X100f Vs xt30 plus xf 23mm 1.4

Hi. I’ve had an x100f which I’ve been really happy with for the past two years.

recently I managed to buy an xt30 for quite cheap and bought myself a 56mm 1.2.

would I be better off buying the xf 23mm 1.4 (the old one) to gain that one stop of light and sell my x100f?

I realise I’d be losing a camera but the x100f is selling for a very good price on eBay right now and it could find more lenses.

but part of me thinks I’ve loved the x100f so much because of its small form factor!

help?!!!

Sorabh wrote:

Hi. I’ve had an x100f which I’ve been really happy with for the past two years.

recently I managed to buy an xt30 for quite cheap and bought myself a 56mm 1.2.

would I be better off buying the xf 23mm 1.4 (the old one) to gain that one stop of light and sell my x100f?

I realise I’d be losing a camera but the x100f is selling for a very good price on eBay right now and it could find more lenses.

but part of me thinks I’ve loved the x100f so much because of its small form factor!

help?!!!

I would avoid the old 23 f/1.4 unless you can thoroughly test it first. The 23mm lens in my X100V is significantly better than any of the three crappy 23 f/1.4s I tried.

1. Sorabh wrote:

I realise I’d be losing a camera but the x100f is selling for a very good price on eBay right now and it could find more lenses.

but part of me thinks I’ve loved the x100f so much because of its small form factor!

help?!!!

I can only answer on an emotional level. I sold my first X100V to get an X-T4 to experiment with different focal length. And while it is the technically superior camera, it was not able to trigger the same feelings for me. The X100 is such a beauty. I missed the rangefinder style, the OVF, and especially the small size and weight, because I like to have my camera always with me. After about half a year later I had a sleepless night full of longing and regret, so I just went out and bought it again and couldn’t be happier ever since.
So if you already use words like "love" for the X100, don’t sell it if you don’t need the money for something really urgent.

sagischwarz wrote:

1. Sorabh wrote:

I realise I’d be losing a camera but the x100f is selling for a very good price on eBay right now and it could find more lenses.

but part of me thinks I’ve loved the x100f so much because of its small form factor!

help?!!!

I can only answer on an emotional level. I sold my first X100V to get an X-T4 to experiment with different focal length. And while it is the technically superior camera, it was not able to trigger the same feelings for me. The X100 is such a beauty. I missed the rangefinder style, the OVF, and especially the small size and weight, because I like to have my camera always with me. After about half a year later I had a sleepless night full of longing and regret, so I just went out and bought it again and couldn’t be happier ever since.
So if you already use words like "love" for the X100, don’t sell it if you don’t need the money for something really urgent.

This comment resonated with me. There really is something special about the x100 and I love how small it is.

would I have taken as many spontaneous pictures with my camera if it wasn’t so small and lightweight? I’m guessing by your comment - probably not.

but do bear in mind that I have an x100f not a v which is comparatively slower. And slower than my xt30. Plus the xt30 has the flip out screen.

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

Sorabh wrote:

Hi. I’ve had an x100f which I’ve been really happy with for the past two years.

recently I managed to buy an xt30 for quite cheap and bought myself a 56mm 1.2.

would I be better off buying the xf 23mm 1.4 (the old one) to gain that one stop of light and sell my x100f?

I realise I’d be losing a camera but the x100f is selling for a very good price on eBay right now and it could find more lenses.

but part of me thinks I’ve loved the x100f so much because of its small form factor!

help?!!!

I would avoid the old 23 f/1.4 unless you can thoroughly test it first. The 23mm lens in my X100V is significantly better than any of the three crappy 23 f/1.4s I tried.

Hi. Thanks for your comment.

crappy in what else? Focus or sharpness?

Sorabh wrote:

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

Sorabh wrote:

Hi. I’ve had an x100f which I’ve been really happy with for the past two years.

recently I managed to buy an xt30 for quite cheap and bought myself a 56mm 1.2.

would I be better off buying the xf 23mm 1.4 (the old one) to gain that one stop of light and sell my x100f?

I realise I’d be losing a camera but the x100f is selling for a very good price on eBay right now and it could find more lenses.

but part of me thinks I’ve loved the x100f so much because of its small form factor!

help?!!!

I would avoid the old 23 f/1.4 unless you can thoroughly test it first. The 23mm lens in my X100V is significantly better than any of the three crappy 23 f/1.4s I tried.

Hi. Thanks for your comment.

crappy in what else? Focus or sharpness?

Poor sharpness and terrible blooming wide open (to varying degrees) with the first two brand new copies. The third one, a used copy, managed to attain 'meh' status, still significantly worse than my 16-55 or the 23 f/2 prime I also tried.

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

Sorabh wrote:

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

Sorabh wrote:

Hi. I’ve had an x100f which I’ve been really happy with for the past two years.

recently I managed to buy an xt30 for quite cheap and bought myself a 56mm 1.2.

would I be better off buying the xf 23mm 1.4 (the old one) to gain that one stop of light and sell my x100f?

I realise I’d be losing a camera but the x100f is selling for a very good price on eBay right now and it could find more lenses.

but part of me thinks I’ve loved the x100f so much because of its small form factor!

help?!!!

I would avoid the old 23 f/1.4 unless you can thoroughly test it first. The 23mm lens in my X100V is significantly better than any of the three crappy 23 f/1.4s I tried.

Hi. Thanks for your comment.

crappy in what else? Focus or sharpness?

Poor sharpness and terrible blooming wide open (to varying degrees) with the first two brand new copies. The third one, a used copy, managed to attain 'meh' status, still significantly worse than my 16-55 or the 23 f/2 prime I also tried.

Wow. That’s really disappointing. I always thought people loved that lens to the same degree as they love the 35mm 1.4 or 56 1.2mm.

Sorabh wrote:

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

Sorabh wrote:

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

Sorabh wrote:

Hi. I’ve had an x100f which I’ve been really happy with for the past two years.

recently I managed to buy an xt30 for quite cheap and bought myself a 56mm 1.2.

would I be better off buying the xf 23mm 1.4 (the old one) to gain that one stop of light and sell my x100f?

I realise I’d be losing a camera but the x100f is selling for a very good price on eBay right now and it could find more lenses.

but part of me thinks I’ve loved the x100f so much because of its small form factor!

help?!!!

I would avoid the old 23 f/1.4 unless you can thoroughly test it first. The 23mm lens in my X100V is significantly better than any of the three crappy 23 f/1.4s I tried.

Hi. Thanks for your comment.

crappy in what else? Focus or sharpness?

Poor sharpness and terrible blooming wide open (to varying degrees) with the first two brand new copies. The third one, a used copy, managed to attain 'meh' status, still significantly worse than my 16-55 or the 23 f/2 prime I also tried.

Wow. That’s really disappointing. I always thought people loved that lens to the same degree as they love the 35mm 1.4 or 56 1.2mm.

There are some very good copies out there, but they seem to be few and far between these days. If you really want one, I'd try to find a good early production copy. If the new 23 WR is like the new 18 WR though, I doubt any copies of the old 23 will hold a candle to the new version.

Sorabh wrote:

Hi. I’ve had an x100f which I’ve been really happy with for the past two years.

recently I managed to buy an xt30 for quite cheap and bought myself a 56mm 1.2.

would I be better off buying the xf 23mm 1.4 (the old one) to gain that one stop of light and sell my x100f?

I realise I’d be losing a camera but the x100f is selling for a very good price on eBay right now and it could find more lenses.

but part of me thinks I’ve loved the x100f so much because of its small form factor!

help?!!!

I would sell only because you’ll never see the street value of the x100f again.

The X100 serie is something else. You can’t compare it to a body and lens setup. The X100F is very portable and a joy to photograph with. I would keep it and use it with joy. Keep the X-T30 for if you want to try out other focal lengths. I also have my X-T3 with 16-55, 35mm and 56mm. But I mostly use my X100V because of the portable size and it’s great for documenting life.

Sorabh wrote:

Erik Baumgartner wrote:

Poor sharpness and terrible blooming wide open (to varying degrees) with the first two brand new copies. The third one, a used copy, managed to attain 'meh' status, still significantly worse than my 16-55 or the 23 f/2 prime I also tried.

Wow. That’s really disappointing. I always thought people loved that lens to the same degree as they love the 35mm 1.4 or 56 1.2mm.

For what it’s worth, I tried a 23/1.4 in a shop recently and was hugely impressed by its sharpness. It did show some noticeable chromatic aberration in the near-focus shot that I took, but at distance it seemed (without doing a direct comparison) comfortably as sharp as my X100V. But the main reason to buy the 23/1.4, to my mind anyway, is for the clutch manual focus—the original X100 lens is optically plenty good enough for almost any application. Certainly, the additional stop of aperture is no reason to switch. So, as to your dilemma, I would be inclined to keep the X100F. They might be seeing rising demand at the moment, but that just means that if you sell it and regret it, it’s going to become harder and harder to undo the decision.

Sorabh wrote:

Hi. I’ve had an x100f which I’ve been really happy with for the past two years.

recently I managed to buy an xt30 for quite cheap and bought myself a 56mm 1.2.

would I be better off buying the xf 23mm 1.4 (the old one) to gain that one stop of light and sell my x100f?

I realise I’d be losing a camera but the x100f is selling for a very good price on eBay right now and it could find more lenses.

but part of me thinks I’ve loved the x100f so much because of its small form factor!

help?!!!

I had the x100t and bought the xt20 a few years ago. It was hard to sell the x100t and I wasn’t happy with the 23mm f2 that I purchased first, or the 23mm f 1.4 that I replaced it with, but now the 23mm f1.2 LM WR is out I’ve been happy with this and make use of the f1.4 enough that I wouldn’t go back to the f2 lens on the x100 series.

I have had an x100v, 23/1.4 and 23/2. The 23/1.4 is by far the best out of them. I think people blow the copy variation out of proportion. I know a few who have it and they are all good. Maybe there are some not so great ones but it is an excellent lens. The issue for you is one of size really.