like nighttime street.
IMHO the only reason to own it is if you plan on shooting it wide open or maybe f1.4. You can of course stop it down and mostly what you notice is vignetting going away -- the lens is stupid sharp even wide open, as good as the 40mp sensor of my XH2 anyway...
All of the images below were shot wide open and processed from raws as shot, so essentially sooc. All except the purple flower are full width, just a slight crop off the left for better balance. Pano height crop focus is on house at the end of the street. Even at f1.2 DoF is pretty deep for a small jpeg post image. This is due to the fact that APS-c 27/1.2 is equivalent to Fx 40/1.8 -- IOW this is about the DoF you'd get from the Nikon Z with it's 40mm pancake wide open; and the Nikon combo will be significantly smaller and lighter than this... Although in its favor, this lens is a lot sharper and you will gain a stop of exposure with this Fuji combo.
Oh, this lens focuses quite close -- the purple flower is just a bit larger than a US quarter.
Enough said, here are some snaps:
PS, for whatever reason, this Viltrox lens leaves a space after its model ID in the EXIF string, and why that gap is in my exif tag.
