Sharp portrait and compact hiking lenses

Hi all,

I am debating whether to get a T-X3 or a Sony a6500/a7000? (I’m cross-posting on the Sony forum). Price is not too much of an issue, but compactness is. I would like to ask you experts which 2-3 lenses you would recommend to cover the following 3 uses (if they can be covered with 2 lenses all the better):


1) Compact zoom lens for hiking, I think in the 16-20 to 40-70 mm range.


2) Portrait prime or zoom lens. The Funinon 50-140 F2.8 seems pretty sharp and could cover other useshttps://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1080892-REG/fujifilm_16443060_xf_50_140mm_f_2_8_r.html
but in the BH reviews there’s some complaints about the weird looking bokeh below




3) Indoor lens with wide-ish angle (14 to 24 mm) and large aperture.


Any recommendations would be very welcome, thank you.

1) 18-55mm zoom. The ultimate kit.

2) 60mm f2.4. great portraits, plus macro. small and light.

3) 35mm f1.4. good low light, also nice portraits. Could also substitute the 23mm f1.4 depending on preference.

I like to travel with a small wide angle lens plus a f4 telezoom.

I went through the same decision years ago with the same criteria. After handling both it was pretty obvious to me that I wanted to be in the Fuji X system. It feels so much more robust and has better weather proofing. Critical for hiking in my opinion. As said above, the 18-55 is so versatile. I added the 100-400 Fuji and several Chinese primes to cover some holes until I can afford more Fuji glass.

The sony's are really nice camera's as well, but when you are outdoors all the time like I am, nothing beats the manual dials and user interface. Very glove friendly.

You will probably be happy either direction, just sharing the thought process I went through.

Get a mighty XF 16 f1.4

Splendid for landscape and has great portrait possibility when needed

Thank you so much for the quick and useful responses! Despite the terrible typo in the name of the camera, sorry about that...

Just to be sure, by 18-55mm you mean the f2.4-4, right? I guess 7 cm is pretty good if it is sharp


And one question about the weather proofing. Does it mean that you can take pictures even under pouring rain? What kind of limitations does it have?

The 18-55 is an excellent hiking lens, even though it is not weather sealed. I often carry a Fuji body with that lens attached to my backpack strap with a Peak Design Capture Clip.

The lens is super sharp for a standard zoom and performs much above its price point.

However, I am really looking forward to the 16-80 f/4 that is to be released in 2019. That lens will be weather sealed and should be the perfect hiking lens. I'd get the 18-55 for now and switch to the 16-80 next year.

Rich

sharp_pic said:

Hi all,

I am debating whether to get a T-X3 or a Sony a6500/a7000? (I’m cross-posting on the Sony forum). Price is not too much of an issue, but compactness is. I would like to ask you experts which 2-3 lenses you would recommend to cover the following 3 uses (if they can be covered with 2 lenses all the better):

1) Compact zoom lens for hiking, I think in the 16-20 to 40-70 mm range.

2) Portrait prime or zoom lens. The Funinon 50-140 F2.8 seems pretty sharp and could cover other useshttps://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1080892-REG/fujifilm_16443060_xf_50_140mm_f_2_8_r.html
but in the BH reviews there’s some complaints about the weird looking bokeh below

https://photos-us.bazaarvoice.com/p...b3ZpZGVv/401f08a0-3873-59c9-9ef4-d2a5829a0bcf

https://photos-us.bazaarvoice.com/p...b3ZpZGVv/76c0c8a1-60dc-534c-8c09-eadd5f2d24b7

3) Indoor lens with wide-ish angle (14 to 24 mm) and large aperture.

Any recommendations would be very welcome, thank you.

Click to expand...

You may want to wait for Sony A7000 announcement if you care for Sony

Be warned that Sony APSC lenses are truly lacking and mediocre at best, not to mention the lousy ergo of today's A6XXX series

As to Fuji:

1) 18-55 for compact hiking; upcoming 16-80 f4 is even better

2) 50-140 is heavy and expensive but worth every penny for that range; alternative is 55-200, smaller , less bright, but still sharp

3) 16mm 1.4 is touted the best wide prime; the F2 line is reasonably priced, has fast AF, and are small

Nearly all the Fuji lenses perform very well at relatively wide apertures - and the middle-to-slower ones (those with a max aperture of 2.8 or smaller) all perform very well wide open. So, feel free to consider somewhat slower, smaller lenses that you might otherwise think of as not up the task.

So, for wide angle use the 10-24 would fit your needs nicely. You don't need to use fast shutter speeds for wide, so the f/4 maximum isn't as much of an issue as might be assumed.

If you feel strongly about going faster for wide shooting, I agree with others who have very commonly opted for the Samyang (Rokinon) 12mm f/2. Easy to focus, very good into the corners by f/2.8.

I've been using a Sony A6000 for the past year and was looking to upgrade my kit. My use is almost exclusively hiking and landscape photography. I just this week got the X-T3. I considered staying with Sony APS-C, but for me the deciding factor was the lens lineups. I haven't seen any impressive APS-C zoom lenses out of Sony. I have the 16-50 and 55-210 kit lenses which are noticeably poor. I've run the FE 70-300G lens with okay results. From sample images (not personal experience) I have no desire to buy the 16-70 Zeiss, 10-18, or 18-135, or any other APS-C zooms. The only lenses I've really been happy with are the Rokinon 12mm f2 and Sigma 16mm f1.4 primes.

Fuji, on the other hand, already has quite a few great zooms and seem dedicated to producing more high quality lenses for their APS-C lineup. I've only had my Fuji kit for a couple days, so my initial opinions should be taken with a grain of salt, but so far:

- The 18-55 f2.8-4 "kit" lens is impressive. For something relatively cheap it really provides nice, sharp images and it feels great to use.

- The 10-24 f4 is even smaller than I expected. I need to do a more detailed test but first images out of it looked as good as the Sigma 16mm f1.4 on the Sony. The 10-24 is also surprisingly compact.

- Fuji 16-80 f4 is due out next year. This would be a fantastic focal range for hiking and general landscape. Assuming the IQ is up to usual Fuji standards I will replace the 18-55 with that lens.

I can't speak to Fuji prime lenses, but the zoom lenses beat the pants off Sony APS-C options. In my opinion of course

sharp_pic said:

Hi all,

I am debating whether to get a T-X3 or a Sony a6500/a7000? (I’m cross-posting on the Sony forum). Price is not too much of an issue, but compactness is. I would like to ask you experts which 2-3 lenses you would recommend to cover the following 3 uses (if they can be covered with 2 lenses all the better):

1) Compact zoom lens for hiking, I think in the 16-20 to 40-70 mm range.

Click to expand...

The regular 18-55/2.8-4 is a very good zoom and often sold as a kit lens with a strong discount. It's well made, very sharp indeed stopped down a tad and offers a little more speed than most.

There's also the 15-45 and 16-50 which are smaller, lighter and slightly slower and require dial operation of the aperture rather than having an aperture ring like most Fuji lenses. They are more cheaply built and 'plasticky' than the 18-55, but they're quite sharp and small and light for travel, social and general use. They too are often sold in a kit.

The top of the line wide-short-tele zoom is the 16-55/constant f2.8, but no-one would claim it to be a small light lens.

sharp_pic said:

2) Portrait prime or zoom lens. The Funinon 50-140 F2.8 seems pretty sharp and could cover other useshttps://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1080892-REG/fujifilm_16443060_xf_50_140mm_f_2_8_r.html
but in the BH reviews there’s some complaints about the weird looking bokeh below

https://photos-us.bazaarvoice.com/p...b3ZpZGVv/401f08a0-3873-59c9-9ef4-d2a5829a0bcf

https://photos-us.bazaarvoice.com/p...b3ZpZGVv/76c0c8a1-60dc-534c-8c09-eadd5f2d24b7

Click to expand...

The 50-140 is Fuji's best short-mid tele zoom, but heavy if that matters in your planned usage. The 55-200/3.5-4.8 is half the weight and excellent though its range at all but the far end right out at 200mm. The ultra-light 50-230/4.5-6.7 is definitely slow but offers very good IQ for little money. It a great good-light travel option but less than ideal for portraits.

sharp_pic said:

3) Indoor lens with wide-ish angle (14 to 24 mm) and large aperture.

Click to expand...

If large aperture is the key, you can't go past the 16/1.4 - an excellent but solid and expensive lens. The 14/2.8 is slower, lighter and cheaper but likewise excellent if you want wider than 16mm. The 18/2 is very small, light and affordable but it's IQ isn't in the same league. You could opt for the 10-24/4 zoom - it offers excellent IQ and flexibility at the price of speed. If you're happy with MF, there are several third party options much wider than Fuji offer - the UWA Laowa 9/2.8 and Samyang 12/2 have good reputations.

sharp_pic said:

Any recommendations would be very welcome, thank you.

Click to expand...

Hope that helps.

Regards, Rod

BTW looking like the A7000 has been postponed to next year.

dark13star said:

The 18-55 is an excellent hiking lens, even though it is not weather sealed. I often carry a Fuji body with that lens attached to my backpack strap with a Peak Design Capture Clip.

The lens is super sharp for a standard zoom and performs much above its price point.

However, I am really looking forward to the 16-80 f/4 that is to be released in 2019. That lens will be weather sealed and should be the perfect hiking lens. I'd get the 18-55 for now and switch to the 16-80 next year.

Rich

Click to expand...

Hi, I'd second Rich's view about the 18-55. I use it on a XT3 for general hiking, although carried on an OpTech strap Sam Brown style rather than on a Peak clip. I use the Fuji half leather case, which is excellent, but omits a tripod screw so the Peak design does not suit me. That said, I watched an excellent YouTube of an EBC hike where one person used a X-Pro2 (not sure of the lens) carried on a Peak clip and it looked really good, fast and convenient. One option instead of the case might be to use a Fujifilm MHG-XT3 Metal Hand Grip for X-T3 if one wanted more grip.

I too will look at the 16-80 when it appears as weather resistance and a wider focal range would be better for hiking with the family (less stops to change lenses), but only if it matches or exceeds the excellent image quality of the 18-55.

My wide lens of choice, albeit less for portraits and more for urbanscapes, is the 14/f2.8 and my portrait lens, although I take very few, is the 50/f2.

Hope that helps - good luck with your decision.

ddtan said:

1) 18-55mm zoom. The ultimate kit.

2) 60mm f2.4. great portraits, plus macro. small and light.

3) 35mm f1.4. good low light, also nice portraits. Could also substitute the 23mm f1.4 depending on preference.

Click to expand...

This. I prefer the 23/1.4 over the 35/1.4 though. In fact, the 18-55, 55-200, 14/2.8, 23/1.4 and 60/2.4 macro are my whole kit and it all fits in a pretty small bag.

1. 15-45mm, much wider and much lighter than 18-55mm. Good reviews on the wide end. Should be good for hiking.

2. 35mm f1.4 is magical for me, and light weight.

3. 18mm or 23mm f2. I like 18mm a little more because of its slightly better rendering to my eyes. And also because it is lighter weight and pancake-like shape. I hope fuji will produce a pancake 23mm f2. But well, I know it will never happen...