What's the difference between the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X and the Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R?

The Ultron 27mm F2 X leads on a lighter 120g body, a more compact 23.5 mm barrel, closer 0.25 m focusing. The XF 23mm F1.4 R leads on a brighter f/1.4 maximum aperture, autofocus at all, where the Ultron 27mm F2 X is manual focus only.

Which is smaller, the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X or the Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R?

The Ultron 27mm F2 X is the smaller, lighter lens at 120g and 23.5 mm long, versus 300g for the XF 23mm F1.4 R.

Which is faster, the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X or the Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R?

The XF 23mm F1.4 R is the faster lens at f/1.4, 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 Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R: full comparison

The Ultron 27mm F2 X leads on more of the measurable specs, but the XF 23mm F1.4 R counters on a brighter f/1.4 maximum aperture and autofocus at all, where the Ultron 27mm F2 X is manual focus only.

Read the full Ultron 27mm F2 X review →Read the full XF 23mm F1.4 R review →

The short version

The Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X and Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R are two X-mount primes at different focal lengths — the Ultron 27mm F2 X (40mm equivalent) and the XF 23mm F1.4 R (35mm equivalent). The Ultron 27mm F2 X is the newer design, from 2023.

On the spec sheet the Ultron 27mm F2 X pulls ahead with a lighter 120g body, a more compact 23.5 mm barrel, and closer 0.25 m focusing, plus a couple of smaller edges.

The XF 23mm F1.4 R answers with a brighter f/1.4 maximum aperture and autofocus at all, where the Ultron 27mm F2 X is manual focus only.

So which one? Start with the focal length you actually want to shoot: the 40mm-equivalent Ultron 27mm F2 X or the 35mm-equivalent XF 23mm F1.4 R. Once that's settled, Ultron 27mm F2 X has the edge on the specs above.

Where the Ultron 27mm F2 X wins

+a lighter 120g body
+a more compact 23.5 mm barrel
+closer 0.25 m focusing
+higher 0.15× magnification
+a 10-blade diaphragm

Where the XF 23mm F1.4 R wins

+a brighter f/1.4 maximum aperture
+autofocus at all, where the Ultron 27mm F2 X is manual focus only

Who should buy the Ultron 27mm F2 X or XF 23mm F1.4 R?

Buy the Ultron 27mm F2 X if…

Pick the Ultron 27mm F2 X if a lighter 120g body and a more compact 23.5 mm barrel matter to you. Photographers who want the deliberate, set-the-camera-first way of shooting a rangefinder-style prime on a small Fuji body, and who value rendering and build over autofocus and sealing. Read the full Ultron 27mm F2 X review for the details.

Buy the XF 23mm F1.4 R if…

Pick the XF 23mm F1.4 R if a brighter f/1.4 maximum aperture and autofocus at all, where the Ultron 27mm F2 X is manual focus only matter to you. Photographers who shoot 35 mm-equivalent at f/1.4 and close, and street photographers who zone focus and want a real distance scale. Read the full XF 23mm F1.4 R review for the details.

Ultron 27mm F2 X vs XF 23mm F1.4 R: pros and cons

Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X	Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R
Sharp in the centre from f/2, with short focus falloff and clean specular highlights. All-metal build, third-stop aperture clicks, and a focus tab with a hard infinity stop. Ten straight blades give defined ten-point sunstars from around f/2.8. Electronic contacts: EXIF, focus peaking and check, distance display, IBIS, X-Pro3 parallax correction. 25 cm minimum focus at a 40 mm-equivalent view — close enough for detail work.	Sharp wide open at close range, where the XF 23mm F2 R WR is not. Clutch focus ring with engraved distance and depth-of-field scales, hard infinity stop. Eleven-element formula keeps colour fringing lower than the XF 35mm F1.4 R. 0.28 m macro mode on a 35 mm-equivalent prime.
No autofocus, and a short focus throw that compresses everything past a few metres. Corners lag the XF 23mm F2 R WR wide open and only catch up around f/8. No weather sealing on a lens people mount to sealed X-Pro and X-T bodies. Post-2024 firmware on some Fuji bodies writes f/22 into EXIF instead of the set aperture. Around $600 — roughly 1.5× Fujifilm's own autofocusing 27mm pancake.	300g and 63 mm long — it dominates a small body. DC-motor autofocus is slow and audible, driving a lot of glass. No weather sealing. Discontinued, so it is a used-only purchase and prices have stayed high.

Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X

Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R

Sharp in the centre from f/2, with short focus falloff and clean specular highlights.
All-metal build, third-stop aperture clicks, and a focus tab with a hard infinity stop.
Ten straight blades give defined ten-point sunstars from around f/2.8.
Electronic contacts: EXIF, focus peaking and check, distance display, IBIS, X-Pro3 parallax correction.
25 cm minimum focus at a 40 mm-equivalent view — close enough for detail work.

Sharp wide open at close range, where the XF 23mm F2 R WR is not.
Clutch focus ring with engraved distance and depth-of-field scales, hard infinity stop.
Eleven-element formula keeps colour fringing lower than the XF 35mm F1.4 R.
0.28 m macro mode on a 35 mm-equivalent prime.

No autofocus, and a short focus throw that compresses everything past a few metres.
Corners lag the XF 23mm F2 R WR wide open and only catch up around f/8.
No weather sealing on a lens people mount to sealed X-Pro and X-T bodies.
Post-2024 firmware on some Fuji bodies writes f/22 into EXIF instead of the set aperture.
Around $600 — roughly 1.5× Fujifilm's own autofocusing 27mm pancake.

300g and 63 mm long — it dominates a small body.
DC-motor autofocus is slow and audible, driving a lot of glass.
No weather sealing.
Discontinued, so it is a used-only purchase and prices have stayed high.

Pros and cons mirror the in-house Ultron 27mm F2 X review and XF 23mm F1.4 R review.

Ultron 27mm F2 X vs XF 23mm F1.4 R: full specs

Spec	Ultron 27mm F2 X 27 mm · f/2 · 120g	XF 23mm F1.4 R 23 mm · f/1.4 · 300g
Optical
Focal length	27 mm	23 mm
35mm equivalent	40 mm	35 mm
Maximum aperture	f/2	f/1.4
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/16
Optical construction	6 elements in 4 groups	11 elements in 8 groups
Special elements	1 extra-low-dispersion element, no aspherical glass	1 aspherical element
Aperture blades	10	7
Focus & Stabilization
Min. focus distance	0.25 m	0.28 m
Max. magnification	0.15×	0.1×
Autofocus motor	Manual focus only	DC motor
Optical stabilization	No	No
Physical
Filter thread	43 mm	62 mm
Diameter × length	59.3 × 23.5 mm	72 × 63 mm
Weight	120g	300g
Weather sealing	No	No
Min. operating temp	—	—
General
Announced	2023-05-15	2013-09-04

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 Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R review. Each carries the full spec breakdown, pros and cons, and where the lens sits in the X-mount lineup.