While it may not be an especially exotic lens in terms of focal length or aperture, the small size and weight of the XF 27mm F2.8 R WR gives it plenty of appeal. It also produces very good results with an excellent level of detail throughout the aperture range.
Comparing the results at different aperture settings, I was only able to see a very slight improvement in centre sharpness when switching from f/2.8 to f/8 when the images are sized to 100% on a computer screen. The difference is a little more apparent at the corners, but the XF 27mm F2.8 R WR by no means disgraces itself at f/2.8. Similarly, there’s a hint of the effect of diffraction at f/16, but I’d happily use any of the aperture settings.
While I didn’t notice any vignetting in my images, scrolling between identical images of a wall shot at each aperture, I spotted slight changes to the corner brightness. The corner shading is gone by f/5.6, but it’s barely noticeable at f/2.8.
After scouring images of backlit branches, I’ve been unable to find any examples of chromatic aberration. Like distortion, it’s not an issue for the XF 27mm F2.8 R WR.
The focusing seems a little clunky, it’s not the loudest lens, but it’s not as quiet or as smooth as a lens like the XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR either. It means that while the focal length might apeaal to videographers, the XF 27mm F2.8 R WR is best used for stills rather than movies.