New to Fuji! What lens q..

Hi all,

The last few years I have changed cameras and systems... A after many years with Nikon DSLR's I moved to Sony with the A6000 but 3 years ago I needed a full frame camera for some professional work and got back to the Nikon D800.. I could not stand the size and the lack of EVF so I end up solding it after 1 year and bought the Z6 + some S Lenses.. the quality is really great but this system isnt that compact.. I find myself not taking the camera out for everyday use..

I thought why not addind a small camera for everyday.. found a used X100T tried it and it was quiet nice but a bit like a toy.. the focus was not there on bright day.. I live in a warm country where this is standart .. and it can shoot only 1/1000 wide open..

I had to return the X100T because it had some problem at the EVF/OVF system..

Today I ordered the X-e4 kit with the 27mm.. but I think I will sell the lens right away. From what I see it's not that great .. slow noisy focus and only F2.8 ..

I need this camera for street photography and all around some portraiture.. and I want to keep it small and light.. what lens whould you recommend? 35/2 ? 23/2?

Thanks in advance,..

I would keep the 27mm. I don't have one, but frequently wish I did.

Keep the 27mm until you're sure it won't work for you.  It's a good focal length for street photography, f2.8 is fast enough for that purpose (a bit of depth of field is actually helpful), image quality at f2.8 is already excellent, and focus speed is more than good enough for street photography too.

Yuha wrote:

I thought why not addind a small camera for everyday.. found a used X100T tried it and it was quiet nice but a bit like a toy.. the focus was not there on bright day.. I live in a warm country where this is standart .. and it can shoot only 1/1000 wide open..

You’ve had a different X100T to me… not sure in what way it’s “like a toy”, the AF should be fine in bright light (it’s pretty lacking in low light) and it’ll go to 1/32,000 wide open if you allow it to use the electronic shutter.

Today I ordered the X-e4 kit with the 27mm.. but I think I will sell the lens right away. From what I see it's not that great .. slow noisy focus and only F2.8 ..

We must have different standards in terms of AF… the 27 focuses fast enough for me on my X-T2, though granted it certainly isn’t silent. I find that AF speed is somewhat dependent on the AF mode you use: if I want it fast, I tend to use the smallest central zone, the level above the largest single-point area as you scroll through in “All” mode.

If you’re looking for small and light for mainly street photography then it seems to me you already have the ideal setup (other than an X100V). The 27 is the smallest and lightest Fuji lens (unless you count the XM-FL), it’s sharp, and for many folks it’s an ideal street focal length.

As for which lens to replace it with, this is surely a matter of your preferred focal length. Once you know that then broadly speaking you have the choice of the smaller, faster-focusing f/2 options or the f/1.4s.

Don't rush to sell the 27mm.  I also recommend you pick up the XC-35mm f2.0.  It has the same optics and focus motor as the XF, but in a plastic body and without and aperture ring.  It is very small and costs half as much as the XF.

I really like my copy. It is not WR, but neither is your X-E4.

Another advice not to sell the 27mm. too soon. It's uniquely compact, AF is more than adequate for most situations and even though it's not extremely silent, I've never found the noise from the focussing motor too obtrusive.

Besides the 27mm. I'd look at either something significantly wider (18mm. for instance) or longer, something like a 50mm. There are several different versions in these focal lengths, so it shouldn't be hard to find the ones most suited to your preference and shooting style.

I love my 27mm but I'm not you so sell yours if that is your judgement.

I have the 23mm f/1.4 and 35mm f/1.4 on rental right now from Borrowlenses. I'm liking what I see from both although I think the 23mm f/1.4 will be a better fit for my low light needs.

Here is an image (cropped) from the 23mm f/1.4 paired with my X-T4 where I was starting to test the combination for a group portrait.

Here is where I'm testing the combination for a group photo where I'll use off camera flash.

The 27mm is a lovely lens, but you have to want what it offers: small size, light weight, wonderful pointability (more on this later) and above all, that wonderful,fresh 40mm field of view. Again, it is not to everyone's taste, but there are those who have a deep down liking for it and find it a close to perfect general purpose focal length.

The focus speed is what it is. It is not an action lens, but It's certainly not noticeably slow and I dont find it a problem. Noise? Nothing compared to the 35mm f/1.4 and I love that lens. F/2.8? That's how you get it small, and there's more to a lens than a large max aperture. Note that its forward weight is almost nil, making it very easy to hand hold and get some of those stops back in shutter speed.

But I'm not here to try to sell you on the 27. (Much as I would personally do a lot to get my hands on that mk 2 you take so casually. They are almost impossible to find here in the States from a reputable source.) I would suggest the 35mm f/1.4, which gives you the large aperture you want and excellent optics, but if you don't like a noisy lens, that's out.

But then there's the 50mm f/2, which I can recommend wholeheartedly - well made, quiet, snappy to focus, sharp, nice rendering, useful close focus-- an excellent lens in every way. The very mild telephoto field of view it offers is perhaps slightly unusual on paper, but it feels very natural from behind the camera and yields fine results.

I have the 35mm f/2 but am not entirely pleased with it. I keep it to use on an old X-Pro1, and it is well suited to that camera. It is also fairly small and shares the quick and quiet autofocus of the 50mm. But I find it rather bland and boring, even dull, and would choose either the 27mm or the 35mm f/1.4 over it every time.

The 27 is excellent.  It would be a capital mistake to buy for smallness and then sell an excellent, first rate, small, light lens.  I've got the old one and there is nothing to complain about.

Are you sure you will like the X-E4...? 🤔

yardcoyote wrote:

(Much as I would personally do a lot to get my hands on that mk 2 you take so casually. They are almost impossible to find here in the States from a reputable source.)

To the OP:

You should be able to get full price for it if you sell.  It is in high demand.  Price at B&H is $399 but they don't have any to sell.  I can understand this.  I'm not selling mine!

I have the X-E4 kit with 27mm WR.  My 27mm lens is plenty sharp especially when manually focused.  Quick autofocus is a fact, but there are usually some very slight focus errors, so manual focus is needed if you really want to find out what is the best this lens can do.

Welcome to the DPR Fuji X forum!

Keep the 27mm and use it.  After using it for a while you will be able to tell whether it's a good focal length for what you want to do.  Many people on this forum really like that lens.

The narrative so far suggests the OP is searching for a camera and has trouble settling with each one. There isn't a perfect arrangement for anyone, you can either get a setup that is OK and actually take photos or you can keep searching.  The X-E4 and 27 will be excellent.  If I had a Z setup and wanted compact I'd have looked at the Z DX offerings.

Jeff Biscuits wrote:

Yuha wrote:

I thought why not addind a small camera for everyday.. found a used X100T tried it and it was quiet nice but a bit like a toy.. the focus was not there on bright day.. I live in a warm country where this is standart .. and it can shoot only 1/1000 wide open..

You’ve had a different X100T to me… not sure in what way it’s “like a toy”, the AF should be fine in bright light (it’s pretty lacking in low light) and it’ll go to 1/32,000 wide open if you allow it to use the electronic shutter.

Doesn't X100T also have a built-in 3-stop ND filter? So what the X100T cannot correctly expose at 1/1000s, a "regular camera" cannot at 1/8000s. Regardless of ES features, buying a screw-in ND filter in order to shoot at such bright conditions shouldn't be viewed as a negative.

XE series is the ideal choice for street photography specially when used with XF27 mm II.i have the lens and XE 3 what a great combo