Hello ! A Newbie with a question

[Matt_ng]

Hello everyone,

My name is Matt, I am from France and a newcomer into the world of photography.

I love travelling, and just spending time in nature so I decided to try to learn how to take proper pictures to print them when I come back home.

And that's why I am here ! After spending hours looking at cameras, trying to decide how much I could afford to spend and how I was gonna use it, I ended up looking at 2 kits in the same price range and I need some advices.

 

I am planning on going to Iceland during this winter, of course like everyone I would like to take some nice shots of landscapes and Northern Lights (if I am lucky) so which kit would be the best for it :

X-S10 + XF 16-80mm F4 R OIS WR

or

X-T3 + XF 18-55mm F2,8-4 OIS

I know the X-T3 is WR but not the lens coming with it, and it look like this lens is better for Northern Lights but not really good for landscapes.

And it seems like it's exactly the opposite for the X-S10 kit. (WR lens but not the camera, and it is really good for landscape but not for astro)😅😅

Sadly I can't afford to buy another lens yet.

Thank you in advance for any advices ! 

[Olaf W.]

Welcome to our forum. Tough question. You could just buy the X-T3 body and get a WR lens seperately. But I fear this will be quite more expensive than a kit.

[Matt_ng]

Thank you !

I guess that would be the best choice but yes sadly it would be way more expensive than a kit.

[Herco]

Welcome Matt.

WR is often overrated. I've been using a non-WR lens for 6 years (XF23/f1.4) and it was one of my favorites. It was pretty beaten up and had endured some heavy rain showers, but it never gave an issue. At the same time my WR XF90/f2 gave up just after a few months and two drizzles. Now that can be coincidence, but generally with some "tender-love-care" also non-WR lenses can easily withstand some rain, sand and dust. Just don't leave it out unprotected in heavy rain or a desert sandstorm. For a camera it's a bit different, as the top plate with dials and the back with buttons is very vulnerable to water accumulating there. A camera is also more profoundly damaged by water.

The XF18-55 might be an older lens with a shorter focal length, but from an image quality perspective I found it to be way better than the rather average 16-80. It's not to say that the 16-80 is bad, but the 18-55 is a step up in IQ. Esp. towards the edges and corners of the frame and with wider apertures. If you're gonna print big, you'll notice.

As for the camera, the X-S10 might have the advantage of IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization), but when you pair the 18-55 with and X-T3 you get the Optic Image Stabilization (OIS) of the lens. It's not as good as IBIS but in practice you get 3 stops and with IBIS approx. 4 to 4.5 stops (specs are highly optimistic ;-).

The main reason that I would prefer the X-T3 is the viewfinder. It's quite a bit bigger and brighter and with more resolution and less 'smearing' in low light. Esp. when you wear glasses the X-T3 EVF is much better compared to the X-S10 EVF.

However, all this is based on the assumption that you shoot images. When you plan to do a lot of video, the X-S10 with the XF16-80 might be the better choice because of the IBIS. But I would certainly check out the EVF of the X-S10 before buying.

Lastly, a trick I learned from a workshop student to turn a non-WR lens into a WR lens: buy an innertube for a fatboy bike or a small motorbike. Cut out a piece with approx. the length of your lens and pull it over the lens in case of bad weather. Just make sure that the tube is not too small or you won't be able to rotate the zoom ring. The aperture ring can be controlled from the camera. When you do that your only point of concern is the mount. When all of this sounds too cumbersome, there are very cheap plastic rain covers for incidental use available. These are far better in protection than any WR from any camera manufacturer.

[jerryy]

Another vote for the XF18-55mm! It can hold its own for landscape photos.

If you are really thinking you need the wide end for landscapes, sure the extra 2mm will “put more in the frame” for those mountains in the distance, but there is more to it than that, you might find that the compression you get from a telephoto lens suits you more and the wide angle lens is better for close up stuff.

Another option is to buy the body-only and then get a decent used XF14mm. If you look around the used markets, you could stay in your budget range. This lens gets rave reviews from astrophotographers, and landscape folks. It is a wide prime though, so it will be a little limiting for birds in flight.

[Herco]

21 minutes ago, jerryy said:

Another vote for the XF18-55mm! It can hold its own for landscape photos.

If you are really thinking you need the wide end for landscapes, sure the extra 2mm will “put more in the frame” for those mountains in the distance, but there is more to it than that, you might find that the compression you get from a telephoto lens suits you more and the wide angle lens is better for close up stuff.

Another option is to buy the body-only and then get a decent used XF14mm. If you look around the used markets, you could stay in your budget range. This lens gets rave reviews from astrophotographers, and landscape folks. It is a wide prime though, so it will be a little limiting for birds in flight.

Well put, Jerryy. In fact the 14mm and the 18-55 are a great combo in terms of focal length but also they share the same filter size. That way you can work with one set of filters (POL, ND, Gradients...).

[Matt_ng]

Thank you guys for your advices !

After reading all of that I am now trying to find a good deal on an used X-T3 body to be able to just buy exactly the lens I need with it. Right now I only plan to shoot images so I guess the IBIS from the X-S10 is not a big deal for me, and the WR on the X-T3 is probably gonna be helpfull in Iceland.

I still got a few weeks before leaving so I am in no rush, just really excited to get my first "real" camera !

 

Thanks again for helping me  

[Matt_ng]

It look like it's gonna be a Fujifilm XF 16mm f/1,4 R WR in excellent condition with a brand new X-T3 fot he prices of the previous kits. From what I found around the web, it seems like this lens should perfectly fit my needs so I am really happy I found one for a "good" price ! ^^

Edited December 24, 2021 by Matt_ng

[Herco]

On 12/24/2021 at 3:55 PM, Matt_ng said:

It look like it's gonna be a Fujifilm XF 16mm f/1,4 R WR in excellent condition with a brand new X-T3 fot he prices of the previous kits. From what I found around the web, it seems like this lens should perfectly fit my needs so I am really happy I found one for a "good" price ! ^^

The XF16/f1.4 is one's of Fuji's best X-mount lenses together with the XF90/f2. I absolutely loved the 16/1.4. I wish you a lot of happy shooting and fun with your new kit.

[Matt_ng]

21 hours ago, Herco said:

The XF16/f1.4 is one's of Fuji's best X-mount lenses together with the XF90/f2. I absolutely loved the 16/1.4. I wish you a lot of happy shooting and fun with your new kit.

Thank you, I also plan to get a cheap second hand XC 50-230mm before leaving, just to have a bit more flexibility once I am there. ^^