Wide Angle Lens - opinions please

Photearoa wrote:

Hi all

Here's my dilemma:

I'm currently working on upping my photo game. I haven't long been in manual mode (few months after years of auto) so am still getting to grips and learning as I go.

I have a trip coming up and want to have a go at some night skies and think my current lens set up might not be the best.

There is one true answer for that, but you won't like it: 12mm f2.

Usually, I mostly take landscapes or photos of my family. I'm fairly happy with my 23mm or 18-55 kit lens. I would at some point like to add the 50mm to my kit but for now think I need a wide angle.

I can see the benefit of the 10-24 in the flexibility but the F4 seems not great? Also think I'd prefer the sharpness of a prime.

16mm 1.4 - I've read great things about this and think the wide 1.4 will be great for night skies, but is 16mm wide enough to get the best results?

It's a great lens. Not that great for astrophotography though. Too tight. You want night skies on Fuji? I think the 14mm will get much better results. You could also consider the XF 16mm f2.8. Smaller, cheaper and lighter. Again though: for night skies, you'd rather go wider.

14mm 2.8 - Is the extra width better to have and trade off the on the F1.4 from the 16mm..

Amazing lens. Very underappreciated sadly. But that means you can get one used for very little money. I got mine for 380 and then sold it for 410. F2.8 really isn't slow.

I know there are samyang wide options but I don't want to add manual focus into the mix right now. While that's probably not a problem when shooting night sky I can't see me using it for anything else as I am still focusing on Fstops/iso/SS.. could do without another thing to think about lol

I understand that. I would, however, suggest you keep in mind that with lenses as wide as these, manual focus is not something that you really need to think about. With the Samyang 12mm f2, you can shoot at anything upwards of f4 and everything from around a metre to infinity will be in focus.

Also, when shooting the nighty sky, you need to use manual focus. There's also the 12mm Zeiss which also has autofocus.

Anyone got any advice that would help me. Have researched the hell out of each lens but would really value some more practical advice.

thanks

If you really want a Fujifilm autofocus lens, go for the 14mm. It's a great lens and can do some amazing street photography as well. However, do give the 12mm another thought.