I Need A New Lens

This Fujifilm 27mm F 2.8 lens serves a very important function. In my minimalist 2-camera photo kit it is the backup lens that I can use if my X100T conks out and I need a more normal lens to replace the 60mm short telephoto that normally rides on my X-E1 body. It's protected to a small plastic box and sits quietly at the bottom of my camera bag, ready to save the day when catastrophe comes to join the party.

I bought the lens long before my fanboy membership came up for renewal. The reports on the lens were mixed to the good. While it is a very sharp lens, it has a relatively slow maximum aperture of F 2.8. It uses an odd, 39mm filter. Its near-focus ability isn't that great. There is no dedicated lens hood. But there is one thing this Fuji pancake lens lacks. It should be quite obvious when viewed from above.

It has no aperture ring.

Since I started my manual only vision quest in 2020, those little numbers have become very important to me. I've gotten used to seeing them whenever I glance down on the camera. But after using the lens on several morning outings, I miss those familiar numbers, and feel hampered when I can't make those exposure-altering adjustments from above. I am confident that the legion of Leica photographers, notorious for eschewing "fly by wire" cameras, would agree with me.

Last week, in a moment of indecision, I decided to mount the 27mm on an X-E1 body because I couldn't decide which manually focused lens I should carry with me. I didn't bother to switch to manual focus because in a lens this compact, the focusing ring was inconveniently narrow. After one morning of shooting,  I was very pleased with the results, and easily surrendered to its sharpness and ease of operation. Maybe this will become a Goldilocks lens, not too long, and not to short, but just fast enough.  But still, it had no aperture ring, Adjustments are made with the thumb wheel on the back of the camera.

Buy yours here.

In early 2021, Fuji re-issued the little pancake with some notable upgrades. First it is a WR (weather resistant) lens. Second, it now has a dedicated lens hood. But it was the third upgrade that really caught my attention: It now has an aperture ring. And after two years of looking down at those little numbers, it would be a comfort to know I could enjoy that same level of control in a compact auto-focus lens.

Since there in short supply, I think I'll visit Fireside Camera and place a special order for one. Support your local camera store, I say, and allow myself a few weeks to cool off in case I change my mind, which I never do.