What's the difference between the Fujifilm XF 27mm F2.8 R WR and the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X?

The XF 27mm F2.8 R WR leads on a lighter 84g body, a more compact 23 mm barrel, autofocus at all, where the Ultron 27mm F2 X is manual focus only. The Ultron 27mm F2 X leads on a brighter f/2 maximum aperture, closer 0.25 m focusing, higher 0.15× magnification.

Which is smaller, the Fujifilm XF 27mm F2.8 R WR or the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X?

The XF 27mm F2.8 R WR is the smaller, lighter lens at 84g and 23 mm long, versus 120g for the Ultron 27mm F2 X.

Which is faster, the Fujifilm XF 27mm F2.8 R WR or the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X?

The Ultron 27mm F2 X is the faster lens at f/2, against f/2.8 for the XF 27mm F2.8 R WR — brighter in low light and able to throw the background further out of focus.

Fujifilm XF 27mm F2.8 R WR vs Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X: full comparison

Buy the Fujifilm for autofocus, sealing and the lower price, and buy the Ultron if you want to focus by hand at f/2.

Read the full XF 27mm F2.8 R WR review →Read the full Ultron 27mm F2 X review →

The short version

Both lenses show the same view, so the choice is about focus. On a Fujifilm X camera, a 27mm lens shows about what a 40mm lens shows on a 35mm film camera. Fujifilm rounds that to 41mm. Cosina, the company that makes Voigtländer lenses, rounds it to 40mm.

The XF 27mm f/2.8 has autofocus. The Ultron 27mm f/2 has none. The Fujifilm is also lighter, at 84g against 120g. It has weather sealing, which means it's built to resist rain.

The Ultron opens to f/2, and the Fujifilm to f/2.8, so the Ultron lets in twice as much light. It also focuses closer, at 0.25 m against 0.34 m. It's all metal, and the focus ring has a hard infinity stop. The ring stops dead at infinity, so you can set it by feel. I shot mine through a monsoon week. On my X-T30 III, I zone focused at f/8, and that stop made it easy. Zone focusing means you set the distance before you shoot and then stop looking at the ring.

In a side-by-side posted on r/fujifilm, the Fujifilm looked brighter and more even from edge to edge. The Voigtländer was sharper in the middle and softer at the edges, with different colour. The XF 27mm f/2.8 came out in 2021, as an update of Fujifilm's first 27mm pancake. The Ultron is the newer lens, from 2023.

Where the XF 27mm F2.8 R WR wins

+a lighter 84g body
+a more compact 23 mm barrel
+autofocus at all, where the Ultron 27mm F2 X is manual focus only
+weather sealing

Where the Ultron 27mm F2 X wins

+a brighter f/2 maximum aperture
+closer 0.25 m focusing
+higher 0.15× magnification
+a 10-blade diaphragm

Who should buy the XF 27mm F2.8 R WR or Ultron 27mm F2 X?

Buy the XF 27mm F2.8 R WR if…

Pick the XF 27mm if you want autofocus and weather sealing in the smallest lens. At 84g, it's the smallest autofocus lens Fujifilm makes. It also costs less, at around $399.

Buy the Ultron 27mm F2 X if…

Pick the Ultron if you like to focus by hand and want f/2 in a metal pancake. It's sharper in the middle and focuses closer. You pay around $600 for that.

XF 27mm F2.8 R WR vs Ultron 27mm F2 X: pros and cons

Fujifilm XF 27mm F2.8 R WR	Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X
Smallest autofocus lens Fujifilm makes — 84g, turns a small body into an X100-sized rig. Very sharp with rich colour and strong micro-contrast; excellent SOOC JPEGs. R WR update adds weather sealing and an aperture ring over the 2013 original. Beats the cheaper TTArtisan 27mm on corners, vignetting, and build.	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.
Autofocus is slow-ish and audible — the focus noise carries into in-camera video audio. f/2.8 is a stop slower than the Fujicron primes; 0.34 m minimum focus is the longest of them. 41 mm-equivalent is a divisive "no man's land" — optically fine, stylistically flat for some. Roughly 2.5× the price of the TTArtisan 27mm for a modest optical edge.	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.

Fujifilm XF 27mm F2.8 R WR

Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X

Smallest autofocus lens Fujifilm makes — 84g, turns a small body into an X100-sized rig.
Very sharp with rich colour and strong micro-contrast; excellent SOOC JPEGs.
R WR update adds weather sealing and an aperture ring over the 2013 original.
Beats the cheaper TTArtisan 27mm on corners, vignetting, and build.

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.

Autofocus is slow-ish and audible — the focus noise carries into in-camera video audio.
f/2.8 is a stop slower than the Fujicron primes; 0.34 m minimum focus is the longest of them.
41 mm-equivalent is a divisive "no man's land" — optically fine, stylistically flat for some.
Roughly 2.5× the price of the TTArtisan 27mm for a modest optical edge.

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.

Pros and cons mirror the in-house XF 27mm F2.8 R WR review and Ultron 27mm F2 X review.

XF 27mm F2.8 R WR vs Ultron 27mm F2 X: full specs

Spec	XF 27mm F2.8 R WR 27 mm · f/2.8 · 84g	Ultron 27mm F2 X 27 mm · f/2 · 120g
Optical
Focal length	27 mm	27 mm
35mm equivalent	41 mm	40 mm
Maximum aperture	f/2.8	f/2
Minimum aperture	f/16	f/22
Optical construction	7 elements in 5 groups	6 elements in 4 groups
Special elements	1 aspherical element	1 extra-low-dispersion element, no aspherical glass
Aperture blades	7	10
Focus & Stabilization
Min. focus distance	0.34 m	0.25 m
Max. magnification	0.1×	0.15×
Autofocus motor	DC coreless motor	Manual focus only
Optical stabilization	No	No
Physical
Filter thread	39 mm	43 mm
Diameter × length	61.2 × 23 mm	59.3 × 23.5 mm
Weight	84g	120g
Weather sealing	Yes	No
Min. operating temp	-10 °C	—
General
Announced	2021-01-27	2023-05-15

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 Fujifilm XF 27mm F2.8 R WR review and the Voigtländer Ultron 27mm F2 X review. Each carries the full spec breakdown, pros and cons, and where the lens sits in the X-mount lineup.