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Author Topic: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."  (Read 7087 times)

Rand47

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Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« on: October 12, 2016, 07:51:40 pm »

I've been slowly building a nice Fuji kit.  I recently bought both the new little 35mm f/2 and the 23mm f/2 (50mm and 35mm equivalents from 35mm film days).  They are truly small, weather resistant, have nice firm aperture rings, and darn fast AF motors.  I've been using them primarily on my X-Pro2 camera using the OVF w/ hybrid small EVF close-focus display.  Pretty darn cool.  It "feels" to me sort of what I would have expected Leica to do in the digital age (no disrespect to Leica, my M4 was/is my all-time favorite camera).  Really good image quality from both lenses.  Makes for a very compact kit, and a very pleasant shooting experience that is "different" from any of the other digital cameras I've used.  It feels like I've gone back in time, except that the image quality is so much better!  LOL

What a time we are privileged to enjoy in the history of photography.  So many choices, so much excellence. 

Rand
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David Sutton

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2016, 01:59:14 am »

Yes, while it's great to have lenses that are reliable workhorses, every now and then camera manufacturers come out with a lens that fires our desire to go do photography.
For me it's been the Fuji 50-140. Just the most wonderful files from it. But I doubt it would be the same experience with your OVF.
David
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rdonson

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2016, 07:37:09 am »

I'm building on my stable of Fuji XF lenses.

Currently I have:
- 10-24 zoom (very versatile with great IQ and OIS)
- 60mm macro (tack sharp but not a real fast focus)
- 18-135 zoom (a good all-arounder for travel, walkabouts, etc - good IQ but not great, good OIS)
- 100-400 zoom (very sharp, fast focus - I'm amazed by the build quality, IQ and OIS)

Next up to buy:  50-140 zoom - this will fill a gap for tack sharp, fast AF with f/2.8 aperture in a range that will work well for my sports (tri), landscape and some portrait work
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Regards,
Ron

Alan Smallbone

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2016, 09:37:29 am »

I am an old timer in the Fuji world, got the XP1 with 18mm, 35mm f1.4, 60mm macro when it first came out. Since then gone through the XE1, XT1 and XT2 and still have the lenses plus more

14mm f2.8  - nice sharp wide angle with the clutch type focus
18mm f2  - kind of underrated
35mm f1.4  - sharp and nice lens
60mm macro  - a bit slow to focus but still a great lens optically
23mm f1.4  - really do not use this lens much, probably should sell it.
27mm  - nice pancake lens - really nice on camera for a small lens.
18-55mm  - what a great general purpose lens
10-24mm - super wide that is also great optically
55-200mm - another great zoom, sometimes underrated OIS is great
100-400mm  - Fantastic lens, heavy but well worth the price
90mm f2 - most recent lens for me - great bokeh and amazing optics
Rokinon 12mm f2 - nice sharp wide angle fully manual
Rokinon 8mm f2.8 - fisheye - fully manual


Really very happy with the Fuji world and the lenses have all been wonderful, enough I am now selling all my Canon gear. It is a great time for photography. Amazing choices and the image quality is amazing. It is nice to have choices and to be able to pick a small kit and bring what is needed. I recently did a 6 day fall color trip, took the XT2 and XT1, 18-55mm, 10-24mm, 55-200mm and 100-400mm. All fit in one bag, great flexible setup.

My wife like to dabble in photography and loves the Fuji as well, she had the XE2 and 18-55mm and 18-135mm and is quite happy, she is not as much a gear head as I am.


Alan

edit: added the 14mm f2.8
« Last Edit: October 13, 2016, 10:29:55 am by Alan Smallbone »
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Alan Smallbone
Orange County, CA

Petrus

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2016, 09:50:35 am »

I started my Fuji journey with X-Pro1 and 18, 35 and 60mm lenses. Rekindled my street photography: https://www.flickr.com/photos/112698197@N08/albums/72157639618037194 (Jerusalem) and reportage: https://www.flickr.com/photos/112698197@N08/albums/72157639142366225 (Tibet, one of 7 albums)

Next came the X-T1 bodies and bigger zooms and faster primes. I had traded the X-Pro1 for X-T1 and tried the new X-Pro2 with the now favourite 16mm f/1.4 WA, but the lens was simply too big blocking the optical viewfinder and I found I did not like the imprecise optical viewfinder after all. X-Pro2 would be nice with the 35mm f/1.4 I still have, but then it would be a one-lens body, not worth it, and when carrying 2 cameras I like them to be the same for obvious reasons.

By the way, my 55-200 zoom is badly soft in the upper left corner when focused to infinity at 200mm, new firmware did not help and it is out of warranty. Kind of stuck with it, I guess.
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Alan Smallbone

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2016, 10:27:36 am »

You could always contact Fuji about the 55-200mm and mention the facts to them they are surprisingly reasonable. Or at least they can quote you a repair price. My 55-200mm is a really nice sharp lens. Love it.

Alan
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Alan Smallbone
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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2016, 01:49:29 pm »

Yeah, get that lens repaired.

I used my Canon 70–300mm DO for a year on a 20D camera with no issues, but switching to a 5D revealed a noticeably soft corner (no longer remember which one). So I sent the lens off to Canon USA, and it came back a few weeks later performing great across the frame. It's one of two EF lenses I still own.

-Dave-
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Ken Bennett

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #7 on: October 13, 2016, 03:18:59 pm »

I started with Fuji when the X-E1 came out, with the 14, the 35/1.4, and then the 18-55 and 55-200, all of which I still have. I've since added a stupid amount of Fuji cameras and lenses -- not quite "all of them" but closer than I'd like to admit. :)

Totally agree on the new compact primes. As much as I like the image quality from the 16/1.4, or the 50-140, or (gad!) the 100-400, there is something very nice about taking a couple of X Pro bodies and a handful of small primes and going out looking for photos. I'll happily add the 50/2 when it comes out (though I'd rather it be a 75/2), and I do hope there eventually is a 16/2 compact prime. My 23mm f/2 arrived yesterday and I've already shot one assignment with it and I'm heading out the door for another.
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armand

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2016, 07:42:04 pm »

I've got already too many lenses to mention, plus the Metabones adapters for F mount (both the regular and the speedbooster).
One annoying thing that I've noticed with the 35 F2 is that it's difficult to grab to unmount, not much room for my fingers. I almost invariably grab it by the aperture ring first.

Rand47

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #9 on: October 14, 2016, 01:18:24 pm »

I've got already too many lenses to mention, plus the Metabones adapters for F mount (both the regular and the speedbooster).
One annoying thing that I've noticed with the 35 F2 is that it's difficult to grab to unmount, not much room for my fingers. I almost invariably grab it by the aperture ring first.

Ah, isn't it wonderful in the age of monster lenses like the Sony GM and Batis, that here we are complaining about high quality lenses being too small!   ;D
Sorry, couldn't resist!

Rand
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Rand Scott Adams

AFairley

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2016, 12:03:04 pm »

I do wish Fuji would do a redesign of the 18mm f2, the corners are definitely weak, to the point where my 18-55 outperforms it at all apertures.  Maybe I have a bum copy, I've not tried another sample.
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dhachey

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #11 on: October 24, 2016, 01:25:41 am »

I'm new to Fuji, coming (well still am) from the world of Canon.  I love the X-T2.  The retro feel reminds me of my old Canon AE-1, having all the controls readily available.  But the greatest surprise was the quality of the lenses, even the "kit" 18-55mm f2.8-4 lens. The user interface isn't the best, nor the worst, but I figured it out without resorting to the manual. 

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the 56 f1.2 lens.  It is brilliant, simply brilliant, even wide open and a joy to use for portraits.  I'm still building my Fuji kit, so next up 10-24 f4 and 55-200 f3.5-4.8.  I'm trying to keep everything light, so I probably won't go with the heavier tele zooms. I have enough Canon gear to cover the long end for wildlife.
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mbaginy

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #12 on: October 24, 2016, 02:06:08 am »

I’ve been quite pleased with my Fuji gear.  I even like the 18/2 far more than most folks, I find it underrated.  The 56/1.2 is outstanding all can easily be used wide open.  It is prone to flare when shooting into a light source.  The 16-55/2.8 is an excellent performer (also wide open) but heavy; I seldom use it.

The lens which hasn’t completely satisfied me is the 23/2 of the X100-T.  Left and right edge quality is poor (blurred) at any aperture.  I no longer use it for landscapes or any shots where edge quality is important.  The lens sports a mustache-style distortion which isn’t easy to remove.  Thanks for naming that for me, Slobodan.  Admittedly, it’s not apparent on most of my images.  Also, I wish the shutter speed dial would lock in the "A" setting, I keep bumping it to manual.

All gear has its weakness along with situations where it shines.  I try to use each item within the boundaries in which I feel it works for me.  That’s one reason I need to understand each item well, i.e. shoot longer than just a day or two.  Only after months do I feel I get a closer understand of how a certain lens (or body) will perform in certain cases.

I was on the brink of switching completely to Fuji (from Canon), but shooting during a recent trip to Poland has made me stop and reconsider.  Fuji offers a great deal which I like, but I need to decide for myself if I’m willing to take on the compromises.
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David Anderson

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2016, 04:05:10 am »

So far, I have the 16 1.4, 60 macro and 90 f2 for my new XT2 and I'm very impressed with the lenses.
The 60 is slower focusing, but much the same as all the Canon and Nikon macro's I've had in the past, it still works just fine in general shooting.
Both the 16 and 90 are very sharp and I've found the focus accuracy better than any DSLR I've used since the birth of AF.
I love the small form factor compared to DSLR lenses as well.

It's not all beer and Skittles of course, some of the functions of the camera, like the auto ISO and self timer are poorly executed and the limitations around what you can assign to the custom buttons, the 'Quick Menu' and 'My Menu' are annoying.
I'll forgive that for the good stuff like the EVF and all the new possibilities it brings over an OVF.



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rdonson

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #14 on: October 24, 2016, 09:47:48 am »

The lens which hasn’t completely satisfied me is the 23/2 of the X100-T.  Left and right edge quality is poor (blurred) at any aperture.  I no longer use it for landscapes or any shots where edge quality is important. 

Mike, I'm disappointed to hear the 23 f/2 has poor edge quality.  I was hoping to buy one and put it on my X-T1 as my walkaround lens.  The 23 f/1.4 is an excellent lens but is quite a bit more expensive and heavier.  My X-T2 is really serving my needs but I've kept the X-T1 as my travel camera and second body.
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Regards,
Ron

Alan Smallbone

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #15 on: October 24, 2016, 10:20:54 am »

Ron I think he is talking about the X100T which has a fixed lens. I think the 23mm f2 for the x-series ILC. The advantage of the 23mm f2 over the 23mm f1.4 is the weather resistance and the smaller size. However I think the 23mm f1.4 is superior optically too, all tradeoffs.

Alan
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Alan Smallbone
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mbaginy

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #16 on: October 24, 2016, 02:54:22 pm »

Ron, Alan, yes I meant the fixed lens of the X100T.  I like the little camera very much (except for the non-locking shutter speed dial) and will use it only within the constraints placed through the lens performance.  I could have a bad copy.  (Hate that term.)

The 23/1.4 is a fantastic performer!  I like the clutch mechanism for manual focusing (once I got used to it).  But due to its weight and size, I might prefer the new 23/2 - as long as it isn't the same design as the lens of the X100T.  (Only if I due actually make the switch from Canon - still undecided.)  What I hate is the silly plastic lens shade for the 23/1.4 wish it were metal.  Same with the shade for the 56/1.2

I prefer the 35/2 to the 35/1.4 because of the smaller size.  And it's quiet, no chatter when focusing.  But both can be used wide open without any second thought.
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Ken Bennett

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #17 on: October 24, 2016, 04:10:59 pm »

I owned the 23/1.4 and sold it when the 23/2 was announced. I received the 23/2 a couple of weeks ago, and have been very happy shooting with it every day. It's smaller, lighter, focuses *very* fast, and image quality is very good.

There are complaints online about softness when focusing very close, though I haven't seen this (I don't do a lot of closeups with this sort of lens). I am getting very nice images with it at all apertures. It fits very well onto an X Pro 2 and doesn't block any of the optical viewfinder.

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armand

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #18 on: October 24, 2016, 06:31:21 pm »

I have no problem with a plastic hood, it might be better as it will have more flexibility and not transmit the full force of a hit to the lens. As for the light blocking capability they are equal, less reflections from the plastic though.

rdonson

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Re: Small Fuji primes... "just like the old days..."
« Reply #19 on: October 25, 2016, 12:58:38 pm »

Alan, Mike and Ken, thanks for clearing up my mistaken notion on which 23 f/2 Mike was referring to and for the good words on the 23 f/2 WR I'm considering.
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Regards,
Ron
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