Choosing my first WR lens

Just upgraded from X-E1 to X-T2. Great upgrade.

Now that I have a WR body, time to start building a set of WR lenses.

I currently have the 18-55; 14; 23; 32 (Zeiss); 56; 50-140WR+1.4x.

My most used/favorite lenses are the 23 and then the 14 for mostly landscapes. I do like the 18-55 as a lighter walk around. When using the 14 & 23, image quality needs to be as high as possible. I don't shoot at max open aperture often.

So....there are some obvious choices like replacing my favorite focal length the 23 with the new WR version, but this would end up a specialty lens only used when the weather was rough.

The other possibility is the 16-55WR. I know many believe the 18-55 is for many a better choice and given my preference for primes, when IQ really counts, that's what I'm going to use. However, having a 16-55WR plus the 50-140WR (already have) gives me a nice wide WR focal length range, high IQ, and an alternative to the primes in iffy weather. Plus, the 16-55 has its own utility as an alternative to the 18-55.

Of course, looking to take advantage of the current sale.

Thoughts?

db

I'd rather use the lenses I want to use and if they are not WR just be a little careful when the weather is poor. I regard WR as a bonus; I wouldn't replace a lens I loved just for that reason. Buy a plastic carrier bag instead!

Has anyone seen a good IQ test of the 18-55 v 16-55 on the newer 24mp sensor?

Are the IQ differences more pronounced?

db

slimandy said:

I'd rather use the lenses I want to use and if they are not WR just be a little careful when the weather is poor. I regard WR as a bonus; I wouldn't replace a lens I loved just for that reason. Buy a plastic carrier bag instead!

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/34270522@N04/

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dbbarron said:

Thoughts?

Click to expand...

Take into consideration on how frequently you like to shoot your Fuji-X with zooms vs. primes. For my Canon setup, I shoot zooms with bounced flash as needed more often that primes; with Fuji-X I found myself mostly shooting primes. It helped that I have a decent compact P&S that can handle standard zoom needs.

Given you are still building your lens setup:

• 16-55WR. If it had OIS, this is the lens I would buy. I rented it and found it worked well; but, given size/weight and lake of OIS, I found I rather buy more primes and settle for my 18-55 for now, and buy the 16-55 later. It is currently the 4th or 5th lens on my future lens list.
• 18-135. For travel when I don't know what lens I'm gong to need and don't want to swap lens all day. I'll buy it next time I see a good used copy for around $500.
• 35/2. I bought this on a whim first time it was on Fuji sale. I don't use my 35/1.4 that much, favoring my 23; but, I like the compactness of this lens. It'll be fun to run around with just this lens to be different.
• 23/2. I held off buying the 23/1.4 because I had a X-100S to fill the need. I'd buy the 23/2 when I want a smaller 23mm prime in the bag. My 23/1.4 has been left out at times because of its size.

I would consider the size of your camera bag and which lens you would tend to put in that bag, especially if you are traveling and can be tight on space or opportunities to swap lens. The small/light 23/2 and35/2 comes into their own in those situations.

You still have the option of carrying a Op-Tech USA rainsleeve to keep your non-WR gear from getting wet. So I would buy your next lens more on how well it fits in with your needs, rather than having WR.

dbbarron said:

Just upgraded from X-E1 to X-T2. Great upgrade.

Now that I have a WR body, time to start building a set of WR lenses.

I currently have the 18-55; 14; 23; 32 (Zeiss); 56; 50-140WR+1.4x.

My most used/favorite lenses are the 23 and then the 14 for mostly landscapes. I do like the 18-55 as a lighter walk around. When using the 14 & 23, image quality needs to be as high as possible. I don't shoot at max open aperture often.

So....there are some obvious choices like replacing my favorite focal length the 23 with the new WR version, but this would end up a specialty lens only used when the weather was rough.

The other possibility is the 16-55WR. I know many believe the 18-55 is for many a better choice and given my preference for primes, when IQ really counts, that's what I'm going to use. However, having a 16-55WR plus the 50-140WR (already have) gives me a nice wide WR focal length range, high IQ, and an alternative to the primes in iffy weather. Plus, the 16-55 has its own utility as an alternative to the 18-55.

Of course, looking to take advantage of the current sale.

Thoughts?

db

Click to expand...

Are you sure you need WR? Why would one want to be in the rain?