Deciding which lens to buy

Kali108 wrote:

Truman Prevatt wrote:

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.

Hand gun lessons...I think that's a great & unique suggestion for training. That said, the rest of your perspective is just plain wrong. Hand holding an equivalent 135mm FL at 1/100 SS ? It's "no different" than hand holding a 50mm?? That's nuts. Flat out, undeniably ... wrong. I say this as someone who made a living as a pro photog for almost twenty years, shooting 35mm, 645, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 4x5 and digital too since 2004....and I'm not / wasn't an action shooter at all! Everyone can have an opinion...and on dpreview..."opinion" takes on new meaning.

A common perspective, expressed below by Damien Lovegrove:

From: http://www.prophotonut.com/2015/10/04/fuji-xf90mm-f2-or-the-fuji-xf50-140mm-zoom/

A note on the minimum shutter speed for acceptably sharp hand held pictures with non IS lenses. As a rule of thumb I suggest you use 4x the focal length as a minimum shutter speed however you may be more steady than me and get away with 3x the focal length. Obviously subject movement needs to be considered too. Where people are moving I use 1/500th second to get sharp pictures. I usually select 1/1000th second if they are moving really fast, doing sport etc.

16mm – 1/125th but I could shoot at 1/60th depending upon subject movement.
23mm – 1/125th
35mm – 1/125th
56mm – 1/180th
90mm – 1/500th but I can shoot at 1/250th at a push but 1 in 3 shots will have camera shake.
50-140mm – 1/125th but I could shoot at 1/60th at any focal length depending upon subject movement.

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And there's more. Read it. His experience reflects my own and I could name drop but won't. It's common wisdom. And Damien, like me, is very predominantly a studio shooter...not an 'action' shooter.

Hey...I love the 90mm. It's on my "buy soon" list. My mono-pod, tripod and the 90mm will become best of friends.

I would say my experience with the the 90mm is consistent with what Damien Lovegrove is saying:

"90mm – 1/500th but I can shoot at 1/250th at a push but 1 in 3 shots will have camera shake." - Lovegrove

Admittedly I sometimes shoot the 90mm at 1/180th, but he's no doubt right that 1/250  would be better and 1/500 would produce more consistent sharpness. He's one of the top portrait photographers in not just the UK, but internationally so I give his experience a lot of deference.