Light traveling - wide zooms or 2/3 f2 primes

Hi all,

as I'm planning to travel quite a bit this year I'm thinking about best combo for my Fuji xt-20. It's an age old question, what is more practical. A set of small f2 primes. 50mm f2, 23mm f1.4 (IQ of 23mm f2 is disapointing to me), and something even wider like 14 f2.8/ rokinon 12mm f2. Or a slow zoom 10-24 f4 and 18-55 f2.8-4, that you don't need to change that often. What is your expirience? I will be visiting cities, that's why I need wide angles lens for architecture.

I currently own 23mm f1.4, 56 f1.2 and 18-55 f2.8-4, for context.

Most of the time I prefer to shoot primes.  But after several trips to European and Japanese cities where beautiful exterior and interior scenes exist within relatively small spaces, I found my 10-24 to be very valuable.

When asked about this subject by my photography friends, I tell them that "zooms are your friends" when traveling.  Many times there just isn't much time or space to change lenses at popular tourist spots, opportunities often come up unexpectedly (and for fleeting moments), and that one cannot always "zoom with your feet."

The 10-24 also has the benefit of OIS for low-light photography inside of cathedrals, museums and other interiors.  I like to pair it with my 18-55 (which is a good copy with excellent IQ), which make for a lightweight kit with my X-E3.  I have had a 35/f2 in my bag for really low-light shooting, but haven't needed it enough to justify carrying it on future trips.

YMMV

Very common dilemma Marek. I used the XF14mm since 2014. It is a great lens very compact and sharp. But I started to encounter situations where I would want to go wider, so I purchased the XF 10-24mm a few months ago. The F4 does not bother me at all, since I use it mostly between F8 and F11.

As has been mentioned above the XF 18-55mm and the XF 10-24mm make a nice travel combination. I still keep the 14mm lens - very good for astro shots.     I am very happy with the wide zoom. It's best range is between 10mm and 20mm; the 24mm end is not the strongest - you can go thru all the reviews if it is of importance to you. The 14mm is a little sharper than the zoom but still the quality of the images is outstanding. For landscape work and some travel situations the 10-24mm lens can be thought of as a combination of 12mm, 14mm, 18mm and 23mm. Well, 23mm is a bit of a stretch, I know:-)

jacob

When I first got into Fuji, I found the 14 f/2.8 to be a nice complement to the 18-55mm kit lens. Same filter size and lens hood. Low weight. Great quality.

Later I got the 10-24mm f/4, and it quickly became my goto travel lens. It’s great for walking around when 24mm is my default, but I can go wider if I want.
It really comes down to your preferred focal lengths and which zoom you’d rather walk around with. The 10-24 might pair nicely with something like the 50mm f/2. But if you like the 18-55mm and only occasionally want to go wider, the 14mm may be the way to go.

Marek Kac wrote:

Hi all,

as I'm planning to travel quite a bit this year I'm thinking about best combo for my Fuji xt-20. It's an age old question, what is more practical. A set of small f2 primes. 50mm f2, 23mm f1.4 (IQ of 23mm f2 is disapointing to me), and something even wider like 14 f2.8/ rokinon 12mm f2. Or a slow zoom 10-24 f4 and 18-55 f2.8-4, that you don't need to change that often. What is your expirience? I will be visiting cities, that's why I need wide angles lens for architecture.

I currently own 23mm f1.4, 56 f1.2 and 18-55 f2.8-4, for context.

Primes are going to be lighter... whether you change often is up to you. Just have the mindset and go out and get what you get.

Remember, at least one of the lenses needs to be on the body... the rest can stay in the room.

This is a personal decision though. Light to one person is heavy to another.

For me, the lighter the kit, esp if I can throw it in a pocket (hint hint, get the 27). the less likely it is I’ll leave the camera in the room.

For me I’m doing some of my most serious photography while on vacation, others are on some vacation with family.

Sometimes on these trips I might be doing an article and submitting photos to a magazine also.

I do my travel with my wife almost exclusively, and it helps she’s into photography also. It means she doesn’t mind stopping for shots, and will also help schlep whatever gear it is.

If I were to do a family trip to a beach, cruise, Disney or something like that and doing snapshots I’d just use my phone honestly.

There are so many types of travel styles.

Marek Kac wrote:

Hi all,

as I'm planning to travel quite a bit this year I'm thinking about best combo for my Fuji xt-20. It's an age old question, what is more practical. A set of small f2 primes. 50mm f2, 23mm f1.4 (IQ of 23mm f2 is disapointing to me), and something even wider like 14 f2.8/ rokinon 12mm f2. Or a slow zoom 10-24 f4 and 18-55 f2.8-4, that you don't need to change that often. What is your expirience? I will be visiting cities, that's why I need wide angles lens for architecture.

I currently own 23mm f1.4, 56 f1.2 and 18-55 f2.8-4, for context.

Are you playing tourist?  Need to move around with family or trying to see a lot of different things on the same day?  If you are, I would go with the 10-24.  I usually have no issues cranking up the ISO to compensate for the slower f/4 --- I frequently like to stop down a bit to make sure my subjects are in focus, so the faster aperture doesn't always come in handy.

If vacationing with family is a higher priority than photography, the flexibility of the zoom is very nice.  In crowds, where you have to stand closer to your subject to avoid people in between you and your subject, the ultra-wide focal length is nice.  It's also nice when taking pictures of large interior or external spaces where photo stitching is impractical.

It has OIS and is so convenient to be able to go 10mm ultra-wide as well as zoom in closer, which can reduce the need to swap lenses.  I really do appreciate OIS when I want to hold the camera level above my head or below my waist without a tripod.

When things slow down during a trip, I like the idea of using my 23/1.4 on my X-T30 and 56/1.2 on my X-H1.  Those two focal lengths really work for me.  If I need to go lighter, the 23/2 and 50/2 are very compact and easy to bring all the time.

Well, my favorite lens for travel and architecture is my Stellar Red Badge 16-55 constant f2.8. Great lens for walking around and getting the composition you want. Had a prime and have the 18-55(never used any longer). You won’t be disappointed with the lens. It is fantastic.

Hi,

Don't know what's wrong with the 23/2. It's among my favourite three Fuji lenses. I have traveled extensively with this small setup:

http://www.littlebigtravelingcamera.com/?p=9863

I also have the 23/1.4 which I can't sell but take the 23/2 far more often. The 50/2 is nice too but I find the 35/1.4 more useful. And of course the 14/2.8 is still THE lens from Fuji. Small and light and just excellent.

Marek Kac wrote:

Hi all,

as I'm planning to travel quite a bit this year I'm thinking about best combo for my Fuji xt-20. It's an age old question, what is more practical. A set of small f2 primes. 50mm f2, 23mm f1.4 (IQ of 23mm f2 is disapointing to me), and something even wider like 14 f2.8/ rokinon 12mm f2. Or a slow zoom 10-24 f4 and 18-55 f2.8-4, that you don't need to change that often. What is your expirience? I will be visiting cities, that's why I need wide angles lens for architecture.

I currently own 23mm f1.4, 56 f1.2 and 18-55 f2.8-4, for context.

If your focus (no pun intended) really is on the wider angle then my suggestion is the 10-24 f4 and a low-light prime. The zoom's OIS will also be good for low light architecture. You can leave the prime in your hotel safe during the day, and zoom at night.

Hi, It will by me and my wife only. We are a bit like those Japanese tourist. We do 10-15 km per day trying to pack as much as we can in a day. See every ''must see'' places that a given city have. In 2 weeks we fly for a weekend to Vienna, in 4 weeks it will be London. Both quite crowded places so taking a portrate would be tricky anyway.

At the moment am thinking I will buy 10-24mm to be attached to camera. And taking 18-55 f2.8-4 for that little bit of extra reach, 23mm f1.4 for portrait or when it gets dark. I think I will skip 50 or 56 mm primes this time.

So it looks like I haven't really reduced the weight or size of the kit

Thank you all for your input, I am leaning towards buying 10-24mm instead of prime for that versatility. It always helps to hear other people thoughts. So unfortunate that the trade off is still size. There is no way around laws of opticts. If I want small lens it will be 3-4 primes. if I want 2 lenses it will be 2 big lenses. Potayto, potahto I guess.

There's nothing inherently wrong with 23mm f2. At the moment I just can't justify having two lenses of the same length. When I was deciding on with one to buy, I've put IQ and low light over size. I will probably end up adding it later on to my arsenal but I need to cover wider range and scenarios at the moment. Intresting to see how some people recoment 10-24 and other stand by the 14mm
Nice review website BTW.

Any thoughts on the zeiss 12mm f2.8?

Marek Kac wrote:

Any thoughts on the zeiss 12mm f2.8?

It's a superb lens. My go to for astro work.  However, for travel, I prefer the versatility of a zoom and the 10-24 is the lens I most often use for interiors, wide exterior shots, and landscapes.  IQ is excellent and the additional 2mm on the wide end, plus the versatility of a zoom for optimal framing is invaluable.

Why not simply use the lenses you have?

Marek Kac wrote:

Hi, It will by me and my wife only. We are a bit like those Japanese tourist. We do 10-15 km per day trying to pack as much as we can in a day. See every ''must see'' places that a given city have. In 2 weeks we fly for a weekend to Vienna, in 4 weeks it will be London. Both quite crowded places so taking a portrate would be tricky anyway.

At the moment am thinking I will buy 10-24mm to be attached to camera. And taking 18-55 f2.8-4 for that little bit of extra reach, 23mm f1.4 for portrait or when it gets dark. I think I will skip 50 or 56 mm primes this time.

So it looks like I haven't really reduced the weight or size of the kit

LOL. While I sit at home, I'm imagining the sort of photography I want to do on a vacation trip --- that leads me to think about street photography with primes or awesome landscapes with a tripod.

Usually, by the 2nd day of the trip, I realize I'm running around with family and photography is not so important I'm going to slow down the itinerary.

So in the end, most of my vacations are about snapshots to be enjoyed and so my standard zoom and ultra-wide zoom get the most use. For the times I want to use a prime, I usually go with my favorite focal length of 23mm.

I did a two-week trip to Japan back in 2018. Based on that experience when I go back to Japan, I'm going with:

• X-H1 (or X-T4 if it has IBIS)
• X-T30
• 10-24
• 16-80 (don't think I need the reach of the 55-200, so the 55-200 and 16-55 stays home)
• 23/1.4 or 23/2 (23/2 on an X-T30 is an awesome combo)
• Godox TT350F (for fill flash, indoor bounce) w/ compact USB-C charger

For lens usage, I expect the 16-80 would be used the most, followed by the 10-24. The 23 would be used the least and the Godox flash would be for maybe 30 shots max.

Gear selection for me is about what I can fit my day bag. Last time I went with a Peak Design Sling 10L that was just for my camera gear. I attached my fleece jacket to that bag. I could see going with a camera insert in a light backpack to also bring water, food, etc.

On the flight, my camera gear and personal electronics were in a 40L backpack with the Peak Design back in the small rollerboard.

One more thing about Japan: there are big camera stores in all major cities (e.g., BIC Camera, Yodobashi) where the self-service displays let you play with most of the Fujifilm lenses and camera bodies without a sales clerk present. So if you find yourself going too light, you have the option of buying something during the trip. On that 2018 trip, I broke the rubber eyepiece of my X-H1 and lost a lens hood. --- both were easily replaced at one of those camera stores. That's very difficult to do where I live.

Marek Kac wrote:

Hi all,

as I'm planning to travel quite a bit this year I'm thinking about best combo for my Fuji xt-20. It's an age old question, what is more practical. A set of small f2 primes. 50mm f2, 23mm f1.4 (IQ of 23mm f2 is disapointing to me), and something even wider like 14 f2.8/ rokinon 12mm f2. Or a slow zoom 10-24 f4 and 18-55 f2.8-4, that you don't need to change that often. What is your expirience? I will be visiting cities, that's why I need wide angles lens for architecture.

I currently own 23mm f1.4, 56 f1.2 and 18-55 f2.8-4, for context.

Swapping lenses fast "on the road" is frustrating, dangerous and collects dust...

10-24 with 18-55 has been my optimal set from Helsinki  to  Jerusalem - and somewhere between these places .

16-80 could be better than 18-55.  "Speed" does not have much significance when you travel - OIS lenses help much more.

Well 56mm is a heavy piece of glass. I noticed I don't use it that much, so I would carry it for nothing. I really force my self to use it if I take it on trip (love it to tits and beyond when I'm shooting locally). I much prefer 23mm to include some background of the portrait, to tell the story.

Widest I have is 18-55mm and 18 is definetly not enought for architecture, it's OK for landscape, but cathedrals etc... nope. Last time in Göteborg I used 12mm equivalent on samsung s10 to take the shoot I wanted.