Mervyn

In this review Jonas Rask mentions that the documentation of the lens states it has 0.95 T-stops. Could be a false claim though. https://jonasraskphotography.com/2017/03/22/mitakon-35mm-f0-95-mk2-review/

Check out the reviews of the Mitakon 35 f0.95 on the BHPhoto product page: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1226781-REG/mitakon_zhongyi_mtk35m95m2fx_speedmaster_35mm_f_0_95_mark.html Especially read 'Not really f/0.95' and then 'I stand corrected'.

To answer my own questions: Never mind, because I just discovered that my 3 year old 23f1.4 does the exact same thing! Once every 20-30 shots or so I can hear a soft humming sound from the autofocus motor that persists after it has acquired focus in AF-S mode. So I'm relieved. Because it's a new lens I pay extra attention to these things. But because my old 23 does it too, hey, I guess it must be normal. :-) My guess now is that it's not the lenses at all; rather I think it could be the camera (X-T2) that somehow is still giving a small current to the autofocus motor of the lens after having already acquired focus. But it happens only once every 20-30 shots or so, and most often it won't happen at all. I think it's not a physical problem but rather something firmware related. Could be a small bug, but likely nothing too serious. Actually it's a very soft hum, hardly noticeable, but it's there. Much softer then the usual autofocus noise. Did anyone else notice this?

I'm a happy prime user, but you're right that a zoom can be very convenient. I enjoyed photographing with a zoom during our summer holiday and it's great that it covers everything from wide to normal to a little bit tele all in one lens. And not having to switch lenses on a stormy beach with lots of sand blowing around is an added bonus. However, I think you should give your primes a chance. Just pop on a 23 or 35 (my favorite is the 23) and leave all your other gear at home. I find it fun and quite liberating. Also I tend to get more creative because I need to move around more to get the shot when I only have one focal length. The only times when I really feel I'd need a zoom is when it's crowded with a lot of people and I'm unable to move around freely to compose the shot. Or when I'm inside and I can't go wider because I'd be bumping into a wall when I'd step back. For everything else the 23 is great. It's also cool for very dynamic portraits with a much more 3d perspective as opposed to say the 56 or 90 f.o.v. which normally make things more flat. The 23 f.o.v. is more energetic whilst the 56 or 90 usually are more flattering and more still. Things I'd most likely never have discovered if I'd only have been using a zoom.

I recently reacquired the Fuji 56f1.2. It's a fantastic lens and I should never have sold it. However, my new copy of the 56 occasionally makes a humming sound that persists after acquiring focus in AF-S mode. I don't recall my old 56 ever doing this on my X-T2 so now I'm slightly concerned. For the rest there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with it. At about one in a 20 shots, especially at minimum range (though I've also had it happen at infinity), the auto-focus motor keeps humming after acquiring focus. Sometimes it stops after a few seconds, but I've also had occasions where it wouldn't stop until I'd press the focus button again or switch off the camera. It happens in AF-S mode. My question is: do other people with the 56 experience this occasional after-focus hum as well, or could it be that I got a bad copy? And my second question is; could it possibly damage or shorten the lifespan of the lens when the autofocus motor keeps running after acquiring focus? I would hate to have the lens work for two years and then break just after the warranty has expired. And my last question: would you keep it and try your luck, or would you return it to the shop and exchange it for another copy? Edit: Problem solved, see my post below.

I'd choose the 16mm to round out the 23 and 56. Personally I never missed the 35mm with the 23 and 56 already in my bag. What i did miss was the option to go wide, because 23 sometimes just isn't wide enough. I've tried both the 14 and the 16 and they are both great. In the end I chose the 16mm because it was wide enough for me. Also because it is f1.4 and because of it's close focus distance. That it has WR also helped.

I wonder if this would be good for portraiture as well. The OIS could be nice and an 80mm focal length might be just a bit easier to work with then 90. I might miss the wider aperture of the 56 and 90 though. Mmm, maybe not the best option, actually for portraiture the 50-140 seems to be practically the same thing as the 80, but with added flexibility.

I know that my 90mm does this, and there it is perfectly normal. I haven't noticed it on the 16-55mm though. Wait, let me try it... * Shakes 16-55*... Yes, it turns out that you were right, I do hear a slight clunking sound. It's different from the 90 though, that ones clunk is lower and sounds heavier. It's nothing to worry about, it must be by design, like I know it is with the 90. But..., just don't clunk it too hard.

Personally I would go for the 16mm. It's wider and two stops brighter then the 18-55. Since you're experiencing difficulty because of a lack of light I would play it save and go for the f1.4 option. F2 might not make enough of a difference to justify buying another lens.

@Calocedrus - I wouldn't return to that shop again; sounds like very bad service. You should be able to return a product after 3 days use. I read a rumor that Fuji might be working on an upgraded version of the 18mm. Makes sense because it's considered to be softer then the 18-55mm zoom. Personally I would be very interested in upgraded versions of Fuji's older primes like the 35f1.4, the 56f1.2, the 23f1.4 and the 14f2.8. What I would like to see is fast and silent autofocus, WR and a stiffer aperture ring. I tried the 50-140 in a store and there I didn't notice any sound in particular coming from the lens. I did notice the totally amazing OIS though, I was really impressed by it.

@Melv - No, I didn't do anything special. I used a little blower to remove the small grains of sand, and I turned and moved both the focus and aperture rings. After doing that the aperture ring clicked again. My guess is that it was a grain of sand that was stuck underneath the aperture ring that was causing the problem, most likely it had nothing to do with the ball bearing.

Of course it will me ok, don't worry. The 18-55 will do just fine. Ever heard of the concept of one-camera-one-lens? Really get to know the 18-55 over a longer period of time and learn to work with it's strengths and limitations. It might be everything you'll ever need. If you can, try to avoid buying camera gear and lenses out of curiosity, an itch, or a theoretical need instead of a real actual practical need. It will save you a lot of hard earned cash. I think this is a mistake that a lot of people that are interested in photography have made. It's called GAS: gear acquisition syndrome. Actually one of the worst things that you can do is read other peoples opinions about camera gear and lenses on a forum. It will only fuel your itch to get a shitload of gear that you won't really need. I can think of a perfectly good reason to own every single piece of x-mount gear that Fujifilm has made. But do I really, really need it? No! Of course not. Simplicity is king. Only use what you really need. And when you do really need a new piece of equipment make sure that it's acquisition is purely based on your own need for it, not on other peoples opinions.

Instead of on the 56 I had this with my 23f1.4 after using it on a sandy beach. Not with ball bearings coming out, but it did stop clicking for a while. A couple of days later the problem kind of fixed itself and from then on the aperture ring clicked perfectly again. I do find the aperture ring a bit loose; I prefer the more stiff rings of the newer WR lenses.

Had the 56 for a couple of years and I never noticed a wobble. So nope, not wobbly.

I've got the 11mm tube. I don't really have an interest in macro but I'll use it if I need to. For people that do have a real interest in macro work a real macro lens would be about a thousand times better. It's sharper, and easier to focus with then an extension tube. Stacking extension tubes only further deteriorates the image quality. But, an extension tube is an excellent el cheapo solution to dabble with macro. :-)