martini_shooter Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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I just picked up an 18mm f/1.4 used from BH, I’m using it with my X-T3. It’s an incredible lens. Wide open it’s wicked sharp with pretty much no CA, stands up great to pixel peeping. Nice bokeh too. Lightning quick and silent autofocus, minimum focus distance of 20cm is really nice too. Great build quality.
I had a 16mm f/1.4 a couple years ago when I was using an X-H1, I loved that lens too. It wasn’t dead silent like the 18mm, and it wasn’t quite as quick to autofocus, but it seemed very quick at the time. It can focus another 5cm closer than the 18mm, so you can get super close if you want. It was an excellent lens optically, maybe not as “perfect” wide open as the 18mm, but still impressive.
Most folks would probably say to just go with the focal length you prefer. I’m using it more for people shots. The 18mm is perhaps a bit kinder to faces, and the extra bit of subject isolation is nice too. If you want a wider lens for scenery, the 18mm might sometimes frustrate you since it’s really not all that wide.
If you want to do video, the silent motors of the 18mm might be a big deal. If you’re a fan of the clutch focus on the 16mm, that could be a tiebreaker too. Rumors point to a 40MP sensor in coming Fuji cameras, I’d expect the 18mm to take slightly better advantage of such a sensor. The 16mm can be found pretty cheap in nice condition on the used market, that’s certainly a plus.
Honestly I feel like you can’t go wrong either way. Both are sharp and quick, they’re similar sized, both weather sealed, both focus very close.
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