Having already used the FUJIFILM X-E2 with the original FUJINON XF27mmF2.8, I was very familiar with the form and set up of the new X-E4 and XF27mmF2.8 R WR. The camera with the lens feels small, almost weightless in the hands and inconspicuous, making it perfect for street photography!
With it being a bright sunny day, I knew my intention was to capture images with a strong contrast and plenty of shadow and graphical play. To provide that filmic look I always shoot with ISO 400 which is my go to for street shooting whatever the light.
X-E4 + XF27mmF2.8 R WR – F8, ISO 400, 1/2000 sec
The X-E4 has a 180 degree tilting LCD screen, which I almost overlooked as it initially appeared fixed, a design stroke of genius in my words! The screen is very easy to pull out and place back. I used it a few times to capture images at waist level and the positive is, people appeared to ignore me, giving them the impression that I was just chimping through my images…
I used the EVF for the majority of my shots as I always feel more connected to my subject and composition. The X-E4 body design has moved on from the previous XE line, appearing sleeker. A few buttons have been omitted, keeping the overall body design simple. The focus option button on the front of the body has gone, which is a noticeable feature for me but this can be solved by accessing this option via a function button.
X-E4 + XF27mmF2.8 R WR – F8, ISO 400, 1/2000 sec
The focusing of the XF27mmF2.8 R WR lens is swift and as an avid manual focus shooter this helped tremendously. Alongside the superb focus peaking, I switched to manual mode for the majority of my shots. With all of the main settings quickly accessible, shooting in full manual mode was a pleasure. The aperture ring on the XF27mmF2.8 is a very welcome addition. I didn’t have an issue on the original lens controlling aperture in camera but now I find it makes the overall shooting experience more complete and a more grounded experience of using the exposure triangle.
X-E4 + XF27mmF2.8 R WR – F8, ISO 400, 1/4000 sec
The FUJIFILM X-E4 is a great camera for street photography as it is light, powerful and discreet, which led to many overlooking the fact that I was capturing their daily life routines. I do find the X-E4 small for my hands but with the addition of a thumb grip this enables stability whilst shooting. Additionally, the hand grip would make the X-E4 a great stealth, street camera especially in all black. Overall, I am very pleased with the user experience and the image quality was quite incredible, as usual coming from Fujifilm!
X-Pro2 + XF27mmF2.8 R WR – F8, ISO 400, 1/125 sec
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 & FUJINON XF27mmF2.8 R WR
I was also keen to pair the new XF27mmF2.8 lens with my beloved FUJIFILM X-Pro2. On the day I went out shooting the temperature was quite challenging but the weather sealed combo was a breeze to use. However, due to the freezing temperature my fingers did struggle to turn the aperture ring to F8. Similarly to the new FUJIFILM X-E4 and XF27mmF2.8 combination, this set up was a joy to use, along with being discreet and ninja like on the streets. I shot fully manual achieving composition and the desired effect of light and shadow at play.
X-Pro2 + XF27mmF2.8 R WR – F8, ISO 400, 1/250 sec
