jakeg403 wrote:
This thread is starting to veer off track. I started it with the simple question wondering if there is 1 or 2 "special" lenses in the Fuji X system. Through my experiences with the past Canon EF system, this was the case, there were a few lenses that seemed to routinely produce a universally agreed upon "special" look. I realized I was flirting with many different opinions and that's ok. I am no longer a paid photographer, so I shoot for me and those I choose to work with so I am not looking for a specific tool for a specific task.
I appreciate everyone's feedback here, and my personal opinion this early in my experience with Fuji is that there isn't just 1 or 2 universally special lenses, and that is perfectly fine with me. I understand that focal length is typically the most important factor and I do agree with it, however I am someone who has yet to find a focal length I can't work with. I simply move my feet or find a different subject. Again, thanks to all and I will keep replying as well, just didn't want to see this turn into opinions of "why" others should choose lenses. I am more interested in the "why" certain lenses are special to people....Show more →
But it's not a question of much use in choosing a system. If we said lens A and lens B are edcellent , and the rest excellellent minus, are you likely to change the way you do your photography to just those two?, which might be the 18/1.4 and 90/2, a pretty limiting choice
Look at it rather like what fields of view are your most used? Does Fuji have lenses at that FoV that are as good or better than other brands? The answer is yes, but only then if you want AF
And camera handling is AT LEAST as important.
So it might be a simple question and indeed is somewhat over simplistic, so gets answers which might be described as 'depends....'
The 16-55mm f2.8 mark i and ii are pretty much accepted as being the best zooms in their focal range. The 18mm f1.4 WR, 23mm f1.4 WR and 33mm f1.4 WR are regarded as better for sharpness than older versions. But as you can see from the debate they are not so far ahead of other lenses to be universally regarded as must have lenses. The reality in the Fuji world is the 'best' lenses are usually only a bit better than the next best, with the next best often having something else that might make them a good choice, e.g. size, rendering, or cost.
Geoff D F wrote:
The 16-55mm f2.8 mark i and ii are pretty much accepted as being the best zooms in their focal range. The 18mm f1.4 WR, 23mm f1.4 WR and 33mm f1.4 WR are regarded as better for sharpness than older versions. But as you can see from the debate they are not so far ahead of other lenses to be universally regarded as must have lenses. The reality in the Fuji world is the 'best' lenses are usually only a bit better than the next best, with the next best often having something else that might make them a good choice, e.g. size, rendering, or cost. ...Show more →
This is right on par with what I have learned.
Well, just snagged a 90 f/2 from the BS section. I am sure, knowing myself I will end up trying most of them anyway. Currently I have the 18 1.4 & 90 on the way, 16-50 kit (will hang onto for the rare times my wife wants to use the camera), Viltrox 25 1.7, and a NIB XC-35 f/2 that came as a package with the camera. I am planning to sell or trade in the Viltrox 25 and XC 35 because I prefer Ap rings. I will keep my eye out for a nice 56WR and I think that will be a good enough spread for awhile.
gdanmitchell wrote:
Simple questions don't always have simple answers.
Not with you around to over-complicate things. When I said "use the wrong lens" I wasn't suggesting purchasing a lens that you might not have use for. Simply something like taking a lens I already have that's known for use with portraiture and taking it out to shoot some landscape. Sometime we put things in boxes instead of mixing and matching and for me, that can lead to interesting tangents I wasn't expecting. To me that a lot more fun than sitting around pondering why I'm bored. YMMV.
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jakeg403 wrote:
This is right on par with what I have learned.
Well, just snagged a 90 f/2 from the BS section. I am sure, knowing myself I will end up trying most of them anyway. Currently I have the 18 1.4 & 90 on the way, 16-50 kit (will hang onto for the rare times my wife wants to use the camera), Viltrox 25 1.7, and a NIB XC-35 f/2 that came as a package with the camera. I am planning to sell or trade in the Viltrox 25 and XC 35 because I prefer Ap rings. I will keep my eye out for a nice 56WR and I think that will be a good enough spread for awhile....Show more →
Sounds like a great start!
You said you were going for a portrait lens, so while "best" is subjective, I think the 33 f1.4 is an excellent choice, along with the 56 f1.2 (the newer version).
Fuji's newest model lenses (the R WR versions, released in the last few years), are generally going to be sharper and faster than their predecessors.
jakeg403 wrote:
This thread is starting to veer off track. I started it with the simple question wondering if there is 1 or 2 "special" lenses in the Fuji X system.
You might try the Sigma 56 1.4, as well. I use it almost daily at work for studio portraits. Fuji 56's are wonderful; this one is lighter and less expensive. Otherwise, you're on the right track, it seems. I love the 90 when I can use it. Good luck!
SGinNorcal wrote:
Not with you around to over-complicate things. When I said "use the wrong lens" I wasn't suggesting purchasing a lens that you might not have use for. Simply something like taking a lens I already have that's known for use with portraiture and taking it out to shoot some landscape…
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I don’t see that in the original post I replied to.
A good start here might be to mention the lens you already have and ask about its suitability for those other proposed uses.
Or mention a specific sort of lens or lenses you are interested in and asking for feedback on options and their quality.
I missed any mention of portrait lenses in your original post. However, depending on what you are looking for and how else you would use it, all of the following are excellent and could work well:
gdanmitchell wrote:
I don’t see that in the original post I replied to.
OMG Dan! Do you love de-railing threads so you can talk? I was simply supporting the notion of "shooting to the strength of a lens" with my own concept of stepping outside of the box. I was not trying to make the thread about me. I am not suffering from lack of creativity or looking for a portrait lens. Now let's both shut up and let the OP have his thread back.
They say the Viltrox 27 f1.2 lens is quite sharp too, but it's a little wide for a portrait lens.
That kind of "pop" or "3d" effect you're looking for is usually a combination of wider field of view (but not so wide as to cause too much distortion) along with shallow depth of field. Because of the APS-C sensor, few lenses are going to offer that combination -- they mostly top out around f1.8-2 equivalent depth of field on a full frame sensor.
SGinNorcal wrote:
OMG Dan! Do you love de-railing threads so you can talk? I was simply supporting the notion of "shooting to the strength of a lens" with my own concept of stepping outside of the box. I was not trying to make the thread about me. I am not suffering from lack of creativity or looking for a portrait lens. Now let's both shut up and let the OP have his thread back.
Jack Flesher wrote:
I agree with this, both are as good or better than the top Fuji's. Add to these the Sigma 12/1.4 -- from all accounts another excellent offering.
There is also the relatively new Viltrox 56 f/1.2, that is a very nice lens as well. It fits nicely between the 27mm and 75mm.
I appreciate all the great feedback and opinions. I’ve ended up with the 3 headed my way: 18 1.4, 56 1.2, 90 2.0, all newest versions. I figured this will be a decent coverage of focal lengths of which I’m already familiar with, but maybe one, none, or all will provide that special look that resonates with me.
I do hope the conversation continues, my intent was not to start an FL war or which lens is better war, which it didn’t, but to hear about the favorites that provide great IQ. From what I’ve gathered, there aren’t any that really stand out above the rest and to me that’s a great thing.
As I mentioned earlier on, I had a nice Zeiss that produced some of the most amazing images I’ve ever seen but it was MF only and it didn’t talk to my 5D, so I struggled with nailing the focus. The FL was never an issue and I’m expecting these 3 headed my way to also not be an issue.
jakeg403 wrote:
As I mentioned earlier on, I had a nice Zeiss that produced some of the most amazing images I’ve ever seen but it was MF only and it didn’t talk to my 5D, so I struggled with nailing the focus. The FL was never an issue and I’m expecting these 3 headed my way to also not be an issue.
I think I mentioned the Fringer EF-Fx adapter. If you still have the Zeiss, it might be interesting to try on your new X-T5. The manual focus tools are pretty useful with a true MF lens.
Unfortunately I sold it. That would have been fun to try though. I still have my original 5D body and no lens for it. I will eventually get at least 1 for it and I have the adapter to use it on my R5, so I’ll look into the Fringer you mentioned. Just need to decide which one. Possibly an oddball or something really wide, fish eye, etc.
jakeg403 wrote:
Unfortunately I sold it. That would have been fun to try though. I still have my original 5D body and no lens for it. I will eventually get at least 1 for it and I have the adapter to use it on my R5, so I’ll look into the Fringer you mentioned. Just need to decide which one. Possibly an oddball or something really wide, fish eye, etc.
