What's the difference between the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X and the 7Artisans 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II?

The Ultron 27mm F2 X leads on a lighter 120g body, closer 0.25 m focusing. The 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II leads on a brighter f/1.2 maximum aperture.

Which is smaller, the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X or the 7Artisans 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II?

The Ultron 27mm F2 X is the smaller, lighter lens at 120g and 23.5 mm long, versus 218g for the 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II.

Which is faster, the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X or the 7Artisans 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II?

The 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II is the faster lens at f/1.2, against f/2 for the Ultron 27mm F2 X — brighter in low light and able to throw the background further out of focus.

Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X vs 7Artisans 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II: full comparison

The 7Artisans is the cheap way to get f/1.2, and the Ultron costs more because it talks to your camera.

Read the full Ultron 27mm F2 X review →Read the full 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II review →

The short version

Price is the big difference here. The 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II costs under $100. The Ultron 27mm f/2 costs around $600. Both are manual focus only.

The views differ too. On a Fujifilm X camera, the Ultron shows about what a 40mm lens shows on a 35mm film camera. The 7Artisans shows about 52.5mm, close to the classic view of a 50mm lens.

The extra money buys electronic contacts, which let the camera talk to the lens. With the Ultron, the aperture is saved in EXIF, the shooting data inside each photo. IBIS also works. IBIS is the stabilisation built into some camera bodies. The 7Artisans has no contacts, so you get none of that. My own frames from the X-E4 show a made-up f/1.0 in EXIF.

The 7Artisans opens to f/1.2. At f/1.2 it glows, the corners smear and the background swirls. It gets sharp at about f/4. The Ultron is sharp in the centre from f/2. It's also lighter, at 120g against 218g. The Ultron came out in 2023. 7Artisans doesn't publish a launch date for its lens.

Where the Ultron 27mm F2 X wins

+a lighter 120g body
+closer 0.25 m focusing

Where the 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II wins

+a brighter f/1.2 maximum aperture

Who should buy the Ultron 27mm F2 X or 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II?

Buy the Ultron 27mm F2 X if…

Pick the Ultron if you want a manual lens that works with your camera. EXIF, IBIS and the focus aids all work, and it's sharp from f/2.

Buy the 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II if…

Pick the 7Artisans if you want f/1.2 and its glow for very little money. It's a good first manual lens, and it's great for black and white.

Ultron 27mm F2 X vs 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II: pros and cons

Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X	7Artisans 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II
Sharp in the centre at f/2. The change from sharp to blurred is short, so subjects stand out. Blurred lights come out clean, with no rings inside them. Ten straight blades turn bright lights into ten-point stars from about f/2.8. All metal, with a focus tab and a hard stop at infinity. The camera knows the lens is on, so focus aids, stabilisation and photo data work. Focuses as close as 25 cm, close enough for small details.	f/1.2 for around the price of a filter, in an all-metal barrel. Strong wide-open character: halation around highlights, swirling corners. 0.28 m minimum focus, closer than the original version managed. Ten rounded blades keep the stopped-down rendering tidier than the price suggests.
No autofocus. Everything past a few metres is in a tiny turn of the focus ring. At f/2 the corners are softer than the XF 23mm F2 R WR's, until about f/8. No weather sealing, on a lens people put on sealed X-Pro and X-T bodies. Since firmware updates in 2024, some Fuji bodies save f/22 as the aperture. Around $600, about 1.5 times the price of Fujifilm's 27mm with autofocus.	No electronic contacts: no EXIF, no aperture recorded, no IBIS, no auto magnification. f/1.2 and f/1.4 are effects, not working apertures — sharp from about f/4. Heavy longitudinal colour fringing on high-contrast edges wide open. Sample variation is the standing complaint about the category; no sealing, no real warranty support. 7Artisans publishes neither a launch date nor barrel dimensions, and retail listings disagree on both.

Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X

7Artisans 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II

Sharp in the centre at f/2.
The change from sharp to blurred is short, so subjects stand out.
Blurred lights come out clean, with no rings inside them.
Ten straight blades turn bright lights into ten-point stars from about f/2.8.
All metal, with a focus tab and a hard stop at infinity.
The camera knows the lens is on, so focus aids, stabilisation and photo data work.
Focuses as close as 25 cm, close enough for small details.

f/1.2 for around the price of a filter, in an all-metal barrel.
Strong wide-open character: halation around highlights, swirling corners.
0.28 m minimum focus, closer than the original version managed.
Ten rounded blades keep the stopped-down rendering tidier than the price suggests.

No autofocus.
Everything past a few metres is in a tiny turn of the focus ring.
At f/2 the corners are softer than the XF 23mm F2 R WR's, until about f/8.
No weather sealing, on a lens people put on sealed X-Pro and X-T bodies.
Since firmware updates in 2024, some Fuji bodies save f/22 as the aperture.
Around $600, about 1.5 times the price of Fujifilm's 27mm with autofocus.

No electronic contacts: no EXIF, no aperture recorded, no IBIS, no auto magnification.
f/1.2 and f/1.4 are effects, not working apertures — sharp from about f/4.
Heavy longitudinal colour fringing on high-contrast edges wide open.
Sample variation is the standing complaint about the category; no sealing, no real warranty support.
7Artisans publishes neither a launch date nor barrel dimensions, and retail listings disagree on both.

Pros and cons mirror the in-house Ultron 27mm F2 X review and 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II review.

Ultron 27mm F2 X vs 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II: full specs

Spec	Ultron 27mm F2 X 27 mm · f/2 · 120g	7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II 35 mm · f/1.2 · 218g
Optical
Focal length	27 mm	35 mm
35mm equivalent	40 mm	52.5 mm
Maximum aperture	f/2	f/1.2
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/22
Optical construction	6 elements in 4 groups	6 elements in 5 groups
Special elements	1 extra-low-dispersion element, no aspherical glass	—
Aperture blades	10	10
Focus & Stabilization
Min. focus distance	0.25 m	0.28 m
Max. magnification	0.15×	—
Autofocus motor	Manual focus only	Manual focus only
Optical stabilization	No	No
Physical
Filter thread	43 mm	46 mm
Diameter × length	59.3 × 23.5 mm	—
Weight	120g	218g
Weather sealing	No	No
Min. operating temp	—	—
General
Announced	2023-05-15	Not published

Highlighted cells are best in class between these two. Specs sourced from the manufacturers' public product pages.

In-depth reviews

For the full long-form review of each lens, see the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X review and the 7Artisans 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II review. Each carries the full spec breakdown, pros and cons, and where the lens sits in the X-mount lineup.