Deciding which lens to buy

Kali108 wrote:

Truman Prevatt wrote:

Ambulater wrote:

In regards to your questions about the 90mm, it's an absolutely awesome lens. It really does produce jaw dropping IQ and is arguably Fuji's best lens.....which is why I thought I just had to have it. Now that I've shot with it for awhile I'm realizing what a specialty lens it really is. If you do a lot of fairly tight portrait work, especially well lit portrait work, then this is the lens for you. If I shot a lot of portraits in a studio with good lighting or even senior pics on bright afternoons then I would get a lot of use out of this lens.

However, at 90mm with no OIS, if you're going to hand hold, you need to shoot this lens at a SS of at least 1/180s to get good sharp shots. It get's more consistent at 1/250s or better yet 1/500s. So, even though it's pretty fast at f/2, you often need that wide aperture to keep SS up. So, if you're used to shooting street photography at f/5.6 or f/8 for decent depth of field, don't assume you're going to go into dimly lit areas and shoot at that aperture and still get good sharpness handholding a 90mm lens. You might have the technique to do it, but it's tricky.

Given all of the above, I purchased the OIS 50-140mm and am selling the 90mm, but that's really just about my personal needs and preferences. The 90mm is a fantastic lens on it's own terms, just know what it's going to be used for.

The 90 is by far the best lens in the Fuji stable. However if are having to shoot at 1/250, then maybe you need some practice. This lens is not only good for portraits it works for all tightly composed compositions including street and even landscapes.

A typical racehorse is traveling between 35 to 40 mph these were no exceptions. No problem shooting them at 1/500. However I know how to work and move the camera to pull it off. A lot comes with practice.

The 90 could use IS - many woul appreciate it. However, if the OIS version was not as optically good as the current version -I'll pass.

While you may be that rare bird with vise like hands....MOST will find 1/250 to be the minimum SS for reliably sharp images.

If you can't hand hold this lens at 1/250 I would suggest taking shooting (hand gun) lessons. Shooting this lens at 1/100 is no different than hand hold a FF 50 or ASPC 35 at 1/30. You should be able to do both although that is probably the limit.

Shooting a camera is identical to shooting a hand gun. Some can't even hit the target but many can put a very small pattern in the center of the target. With developing the right technique most people can learn to do a decent job hitting the target.  It is all in the technique to insure your body and hands are quiet when you pull the trigger. It's a function of concentration and practice.

A OIS only buys you a couple of stops - it doesn't solve the underlying problem. It means in the hand gun analogy means you only miss the target by a little maybe even hitting it once - instead of completely missing it.

In reality it is not "vise like hands" it is relaxed hands and upper body with synchronized breathing. Most of the time camera shake comes from people tensing up right before the shot. And you don't "press the shutter" no more than you "pull the trigger." You lightly squeeze both.

Below the first one is Nikon D800E with 180 AFD 2.8 shot at 1/150 second. The second is D800E with Tamron 24-70 f2.8 (with VR off) at 56 mm and 1/30 seconds.  It is easily doable - with the right technique.