TTArtisan AF 27mm F2.8 Review: A $149 Autofocus Pancake for APS-C
TTArtisan built its name on cheap manual-focus lenses. The AF 27mm F2.8, announced in October 2022 for Fujifilm X mount, was its first autofocus lens for Fujifilm. Sony E and Nikon Z versions followed in 2023 at the same price: $149.
It’s a pancake. The lens is 29mm long and weighs about 93 grams in X mount, so a small body with this lens on it fits in a coat pocket. On APS-C it gives about the view of a 41mm lens on full frame, close to the classic 40mm “normal” that many street photographers like.
A small, quiet lens suits street and travel photography, where you want to blend in and shoot people going about their day without a big lens pointing at them.
Photo: Pixel Effects
Dylan Goldby, a Fujifilm photographer, reviewed it on X mount.
Video review: Dylan Goldby
Design
The lens has six elements in five groups, including two high-refractive-index elements. The aperture has seven blades and runs from f/2.8 to f/16. The filter thread is 39mm, and a hood is included.
Focus uses a stepping motor with a lead screw. Close focus is 35cm. There’s an aperture ring with an A position for camera control, which suits Fujifilm bodies. Firmware updates go through a USB-C port built into the rear cap.
The barrel is metal. There’s no weather sealing and no stabilization. Besides black, there’s a titanium-colored version and a limited orange edition from early 2024.
How it performs
Digital Camera World found autofocus quiet and fairly quick. Alik Griffin found sharpness consistent to the edges, beating the Fujifilm XF 27mm in the corners, with low distortion and color fringing.
The weaknesses are what you’d expect at this price. Vignetting is heavy wide open, noted by both reviews. Griffin saw some autofocus lag and occasional small misses, a softer center and less contrast than the Fujifilm lens, and some flare. Digital Camera World found the aperture ring narrow and awkward. Firmware updates need a Windows computer.
Who should buy it
Anyone with a Fujifilm, Sony or Nikon APS-C body who wants a pocketable everyday lens for very little money. On the Fujifilm X-M5 or X-T50 it makes a compact street camera, and it’s an easy upgrade from a kit zoom on the Nikon Z50II or Sony A6700.
The Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR it imitates costs more than twice as much but is sealed and has better contrast. If you want a brighter lens, the Viltrox AF 27mm F1.2 Pro gathers far more light at several times the size and price. For a fully manual TTArtisan, see our look at the TTArtisan 50mm F1.2 on the Canon EOS R100.