Comparing Fujifilm’s 18mm, 23mm & 27mm Pancake Lenses
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Table of Contents
If you’ve read my article on why I recently purchased a Fujifilm XT-30 III, you’ll know that I’ve been on a mission to find a small, compact, and lightweight camera to use for everyday shooting and travel. As part of this mission to lighten up and simplify my kit, I also decided to test out Fuji’s three compact pancake prime lenses: the XF18mmF2 R, XF23mmF2.8 R WR, and XF27mmF2.8 R WR.
Comparing the lenses side-by-side
So much of photography is subjective. It depends on personal preference, but also the types of scenes and subjects that you primarily want to shoot.
I took all three lenses down into Innsbruck to capture some of the iconic Innsbruck scenery. To make the comparison as fair as possible, I stood in the same spot for each photo and kept my settings the same.
18mm
23mm
27mm
18mm
23mm
27mm
18mm
23mm
27mm
| Specification | XF18mmF2 R | XF23mmF2.8 R WR | XF27mmF2.8 R WR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focal Length (35mm equivalent) | 18mm (27mm) | 23mm (35mm) | 27mm (41mm) |
| Angle of View | 76.5° | 63.4° | 55.5° |
| Max. Aperture | F2.0 | F2.8 | F2.8 |
| Min. Aperture | F16 | F16 | F16 |
| Lens Construction | 8 elements in 7 groups (2 aspherical) | 8 elements in 6 groups (2 aspherical) | 7 elements in 5 groups (1 aspherical) |
| Aperture Blades | 7 (rounded) | 11 (rounded) | 7 (rounded) |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 18cm (macro mode) | 20cm | 34cm |
| Max. Magnification | 0.14x | 0.15x | 0.1x |
| Dimensions (Ø × Length) | Ø64.5mm × 33.7mm | Ø61.8mm × 23mm | Ø62mm × 23mm |
| Weight | 116g | 90g | 84g |
| Filter Size | Ø52mm | Ø39mm | Ø39mm |
| Weather Resistant | No | Yes | Yes |
XF18mmF2 R
The XF18mmF2 R is the only lens of the three without weather resistance. While it is the widest and fastest of the three (F2.0), it is also the largest and the heaviest.
Since I was shooting this lens primarily outside, I didn’t really notice the difference between its widest aperture (F2) and the other two lenses (F2.8).
The lens was good at capturing scenes with lots going on, and also for capturing inside tighter spaces. However, for my taste, the 18mm focal length was slightly too wide.
Out of all 3 of the lenses, this one was also the softest when it came to focusing, especially around the edges of the images.
Image examples:
XF23mmF2.8 R WR
The XF23mmF2.8 R WR was a lovely little lens for shooting both scenes in the city, as well as out in nature when things opened up a bit more. The wide-angle of view (35mm equivalent) was perfect for a number of situations, and didn’t feel too wide (unlike the 18mm, which did).
Out of all of the three lenses, I felt like this lens had the smoothest bokeh, probably due to its 11-blade aperture, which produces rounder, smoother bokeh compared to the 7-blade apertures on the other two.
XF27mmF2.8 R WR
I really enjoyed the XF27mmF2.8 R WR. I love lens compression, which is possibly why I liked this lens the most out of all 3 that I tested. The lens works brilliantly as a portrait lens, but also for capturing landscapes. It still feels wide, but it brings the background in ever so slightly closer.
I took this lens out on my X-T30 III on a hike, and the whole setup was small enough to fit in the pocket of my leggings. I used it to capture some landscapes, a couple of portraits, and flower photos.
Final Thoughts – Which One Will I Buy (if any)?
I really enjoyed testing these lenses. While they are in many ways very similar, their differences were subtle but noticeable.
I expected to like the XF27mmF2.8 R WR the most, but I actually found myself taking the XF23mmF2.8 R WR out slightly more often, mainly because I found that it was the best compromise of the three. It was wide enough for landscapes and street/city photography in tight spaces, yet not too wide that it caused any distortion when photographing people.
