Me and Fuji San...

[rayyan]

This post relates only to the Fuji X series of cameras..specifically the xe-1, x-100s,
xt-1 and the xpro-2.

I have also bought and used the following lenses...18-55, 35/1.4, 23/1.4, 56/1.2,
60/2.4, 16-55 and the 90/2.

Mostly on the xt-1 and xpro-2.

I do not intend to post images, as most have been posted in this forum.
From Africa, Asia, South America, North America, Canada, Paris, Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, Belarus, Russia, Georgia.

Not Forgetting New Zealand and the PRC.

Let me say, I hate the 35mm ( 135mm FF equivalent ) hence the 23/1.4 is collecting dust as is the x100s. The 23/1.4, people swear by it. I swear at it. As I do at the 56/1.2... good weight to throw at people. The 60/2.4...well the less said the better. Passable in good light. Excellent image quality. But again not for me.

The 23/1.4 and the 56/1.2 have excellent image quality too! I don't like one of these focal lengths. The 56/1.2 is slow to focus, misses focus often and once past the big aperture openings, the bg is not to my liking.

The 35/1.4, also belongs to the initial group of Fuji lenses. It is not very fast to focus...cf the 35/2. But 50mm is how I see the world, most often. All the images from Georgia..were made with this as the only lens I carried.
It has a rendering I like. Super. This was also the only lens I tookwith me to China.

Quite a few images have been posted in this forum.

Now to the 16-55/2.8! What a beast of a lens. And what a lens! But I tire of it after a few hours of carrying it. Reminds me of my Nikon 2.8s! Superb renditions, the 16mm comes in handy. Fast, WR, silent. But more for short outings or events for me. btw, it makes a super landscape lens as well as for events and carry around. No ois is a disadvantage along with the size and weight.

The 90/2. What can I say. Superb. Bokeh to die for. Sharp as a surgeon's scalpel.
And did I mention fast. From the get go, till diffraction sets in, this shall perform.
A bit heavy and looks daunting with the lens hood. And no vr! I think Fuji made a mistake here. But worth every penny to me as a portrait and medium telephoto.

The 14/2.8. As good as they come. Light but typical super Fuji quality lens. Lovely
piece of glass. Shall not disappoint you.

Now the venerable 18-55. A notch below the 16-55. That's how I would rate it. A wonderful piece of glass. With its vr, I can handhold it at 55mm and 1/20 secs! Me. I cannot hold a water glass steady. So the f/2.8 advantage is somehow mitigated. I know, I know...what about moving objects...well just blur them

The dreaded ' painterly ' effect. I have seen it. In the thousands of images I have made, I have seen it maybe a very few times. Now I don't worry about it.

I shall be leaving to a distant land shortly. I wanted to take my Nikon Df. But after trying various cameras and combinations...I decided on the Fuji.

The xpro-2.
The xt-1 as standby.
18-55, 35/1.4, 14/2.8. The 90/2 shall travel too. Very likely, but not definite.

There you have it. My impressions of the Fuji system I have and continue to use.

 

[algrove]

Unlike you I see in 35mm FL terms. Thus I like the 23/2. Also have the 35/2 and 90/2 with 50/2 coming soon. For travel wide lens I will take the Zeiss Touit 12/2.8. Light and fast. I like the 56/1.2, but did not get the ADP or whatever it is as bokeh naturally happens in my images so adding to it was not necessary for me and I decided for the regular 56. Forgot to mention I have the 16/1.4 which I very much like and often use it with the 56/1.2, one on each XT2 body. At a recent Ferrari show this 56/1.2 produced superb images for me. The 16/1.4 also produced superb images at the same show. Two easy elnses to carry around.

I tend to get and use the WR lenses since they would be best to have with you if caught out in bad weather which makes for the best images. They are also good for dusty areas0

Zooms are heavy to take on long journeys and as such I will be avoiding them as much as possible. Wish the 1.4x and 2x worked on 90/2. Good glass is generally heavy and Fuji zooms are no exception, especially the Red labeled lenses. I find the 50-140 the most useable zoom for me so far, even though I have the 10-24, 16-55, and also the 100-400.

 

[Thorkil]

This post relates only to the Fuji X series of cameras..specifically the xe-1, x-100s,
xt-1 and the xpro-2.

I have also bought and used the following lenses...18-55, 35/1.4, 23/1.4, 56/1.2,
60/2.4, 16-55 and the 90/2.

Mostly on the xt-1 and xpro-2.

I do not intend to post images, as most have been posted in this forum.
From Africa, Asia, South America, North America, Canada, Paris, Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, Belarus, Russia, Georgia.

Not Forgetting New Zealand and the PRC.

Let me say, I hate the 35mm ( 135mm FF equivalent ) hence the 23/1.4 is collecting dust as is the x100s. The 23/1.4, people swear by it. I swear at it. As I do at the 56/1.2... good weight to throw at people. The 60/2.4...well the less said the better. Passable in good light. Excellent image quality. But again not for me.

The 23/1.4 and the 56/1.2 have excellent image quality too! I don't like one of these focal lengths. The 56/1.2 is slow to focus, misses focus often and once past the big aperture openings, the bg is not to my liking.

The 35/1.4, also belongs to the initial group of Fuji lenses. It is not very fast to focus...cf the 35/2. But 50mm is how I see the world, most often. All the images from Georgia..were made with this as the only lens I carried.
It has a rendering I like. Super. This was also the only lens I tookwith me to China.

Quite a few images have been posted in this forum.

Now to the 16-55/2.8! What a beast of a lens. And what a lens! But I tire of it after a few hours of carrying it. Reminds me of my Nikon 2.8s! Superb renditions, the 16mm comes in handy. Fast, WR, silent. But more for short outings or events for me. btw, it makes a super landscape lens as well as for events and carry around. No ois is a disadvantage along with the size and weight.

The 90/2. What can I say. Superb. Bokeh to die for. Sharp as a surgeon's scalpel.
And did I mention fast. From the get go, till diffraction sets in, this shall perform.
A bit heavy and looks daunting with the lens hood. And no vr! I think Fuji made a mistake here. But worth every penny to me as a portrait and medium telephoto.

The 14/2.8. As good as they come. Light but typical super Fuji quality lens. Lovely
piece of glass. Shall not disappoint you.

Now the venerable 18-55. A notch below the 16-55. That's how I would rate it. A wonderful piece of glass. With its vr, I can handhold it at 55mm and 1/20 secs! Me. I cannot hold a water glass steady. So the f/2.8 advantage is somehow mitigated. I know, I know...what about moving objects...well just blur them

The dreaded ' painterly ' effect. I have seen it. In the thousands of images I have made, I have seen it maybe a very few times. Now I don't worry about it.

I shall be leaving to a distant land shortly. I wanted to take my Nikon Df. But after trying various cameras and combinations...I decided on the Fuji.

The xpro-2.
The xt-1 as standby.
18-55, 35/1.4, 14/2.8. The 90/2 shall travel too. Very likely, but not definite.

There you have it. My impressions of the Fuji system I have and continue to use.

Dear Rayyan
Before I read your fine evaluation on Fuji I decided to go to Foto-C store this morning for: Black X-T2 with 18-55 OIS, 10-24 OIS, 23/2.0 and then jump up to the 90/2.0 which should be magical, and I need it for work today. In Stockholm next week, I think I will go for only the 10-24 + 23/2.0. (the 23/2.0 for the walk-around careless shots )
Best Thorkil

 

[jsf]

Interesting thoughts. I believe that people choose the Fuji system for the weight and size plus the superb quality. But after that we all diverge into our preferences in how we see the world, and what and how much do we want to carry, particularly when we travel.

My preferences when I go some place where the Fuji is more practical than the Nikon system is this: The 14mm which I find as flawless as a lens can be at this angle of view. I prefer the small slightly wide normal using the 27mm lens. It focuses fast and is startlingly sharp. I am not a fan of zoom lenses, but I own two Fuji zooms and both are sharp, pro lenses, small and lightweight. The smaller of the two is the 55-200mm lens. Sometimes I do not bring the longer lens but when I do I really love the focal lengths of 100-400mm. The three smaller lenses plus the XT-1 and XT-2 bodies fit in my smallest Lowe Pro case. I would say the the OOF (bokeh) area is neutral, not pretty and not ugly on these four lenses.

If i was a wildlife photographer, the Fuji compared to the Nikon system of tracking and staying in focus is not a contender. But it is rare for what I like to shoot that this is an issue. Low light work the Fuji XT=2 is supurb and the XT-1 is close behind. As good as the Nikon but with one really big edge. It is quiet and unobtrusive. It is so quiet that photographing at an acoustic concert is cool with the Fuji.

Not that the Fuji cannot be used in a studio setting but compared to the Nikon system for general purpose use the Fuji was not designed for that. Within what it was designed for I cannot think of a mirrorless system that tops the Fuji. No slight to all of the other systems out there and there are good cameras and lenses out there, but as a system I think Fuji thought this through and delivered right on the mark.

 

[rayyan]

Hi Thorkil.
How are you?

You have made a good choice. The 18-55 covers the mid-range pretty decently.
The 10-24, I have only read praise for it.

The 23/2 WR is a fast focusing lens.

The 90/2 is super, but heavy. The 10-24 is big. The ois helps it a lot.

Happy photography.
Best regards.

Dear Rayyan
Before I read your fine evaluation on Fuji I decided to go to Foto-C store this morning for: Black X-T2 with 18-55 OIS, 10-24 OIS, 23/2.0 and then jump up to the 90/2.0 which should be magical, and I need it for work today. In Stockholm next week, I think I will go for only the 10-24 + 23/2.0. (the 23/2.0 for the walk-around careless shots )
Best Thorkil

 

[rayyan]

But then again, I shall miss my Df...very much.

I have to make room for it. Even with just the 50/1.8G, and maybe the 85/1.8G.

Cut out the 35/1.4, 90/2 and the xt-1.

Yeah, why not. It is my back only that might suffer!

 

[segedi]

rayyan,

If you want to throw that 23/1.4 at me, I wouldn't mind If I had one focal length it would be this one.

I have the X-T2, 10-24 I do like it, but would trade this for a 16mm!
The 35/1.4 seems to focus fater on the X-T2 then it did the X-T1, but I would trade it for the f2 just for WR.
And I have the 56/1.2. IT does stumble a fair bit in low light (irony) but I still like it!
I also can adapt the 50mm Summilux and a 135/2.5 Takumar. I should use them more on the X-T2...

 

[Thorkil]

Hi Thorkil.
How are you?

You have made a good choice. The 18-55 covers the mid-range pretty decently.
The 10-24, I have only read praise for it.

The 23/2 WR is a fast focusing lens.

The 90/2 is super, but heavy. The 10-24 is big. The ois helps it a lot.

Happy photography.
Best regards.

Hi Rayyan,
Thank you, but beware, that’s a philosophical question you put on there, so looking from outside, I’m doing relative fine in the physical apartment (apart from age and inferior mechanical issues keep rolling on), a bit melancholic, because I might have got it all wrong, just because of an old Japanese Electrician, the journalist asked the young man at the bottom of a long latter, an adult-apprentice, only 75 years old, how the apparently very old man at the other end of the latter, high above, was doing…fine fine he answered, he is 100 years old, but the only problem is when here he stay there at the top for more than 15 minutes, his legs starts shaking some much I have difficulties holding the latter. Coming down the journalist asked the old little man, if it was the food or the fresh air that made him live that long…no, no, not at all he repeated, it’s only the work.
Therefore, I committed myself to work until I die. But frankly I do much better without, and I miss Photographing, and I miss being allowed to be utterly lazy. And I miss silly pictures, the more silly the more I miss them…
But how are you? I could read between your lines about your melancholic state(right?), mostly because of health…but there might only be one way forward…..pushing..pushing…..and keep it so. Right? But it looks like you at least get sufficient exercise on your tours (sorry for all the words)
The 10-24 is mainly for work (and the OIS worked fine tested on 1/30), the 23/2.0 was unfortunately at order from the store, mainly for joy and silly pictures, the 90 mainly for work, and a guess a bit joy, walking in Copenhagen. I don’t know about the 18-55, if I will use it, but we shall see.
But I guess there will soon (or perhaps better go shopping before Stockholm) be a 16/1.4(perhaps I could do with only this by then at Stockholm, worth considering!) both for work and joy. I had a 21 Elmarit glued at my M6 for many many years, but it actually was a bit wide for joy, so the 16 will be right. My inner view angle appears to foremost be around 21-28mm I guess, sometimes wider.
Yesterday I was shocked to find that the 17-35 on my D700 at high iso (3200, I will need it at work) was giving a more refined picture than the 10-24 on the X-T2 of my bookshelf, but non-scientific tested. I updated the software for the XF lenses and decided to forget about this issue.
So I will keep the D700 (I would have love to have a Df, smaller, less weight, much more X-T2-like!)
(now lets get out of the frontdoor ...with the camera in hand..I tell myself)(..and good health to you!)
Thorkil

 

[Thorkil]

This post relates only to the Fuji X series of cameras..specifically the xe-1, x-100s,
xt-1 and the xpro-2.

I have also bought and used the following lenses...18-55, 35/1.4, 23/1.4, 56/1.2,
60/2.4, 16-55 and the 90/2.

Mostly on the xt-1 and xpro-2.

I do not intend to post images, as most have been posted in this forum.
From Africa, Asia, South America, North America, Canada, Paris, Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, Belarus, Russia, Georgia.

Not Forgetting New Zealand and the PRC.

Let me say, I hate the 35mm ( 135mm FF equivalent ) hence the 23/1.4 is collecting dust as is the x100s. The 23/1.4, people swear by it. I swear at it. As I do at the 56/1.2... good weight to throw at people. The 60/2.4...well the less said the better. Passable in good light. Excellent image quality. But again not for me.

The 23/1.4 and the 56/1.2 have excellent image quality too! I don't like one of these focal lengths. The 56/1.2 is slow to focus, misses focus often and once past the big aperture openings, the bg is not to my liking.

The 35/1.4, also belongs to the initial group of Fuji lenses. It is not very fast to focus...cf the 35/2. But 50mm is how I see the world, most often. All the images from Georgia..were made with this as the only lens I carried.
It has a rendering I like. Super. This was also the only lens I tookwith me to China.

Quite a few images have been posted in this forum.

Now to the 16-55/2.8! What a beast of a lens. And what a lens! But I tire of it after a few hours of carrying it. Reminds me of my Nikon 2.8s! Superb renditions, the 16mm comes in handy. Fast, WR, silent. But more for short outings or events for me. btw, it makes a super landscape lens as well as for events and carry around. No ois is a disadvantage along with the size and weight.

The 90/2. What can I say. Superb. Bokeh to die for. Sharp as a surgeon's scalpel.
And did I mention fast. From the get go, till diffraction sets in, this shall perform.
A bit heavy and looks daunting with the lens hood. And no vr! I think Fuji made a mistake here. But worth every penny to me as a portrait and medium telephoto.

The 14/2.8. As good as they come. Light but typical super Fuji quality lens. Lovely
piece of glass. Shall not disappoint you.

Now the venerable 18-55. A notch below the 16-55. That's how I would rate it. A wonderful piece of glass. With its vr, I can handhold it at 55mm and 1/20 secs! Me. I cannot hold a water glass steady. So the f/2.8 advantage is somehow mitigated. I know, I know...what about moving objects...well just blur them

The dreaded ' painterly ' effect. I have seen it. In the thousands of images I have made, I have seen it maybe a very few times. Now I don't worry about it.

I shall be leaving to a distant land shortly. I wanted to take my Nikon Df. But after trying various cameras and combinations...I decided on the Fuji.

The xpro-2.
The xt-1 as standby.
18-55, 35/1.4, 14/2.8. The 90/2 shall travel too. Very likely, but not definite.

There you have it. My impressions of the Fuji system I have and continue to use.

PS Rayyan. How about just doing the 14/2.8, a 35/2.0 (which do some sensational resolution at f.4 and 5.6, way better than the 35/1.4 + smaller, less weight) and the 90/2, and leave the rest at home?
I have turned around according to the 16/1.4. The 14/2.8 seems to be that much better in resolution, and on top smaller and less weight too, that I will aim for that instead.
Best Thorkil

 

[rayyan]

Hi Thorkil.

My friend we age or we die. Let's age a little more, hopefully.

I had to leave work due to the stress which which caused my heart infarction, over a long period. I just woke up one day, said enough..and met the chairman and told him I was gone! Well they visited me in hospital so they knew the reason.

I do sometimes miss work...but not by much. My grandkids keep me busy enough. I don't travel much these days. I hate long air travel; need to break my journey, somewhere. I have seen most of Europe I wanted to see. And also the Americas. Really do not have the urge to visit any of these places again. But family just calls, and we take the arduous journey. For me 14 days away from home is 14 days too much.

My wife and I really wanted to visit Antartica. For me, it shall remain a place I am unable to visit.

There is a place in Asia which my wife insists I visit. So I am going there. How many days? I get tired after a day, I shall just return home. Or extend my stay if I find something interesting and not too tiring.

The Fuji is a good system for me. The 90mm without ois is too much for me. It weighs over 500 gm. The 14 is traveling, as is the 18-55. I want to do some slow
Speed photography, and that is where I intend to us it...without carrying a tripod.

I am still wanting to take the Df, 50/1.8 and the 85/1.8. I am going back and forth between the 85 and the relatively slow 56/1.2 focus hunting wonder.

I bought the Fuji 35/2 on impulse. The 35/1.4 might be old..but it has wisdom! I shall take wisdom over fast focus and WR any day. For rain, I use an umbrella!

How did your event go? Any thoughts on the equipment you used?

Take care and warmest regards.

 

[Irenaeus]

Hi Thorkil.

My friend we age or we die. Let's age a little more, hopefully.

Dear Rayyan,

Life can change quickly, can't it? So sorry about your travel restrictions but very glad that you have a family to visit.

My wife and I made a last minute detour on our way home a few weeks ago just in order to buy a calendar. Walking into the bookstore, my heel found an icy spot and I went three feet up and horizontal before gravity changed my mind and I went three feet down and vertical. Brain bleed, "mild" concussion, darkened rooms, indeterminate recovery time (but it could be much longer than I want,)not to stimulate the brain at all, sleep a lot....but could've been enormously worse since my back took the brunt of the fall and not my head!

Age well, Life is still a gift, May your heart be whole in every way,

Prayers and fellow feeling for your recovery,

Irenaeus

 

[Thorkil]

Hi Thorkil.

My friend we age or we die. Let's age a little more, hopefully.

I had to leave work due to the stress which which caused my heart infarction, over a long period. I just woke up one day, said enough..and met the chairman and told him I was gone! Well they visited me in hospital so they knew the reason.

I do sometimes miss work...but not by much. My grandkids keep me busy enough. I don't travel much these days. I hate long air travel; need to break my journey, somewhere. I have seen most of Europe I wanted to see. And also the Americas. Really do not have the urge to visit any of these places again. But family just calls, and we take the arduous journey. For me 14 days away from home is 14 days too much.

My wife and I really wanted to visit Antartica. For me, it shall remain a place I am unable to visit.

There is a place in Asia which my wife insists I visit. So I am going there. How many days? I get tired after a day, I shall just return home. Or extend my stay if I find something interesting and not too tiring.

The Fuji is a good system for me. The 90mm without ois is too much for me. It weighs over 500 gm. The 14 is traveling, as is the 18-55. I want to do some slow
Speed photography, and that is where I intend to us it...without carrying a tripod.

I am still wanting to take the Df, 50/1.8 and the 85/1.8. I am going back and forth between the 85 and the relatively slow 56/1.2 focus hunting wonder.

I bought the Fuji 35/2 on impulse. The 35/1.4 might be old..but it has wisdom! I shall take wisdom over fast focus and WR any day. For rain, I use an umbrella!

How did your event go? Any thoughts on the equipment you used?

Take care and warmest regards.

Hi Rayyan! Just in short, while driving to Stockholm in some few hours, more work than pleasure there, and have to finish some work before leaving. Hope I will get some hours free to visit the old city, such a beautiful and quiet place!
Work can kill you, it can take control on you, occupie your brain, interfere your sleep. I had some slim years, financially a disaster but mentally a relief. I reinvented the sleep before we got kids, 7-9 hours instead of 5, I read newspapers,
came out of the front door, did some photos too! That was life...
I'm beggin my wife for more simple living, selling holiday houses, but no way. Italy is just fine, but I could do with Denmark, I could do with Copenhagen, perhaps visit that wonderful Bornholn again, just some hour’s ride and a ferry, do the other side of Öresund, Sweden, perhaps renting a reed painted small traditional Swedish house. And Nordjylland where light is different, life is slow and simple, mind is relaxing, and nature is larger.
I hope you will take care of your heart, and your wife will do it too, even if she got so much energy...but still you have to do the walking, to keep the blood flowing in your vains. I have to remind myself on that!
I did buy the 16/1.4, while my friend of a dealer, and another friend told, even the 14 seems sharper the 16 is the best lens Fuji made. So I had to buy it.
Perhaps this will be the only lens for Stockholm. Also want it to be simple, but that wonderful place with the tree in the middle need the 10-24.
Rayyan, just do it with Fuji, leave the beloved Df at home, better to walk light than heavy, you will walk longer, and your heart will then smile at you, then just best the 35/2 and the 56/1.2, or the 18-55 and the 56/1.2 !? and without tripod! How about that?
Take care and warm regards too. Thorkil

 

[Tim]

Rayyan,
I very much enjoy hearing what FL system mixes work for different people. I've been carrying exclusively my GR for many months now but lately I have struggled to enjoy the 28mm equiv FL. For some reason its turned out to be too wide in recent times, its like my vision has changed.

I've picked up an X100T as a gift for myself. Where I live the exclusive use of a LCD is problematic at times so I am lusting after that OVF of the X100T and hoping the longer FL will engage me again. I also waited patiently for the X-T20 as I want, want, want compact APS-C and I think the X-T20 will complement the X100T well. I will go the 14mm (21mm equiv) and the new 50mm f2 (75mm equiv) and see how that works as a kit with the X100T. An added bonus is if either camera fails I have something to use.

Cheers and good luck with your system.

Tim

 

[rayyan]

Hi Ireneus.

Thanks for your post and well wishes.
May the Good Lord Bless us all.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

Warmest regards.

Dear Rayyan,

Life can change quickly, can't it? So sorry about your travel restrictions but very glad that you have a family to visit.

My wife and I made a last minute detour on our way home a few weeks ago just in order to buy a calendar. Walking into the bookstore, my heel found an icy spot and I went three feet up and horizontal before gravity changed my mind and I went three feet down and vertical. Brain bleed, "mild" concussion, darkened rooms, indeterminate recovery time (but it could be much longer than I want,)not to stimulate the brain at all, sleep a lot....but could've been enormously worse since my back took the brunt of the fall and not my head!

Age well, Life is still a gift, May your heart be whole in every way,

Prayers and fellow feeling for your recovery,

Irenaeus

 

[rayyan]

Tim having lens choices is a mixed blessing.
Travel...and I star thinking, what lens/es to take.

Deep down I know, it would not make that much difference, which lens I take.
1 lens would suffice...but the urge to not leave this/that behind is very strong.
But this feeling is, for me, just emotional and not logical. Only for the way I photograph, mind you.

Best wishes.

 

[algrove]

Tim having lens choices is a mixed blessing.
Travel...and I star thinking, what lens/es to take.

Deep down I know, it would not make that much difference, which lens I take.
1 lens would suffice...but the urge to not leave this/that behind is very strong.
But this feeling is, for me, just emotional and not logical. Only for the way I photograph, mind you.

Best wishes.

To simplify my life after losing eyesight in one eye and almost losing it in my only good eye, I finally decided I needed AF and concentrated on a fixed lens camera. It is not important which camera, but just pick the one that works for you and has a FL closest to what makes you happy.

Agree Rayyan that often lens choice is the stress we create for ourselves.

 

[Puma Cat]

Rayyan,
I very much enjoy hearing what FL system mixes work for different people. I've been carrying exclusively my GR for many months now but lately I have struggled to enjoy the 28mm equiv FL. For some reason its turned out to be too wide in recent times, its like my vision has changed.

I've picked up an X100T as a gift for myself. Where I live the exclusive use of a LCD is problematic at times so I am lusting after that OVF of the X100T and hoping the longer FL will engage me again. I also waited patiently for the X-T20 as I want, want, want compact APS-C and I think the X-T20 will complement the X100T well. I will go the 14mm (21mm equiv) and the new 50mm f2 (75mm equiv) and see how that works as a kit with the X100T. An added bonus is if either camera fails I have something to use.

Cheers and good luck with your system.

Tim

I love my X100T. I love, love, love that camera. It just works for me. It's proven to be so versatile, so enjoyable to use; it just makes me want to pick it up and get out and produce work with it. I also have the 23/1.4, and while I find it to be optically superb, I find I'd just rather carry my X100T with me along with the X-T2 and use it when I need a 35mm FOV. Personally, I think the X100T is one of the best cameras I've ever owned or used for how well it does what it was designed to do.

How about a high-speed, continuous autofocus shot of a "bird in flight" with an X100T?

Scottish Sea Eagle, Gauntlet Birds of Prey Raptor Sanctuary, Knutsford, UK....

 

[Puma Cat]

This post relates only to the Fuji X series of cameras..specifically the xe-1, x-100s,
xt-1 and the xpro-2.

I have also bought and used the following lenses...18-55, 35/1.4, 23/1.4, 56/1.2,
60/2.4, 16-55 and the 90/2.

Mostly on the xt-1 and xpro-2.

I do not intend to post images, as most have been posted in this forum.
From Africa, Asia, South America, North America, Canada, Paris, Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, Belarus, Russia, Georgia.

Not Forgetting New Zealand and the PRC.

Let me say, I hate the 35mm ( 135mm FF equivalent ) hence the 23/1.4 is collecting dust as is the x100s. The 23/1.4, people swear by it. I swear at it. As I do at the 56/1.2... good weight to throw at people. The 60/2.4...well the less said the better. Passable in good light. Excellent image quality. But again not for me.

The 23/1.4 and the 56/1.2 have excellent image quality too! I don't like one of these focal lengths. The 56/1.2 is slow to focus, misses focus often and once past the big aperture openings, the bg is not to my liking.

The 35/1.4, also belongs to the initial group of Fuji lenses. It is not very fast to focus...cf the 35/2. But 50mm is how I see the world, most often. All the images from Georgia..were made with this as the only lens I carried.
It has a rendering I like. Super. This was also the only lens I tookwith me to China.

Quite a few images have been posted in this forum.

Now to the 16-55/2.8! What a beast of a lens. And what a lens! But I tire of it after a few hours of carrying it. Reminds me of my Nikon 2.8s! Superb renditions, the 16mm comes in handy. Fast, WR, silent. But more for short outings or events for me. btw, it makes a super landscape lens as well as for events and carry around. No ois is a disadvantage along with the size and weight.

The 90/2. What can I say. Superb. Bokeh to die for. Sharp as a surgeon's scalpel.
And did I mention fast. From the get go, till diffraction sets in, this shall perform.
A bit heavy and looks daunting with the lens hood. And no vr! I think Fuji made a mistake here. But worth every penny to me as a portrait and medium telephoto.

The 14/2.8. As good as they come. Light but typical super Fuji quality lens. Lovely
piece of glass. Shall not disappoint you.

Now the venerable 18-55. A notch below the 16-55. That's how I would rate it. A wonderful piece of glass. With its vr, I can handhold it at 55mm and 1/20 secs! Me. I cannot hold a water glass steady. So the f/2.8 advantage is somehow mitigated. I know, I know...what about moving objects...well just blur them

The dreaded ' painterly ' effect. I have seen it. In the thousands of images I have made, I have seen it maybe a very few times. Now I don't worry about it.

I shall be leaving to a distant land shortly. I wanted to take my Nikon Df. But after trying various cameras and combinations...I decided on the Fuji.

The xpro-2.
The xt-1 as standby.
18-55, 35/1.4, 14/2.8. The 90/2 shall travel too. Very likely, but not definite.

There you have it. My impressions of the Fuji system I have and continue to use.

Wow! :clap: I really enjoyed Rayvan's post and this thread as a whole! After weeks of reading nothing but contentious, argumentative, and confrontational posts not by real photographers, but " gear geeks" in other photo forums, it is so refreshing to read such a thoughtful post and warm exchange of sensibilities between friends. Wonderful insights about life as well as photography, too. This is like a breath of fresh air! Thank you, gentlemen!

Rayvan, I really appreciated your sharing your insights and thoughts about "Fuji San". As JSF has pointed out, I also find it interesting to see and read what works for different people in different ways. One of things I've found interesting in using the Fuji X-system since I first bought into it with an X-Pro1 back in late 2012, is that I find I tend to shoot "wider" than I did with other systems. By way of some background: while I am a molecular biologist/Six Sigma Black Belt for a biotech company by profession, I've shot pro motorsports with professional photojournalist credentials for major racetracks in California for gosh, 14 years, now! I exclusively used pro Canon bodies (1D-series) and all that big, white and HEAVY L glass all that time and I tended to shoot tighter with that system than I do my Fuji X system.

When I bought my X-Pro1 back in 2012, there were only three lenses out for it at that time as you know, and I bought the 35mm f/1.4. While I found it optically superb, it was slow to focus and overall, I just found it was too "tight" for how I wanted to shoot with my Fuji. I tried the original 18mm and didn't really like it because has some odd distortion behaviors. I first shot with the 18-55 as a rental, and found I really liked it, both for it's optical quality and it's versatility. I found it to be surprisingly good (and sharp) for what was purportedly a "kit lens" and bought one in mid-2013. I also discovered what I refer to as the "fab Fuji Fourteen" at that time, and was gobsmacked at what a gorgeous lens it was. What has surprised me is just how versatile the 14 has proven to be; I would estimate I shoot with it approximately 40% of the time. I bought the X-T1 in 2014 and it became my primary camera until I got the X-T2 in September. I also bought the 23/1.4 in March 2014, a little after the time I got the X-T1, and while I absolutely love its image quality, in practice, I found I just didn't use it very much, even though I find it's optical quality to be superb. I found that I used the 14mm and 18-55 about 90% of the time, the 23mm f/1.4 ~5% of the time, and a LNIB 60mm I picked up used for table top product photography the remaining 5% of the time (side bar: I actually think the image quality of the 60mm is very fine and rather special, and it focuses fast enough on an X-T1 or better).

But, I found I just didn't use 35mm f/1.4 at all.... I finally sold my X-Pro1 along with the 35/1.4 to a friend who was really pining for it, and I find I don't miss the 35/1.4 in any way. I do, however, miss my X-Pro1 to some degree because I still think that camera had a very special quality to the images it produced, especially the way it renders black and whites.

These days I primarily shoot with an X-T2, which I bought for my motorsports photography (the camera is a veritable performance beast with the Vertical Power Booster Grip; it's like a mini-Canon 1Dx!) and I still use the 14mm and 18-55 the most, by far. I also bought an X100T in January 2015, and I absolutely LOVE that camera, so I find that when I need a 23mm lens to provide a 35mm FOV, I just use my X100T rather than strapping on the 23/1.4.

I also have the 50-140 f/2.8 pro zoom I bought for my motorsports work. Optically, it is spectacular and I honestly think it outperforms my Canon 70-200/2.8 L IS II, which is no slouch! It's a big, heavy lens though, and I only rarely carry it around for a day out for photography.

For the future, I've been thinking of renting the 16-55/2.8 general purpose zoom to see how it stacks up to the 18-55 and I keep pondering whether I should get the 10-24 because it seems to be a very versatile and good lens, but...I just CANNOT see ever getting rid of the 14mm, which I just absolutely love.

There you have it. My impressions of the Fuji system i have and continue to use.

Thank you, gentlemen, again, for a very fine thread. You have made my day.

Cheers and best regards
Stephen aka Puma Cat

 

[scott kirkpatrick]

Re:My Fuji thoughts

I own an X-Pro2 and an X-T2 (my second actually -- the first one had to go back to the factory with a defective sensor). My other cameras since coming back into photography with digital around 2000 have been mostly Olympus and Leica. For me the only unqualified Fuji success is the X-Pro2 with the 35/2. The 35/2.0 has some limitations in rendering at the edges, but it is a perfect fit with the X-Pro2 for handling and seeing. The 23/1.4 doesn't seem to have any resolution limits, also focuses fast, but is bigger and thus more of an EVF lens. The OVF on the X-Pro2 works well for the 23/1.4 except that a fairly large corner of the frame is blocked. I'm a little disappointed with the X-T2 so far, because the contrastiness of its viewfinder makes it hard to judge a scene. It fits well with the 16/1.4 and 58/1.2, although those are tricky lenses to use as they don't fit many scenes. The Fuji 100-400 has proven to be great fun to use with the X-T2. It is not as sharp as the best Leica R and stabilized SL telephotos, but it has more reach than the Leica 90-280 and with its stabilization handles very well. I've posted pictures with all of these on this forum.

scott

PS: It's a great time for camera-play. With the fabulous in-body stabilization from Olympus and the amazing lenses that are available on Leica, it is a real challenge to find skills, time and settings to use them all.

 

[Thorkil]

Scottish Sea Eagle, Gauntlet Birds of Prey Raptor Sanctuary, Knutsford, UK....

Wonderful picture!
Thorkil