RogerB

One thing to think about on your night shots is that the lights on the buildings (esp. at Disneyland) are quit bright compared to what we typically think about for "night shots". If your faces are very dark then the correct exposures for those lights will leave your facial exposures very dark. These are often situations where fill light add a great deal to the photograph. I know people shy away from the harsh light of strobe, but when done properly a bit of added light can make a huge difference to the definition of faces in the resultant images. If you take that approach any of the lense you talk about will do just fine as you will be using them at apertures that are smaller than maximum. For truly low light images, one of the ironies is that although the 23mm f/2 focus quite fast in daylight as you reduce the light levels to dim, then the 23mm f/1.4 lens with it's greater light gathering power, starts to outperform it in the focus-speed category. If you are taking a trip to disney*, I'd strongly suggest you also practice now with any lens and a night time fill strobe, typically with a slightly raised ISO (say 800) and a power reduced strobe (say -3ev). You may like what you get and then again, this may not be your cup of tea at all. However, it could save you the cost of a lens because all the apertures and focal lengths we are discussing here are on your current zoom. Roger

Not always does one size fit all. It sounds like you've done your focal length research. I have both the 23mm f/1.4 and 23mm f/2 on a XP2. Since you have the X-T10, a smaller footprint camera, I'd support the 23mm f/2. However from your last statement about contrast, microcontrast, tonality, etc. in my experience the 23mm f/1.4 is slightly better. I use my 23mm f/1.4 primarily for landscape stitching and family environmental portraits as I also like the manual focus clutch. There are a few more software corrections on the 23mm f/2 that can mess in a small way with the stitching, however on my XPro2, this is really the best for street and single frame pictures like family/friends/environment - the XP2 does really weigh this for me (small size and small shade, ease of carry). Because of the budget, already small camera, I'd still go with the 23mm f/2. We're really splitting hairs on the software corrections and they don't matter in a single frame (IMO for largely people pictures). You can get this lens sooner because of cost. It will always be a valuable lens. Any experience you gain with this lens is going to make you a better photographer and make the next choice much easier. I really like this lens, I'm strongly biased by the way it fits an XP2, I'm guessing your experience with the smaller XT10 will be much the same. Best Regards, Roger

I love these questions as the variety of replies always gives me something to think about. I'm pretty much in the camp of stay with what you have - there's a lot of good use cases in these comments to evaluate for one thing. I can only comment on my experience and what's good for me and why, so here goes. X-Pro2, 14mm f/2.8, 23mm f/1.4, 23mm f/2 35mm f/2, 18-55mm f/2.8 and X100 - that's my kit for family, friends, events, street, travel I work in urban, rural, dusty and dark environments along with all the others. I bought my Fuji as a light weight alternative to a DSLR which I still have. I find the 14mm f/2.8 and 23mm f/1.4 to be extremely useful lenses especially in the way they interface with or promote manual focus. I bought the 23mm f/1.4 as a result of having the 14 and discovering the MF clutch. The Fuji is my go to camera. The 23mm f/1.4 is my indoor family/event lens, the 14mm f/2.8 is my urban travel, landscape and travel interior lens, the 35mm f/2 is my family head-shoulder, small group, candid and street lens. The 23mm f/2 is my walk-about-in-the-desert lens, the 23mm f/1.4 is my critical stitched panorama lens, the x100 will do all of the above and did until I got my XPro2. Whenever I have an equipment crisis, especially lenses, I search LR for all the times I used the lenses involved, or those close to those focal lengths. I see what worked and try to think of what I missed in those situations and if a new focal length/aperture would help. Then I take the lenses in question and use it only for a week/month as an evaluation of what does/doesn't work. When I concentrate on just one focal length I often find that it boosts my creativity and vision with that focal length. If I'm thinking about a prime and I have a zoom that covers that focal length, I do the same for a week/month with the zoom taped to the focal length in question. I can't think of when I've really lost ground with those efforts - I almost alway come out a more creative and skilled photographer. Another thing that helps me is that I try to think about my equipment usage as "roles" rather than features. That often mitigates the questions about focal length overlap or too much/little of something. As you can see, I have three active 23mm lenses. They have different roles. There's hardly a time when I've spent/wasted time deciding on which one to use - they have their jobs. One thing that does help my decision process is that I have an XPro2 and the 23mm f/2 lens sometimes begs for usage because it is more VF friendly on that camera. What also fits into the roles on my equipment is weight. The travel weight, carrying a camera for 24/7, does have a role in deciding on personal comfort and ease of travel, especially if I'm on a concentrated public transportation tour. Just some things to think about as you sort this out. The advice of never sell a lens that you like is IMO good advice. If you look at my lens closet, you might extend that to "never sell a lens". That's because in my experience, life changes and sometimes you meet your going requirements, coming. I've been photographing for several decades and my prime lens has been the 35/23/35/23 lens, several times for different, non-contiguous decades. That's because my life and family have been through different stages where there are naturally different emphasis on life and recreation. There is also the personal growth as a photographer to consider. Years ago I would never be comfortable photographing a person with a 17mm lens, now I routinely do that with a 14mm lens. Good luck and Best Regards, Roger

I travel quite a bit and while WR is very nice to have, I don't rely on it. In fact my most friendly travel kit for Europe sort of avoids WR. My kit is the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS, 14mm f/2.8 and 35mm f/2 or the 23mm f/2. The latter are WR and one of them is in the kit (based on destination) primarily for light weight, after dinner walks when I'm completely bushed with travel and lastly for a severe WR bailout. Some people like the f/1.4 versions because of the low-light possibilities, but I find the small size and WR aspects more useful when on the road. After all, Fuji has very good highISO capability and typically these pictures are not for National Geographic My kit does always include: 1) lightweight food storage bags. I like the ones that don't have the zip locks, I usually put several in the bottom of my kit bag, usually under the padding so they are out of the way. With those, I use some sturdy rubber bands; like the ones that come around broccoli stems. They aren't overlong, are wide and sturdy. 2) one clear filter for a general purpose lens. Mostly for shooting at the seashore or other areas with blowing dust, construction, etc. 3) one microfiber utility towel. Helps clean everything up in case of whatever. The towel e.g. 9"x 9" or so also doubles as padding or a wrap if unusual packing situations arise. 4) several (wooden) toothpicks. These help with little cleaning jobs for when stuff get under dials, focus/zoom rings and the like. They also help clean up around lens mounts if things really get dirty and you do the cleaning before changing lenses. 5) an extra camera body cap and rear lens cap. These caps allow me to remove the lens from the camera and pack each item separately. I find this useful if I ever need to drastically repack because of some over zealous airline attendant. 5a) f you are changing lenses frequently, a small blower bulb for preventive cleaning of the sensor box and rear lens element on lens changes and once every evening. 6) an extra very inexpensive charger for the camera main battery. Also if you are traveling with multiple cameras, get the kind of charger that allows you to do more than one type of battery by just exchanging the plate on the charger. 7) a short home-country multiple outlet extension cord. That way you can with a single power adapter generate a couple of extra outlets for a multiple charging station. If you are staying in mainline hotels these stations are mostly ubiquitous, however if you like to stay in older hotels that give you access to city-center, this might be a good idea. I could and have done all my travel photography with just a 23mm lens. However, when taking other lenses, I like to use the 35mm f/2 for my lightweight option because it doubles nicely for a short portrait lens (or couples lens) which I find especially nice when thinking about my travel companions. Enjoy your travel and don't forget that microfiber towel. It can keep you shooting longer in the ran that many things. It wrings out, drapes nicely even when damp (maybe better when damp), whisks away out of the way pretty easily. Can be stuffed into one of those plastic bags until you can dry it. Then ready to go again the next day. Have fun, Best Regards, Roger

I would certainly support IBIS. I like using the primes and I also have the 18-55mm "kit" lens. The OIS is very effective. I especially like the IS for fast changing situations. It's nice to be able to turn it off if you don't need it. I use my cameras a great deal in travel. There are often situations where you can't control much of anything. To presuppose that a lens is designed for only certain lighting conditions, venues or that a particular angle of acceptance limits is application just isn't reasonable. I'm certain that I can find a counter use scenarion - one that I've personally encountered - for any of the arguments for why IBIS is not needed; even Fuji's edge-definition sharpness argument. If IBIS would assist the photographer in any situation then IMO it's certainly reasonable to request it. Roger

Thanks for the list. I'd like to echo your requests. I would also like to add a user configurable joystick press option. Especially in playback, I want to press the joystick to zoom. There is also a very confusing procedure to select/change memory cards. I still can't seem to replicate the problem reliably, but sometimes it's just defies any attempt to make the selection. I'd like to have the option of modifying the edge width on the focus peaking display. It would also be nice to have a high contrast option where a focus peaking edge on a dark object would appear light against a dark background and middle against a light background. In any event, I think the overall focus peaking display can be enhanced, there are times the edges just fade away. Roger

From what you describe, i would describe our shooting styles as similar. My lens solution is a 14mm, 18-55 and 35mm f/2. I do not change lenses frequently. I typically just mount the one that will do the most good for the longest time (based on the day's activities). IMO, one of the best exercises you can do when you are trying to make a lens choice, is to tape your zoom to one focal length and use it that way for a week. Evaluate those results and repeat as needed. This can give you great confidence in deciding on a fixed focal length lens for your kit. I use my 14 for interiors, architecture, street (& travel). and landscapes. The zoom quite similar to the way I imagine you use yours. The 35mm f/2 is my weather choice, street, family (& portraiture) and when I need to just travel light. I bought my XPro2 to be the basis for a lightweight kit so that has biased my choices somewhat. Good luck on your choices, Roger

I have the Ricoh GR digital. I find it's a perfect travel companion with excellent IQ and wonderful operational ergonomics. I did not see the need to update mine. Given my experience with that camera, I was surprised about your comments on the need to replace it and the horror stories about the camera. Can you cite some sources? I've been recommending this camera to others and if there is something I've missed, I'd like to be informed. On the X100+, I would buy instantly a XPro2 dressed up as a X100. I find the technology in my XPro2 to be extraordinary and sufficient. If I were to add anything on the X100(Pro2), I'd like a DOF scale on the lens. I really find the the size of the X100 (I have the original) a near perfect balance between button real estate and packaged technology. I do have the EF-X20 strobe for my XPro2, but still prefer just taking the GR (or X100) when I know I'm in a social situation that could be "spruced up" with a bit of direct light. I've never used it with the X100, because the on-board has always been sufficient for a bit of fill the way I shoot. There are enough things that the X100 does naturally that makes it a great complement (as well as spare body) to my XPro2, I have no hesitation to adopt a new X100 based on the XPro2 technology.

I have two SD cards loaded in default (sequential configuration) for RAW+fine. In practice I only use slot-1. I remove only slot-1 to download images to my computer. When inserting slot-1 and reformatting, the camera sometimes switches to slot-2. Naturally it seems intermittent. I'm working on a standard sequence to see if I'm somehow triggering this change. I can reset this to slot-1 only if I power off camera, remove slot-2, turn on camera and then turn off camera reinsert slot-2 and continue.

Thanks for posting this critique of the X-T10. I'm a X100 user and fond of the Fuji system. I looked at an XT10 yesterday. I want a bit more flexible camera for travel situations. I came close to walking out of the store with one. However you firmware list hits several items that I would not have expected to be missing on a capable camera. I guess I'm going to have to rethink this option. Drat... Best Regards, Roger

OK, Ideal new camera.... still APS-C, no FF distractions. Medium Format revolution OK :-). 1) X-T* w/ 24mp (bayer & no anti-alias) sensor. Raised control buttons on rear. Continued next-cycle improvements & no feature deletion (incl. selectable AF sensor patterns) 2) X200 w/ 24mp (bayer & no anti-alias) sensor. Same features migration as latest "X-T*" a) above with optional true monochrome sensor/processor 3) X200T as X200 above but with true integrated Tri-non 16/23/35 f2.8 lens. a) above with optional true monochrome sensor/processor (e.g. X200Tm) Just for fun, Roger

Interesting on how the door swings :-).. I still have my X100 and the firmware updates gave me a new/usable camera in a much broader usage space. I'm very please with Fuji's response to the X100 (but had to weather SAB). Now I'm considering an update and have a X100T sitting in a popular retailer's outbox but I've decided to wait to see if Fuji will continue to support the X100T as they have their other lines. It sounds to me like they are moving the X100T to the back burner by delaying any firmware updates. To me the AF can't be good enough and that includes face detection, as there are others who use this camera. For me, I would like the focus peaking, but I understand that the improved EVF refresh rate and resolution has made the peaking more difficult to observe (in the EVF). 'll be watching to see whether Fuji's decisions are to keep the X100 series as part of the lineup or if this is the cycle where they will move on from the niche entry. So the rumor of a firmware update can be the harbinger of longevity in the family or the lack of, an invitation to wait and see.