Best starter lenses for Fuji X system

Sootchucker

Sootchucker

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Andrew
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Hi guys,

Having said I would never do this, I am considering the unthinkable and parting with my beloved FF Nikon D810, MB-D12 Grip and lenses (24-120 F4 VR, 16-35 F4 VR and Tamron 24-70 F2.8 VC), in favour of the new Fuji X-T2 system. I said I would never do this and always run the FF Nikon along side my Olympus M4/3 system, however on using a friends X-T2 for a while last night and looking at the images, I'm smitten. I'll still have my D500 with my Tele lenses which I'll use for sport and wildlife only, as currently the micro four thirds package is used for everything else.

Now whilst I'm only considering this, (I was going to go all in with the new OMD EM1 MK II, but like a lot, the price has really put me off), I would like to know the best 2 or 3 lenses for say general use / holidays.Obviously the sale of the aforementioned equipment would need to fund the Fuji stuff.

It seems for UWA the Fuji 10-24 F4 is a no brainer ?

For standard we have the kit 18-55mm XF f2.8-4 R OIS, the 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 WR LM R OIS or the 16-55mm f2.8 R LM WR (dearest and no OIS).

For medium telephoto there would be the 55-200mm f3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

I know a lot of you are prime guys, and Fuji have some excellent primes, but for me starting to build a totally new system, I would want to get my usual FL's covered first (circa 16-300mm FF), and I think the above covers that. Trouble is I know nothing about the Fuji system and the ones that are causing me the most problems are the standard zooms, as there are so many. I'm leaning towards the 18-135 as a single do it all lens, but have no idea as to it's quality.

Also, whilst I don't use flash loads, there are times when I find it incredibly useful. Do I assume the bundled clip on flash is about as much use as a chocolate tea pot, or is it half decent ? If not what are the alternative for a medium powered smallish flash for this system that doesn't cost the earth ?

Sorry for all the questions, but this would be a big step for me as I've had Nikon FF DSLR's for many years now but they are starting to get a little tiring due to their size and weight, and whilst I convinced myself at the time of purchase that I needed 36mp, truth is, the 16mp from my EM1 does me just fine, and as such I haven't touched the D810 in a couple of months which really does seem a waste.
 
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Sootchucker said:
It seems for UWA the Fuji 10-24 F4 is a no brainer ?

For standard we have the kit 18-55mm XF f2.8-4 R OIS, the 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 WR LM R OIS or the 16-55mm f2.8 R LM WR (dearest and no OIS).

For medium telephoto there would be the 55-200mm f3.5-4.8 R LM OIS
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Yup! Although the 50-230 XC is an alternative to the 55-200. For longer, the 100-400 does a very good job and can take 1.4x and 2x teleconverters to get you out even further. At a cost! I have the 18-55 and the 18-135 and in real life, the difference in IQ is minimal. The better OIS and extra reach are more important TO ME than the extra light gathering ability of the shorter option (and the 18-135 is weather resistant.)
Not a flasher myself - have a look in the X-T thread where there's plenty of discussion on it!
 
Hi Andrew;

I ditched my D810 a few months ago to return to the Fuji X camp, no going back! The files for me are better/nicer shooting the X system!

Have a look at the XF10-24mm f/4 for wide/landscape shooting, you'll not be disappointed, I'm sure many X shooters here will guide you through their lens experiences etc...

Have fun!

Regards;
Peter
 
These three zooms 10-24, 18-55 and 55-200 provide a very good kit, all I use along with the 14mm for specific landscape outings.

All reasonably light with ois, relatively small, excellent quality and not crazy expensive, add primes if or when you wanted/needed them. I have a few, but to be honest they very rarely see the light of day as the zooms do all that I require
 
I use the 18-55mm XF on my Fuji and for three years have always been delighted with the results. Excellent quality and the rendition is first class.

For me it has been great all round Lens that I would always recommend.
 
I have just invested into the Fuji system and found the 18-55mm a very nice lens. Pretty sharp and renders very nicely, plus extremely light. You can also get some half decent subject isolation. However, this camera is mainly for travel and 55mm (82.5mm eq) isn't that long and on a recent holiday found it very limiting so I've just bought the 18-135mm. First impressions with the 18-135mm are very good, but so far have only done landscapes so can't comment on whether it's possible to get any subject isolation and how good/bad the 'pop' is. It is noticeably bigger and heavier than the 18-55mm but it's still not heavy if you're used to DSLR.
 
I've got the 18-55mm and I love it. Sharper than many give it credit and the OIS is good. Also if you're buying an X-T2 new it makes sense to get it as you're getting the lens about £150 cheaper.

Other than that, I'm probably gonna get the 55-200mm and a Prime, most likely the 35 f2.
 
The often overlooked 27mm, cheap as chips used or as a refurb and deserves a place in any Fuji kit. Standard focal length for the sensor, very good image quality and as discrete as brown Macintosh on a wet night in the park.
 
I've an XT2 and the 18-135 and love it (I 've used it for the last 2 years or so on an XT1 before getting the xt2). As mentioned, the 18-55 apparently does have a very slight edge in image quality, but the 18-135 is by no means a duffer. On holidays I'm more than happy to go out for a day with just this and the 35mm 1.4 (in case I am somewhere with dimmer light). Having said that, I ended up using the 18-135 in a cave trip in Lanzarote this year:
20161006104954_dscf8433.jpg
 
I've got the pancake xf 27mm. It's my only lens. It's a nice discreet lens that makes my x-e2 compact and lightweight. When more money becomes available to me I would like a nice wide angle. Perhaps the 14mm or the 16mm. One thing that bugs me though, is the inability to use filters on the xf 27mm. I'm more of a prime lens shooter, but would probably consider a zoom such as the 10-24mm or the 16-55mm. I'd like to test a few lenses when I can afford to buy one.
 
Hi Andrew,

I should have my Fuji XT-2 next week and am also looking at starter lenses....... I think the 18-55mm f2.8-4 might be a wiser option than the 16-55mm f2.8 as the later doesn't have OIS, I hear Fuji do have a patent to make one though.
I am sure the move to Fuji will help with the weight/bulk issue with your DSLR, I also have a high-end Sony system which I might give-up after I have put the XT-2 through its paces.
Have you also considered that the XT-2 may do what you need for your Sports shooting also, which would mean a complete move to Fuji and ultimately one system. :D
 
I just switch from a Nikon D800E to the XT-1, for various reasons, but couldn't be happier - well, unless I had an XT-2 and some juicy primes I'm after! :D

Anyway, I got the 27mm 2.8 'pancake' and I'm loving it. Only thing is, I really fancy getting the 35mm F2, and at some point maybe the 23mm F2 also, they would cover most of my needs, I have the 55-200 for anything longer. This would pretty much make the 27mm redundant, kind of. It would still be very useful for a stealthy street/gig/event candid set up - people see you with a cam and don't pay any heed because it's small and doesn't have an obnoxious lens - yet you still get cracking sharp images a lot closer in than they think. It is also one of the better options to use a macro extension on, like the MC-EX 11 or 16.
 
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I don't, for a few reasons - the massive RAW files, taking up way more space than necessary and slow to load up a few hundred of them on anything but a high end PC. The heft - one of the main reasons I switched, big body and heavy lenses in the bag, my back never thanked me. I did go all primes in the end, but even still, the camera alone weighed more than the Fuji with a zoom lens. And tbh I'm not feeling like I'm missing anything image quality-wise. of course the D800E has fantastic resolution, but unless you are using the best of the best lenses on top, it can be a bit of a waste. The only thing I miss, is the ergonomics. I didn't have to stop to think about switching controls, it was so intuitive and comfortable, but that was developed over years. I camer from a D200 and D90 so didn't take me long to get to grips with the D800E. I just need a bit of re-adjusting to the smaller, thinner body.
 
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Sootchucker said:
Hi guys,

Having said I would never do this, I am considering the unthinkable and parting with my beloved FF Nikon D810, MB-D12 Grip and lenses (24-120 F4 VR, 16-35 F4 VR and Tamron 24-70 F2.8 VC), in favour of the new Fuji X-T2 system. I said I would never do this and always run the FF Nikon along side my Olympus M4/3 system, however on using a friends X-T2 for a while last night and looking at the images, I'm smitten. I'll still have my D500 with my Tele lenses which I'll use for sport and wildlife only, as currently the micro four thirds package is used for everything else.
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Blimey, I bought your first D810 off you in March this year, you must have regretted selling it!
 
As others have said, if you're sticking with zooms and want to notice the weight savings over your Nikon gear while retaining good IQ then the 3 lens setup of 10-24mm, 18-55mm and 55-200mm is perfect. I was always surprised just how good the 55-200mm was for a lens of its price and size.

Prime wise the small light and sharp 23mm /f2 or 35mm f/2 makes a great lightweight package with the XT2. I personally love the images produced by the 23mm f/1.4 although it is larger than the newer f/2 version.

For specialist portraits the 56mm f/1.2 is beautiful and I hear the 90mm f/2 is excellent although I wont have mine until next week. But for general portraits in good light the 55-200mm is very decent.
 
That 56mm looks a beauty, I might aim for that one myself
 
I ordered the Fuji 16mm F1.4 and the 35mm F2 with mine, so far I'm really amazed by the quality.
 
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Cagey75 said:
Someone on here posted shots using it, they looked incredibly sharp with lovely contrast and compression with nice bokeh to boot. It was in the XT1/2/10 thread

Found them! Scroll down to the shots of the kids, beautiful shots, all with the 90mm F2

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/fuji-x-t1-x-t2-x-t10-owners-thread.527428/page-511
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Thanks for the link.

The 90mm f/2 and XT2 turned up today. Just charging batteries so I wont have to wait long o see for myself. :)
 
Well been watching this thread as planning to buy a XT-1 system .. I've gone for the 18-55mm XF after reading this thread ..
 
Here's a LINK to a review I read that helped me decided between the 18-55mm, 18-135mm and 16-55mm.

I ended up going with the 18-55mm because of the size (but not necessarily weight). The 18-55mm is half the length of the 18-135mm when fully zoomed. Since I'll use the zoom mainly for travel, I wanted a lens that would be less conspicuous.

My two main reasons I didn't go with the 16-55mm were the lack of OIS and the filter size. I have no filters that big, and didn't feel like either buying new or using a step up ring from 67mm to 77mm. And, it's more than twice the weight of the 18-55mm.
 
I made the switch to Fuji X just over 12 months ago well sort of I still have a lot of Nikon Gear !
I purchased the Xpro 1 with 18mm & 27mm and case for a silly £499 my first purchase after that was the XF 18-135mm R OIS WR and I'm not disappointed in any way with the quality.
And the same goes for the XF 10-24mm & the XF 100-400mm and 1.4x the 3 zooms plus the Samyang 8mm f2.8 fisheye and converter give me my 4 lens Kit :)
I purchased a X T10body with the 2 XC lenses 16-50mm 3.5/5.6 and 50-230mm and the image quality from these kit lenses is outstanding yes they have plastic body and mount but you have that fabulous Fujinon glass inside.
I don't think you will be disapointed in any of the Fujinon glass what ever you choose :fuji:
 
10-24, 18-55 & 16-55, 50-140 here on the zoom front, and a bagful of primes. 16-55 is superb. The 18-55 is great too - I don't think Fuji make a duff lens, which makes choosing hard. I bought the 18-55 and soon after bought the 16-55, and haven't used the 18-55 since - not because it's bad, but because the 16-55 is so good. It's undoubtedly bigger/heavier, but not too big in my view. It's still smaller than my 24-70 2.8L was, and sharper. I had the 55-200 as well, but have ended up (happy) with the 50-140 2.8 zoom as well, in spite of the larger size. They are still relatively smaller than FF lenses. It's a great system, not without it's quirks - there can be a bit of defensive fanboyism from those who won't see it criticised. It's not perfect. But it's a very very good system and very enjoyable to use. I have no regrets at moving from FF, 5DIII and a 7DII to my Fuji setup. I don't feel I've given anything up at all in IQ - if anything, it's increased. So it's been an upgrade that has saved me money (5D4 money lol), and given me a far greater range of higher quality lenses than I had before. My main quibbles with the system relate to minor handling issues and the firmware isn't as intuitive as it could be on occasion. It's very good in low light, which is when the handling issues most reveal themselves - changing a lens on it in the dark can be fiddly, as there is no tactile indication of lens orientation like there is on the Canon (it has pimples!). Keep the negatives in context - it's a great camera/system. Apart from if you wish to use Flash a lot.....but that's improving.
 
Simes123 said:
10-24, 18-55 & 16-55, 50-140 here on the zoom front, and a bagful of primes. 16-55 is superb. The 18-55 is great too - I don't think Fuji make a duff lens, which makes choosing hard. I bought the 18-55 and soon after bought the 16-55, and haven't used the 18-55 since - not because it's bad, but because the 16-55 is so good. It's undoubtedly bigger/heavier, but not too big in my view. It's still smaller than my 24-70 2.8L was, and sharper. I had the 55-200 as well, but have ended up (happy) with the 50-140 2.8 zoom as well, in spite of the larger size. They are still relatively smaller than FF lenses. It's a great system, not without it's quirks - there can be a bit of defensive fanboyism from those who won't see it criticised. It's not perfect. But it's a very very good system and very enjoyable to use. I have no regrets at moving from FF, 5DIII and a 7DII to my Fuji setup. I don't feel I've given anything up at all in IQ - if anything, it's increased. So it's been an upgrade that has saved me money (5D4 money lol), and given me a far greater range of higher quality lenses than I had before. My main quibbles with the system relate to minor handling issues and the firmware isn't as intuitive as it could be on occasion. It's very good in low light, which is when the handling issues most reveal themselves - changing a lens on it in the dark can be fiddly, as there is no tactile indication of lens orientation like there is on the Canon (it has pimples!). Keep the negatives in context - it's a great camera/system. Apart from if you wish to use Flash a lot.....but that's improving.
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And breathe :D

I have to agree with the above, no regrets giving up FF and moving to Fuji :D
 
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