Sapphire73
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Everything posted by Sapphire73
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Thank you for your thoughtful response. I am unlikely to sell my Canon gear (partly because I share it with 3 other Canon shooters in our family and it will eventually go to them) but I totally get what you wrote about muscle memory, etc. I have set the Canon gear in a closet while I try to work through a very detailed book on the Fuji XT 2 to help me get the most I can with this amazing camera. And making the Fuji my primary camera helps with that - as does the difference in weight! But it is nice to know that I can pick up the Canon in a pinch and use it with ease. Just like playing something on the piano that one learned long ago.... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Wow! I have been traveling and just caught up on the recent posts. This has been a very helpful thread - to me (the OP) and I am guessing, to others as well. I was very happy with my decision to buy the 55-200 before our trip to Europe last September, but still have my eye on getting the 18-135 someday. My newest lens is the Fuji 16 mm f/1.4 lens (a gift) and a better flash might be next, but we’ll see. It is really great to hear so many perspectives on this. Thank you all! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Thank you. Useful to get your perspective on how this lens does with the XT-2.
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Thanks for your input on this. That lens does seem like a good WR walk around lens for times when one doesn't want to change lenses. The 55-200mm was a good choice for me but I am keeping my eye on the 18-135 lens, too. What camera are you using? Some people think that makes a difference with the 18-135 lens. Thanks again for chiming in!
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Thanks, Konzy. Apart from Sacré Cœur and the occasional pigeon, our hotel room had no view whatsoever. But being able to see Sacré Cœur lit up at night more than made up for it!
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Hi from the Lake District UK
Sapphire73 replied to Wraithwrider's topic in Newbie / Self Introduction
Peter, happy to hear about your foray into the Fuji world. Sounds like you have some great equipment! I have the XT-2 and the 18-55, 10-24, 35, and 55-200 lenses. Are you still shooting with your Nikon or primarily with Fuji now? We had a lovely (quick 3 day) trip to the Lake District this summer and the weather cooperated beautifully. Hope you to continue to enjoy your Fuji gear! -
Interesting article and some great photos. You will have the best idea of what kinds of shots you hope to take, but I would agree that the 100-400 lens would be ideal along with one that lets you get environmental / landscape shots. Given that you are traveling elsewhere in South Africa, you may want to take another lens or two with your other destinations in mind. Personally, I like having the option of using a relatively inconspicuous prime lens (like the 27mm) but it sounds like you may also have a point and shoot camera with you. (Note: I do not own any of the lenses you mention, so I am responding in general based on the Canon lenses I used on safari.) Whatever you take in the way of equipment, hope you have a great time!
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Coming back to share one of the photos taken in France with the 55-200 mm lens. We happened to be staying in a hotel room with a view over the rooftops toward Sacre Coeur. (I did not bring a tripod on this trip as we were walking most of the time so I was photographing this basilica from my hotel room, some handheld shots and some with the camera secured to the railing with a gorillapod.)
- 65 replies
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- Fuji X-T2
- travel kit
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MikeG, now I can see why you are frustrated! Nice to be able to access it but will only let you open one menu item at a time - online. Hope they create a pdf of the full manual for version 3 soon. It is nice to be able to access this kind of thing offline and one doesn't always have cell service or wifi available.
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Wraithwrider, I was able to download the pdf file that pete1959 attached to his original post. I also followed the link that he provided, and Fuji offers two PDF downloads there. The first pdf is the user manual that reads version 2.10 on the cover. The second is the new features guide. Here is the link directly to the new features guide. (MikeG, does this link work for you?) P.S. I have not updated the firmware yet for my XT-2 - just been too busy to grapple with it - but I am really looking forward to trying out the new features (provided in this update and the previous one).
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Battery Management and the Fuji X-T2
Sapphire73 replied to pete1959's topic in Fuji X-T2 / Fuji X-T20
Pete1959, thank you for starting this thread. While I am not a photo journalist, I am mentally filing away this info. I have had my Fuji XT-2 for less than a year and decided to take it to Kenya last spring as my only camera (apart from cell phone). Unfortunately, our hotel only had power (and hot water) for a couple of hours each night so it was challenging to keep the Fuji batteries charged. (Fortunately, I had a juice pack for charging my cell phone and could supplement with that.) Thanks again for sharing your experience with Fuji and for covering the wildfires in California. -
While I haven't been on safari with my XT-2 yet, I have been on several (short) safaris in Kenya and South Africa. Here are a few thoughts based on my experience but not specific to Fuji gear: It is great to be able to go wide and get close ups. I took 2 camera bodies on our last safari so I was ready for anything and would not need to change lenses in dusty conditions. Another tip I saw (and used) was to cover up the camera with a cloth while driving through dust. There were times when animals walked right up to the vehicle and were too close for my husband to use his 100-400mm lens but it was nice to have that extra reach at other times. (I had the flexibility to go wide or zoom in but 300mm was my longest reach.) Someone mentioned the fact that you may be taking a lot of photos in low light because of the timing of game drives (to maximize the chance of good sightings). You may want to figure out what lens (and camera settings) you might use in very low light. On our first safari in Masai Mara, we were taken on a sunset drive and saw leopards on our way back to the lodge. On our last trip, we photographed a lioness licking her cub at sunset. Hope you have a great time!
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Lumens, thanks for your input on these lenses. If we ever go on another safari, I might try to get the 100-400 lens. But I am very happy with the 10-24, 18-55, and 55 to 200. I almost didn't take the 55-200mm lens on a trip to California, but ended up seeing sea otters, seals, and whales. It was fun to try to photograph them.
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FenFotos, glad to hear that you are happy with the 18-135 mm lens! Thinking of your camera glitch: I had a memory card that suddenly stopped letting me review the images I took with my XT-2. Fortunately, we were in traveling in California instead of Masai Mara or Burkina Faso so I could buy a new memory card. And when I returned home, I was able to access all of my photos. Thanks for joining the conversation!
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Konzy, thank you very much for the sample images and your reflections on the two lenses. Lots of great shots there! I have seen lots of great images taken with the Fuji 18-135 but it is great to see examples from both lenses in the same post. I am hoping this thread will be helpful to others as well. I love my Canon 18-135mm lens for its versatility and would definitely reconsider getting the 18-135 for the Fuji at some point but the 55-200 seemed a good fit for now. No budget for lenses in the near future though.
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- Fuji X-T2
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Jumping back into this thread (as the OP) to thank everyone who provided input. As mentioned earlier, I did end up buying the 55-200mm lens. I only took the Fuji camera and lenses on a quick trip to the UK, partly so I could focus on getting to know that camera better. After that trip, I decided that I really wanted to take both the Fuji and Canon 2 camera bodies on our "once in a lifetime" trip to France a month later. The Fuji did the heavy lifting on the trip to France (and was a heavier kit) because I took the 10-24, 18-55, 35, and 55-200 lenses for that camera. But I only carried 2-3 lenses with me each day. I took the Canon (70d with 18-135 mm lens) if we spent a second day in the same area or if I wanted to travel a little lighter. There were a few times when I had both cameras slung around my neck - such as when we took a private tour of several mountain towns near Nice - and it was fun to get shots with both cameras. Still processing photos but was happy with the results and glad I had both. I recently had a chance to take photos with both cameras during a quick visit to Yosemite as well. Will try to come back with reflections on the 55-200 lens when I have processed more of the photos. Thanks again!
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Thank you all for commenting on this thread! As mentioned earlier, I did buy the 55-200 lens. I didn't use it much on a recent trip to the UK but tested it enough to get a feel for it. If Fuji brings out an updated version of the 18-135 lens in the future - or something comparable - I would be interested in using that for a very lightweight travel kit. Thanks again!
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Good to know. Thank you! I haven't used the 35/2 very much yet but should get it on the camera soon and see what it can do.
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Thank you very much for your input on this. I have been wavering for the past month or two about which lens to purchase - or whether to continue to carry two bodies when I really want more reach. But I have a short trip coming up which will be a good time to test a new lens before heading to France with one (Fuji) camera or two camera bodies (Fuji and Canon). But I may take a look at the 55-200 mm in the store and decide to put this off a little longer. I had actually decided to get the 18-135 mm lens but then found out that it is in short supply at B & H and locally. So I posted here for more input from people using Fuji cameras. And I looked very carefully at the specifications for weight and size of various lenses. With a knee replacement and other issues slowing me down a bit, it is harder to move in closer to my subjects. So a little more reach can be very helpful. We'll see. That said, one of my favorite lenses on my Canon 70D has been the 28 mm. It is delightful to use a relatively fast, inconspicuous prime! mdotson90, on 31 Jul 2017 - 2:07 PM, said: Where this lens shines is the wide focal length range and WR. It's a day time lens so I usually have it stopped down to like f/8 and it does fine given the light is enough. It's been everywhere from the rainy muddy hills of Iceland to the Sahara desert. In these conditions the less you have to change lenses the better. I haven't been to Iceland (yet) but have been on safari in Kenya and definitely favor having two camera bodies in situations like that. One has a wide angle lens for landscape shots and times when animals come very close to our vehicle. And the other is ready to zoom in as desired. I enjoyed looking at the photos in your travel blog! Thank you for sharing the link!
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I called a local camera shop about the 55-200mm lens and they should have one available for me tomorrow. Always nice to be able to get a feel for it before buying - and support a local photography store. Thank you all for your help!
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Thank you. I agree that this combination would make a good travel kit, but I would probably want to throw in the 18-55 or 35 for a light weight, less conspicuous set up for walking around towns and cities. The bag I am using (Tenba Messenger DNA 8) holds 3 lens but might be a bit snug with those 3. Might soon find out.
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Thank you for your input on this - especially your take on the overall image quality and sharpness of the 55-200 lens! And like you, I enjoy using a lens with longer reach for some of my landscape shots.
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Thank you for taking the time to respond and sharing two photos taken with this lens. Which 2 primes did you take with you on your next trip? It sounds like the 18-135 mm lens might work well for casual photography (outings with grandchildren, etc.) but not necessarily a river cruise in France? This is helpful as I may go with the 2 camera bodies solution, knowing what I can expect from my Canon camera and lenses but greatly enjoying what I can capture with the (lighter weight) Fuji camera. At least, I can choose which camera to carry each day. As an indication of the kinds of photos I like to take on a trip, these are from a river cruise along the Rhine and Mosel rivers in 2015, with Canon gear. (Note: The shots in low light were hand-held so they are not very sharp.)
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I want to purchase a lens to expand the reach of my Fuji kit without adding a lot of weight to what I carry when traveling. I am looking at the 18-135 mm lens or 55-200 mm lens. Or I may put this off and wait for some new lens from Fuji. I currently have the Fuji X-T2 camera body and these lenses: 18-55 mm f/2.8-4 kit lens 35 mm f/2 lens 10-24 mm f/4 wide angle lens I have read mixed reviews of the 18-135 mm lens, especially when paired with the X-T2. The advantage of getting the 18-135 lens would be the freedom to take this lens with either the wide angle or 35 mm for a lighter travel kit. If I buy the 55-200mm, I might end up carrying the 18-55, 55-200 and the wide angle lens (since I like to shoot landscapes). I am used to using a Canon camera with a variety of lenses. I have the Canon 70D and 4ti camera bodies with an array of lenses. The lenses I tend to use most often are: 18-135 mm STM 10-18 mm or 10-22 mm 28 mm But when I want to photograph wildlife or BIF - or isolate elements of a landscape - I like using my 70-300mm lens or the newer Tamron 18-270 mm lens. I am going to be traveling in Europe for several weeks and part of that time will be on a river cruise where I need to carry whatever photography gear I want to use in port. My current solution has been to take the Fuji and one of the Canon cameras, keeping a lens with longer reach on the Canon. Any suggestions from people who have used the 18-135 mm and/or 55-200 mm lens? Thank you in advance! (I should perhaps add that I shoot RAW and jpg, so I am willing to do some post processing on the Fuji images but haven't felt the need to do much with the jpg files yet.)
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Hi, I live in Pennsylvania and have been shooting with Canon dslr cameras for many years. I was given the Fuji XT2 in December along with the 18-55mm lens and the Fuji 35mm f/2 R WR lens. (My husband and "kids" knew that I was interested in getting this camera.) I usually shoot RAW & jpg files and enjoy processing the RAW files. But one of my goals in getting the XT2 is to see whether I can get a high percentage of jpg files that I am happy to use with little or no post-processing. Lots to learn about using this new cameral but enjoying the journey. The XT2 is definitely a fun camera to use! I am looking forward to learning from those of you have been shooting with Fuji for awhile now.