18-55 or sell and get the 18-135?

[Maisy]

Last January we took a three trip to Hawaii. I took my XT-1 and two lenses ( 18-135mm and 14mm) It was a great combo, light and compact.

[bashar]

Whoever said that the 18-135 is soft or inferior to the 18-55 is an idiot, please don't listen to what photocrappers over the net have to say, just go to flickr and see what this lens can do, here is some of my 18-135 creations out of the camera jpgs....

 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/basharar/17w404

[darknj]

Whoever said that the 18-135 is soft or inferior to the 18-55 is an idiot, please don't listen to what photocrappers over the net have to say, just go to flickr and see what this lens can do, here is some of my 18-135 creations out of the camera jpgs....

 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/basharar/17w404

 

First of all, I love my 18-135 lens, that one stays on my X-T1 the most often but even I admit that the 18-55 is sharper, it's not a mountain high difference in sharpness, but it is sharper, just like the 18-55 is sharper than the 18mm prime @F2.8.

 

Fuji vs Fuji has some nice comparison between these lenses.

 

Does that make the 18-135 a bad performer ? Hardly at all, it is still a great lens that is super versatile and will be able to almost always get you an image of whatever you point it at.

[frod]

I would keep the 18-55 and get another body and a 50-140 

 

I may have missed the point somewhat 

[Vidalgo]

I'm staying with XF 18-55. For long tele I keep XC 50-230 in my bag, may be I'll replace it for XF 55-200. Hey Fuji, it's good time to make 55-200 Mk2

[steviewonder]

I have been looking for an alternative to my Nikon D800 + lens gear due to weight and obtrusiveness when travelling. I have debated between the 18-55/55-200 combo and the 18-135 (plus a fast prime like the 35 mm for night time and interiors). I usually use my 24-120 f/4 on my full frame camera as my walk around lens and did a sort of focal lengths used in my photos in Lightroom 5. Aside from nature shots (where I might need 400 mm), I discovered that I would frequently be changing lenses if I used the 18-55/55-200 combo. I decided that the 18-135 would work as a one lens solution for daytime, then I can use the 35 mm lens in the evening which is fast and less obtrusive. For a cropped sensor, my ideal one travel lens would be ~18 to 85 mm and faster than the 18-135 mm lens.

[Jon406]

I have both, the 18-55 is mainly for night photography, and taking wave shots in Hawai'i because I picked up a Hoya 58mm ProND1000 Filter, 10 Stops (3.0) to get the effects that I want on the waves and water.  I use the 18-135 quite a bit, both in normal and very low light, here are a couple of 18-135 hand held examples shot this last Sunday at our church gathering at Canvas Church in Kalispell, MT.  Then yesterday while I was in Starbucks, I used the 18-55 which did not attract any attention from anyone while I was using it.  And then at the Holiday Inn Express last night, while my wife was shopping at a local store.

 

So while heading over to Hawai'i this Saturday, I will be shooting some indoor shots at the different airports, and different static shots looking at sharpness and over all image quality.  So far, I am very impressed with the X-T1 and either of these two lenses.
 

18-135

Crystal said, this is my bad side Jon
Crystal Lynn by Jon Erdmann, on Flickr

 

The stage is 50 feet from where I am shooting from

Celebratiion by Jon Erdmann, on Flickr

 

18-55

At the counter in Starbucks

Starbucks by Jon Erdmann, on Flickr

 

Holiday Inn Express

Holiday Inn Express by Jon Erdmann, on Flickr

[Lumens]

I have both the 18~55 and the 18~135. Got the latter for a trip to Hawaii (4 islands). Didn't rain on us even on the rainy side of Hilo. So, didn't test the weather resistance with my X-T1. It is bigger than the 18~55; but after I got home, I left it on the camera for several months and carried it on many hiking trips in the Superstition Mountain area of AZ. (Good for dust protection also).

 

Just now put the 18~55 back on the X-T1. Don't have any distinct opinion about one being sharper than the other. Guess I should set up a tripod and do comparison shots. But, I've been satisfied with images from both lenses. Full size image is here: http://www.lonetreeimages.com/Imgs/Hawaii_5132.jpg

 

I too own both, this about sums it up.  I keep the 18-55 in the bag with the 10-24 and 55-200.  When seriously out to shoot the wide range of focal lengths with extension tubes can shoot anything from Macro to telephoto - whatever catches my eye.  

 

The 18-135 I keep in a holster bag I carry with me most anywhere I go - I love the versatility and can keep one lens on the camera ready to go at any time.  I do find slight differences in bokeh, but IQ is very good on both.  I enjoy having both lenses available for different purposes.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Lumens

[CplGumby]

I also bought the X-T1 with the 18-55 and loved the compact size. (Hey! It was my first lens in the switch from Nikon so it WAS small at the time! Ha! Ha!) I took it and the 55-200 to Hawaii and found that I hardly used the 55-200. I have since bought the 18-135 for use as the travel lens and use my 18-55 for walking around. The 55-200 I use for Motocross races.

 

Norseman's comments are bang on.

[deva]

If I am out photographing an event in the daytime with one body and one lens, it would be the 18-135

 

The 16-55 or the 18-55 kit lens are both just not quite enough reach for me as a single lens option.

 

I'd love to see a 16-80 f4 OIS WR Fuji lens.