Ulanzi 27/2.8 AF Review for Sony E APS-C

Main

Ulanzi 27/2.8 AF – lens for Sony mirrorless cameras with bayonet mount Sony e-mount. Compact, lightweight, with a metal body and at the cost of everything 60 dollars.

Very important: most likely the lenses Ulanzi 27/2.8 AF, Jintu AF 27/2.8 and AstrHori AF 27/2.8 are a kind of clones 7Artisans AF 27/2.8 / 7Artisans AF 27/2.8 II, TTArtisan AF 27/2.8.

Automatic focusing is performed using a stepper motor. On the camera Sony a3500 и Sony a7 Automatic focusing works well, focusing speed is high (closer to average). “Tackiness” and focusing accuracy with Sony a3500 и Sony a7 is at a comfortable level. True, there is a slight noise/hum from the operation of the STM motor.

The aperture consists of only six blades, making it easy to achieve a pronounced six-ray star effect from bright point light sources.

Image quality is generally good, except for strong distortion and mediocre backlight performance.

It is a pity that the maximum relative aperture is only 1:2.8, this is the level of modern advanced zoom lenses (for example, 16-55/2.8G, 16-55/2.8 XF R LM WR II, 18-50/2.8 C,  17-70/2.8 VC). For a fixed lens I would like something with a higher aperture (like the same inexpensive one TTArtisan AF 23/1.8 E/X/Z).

Appearance

Main technical characteristics of Ulanzi 27/2.8 (E-mount):

Review Instance Name	Near the front lens: Ulanzi 27/2.8 0.3m/1ft Ø52mm
Basic properties	E (E-mount) - designed for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras AF (Acles Focus) - the lens supports auto focus STM (Scarpets Motor) - focusing stepper motor Special optical enlightenment CL02 (inscription on the box) – CLONE 02? USB-port to update the firmware, the port is located on the side of the lens housing and is closed with a special rubber plug Electronic focus ring Metal body (all parts are metal: body, bayonet, thread for light filters) The front lens does not leave the body frame during focusing (focusing is achieved by moving the entire lens block) 09.07 – firmware version of the lens from the review (the lens is identified by the computer as CX2728-E) Important: lens from a third-party manufacturer, which imposes some restrictions on its use
Front Filter Diameter	52 mm, plastic thread for filters
Focal length	27 mm
Zoom ratio	1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom)
Designed by	for cropped mirrorless digital cameras. Theoretically, the lens is suitable for all digital mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses and mount Sony e-mount. Unlike 7Artisans 27mm F/2.8 AF II, is produced for only one bayonet mount.
Number of aperture blades	6 straight petals
Tags	bayonet mount mark serial number on the bayonet side and indication of the bayonet itself Ulanzi inscription on the body Ulanzi 27/2.8 0.3m/1ft Ø52mm inscription near the front lens
Diaphragm	from F/2.8 to F/16 without aperture control ring
MDF	0.3 meters
The weight	160 grams without caps according to my measurements 182 grams with two lids according to my measurements
Optical design	6 elements in 5 groups Most likely, many clone lenses of the AF 27/2.8 class use the same optical design (like 7Artisans AF 27/2.8, 7Artisans 27/2.8 AF II, Jintu AF 27/2.8 and AstrHori AF 27/2.8, and possibly some others, if you know any other analogues, write in the comments). Most likely, and TTArtisan 27 / 2.8 uses the same optical design, even though it has TTArtisan 27 / 2.8 Two ultra-high refractive index elements are claimed.
Lens hood	Must be screwed into the thread of the front filter, not included in the delivery set. The front lens of the lens is small, deeply seated in the lens body, which creates a kind of built-in hood effect.
Manufacturer country	MADE IN CHINA (Made in China)
Period	from about mid-2025
Instructions	Included in delivery
Price	About 60 dollars, see current prices on Aliexpress

 

Sample photos on APS-C

Camera used Sony a3500 (20 MP Sony Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor). All photos in this review are shown without processing, according to the principles ZEROJPEG.

Very important: the lens has a profile for correcting distortion and vignetting. Sony cameras pick up this profile right from the lens itself and take photos and videos with the necessary corrections (if this function is enabled in the camera menu). Therefore, distortion and vignetting are minimal in JPEG images.

The coverage area on full frame looks like this like this.

• Original photos in RAW format (Sony '.ARW', 12-bit, lossy compression) can be view / download this link (30+ files, Google Drive gallery).
• Original photos in JPEG format ('.jpg') can be view / download this link (30+ files, Google Drive gallery).

Important: my camera Sony NEX-F3 does not work with Ulanzi 27/2.8 AF.

My experience

Я bought Ulanzi 27/2.8 AF here, especially for the creation of this review.

The Ulanzi 27/2.8 AF is small and nice, but I would still like it to have some special features, like a pancake lens (like the Viltrox 28 / 4.5 or Fujinon 27/2.8 XF).

In the end, the Ulanzi 27/2.8 AF is simply a good standard prime with a low focal length (for a prime lens with such a focal length) aperture. Of all the similar inexpensive solutions, I left in my use TTArtisan AF 23/1.8 E/X/Z, which makes me happy almost every day.

Ulanzi 27/2.8 AF is interesting because it costs about half as much as the more famous ones. 7Artisans AF 27/2.8, 7Artisans 27/2.8 AF II и TTArtisan 27 / 2.8, in fact, producing image quality that is no worse. That is why I confidently recommend it for purchase for cameras of the series Sony Alpha E-mount APS-C. What is better of the similar ones? for xnumx dollars?

Video review

Alternatives

Below are all the fast 21-29mm autofocus lenses for mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor:

1. Sony 24/1.8 ZEISS (E)
2. Fujinon 23/1.4 XF R (X)
3. Fujinon 23/1.4 XF R WR LM (X)
4. Fujinon 23/2 XF R WR (X)
5. Fujinon 23/2.8 XF R WR (X)
6. Fujinon 27/2.8 XF (X)
7. Fujinon 27/2.8 XF R WR (X)
8. Canon 22/2 (EF-M)
9. Canon 28/3.5 (EF-M)
10. Leica 23/2 (L/T/TL/CL)
11. Nikon 24/1.7 (Z)
12. Samsung 20/2.8 (NX)
13. Sigma 23/1.4 (X, E, L, RFS)
14. Viltrox 23/1.4 (E, X, Z, M)
15. Viltrox 27/1.2 (E, X, Z)
16. Viltrox 25/1.7 (E, X, Z)
17. Tokina 23/1.4 (E, X)
18. Yongnuo 23/1.4 (E, Z)
19. TTArtisan 27/2.8 (E, X, Z)
20. TTArtisan 23/1.8 (E, X, Z)
21. Sirui 23/1.2 (E, X, Z)
22. 7Artisans 25/1.8 AF (E, Z, X)
23. 7Artisans 27 / 2.8 (E, D52)
24. 7Artisans 27 / 2.8 II (Z, X, D39)
25. Ulanzi 27/2.8 (E)
26. Jintu 27/2.8 (E, X)
27. AstrHori 27/2.8 (E, X, Z)

Results

Ulanzi 27/2.8 AF is the most affordable standard autofocus fixed lens for APS-C Sony E. It has many strengths and weaknesses. Overall, it is a good solution for funny 60 dollars (see the real cost at this link)!

main advantages

1. convenient focal length for Sony cameras with APS-C sensor
2. electronic focus ring
3. Virtual internal focusing, good focusing speed
4. good build quality, metal body, metal bayonet mount, metal focusing ring, metal thread for filters
5. light weight, compact size
6. USB port for firmware upgrade, easy firmware upgrade method
7. very good resolution starting from F/2.8 across the entire frame (even in the far corners) at any focusing distance (at infinity and at MDF)
8. low level of spherical, chromatic aberrations (including fringing)
9. cost about 60 dollars
10. most likely optically no worse than the “original” 7Artisans 27/2.8 AF II / 7Artisans AF 27/2.8 / TTArtisan 27 / 2.8 /AstrHori AF 27/2.8

main disadvantages

1. there is no AF/MF focus mode switch (for example, there is MEIKE 33/1.4 STM)
2. there is no aperture control ring (for example, there is MEIKE 33/1.4 STM)
3. there is no image stabilizer (for example, there is one in Sony E 1.8 / 35 OSS)
4. the lens is poorly protected from environmental influences (for example, MEIKE 33/1.4 STM rubber seal of bayonet)
5. a fairly simple (primitive) optical design
6. only 6 aperture blades (for example, MEIKE 33/1.4 STM there are 9 of them)
7. front and back protective covers no-name without brand ULANZI
8. USB port cap is easily lost
9. quite low aperture (for example, you can buy it not much more expensive TTArtisan AF 23/1.8)
10. noise from the focus motor
11. poor compatibility with older Sony NEX family cameras (for example, it won't work on Sony NEX-F3 and similar “old men”)
12. produced only for Sony E bayonet mount (for example, Viltrox 23 / 1.4 AF is produced under X, E, Z and even EF-M)
13. there is no USB TYPE-C cable in the package and it is not known where to get new firmware
14. large changes in the viewing angle during focusing (so-called focus breathing)
15. a large amount of glare when working in backlight, as well as the lack of a lens hood in the delivery set
16. strong barrel distortion, strong vignetting at F/2.8 when shooting in RAW

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.