Thinking through prime choices

i have hesitated about Fuji. I love my X100 ltd edition and had an XA1 but sold as need viewfinder.

Bought an xpro1 with 18/27 lens deal. Loved camera coulnt cope with focus. Sold camera and effectively got lenses at half price.

Now bought XT1 and thinking of other primes.

My thinking is 23/2 as gives waterproof option, and 35/1.4 as this has FOV ov acnormal 50 mm prime roughly ... you really benefit from having a fast lens at that focal length.

does this feeling resonate with others .....

I am also interested in a wide wideclens andvwondered what others experiences of the Mitakon 14 or Samyang 16 were. I am happy to use manual focus.

Thanks

Tom

It's all a matter of taste and shooting style. If I were starting again from scratch I'd get the 23mm f:1.4, the 56mm f:1.2 and the 90mm f2, plus the little 27mm for when I'm just wandering around.

I certainly wouldn't bother with the 35mm, which was the only fast option when I started with Fuji.

I hardly ever want anything wider than 23mm, only using my 18mm because it's what I have available.

And no, I can't afford to re-equip.

Love my 35 mm f/1.4.  It's a great lens with tons of character, although it is noisy.

Hi,

Lens choice is entirely personal and there's no right answer.....

I find the 23mm a very useful FL for land and city-scapes and rarely use my 35/1.4.  If you want an excellent very-wide lens it's hard to go past the Fuji 14 or 16mm lenses - both are excellent, though not cheap.  You didn't mention reach, but the Fuji 60mm is a great all rounder that is small, light and inexpensive and switches beautifully between landscapes, portraits and close focusing.  They - the 14/16, 23 & 60 - are my current favorite prime trio.  And if I'm traveling overseas and have to keep it light, the 18-55 is a very good zoom.

Enjoy whatever you decide.

Regards, Rod

Hey, I have the 35mm f1.4 and it is a very good lens. I know the world is raving about the 35mm f2 because it's weather sealed, faster autofocus etc, but that extra stop is important to me and I tend to use manual focus shooting landscapes and hyperfocal shooting street scenes.  It's basically a fast "nifty fifty" lens in 35mm format.  I like that 50mm full-format focal length for portraits and street photography.  This is my go-to lens.

I also have the 14mm f2.8 and love that lens as well.  Wide enough for landscape shots and has close focusing so I love using it inside as well.  And I have the 60mm macro. Not a true macro lens with 1:2 enlargement but it is very sharp and also good for portrait work, break bokkeh!  All three of these primes are super sharp, very well built and the 14mm has a hyperfocal scale on the barrel of the lens, very old school.

If I'm buying another prime I'd get the 23mm f2..I always loved the 35mm focal length when I was shooting film, is a great all-round lens to have and is also weather sealed. If I could trade any of my primes in for a different prime I'd swap the 14mm f2.8 for the 16mm f1.4 just because I want that extra stop or more of light.  The 16mm is often referred to as the nest lens Fuji makes.

So if I was starting from scratch with primes I'd likely want the 16mm f1.4, 23mm f2, 35mm f1.5, 60mm macro.  But add in a couple of zooms and you have a big bag of lenses so compromise is necessary sometimes!

http://www.littlebigtravelingcamera.com/?p=10250

Joachim Gerstl wrote:

http://www.littlebigtravelingcamera.com/?p=10250

Excellent work and article as usual Joachim.  Thanks for sharing.

Scott

I did buy the 23mm f2 and love it! Very fast autofocus.  I love my 14mm but that fast 16mm is a great lens too..for me it boiled down to price, the 14mm was cheaper and still a great lens..I love using it.

I prefer smaller systems so ended up with XT20 + 18-55 since the kit price is great

I added 14mm for wide use

The 16mm is just too large/heavy/expensive

Would have liked to see 16mm f2 though

Also added 23mm f2 for its AF speed, WR, and smaller size

I don't use the 35mm focal often so won't get it

In the near future I could see myself adding the last trinity f2 prime: the 50mm

That should complete my Fujifilm system arsenal

Teles and other zooms / fast primes are just too cumbersome on Fuji

I resort to MFT for those

Cheers,