My Top 3 Fujinon XF lenses and My Lens Dilemmas: Which one To Sell, and Which one to Buy?

Top 3 Lenses

To be clear, this is NOT a ranking from best to worst, but only a ranking from most to least used lenses. In your style of shooting, you might have completely different priorities.

I currently own 8 X mount lenses, but overall I owned more of them, but as many of you, I had to sell some to buy others.

Here are my currently most used/loved lenses:

  1. XF 35mm f/1.4 as we explained, it has the magic. It will remain on top forever, unless the Fujinon XF33mm f/1.0 comes with a reasonable price tag and a magic touch. It’s not my most used one, but surely my most loved
  2. XF 18-135mm – never without it on my travels. My copy is excellent and I snapped my favorite image of 2018 with it. However, I hear that there is a rather big inconsistency, and some samples come out not that good from the Fuji factory. Sample variation is a common problem amongst all lens manufacturers, but I hear it is particularly big with the XF18-135
  3. XF 10-24mm f/4 –  I live in the middle of some of the most beautiful mountains in the world (and also some of the most photographed), and having wide angle options is just a must for me. The XF10-24 is with me all the time in my day or weekend trips. capturing marvellously my lakes and my impressive mountains. However when I pack for a travels (which happens once or twice a year), I always have the 18-135 in my bag, and in order to save space and weight, I sometimes prefer to take the Samyang 12 with me as wide option
  4. XF 27mm f/2.8 – if I leave my apartment for a random “switch of my mind from all that work” shoot or on travels (youtube video), than the XF27mmf/2.8 is the one. It’s my lens for casual shooting
  5. Samyang 12mmF2 – my top wide solution for travels and astrophotography and often in my travel bag. It’s only on the 5th position, but it’s a lens I am happy to keep and find very useful in my lineup
  6. XF 23mm f/1.4 – a great performer, and it’s a shame I don’t use it that much anymore, but with the 35/1.4 and 27/2.8 always in my bag, the 23/1.4 finds little space in there. But I will always be greatful for this lens, because it took some of my favorite images of all time, including the image of the new-born baby of SonyAlphaRumors. SAR was photographing with his FF Sony, me with my X-T1 and 23/1.4. Then we compared the images, and we had a clear winner: the Fuji :). I passed SAR the image, and he sent it to friends and family via email. I told about this in this article.
  7. XF 18-55 – the only problem of this lens, is that the XF18-135 exists.
  8. XF 55-200 – I loved this lens so much when I bought it, and I still do. I used it mainly for photographing animals like in this image. And I also still take some candid portrait shot with it. But once again the XF18-135 is to blame that it mainly stays at home

It’s hard to justify keeping the XF18-55 and XF55-200 any longer, but it’s also so hard to sell them.

However….

… another option could be to get the brand new Fujinon XF16-80mmF4, sell my XF18-135 and XF18-55, and at that point stay with the XF16-80 and XF55-500.

I have watched through my 18-135 image EXIF data, and discovered that I hardly use it at its long end anyway. My favorite image of 2018 for example was taken with the 18-135 at 70mm.

Also, a photography genre I have basically ignored until now, is macrophotography. I think it could give me a creative and motivational boost to try out something completely new. So I could sell two lenses and get the XF60mm or XF80mm (but I am afraid the 80 is a bit too “Pro” for my skills)

Decisions… :)

But something must go, since I have to start funding my still very meager XF33mm f/1.0 piggy bank, which has been drained recently due to my marriage.

Which brings me to the next problem: any idea guys how I can convince my wife that we need more lenses? ;)

take care,
Patrick @ Fuji X Forum, Flipboard, Facebook, RSS-feed, Twitter and Instagram

Fujifilm GFX100: Stupid Resolution, Unforgiving Camera, Recovery Potential, Overheating and More

GFX100 Shadow Recovery

Piet Van den Eynde has tested how far can you take a Fujifilm GFX100 file in postproduction. You can check it out in the video above.

GFX100 Overheats?

GFX 100 overheats says Jack:

“I received a strange message, “Turn off the camera, and turn it back on.” I tried that several times, and I kept receiving the same message. I took the batteries out, reloaded them, and tried again. Same message. I tried a second set of batteries. Same message.

I figured it must be the heat. At this point, I had taken 97 photographs in single-shot mode over a 90-minute period. No video.”

More at gfxmagazine.

Potential cause (and solution)

Stupid Resolution & Unforgiving Camera

digitalcameraworld woners: is 100MP just stupid? In their Fujifilm GFX100 review they write:

Unfortunately (for us), the GFX 100 has a higher resolving power even than our test chart, which maxes out at 4,000 line widths/picture height! This is normally plenty for even the best digital cameras, but not this time. […]

The GFX 100 can capture extraordinary levels of detail, but your technique has to be absolutely perfect. In our tests, we could often see differences between two examples of the same shot taken at the same time. We’re not talking about ‘marginal’ handheld shutter speeds here. Even at two or more times the usual ‘safe’ shutter speed, we saw variations. That’s not because there’s anything wrong with the camera. It’s because its resolution is so high that it will reveal even the slightest camera movement or focus shift, where both might be completely invisible on a lower-resolution camera. […]

The GFX 100 is an unforgiving camera. It will magnify your resolution, but it will also magnify your errors […]

Nevertheless, the GFX 100 is proof that megapixels still matter (as long as the sensor is big enough).

Read it all at digitalcameraworld.

& More

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This $10 Accessory Improves and Protects the Vertical Grip of $10,000 Fujifilm GFX 100

 

The Fujifilm GFX100 has so far earned an incredible amount of great reviews.

But if there is one aspect, where most reviewers agree, is that the vertical grip isn’t optimally designed.

They particularly complain about the lack of texture, that makes the vertical grip more slippery than the regular grip.

Well, if after buying a $10,000 camera you don’t mind spending an additional $10, the solution proposed by a member of our great Fujifilm GFX group is to get a Dragon non slip textured rubber grip.

Not only it improves the overall grip, but, as R.G said in our GFX group:

It’s not the lack of grip that concerned me as much as wanting a barrier between the body and the Custom Bracket rotating head I use in the studio to minimize the risk of “wear signs” appearing over time.

The solution is used by Fuji X Photographer Matt Brandon for his laptop, who, when asked by the community if it wouldn’t be cheaper just to use gaffer tape, answered:

I find gaffer tape doesn’t work well in the tropic regions. I have it all over my cameras to protect them (to save them for possible resale). But within a year it starts sliding and gets sticky.

You can read more details, see customer reviews and if you want buy the Dragon non slop textured rubber grip here.

  • Grip tape for phones laptops remotes and more
  • Easy to apply peel and stick grip stickers
  • Great for your iPhone grip Samsung grip tape and more
  • Grips to most phones and cases and is easy to clean
  • Grippy enough to get a good hold but is not sticky

Down below the images of the Fujifilm GFX100 with the rubber grip.

Fujifilm GFX 100: B&H Photo, AmazonUS, Adorama, Focuscamera

The GFX Community

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Meike MK-XT3 Pro Vertical Battery Grip for Fujifilm X-T3 Available

 

Meike MK-XT3 Pro

Meike has released the Meike MK-XT3 vertical battery grip for Fujifilm X-T3 at 1/3 of the price of Fuji’s original vertical battery grip.

  • Add double power design for your horizontal or vertical shooting time ,whether you are shooting
  • Own custom navigation button, AFL(auto focus lock), MF(manual focus), AEL(AE lock),front and rear thumbwheel adjusted functions,Q camera fast set button, Fn Combined function buttons
  • 2.4G 100M transmission distance LCD display timer remote control, can setting the delay time, exposure time, interval and number of sheets photo
  • Equipped with one or two NP-W126/NP-W126S lithium battery to battery packs to use
  • Standard 1/4″ tripod screw allows you to mount it on tripod easily

You can buy the Meike X-T3 or X-T2 vertical grip at Amazon.

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X-T3 Rumors, News and Community

Loawa 17mm f/4 Zero-D for Fujifilm GFX Sample Images (Price $1,249)

Laowa 17mm f/4 Zero-D

FujiRumors already shared the leaked Laowa 17mm f/4 Zero-D specs and price back in May here.

Today’s leak from China does not add anything new to the known specs, confirms the already leaked price of $1,249, but I share it because it adds a few sample images.

Hence, for the technical data, MTF charts and lens design, check out this article of May. For the sample images, just go to the bottom of this article.

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Lens Specs and Samples

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