When I first picked up the Fujifilm XE-4, I didn’t expect to go down a lens rabbit hole. The idea was simple: keep things compact, quiet, and close to how my X100 series felt. But as it turns out, the XE-4’s ability to swap lenses opened up a whole new side of my photography — not necessarily about variety, but about character.
Over the past year, I’ve used a few lenses that somehow shaped the way I see through this little camera: the 27mm f/2.8, the 18mm f/2, the XC 15-45mm, and the Viltrox 56mm f/1.4. Each one changed the rhythm of my shooting in a subtle way.
Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 — The Everyday Lens
If there’s a lens that best defines the XE-4’s personality, it’s the 27mm pancake.
It’s tiny — almost invisible — and turns the camera into something you can carry all day without thinking about it. There’s a certain honesty to this setup: no big glass, no visual intimidation, just a quiet tool that gets out of the way.
Optically, it’s sharper than it has any right to be for its size. But what I love most is the freedom it gives. You stop caring about gear and start focusing on scenes. It’s the lens that makes me grab the camera when I leave the house “just in case.”
With the 27mm, I shoot differently. I don’t plan. I react.
Coffee tables, reflections, light cutting through a window — it’s all fair game.
Fujinon 18mm f/2 — The Street Poet
The 18mm f/2 is old, imperfect, and slightly noisy when it focuses. But there’s magic in its imperfection.
It has that cinematic, slightly soft rendering that gives images a mood rather than perfection.
This lens feels like the opposite of the 27mm. While the pancake lens disappears, the 18mm makes its presence known — it pushes you closer, widens your frame, demands that you see differently.
On the streets, it’s brilliant. It captures the atmosphere around your subject — the air, the space, the rhythm of movement. I find myself framing through reflections and layers more when I use it. It’s less about precision, more about emotion.
Sometimes I think of it as the “film lens” in the Fujifilm lineup — not for its specs, but for its feel.
Fujinon XC 15-45mm — The Unexpected Surprise
I didn’t plan to buy this one. It came with another kit, and I almost ignored it.
But the 15-45 turned out to be one of the sharpest lenses I’ve ever used on any Fujifilm body.
Lightweight, stabilized, and ridiculously crisp — it’s the kind of lens that proves you shouldn’t judge by the plastic mount.
It doesn’t have the romantic charm of the 18mm or the subtlety of the 27mm, but it has something equally valuable: reliability.
The autofocus is snappy, the color rendering clean, and the images come out with an almost clinical precision.
For travel or everyday shooting, it’s hard to beat.
And yet, even with its practicality, it never feels soulless — maybe because the XE-4’s sensor and film simulations bring warmth back into its precision.
Sometimes, that’s all you need: a small zoom that just works, every single time.
Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 — The Portrait Character
The Viltrox 56mm was the latest addition — a lens that I didn’t expect to love this much.
From the moment I mounted it, it felt solid, balanced, and purposeful. The build quality is incredible for its price; all metal, smooth focus ring, and a weight that gives confidence without tiring your wrist.
But what matters most is the way it draws.
Wide open, it has this gentle, cinematic falloff. Faces glow softly without losing detail, backgrounds melt just enough. There’s character in the bokeh — not busy, not sterile, just human.
It’s a lens that changes how people react to the camera. The longer focal length creates space; there’s less intrusion, more observation. It’s perfect for portraits, but I’ve also used it for details — hands, coffee cups, light on glass — and it never disappoints.
Closing Thoughts
What I’ve learned through these lenses is that the XE-4 is less about what you mount, and more about how each lens shifts your way of seeing.*
The 27mm is for days when you want to move lightly.
The 18mm makes you brave.
The 15-45mm is a quiet reminder that sharpness can be simple.
And the Viltrox 56mm brings the soul back into portraits.
Together, they tell the story of how flexible this little camera can be — from coffee shop corners to evening streets, from calm to chaos.
In the end, it’s not about owning lenses. It’s about finding the ones that make you want to go out and look again.
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