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xcd 30mm or xcd 21mm?

Boinger

Active member
As the post says which one of these do you think is better choice.

I already have the 45 and 90

The xcd 30mm feels like it will be too close to the 45.

But I don't shoot ultra ultra wide that much.

Seeking input from the few that have both.
 

docmoore

Subscriber and Workshop Member
As the post says which one of these do you think is better choice.

I already have the 45 and 90

The xcd 30mm feels like it will be too close to the 45.

But I don't shoot ultra ultra wide that much.

Seeking input from the few that have both.
The 30 is wide ... not at all close to the 45 .... the 21 ... will perhaps be a bit limited ... difficult to
control and after a brief affair you will relegate it to occasional use. Or not. Depends upon your
perception of reality and other-reality.

Ordered universe or surrealism?

Both can be artistic ... but more than likely one will be closer to your view and depiction of life.

Nice to have the difficulty of deciding.

Bob
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
I’ve got the 21, 30, 45, and 90.

If you don’t shoot ultrawide that much, I’d get the 30. The 30 is definitely wider than the 45 and I don’t find them that close in FOV in reality.

My impressions of the 21 so far are positive, but it is an ultrawide and considerably wider than the 30.

I think Bob makes some good points. For me, ultrawides are a go-to “when needed” (or when I’m in a creative rut) whereas the 30mm is a better all around focal length with a more natural FOV. YMMV. Happy to answer any other questions about the two lenses
-Todd
 

Boinger

Active member
The 30 is wide ... not at all close to the 45 .... the 21 ... will perhaps be a bit limited ... difficult to
control and after a brief affair you will relegate it to occasional use. Or not. Depends upon your
perception of reality and other-reality.

Ordered universe or surrealism?

Both can be artistic ... but more than likely one will be closer to your view and depiction of life.

Nice to have the difficulty of deciding.

Bob
That is my worry that I won't use it enough. On 35mm I did have the nikon 14-24 and found I was mainly at 24mm but those occasional times when the ultrawide was sometimes helpful.

I’ve got the 21, 30, 45, and 90.

If you don’t shoot ultrawide that much, I’d get the 30. The 30 is definitely wider than the 45 and I don’t find them that close in FOV in reality.

My impressions of the 21 so far are positive, but it is an ultrawide and considerably wider than the 30.

I think Bob makes some good points. For me, ultrawides are a go-to “when needed” (or when I’m in a creative rut) whereas the 30mm is a better all around focal length with a more natural FOV. YMMV. Happy to answer any other questions about the two lenses
-Todd
How often do you use your 30? I have the 45 and the 90 and I am finding the 45mm on their most often.

How is the sharpness between the 30 and the 21? Distortion?

Between the 21 and the 30 what would you prefer for night shots / stars?
 

dj may

Well-known member
With the Leica S system I have a 24, 30, 70 and 180. The 24 is my most-used lens. I bought the 30 prior to the 24 and at the time the 30 was my most-used lens. Leica sent me a 24 to test and after testing, I bought one.

If I were in your situation I would go with the 21; I like ultra-wide (I also have 15 and 21 with Leica M-P 240).

Maybe a shop will let you spend an hour with the 21, to see if it appeals. Some people find ultra-wide uncomfortable to use.

Jesse
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
That is my worry that I won't use it enough. On 35mm I did have the nikon 14-24 and found I was mainly at 24mm but those occasional times when the ultrawide was sometimes helpful.



How often do you use your 30? I have the 45 and the 90 and I am finding the 45mm on their most often.

How is the sharpness between the 30 and the 21? Distortion?

Between the 21 and the 30 what would you prefer for night shots / stars?
The 45 is also the lens I use the most often. It’s a tricky question though as I don’t necessarily use the 45 more by virtue of the focal length itself, it’s just there are currently no other native lenses between the 30 and the 90. I was hoping the 65 or 35-75mm would have come out before the 21mm. I use the 30 when I want wider than the 45.

I’m not the type for any detailed comparisons (I have a PhD in biomedical sciences - spent enough of my life doing that and photography is an escape for any of that for me), but my initial impressions are that the 30 is sharper (at least in the extreme corners) with better controlled distortion. IMHO that’s to be expected though, as distortion and extreme corners are usually weak points for ultrawides. The 21mm seems to be no slouch, I just haven’t had time to shoot with it much since receiving it.

For stars, the 30mm is an excellent performer and doesn’t really exhibit noticeable coma or chroma issues with the stars themselves. That being said, I find 30mm often isn’t wide enough for stars, another reason I bought the 21mm. I haven’t had a chance to do any star testing with the 21mm yet (Light pollution is a big problem in Atlanta). Heading up to the Carolina mountains next weekend and hope to put it to the test in that arena, weather permitting.

Your experience with the Nikon 14-24mm echoes my own usage. 24mm 35mm FF (30mm XCD) I find to be a more useful focal length that I use more often, but there are times when I want wider, and that’s where the 21mm fits in. If I had to choose between one or the other, it’d be the 30mm, buuuuut my current circumstances allowed me to pick up the 21 and hang on to the 30 :cool:
 

Boinger

Active member
The 45 is also the lens I use the most often. It’s a tricky question though as I don’t necessarily use the 45 more by virtue of the focal length itself, it’s just there are currently no other native lenses between the 30 and the 90. I was hoping the 65 or 35-75mm would have come out before the 21mm. I use the 30 when I want wider than the 45.

I’m not the type for any detailed comparisons (I have a PhD in biomedical sciences - spent enough of my life doing that and photography is an escape for any of that for me), but my initial impressions are that the 30 is sharper (at least in the extreme corners) with better controlled distortion. IMHO that’s to be expected though, as distortion and extreme corners are usually weak points for ultrawides. The 21mm seems to be no slouch, I just haven’t had time to shoot with it much since receiving it.

For stars, the 30mm is an excellent performer and doesn’t really exhibit noticeable coma or chroma issues with the stars themselves. That being said, I find 30mm often isn’t wide enough for stars, another reason I bought the 21mm. I haven’t had a chance to do any star testing with the 21mm yet (Light pollution is a big problem in Atlanta). Heading up to the Carolina mountains next weekend and hope to put it to the test in that arena, weather permitting.

Your experience with the Nikon 14-24mm echoes my own usage. 24mm 35mm FF (30mm XCD) I find to be a more useful focal length that I use more often, but there are times when I want wider, and that’s where the 21mm fits in. If I had to choose between one or the other, it’d be the 30mm, buuuuut my current circumstances allowed me to pick up the 21 and hang on to the 30 :cool:
Yea I want to try to keep my kit to a 3 lens kit so I am quite torn between the 30 and the 24. I do think for stars the 24 will show a better wide star field. Would love to see what you can do with it if you would post some pics after the weekend that would be wonderful. Ideally would love to get both lol.

But one of the main reasons I went x1d is to try to simplify my kit and not end up grabbing every lens that popped up lol. GAS is hard to overcome.
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
Yea I want to try to keep my kit to a 3 lens kit so I am quite torn between the 30 and the 24. I do think for stars the 24 will show a better wide star field. Would love to see what you can do with it if you would post some pics after the weekend that would be wonderful. Ideally would love to get both lol.

But one of the main reasons I went x1d is to try to simplify my kit and not end up grabbing every lens that popped up lol. GAS is hard to overcome.
Sure I'd be happy to! Hopefully the weather cooperates....it is milky way season after all and I'd love to get more shots of it, so we'll see what happens.

I definitely understand wanting to simplify the kit, and the X system makes for a great "simple" kit. Whenever the 35-75mm comes out, there's a good chance I may sell the 30 and 45 and go down to a 3 lens kit myself (21, 35-75, and 90). Experience has taught me having more lenses/more lens choices in the bag isn't always a good thing and can get in the way of the creative process. Simplicity is good, but speaking of GAS, I also still need to get a back for my STC at some point (and a 40 HR) and that won't ever happen if I keep picking up XCD lenses :p
 

Hausen

Active member
I had a pretty bad accident last year so decided to go with a one camera & one lens policy because I couldn't carry anything more. I decided that the XCD30 was that lens and I can't imagine me needing anything wider. The 30mm seems to me to be really wide on the X1D. Excellent lens though but I am likely to exit it for the Zoom once it is released because even though I am recovering now instead of carrying more digital lenses I am taking 2 cams and two lenses with the Horseman SW612 in my bag.:eek:
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
You do realize that this is posted on the Dante' forum. The only valid response is to buy both!!

(I don't have the X1D as I shoot Phase One IQ3100 & Fuji GFX, but I'd definitely purchase the full 21, 30, 45, 90 and future longer lens as a system) :thumbup:
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
I'm possibly the outlier here. I don't have an X1D, and might never, but for me the ideal kit to have with this camera is the ultrawide (21mm) and the portrait-tele-macro (120mm). A 50 MPixel camera with a lens this length, cropped square, of sufficient quality is my dream of a Hassy SWC in an all digital form, and the other thing I do with cameras of this type is macro, copy, and subjects that beg for a short->middle tele.

I don't see myself buying the X1D as a general purpose camera for all my needs, which is where the 30 and 90 lenses would be near ideal. It is something I could buy to achieve these niche uses.

G
 
I’ve got the 21, 30, 45, and 90.

If you don’t shoot ultrawide that much, I’d get the 30. The 30 is definitely wider than the 45 and I don’t find them that close in FOV in reality.

My impressions of the 21 so far are positive, but it is an ultrawide and considerably wider than the 30.

I think Bob makes some good points. For me, ultrawides are a go-to “when needed” (or when I’m in a creative rut) whereas the 30mm is a better all around focal length with a more natural FOV. YMMV. Happy to answer any other questions about the two lenses
-Todd
Hi,
I'm waiting for my 21 to come in... But if you have a chance to take a shot of the same scene at the same distance with the 21mm and 30mm and post them, that would be greatly appreciated. Nothing fancy, but ideally an interior. I was originally going to get an H 28 and use it with the adapter, but tried it in the store and it didn't seem wide enough for interiors. Or I guess I should rephrase, have the 45 also. So the 21 seemed to make more sense to pair with that.

Thanks!
Josh
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
Hi,
I'm waiting for my 21 to come in... But if you have a chance to take a shot of the same scene at the same distance with the 21mm and 30mm and post them, that would be greatly appreciated. Nothing fancy, but ideally an interior. I was originally going to get an H 28 and use it with the adapter, but tried it in the store and it didn't seem wide enough for interiors. Or I guess I should rephrase, have the 45 also. So the 21 seemed to make more sense to pair with that.

Thanks!
Josh
I'll see what I can do. FWIW I did one interior shoot with the HCD 28mm when I had my H4D-40 and also found it wasn't wide enough.
-Todd
 
I'll see what I can do. FWIW I did one interior shoot with the HCD 28mm when I had my H4D-40 and also found it wasn't wide enough.
-Todd
Cool,
Thanks, You can also just DM me the images if you don't want to post less than stellar ones on the forum. But also, don't stress over doing it either.
 

Boinger

Active member
You do realize that this is posted on the Dante' forum. The only valid response is to buy both!!

(I don't have the X1D as I shoot Phase One IQ3100 & Fuji GFX, but I'd definitely purchase the full 21, 30, 45, 90 and future longer lens as a system) :thumbup:
Lol I am actually afraid that will end up happening. Before you know it I will have EVERY XCD lens.. lol
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
Here ya go guys. 21mm is on the left, 30mm is on the right. All I did was switch lenses while the camera was on the tripod and so the exact same camera position was maintained for both shots. Hopefully that gives an idea of the differences for interiors. It's not a particularly big room but one of the least-messy rooms of the house :p Hope that's helpful. If there's anything else you want to see, let me know
-Todd

Screen Shot 2018-06-01 at 5.06.44 PM.jpg
 

tcdeveau

Well-known member
I should also mention that those were directly imported from camera to lightroom, not sure what lens corrections were applied (if any).

Here ya go guys. 21mm is on the left, 30mm is on the right. All I did was switch lenses while the camera was on the tripod and so the exact same camera position was maintained for both shots. Hopefully that gives an idea of the differences for interiors. It's not a particularly big room but one of the least-messy rooms of the house :p Hope that's helpful. If there's anything else you want to see, let me know
-Todd

View attachment 134444
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Here ya go guys. 21mm is on the left, 30mm is on the right. ...
I'd love that 21mm lens on the X1D with a square crop. That really does look like the mythical all-digital Hasselblad SWC of my dreams.

I wonder how many years it's gonna take me to cave in and buy one? It took 35 years to finally buy an SWC ... but I don't think I have that many years left at this point! :D

G
 
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