Reading mode: Light Dark

Finally, I'm an X-shooter

Go to last post
P

Pritzl

Senior Member
Messages
1,477
Solutions
2
Reaction score
795
Location
Toronto, CA
Better late than never I guess. Just excited to welcome an X-T2 with XF35mmF2 to the fold. I have pined after the original X-T1 but could not bring myself to get it for a variety of reasons. Most were addressed by the X-T2 and an imminent price increase on Fuji gear in Canada was the last straw. I am now debating whether to get a USB powerbank or a second Fuji battery? Thoughts?

I'm skipping the standard zoom this time around and plan to get a XF10-24mmF4OIS and XF90mmF2 once I can offload some of my less used Canon gear. I do plan to keep my 70D + Sigma 18-35F1.8 and EF55-250STM for now; only the Sigma will be worth anything on the used market and I love that lens too much to part with it right now.
 
Pritzl said:
Better late than never I guess. Just excited to welcome an X-T2 with XF35mmF2 to the fold. I have pined after the original X-T1 but could not bring myself to get it for a variety of reasons. Most were addressed by the X-T2 and an imminent price increase on Fuji gear in Canada was the last straw. I am now debating whether to get a USB powerbank or a second Fuji battery? Thoughts?

I'm skipping the standard zoom this time around and plan to get a XF10-24mmF4OIS and XF90mmF2 once I can offload some of my less used Canon gear. I do plan to keep my 70D + Sigma 18-35F1.8 and EF55-250STM for now; only the Sigma will be worth anything on the used market and I love that lens too much to part with it right now.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pritzl/
Click to expand...
I'm sure you'll like your X-T2 but I wanted to make one, kind of off-thread comment.

I know how you might feel about the lenses you want to keep.

One of my favorite lenses of all time was a Sigma 28-70 2.8 EX lens. When I bought that lens I was very undecided between it and the Canon equivalent L lens but both lenses were rated pretty close so I decided to try the Sigma because it was a little less expensive.

Best decision I ever made and when I finally switched to digital (Canon 10D) Sigma even rechipped the lens for free.

Finally replaced that lens when it was about 12 years old and I've regretted it ever since. :-)
 
You're not late, you came in at a sweet time! Congratulations on your new gear. Second battery? Uh, I have four or five. 10-24mm and 90mm are both excellent, IMO. The 35mm f/2 is a tiny gem and it stays on my X-E2. I'm in Toronto too. I'll keep an eye out for a smiling photographer with a shiny new X-T2. :) Happy shooting.
 
Ed B said:
I know how you might feel about the lenses you want to keep.
Click to expand...
I was really surprised by how I felt about that lens. I mean it would fetch the most of my current kit and would have helped reduce the drain on my wallet but I just can't see myself ditching it yet. We'll see if that changes down the road though.
Ed B said:
Finally replaced that lens when it was about 12 years old and I've regretted it ever since. :-)
Click to expand...
12 years?! Does not very promising for my "less is more" plan... :)
 
JS Burnie said:
I'll keep an eye out for a smiling photographer with a shiny new X-T2. :) Happy shooting.
Click to expand...
Good luck prying my ugly mug back from that stunning VF far enough for you to see the face-splitting grin. :)

Now if only this deluge would let up a bit.
 
Congratulations! You will have lots of fun. You certainly need more than one battery. One of the most economical ways would be a Wasabi set of two batteries with a charger (that is better than the original Fuji charger). You can find it on Amazon. Some people prefer Watson or other brands.

jacob
 
Pritzl said:
Ed B said:
I know how you might feel about the lenses you want to keep.
Click to expand...
I was really surprised by how I felt about that lens. I mean it would fetch the most of my current kit and would have helped reduce the drain on my wallet but I just can't see myself ditching it yet. We'll see if that changes down the road though.
Pritzl said:
Finally replaced that lens when it was about 12 years old and I've regretted it ever since. :-)
Click to expand...
12 years?! Does not very promising for my "less is more" plan... :)

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pritzl/
Click to expand...
:-) I shot weddings and countless other pictures with that lens and a Canon 16-35 2.8 L. When I sold the Sigma it was because I wanted the wider & newer 24-70 2.8 L Canon lens but the Sigma was still working perfect and if it had been 24-70 I'd probably still have it today.
 
Ed B said:
When I sold the Sigma it was because I wanted the wider & newer 24-70 2.8 L Canon lens but the Sigma was still working perfect and if it had been 24-70 I'd probably still have it today.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I actually love the 18-35 in spite of its focal length limitations. I like it because:

a) At F1.8 it's fast enough for some serious low light/shallow DoF applications on a crop sensor.

b) It's better and lighter than switching between an equivalent set of primes.

c) The limited zoom range forces me to move my lazy feet.

d) Last, and certainly not least, it is, by far, the sharpest lens I have ever owned. It beats most decent primes straight from F1.8!

I guess the only way for a lens to better it would be a similar performing lens with a wider zoom range and/or IS. Chances of that happening in anything like an affordable/portable package are pretty much zero though so I suspect I'll be keeping this lens for quite a while.

I would love to see Sigma start building X-mount lenses. Their recent Global Vision series has been excellent. Might defeat the size advantage of a mirror-less system though.
 
jm10 said:
Congratulations! You will have lots of fun. You certainly need more than one battery. One of the most economical ways would be a Wasabi set of two batteries with a charger (that is better than the original Fuji charger). You can find it on Amazon. Some people prefer Watson or other brands.

jacob
Click to expand...
Although I've tried off-brand batteries with no issues before. I'm loathe to do it this time - too many reports of inexplicable freezes on X-T2 which may or may not be related to off-brand batteries. And, since I will be buying one battery at most, the potential savings are probably not worth it; an extra $30-40 for peace of mind is a good trade in my book.
 
Pritzl said:
jm10 said:
Congratulations! You will have lots of fun. You certainly need more than one battery. One of the most economical ways would be a Wasabi set of two batteries with a charger (that is better than the original Fuji charger). You can find it on Amazon. Some people prefer Watson or other brands.

jacob
Click to expand...
Although I've tried off-brand batteries with no issues before. I'm loathe to do it this time - too many reports of inexplicable freezes on X-T2 which may or may not be related to off-brand batteries. And, since I will be buying one battery at most, the potential savings are probably not worth it; an extra $30-40 for peace of mind is a good trade in my book.
Click to expand...
 
Pritzl said:
Ed B said:
When I sold the Sigma it was because I wanted the wider & newer 24-70 2.8 L Canon lens but the Sigma was still working perfect and if it had been 24-70 I'd probably still have it today.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I actually love the 18-35 in spite of its focal length limitations. I like it because:

a) At F1.8 it's fast enough for some serious low light/shallow DoF applications on a crop sensor.

b) It's better and lighter than switching between an equivalent set of primes.

c) The limited zoom range forces me to move my lazy feet.

d) Last, and certainly not least, it is, by far, the sharpest lens I have ever owned. It beats most decent primes straight from F1.8!

I guess the only way for a lens to better it would be a similar performing lens with a wider zoom range and/or IS. Chances of that happening in anything like an affordable/portable package are pretty much zero though so I suspect I'll be keeping this lens for quite a while.

I would love to see Sigma start building X-mount lenses. Their recent Global Vision series has been excellent. Might defeat the size advantage of a mirror-less system though.
Click to expand...
 
brew1brew said:
if you shoot a lot of video, it might be worth getting the battery grip and 2 extra batteries. but I don't, so I have 4 wasabi batteries I don't have any issues with them in my X-T2.
Click to expand...
Not much video. Maybe once in a blue moon. So the battery grip is likely out.

As for the Wasabi batteries, I just found out the difference is $50 US so it might be worth it. I was just considering a USB powerbank because that would buy me backup juice for both the camera and phone. But if the Wasabi's only $20 perhaps I can get both.
 
I would look at the 16-55 f/2.8 instead of the 10-24 as it is weather sealed and will match the X-T2 weather sealing.
 
Congrats on becoming a part of the X-men community ;)

Im looking foreward to it too. I will be recieving my x100F on Thursday :D
 
Pritzl said:
Better late than never I guess. Just excited to welcome an X-T2 with XF35mmF2 to the fold. I have pined after the original X-T1 but could not bring myself to get it for a variety of reasons. Most were addressed by the X-T2 and an imminent price increase on Fuji gear in Canada was the last straw. I am now debating whether to get a USB powerbank or a second Fuji battery? Thoughts?

I'm skipping the standard zoom this time around and plan to get a XF10-24mmF4OIS and XF90mmF2 once I can offload some of my less used Canon gear. I do plan to keep my 70D + Sigma 18-35F1.8 and EF55-250STM for now; only the Sigma will be worth anything on the used market and I love that lens too much to part with it right now.
Click to expand...
 
My aging memory is fading fast, but I'm pretty sure that I recall you from my Canon days on the xD/xxD forum. Meanwhile, welcome to the growing group of "enlightened" shooters who've decided to move from DSLRs to Fuji gear. :-)

A few thoughts based on your comments so far:

You will, without question, want to have a second battery (at least) handy. Before moving to the grip (more on that later), I usually had at least three. Depending on how you shoot, and in particular if you tend to chimp a lot (no shame in that), you may find yourself burning thru batteries pretty quickly. I've used Wasabis for years and have not experienced any issues at all. I find the battery life to be pretty comparable to the OEM batteries, and as others have told you, the charger is MUCH better than the one that comes with the camera. The cost difference is nothing short of ridiculous (which is a reasonable term to describe Fuji's battery pricing IMHO).

The grip is not just for shooting video. It offers some advantages if you do burst/motion shooting not only in terms of speed, but also VF refresh. The higher the subject speed, the more that will benefit you. To be honest, these days, the grip simply never comes off my camera since I never have to worry about dealing with spare batteries, etc. and many folks believe that it improves handling, particularly in portrait mode. But, then again, I do a lot of bird shooting, so I'm admittedly a bit biased here.

I'm sure you'll figure out your direction on lenses over time. If you find yourself missing the 24-55mm range, then you might consider getting at least a used version of the kit 18-55 lens at some point in time. The term "kit lens" is most definitely misleading, as the build and image quality is WAY higher than anything that Canon represents as a kit lens. Or, if you're not hung up on having OIS, then the 16-55, which is significantly more expensive, is every bit the equivalent and most likely better than the 17-55 you have now (I used the 17-55 as my standard lens on the 7D for many years).

Enjoy your new kit and I think you'll find the forum to be helpful and more than willing to offer advice to help you get the most out of your camera.
 
Negative287 said:
I would look at the 16-55 f/2.8 instead of the 10-24 as it is weather sealed and will match the X-T2 weather sealing.
Click to expand...
I considered it but arrived at the conclusion to skip the standard zoom range completely for a number of reasons:
  • A significant motivation in switching systems for me was downsizing to give me a smaller/lighter option for casual shooting. The 16-55 F2.8 is too large for me to use as an every day lens. Meanwhile, the 18-55 kit lens, while definitely a decent performer, just did not feel right in my hands - I'm not sure I can even explain what it is I don't like about it.
  • I have shot the last few years without a single standard zoom and never missed it. I did a FL review of my images and found ultra wide (<24mm eq.), normal (50mm eq.) and portrait ranges (>85mm eq.) to yield most of my preferred images. No standard zoom goes wider than 24mm eq. and those that go past 85mm are usually too large or too slow for my tastes.
  • Less is more is my new mantra. I don't want overlapping focal lengths if I can avoid it.
Thus, the plan is to cover the 2 extremes + the 50mm eq. for a total of 3 lenses.
  • 50mm eq. I knew right away that I preferred the AF speed, size and weight of the F2 version.
  • Wide end was between Fuji's 10-24 and the Rokinon 12mmF2. I decided I needed 15mm eq. vs 18mm and OIS would be useful for the intended use of handheld shooting of static subjects plus the occasional video.
  • The longer end is still up in the air a bit. The 90mm, optically perfect but perhaps too long. The 56, F1.2 but maybe too short unless I get a telephoto zoom. The 55-200 is nice but perhaps too slow.
So as you can see, I am starting with what I absolutely know I would like and working my way slowly up to a full system.
 
I'm starting out with the 35 F/1.4 and the 90 F/2.8 myself... I also have an MF Pentax 50 F/2.

I think I'll add a 23 F/2 and a 55-200 to round the system out and I should be pretty good.
 
KwhyChang said:
I like your lens choices and enjoyed looking at some of what you like to shoot.
Click to expand...
Thank you. That's always nice to hear. I haven't shot as much outside family snapshots in a while though. I'm hoping the new gear will encourage me to go out shooting more and perhaps challenge my self-consciousness when shooting street candids. I find it very hard to point a camera at a total stranger and am hoping the smaller X-gear will alleviate at least some of that.
DP13Photo said:
I'd been watching Fuji for sometime and when the X-T20 came out, almost like a mini-X-T2 with a touchscreen, I decided the time was right.
Click to expand...
Ditto. I've been following Fuji since the original X100 showed that you could have a modern camera with a retro control scheme that actually worked. The X-T2's joystick, above all else, was the last straw that broke my anti-GAS straw.
DP13Photo said:
The lens I am having trouble letting go is the 70-200/4 IS.
Click to expand...
Yeah, Fuji still has a few gaps here and there and an F4 telephoto is definitely one of them.
 
Jerry-astro said:
My aging memory is fading fast, but I'm pretty sure that I recall you from my Canon days on the xD/xxD forum.
Click to expand...
Yeah it's me. Your memory is still OK. I learned a lot from our discussions.
Jerry-astro said:
Meanwhile, welcome to the growing group of "enlightened" shooters who've decided to move from DSLRs to Fuji gear. :-)
Click to expand...
Only if you mean an en-"lightened" wallet! :-P
Jerry-astro said:
A few thoughts based on your comments so far:

You will, without question, want to have a second battery (at least) handy. Before moving to the grip (more on that later), I usually had at least three. Depending on how you shoot, and in particular if you tend to chimp a lot (no shame in that), you may find yourself burning thru batteries pretty quickly.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm coming to the realization that a second battery is unavoidable.
Jerry-astro said:
I've used Wasabis for years and have not experienced any issues at all. I find the battery life to be pretty comparable to the OEM batteries, and as others have told you, the charger is MUCH better than the one that comes with the camera. The cost difference is nothing short of ridiculous (which is a reasonable term to describe Fuji's battery pricing IMHO).
Click to expand...
You can say that again. You can get 3.5 Wasabi batteries for the price of one Fuji original! I also noted the ridiculous size and cord length of the original Fuji charger. I guess their design budget ran out after the camera bodies. :-P
Jerry-astro said:
The grip is not just for shooting video. It offers some advantages if you do burst/motion shooting not only in terms of speed, but also VF refresh. The higher the subject speed, the more that will benefit you. To be honest, these days, the grip simply never comes off my camera since I never have to worry about dealing with spare batteries, etc. and many folks believe that it improves handling, particularly in portrait mode. But, then again, I do a lot of bird shooting, so I'm admittedly a bit biased here.
Click to expand...
The grip is the one thing I'm actually definite about. I don't shoot a lot of fast action that I can't get by with the regular boost mode and video really isn't my thing.
Jerry-astro said:
I'm sure you'll figure out your direction on lenses over time. If you find yourself missing the 24-55mm range, then you might consider getting at least a used version of the kit 18-55 lens at some point in time. The term "kit lens" is most definitely misleading, as the build and image quality is WAY higher than anything that Canon represents as a kit lens. Or, if you're not hung up on having OIS, then the 16-55, which is significantly more expensive, is every bit the equivalent and most likely better than the 17-55 you have now (I used the 17-55 as my standard lens on the 7D for many years).
Click to expand...
Both are interesting options but see my post above about my FL choices. I thought long and hard about how I used my Canon gear before figuring out that my least used lenses where the standard zooms.
Jerry-astro said:
Enjoy your new kit and I think you'll find the forum to be helpful and more than willing to offer advice to help you get the most out of your camera.
Click to expand...
I'm counting on it. In fact, I've been lurking for a while and have gleaned enough to get off to a flying start. e.g. I already have all my custom controls and Q menu configured. Planning to shoot my daughter doing some rock climbing today to test it all. A success is if I never have to visit the menu once.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top