16-55, 10-24 and lens "breathing"

[deepsun]

I'm torn between renting a 16-55 or 10-24 for an upcoming trip to Acadia National Park, and don't feel like bringing my four primes. 16-55 is certainly a wider range and I could get a nice mix of tighter details in Bar Harbor, but I'm concerned that it telescopes to zoom. Never used an externally telescoping zoom, so is it going to blow dust onto my sensor the entire trip? 10-24 would be incredible for landscapes, but then I lose the nice isolation of the 35ish-55 range that I like. I lean toward the 16-55, but really don't like that it telescopes.

[yazri]

I am under the impression dusts won't be able to penetrate the 16-55 lens while zooming in and out, since it is weather resistant. Happy to be corrected though.

 

In case you need the extra push, the images from the 16-55 are sharper than the 10-24, even to my untrained eyes. I happily sold the latter for the former.

[deepsun]

I am under the impression dusts won't be able to penetrate the 16-55 lens while zooming in and out, since it is weather resistant. Happy to be corrected though.

 

In case you need the extra push, the images from the 16-55 are sharper than the 10-24, even to my untrained eyes. I happily sold the latter for the former. ,

 

"Weather resistant" to me doesn't mean very much. As far as I understood it, lenses that telescope, or zoom externally, are susceptible to "pumping" dust through the actual lens mechanisms. According to someone a the rental company I use, though, the 16-55's rear element doesn't move, so there's no airflow to the sensor. 

 

Looks like I'm going with the 16-55. I'll have a much more usable zoom range with it. And sharper images, apparently! Thanks for chiming in. 

[yazri]

Looking at Fujifilm's page, it also mentions dust-resistant, on top of weather-resistant.

 

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujinon_lens_xf16_55mmf28_r_lm_wr/features/

 

To what extent, my guess is as good as anyone's. But good to know there is some degree of protection for dusts - at least they must have given it a thought.

 

However, I will still take the extra precautions for good measure. Have had the lens for slightly more than a month, and I don't have any dusts in it yet.

[deepsun]

Looking at Fujifilm's page, it also mentions dust-resistant, on top of weather-resistant.

 

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujinon_lens_xf16_55mmf28_r_lm_wr/features/

 

To what extent, my guess is as good as anyone's. But good to know there is some degree of protection for dusts - at least they must have given it a thought.

 

However, I will still take the extra precautions for good measure. Have had the lens for slightly more than a month, and I don't have any dusts in it yet.

 

 

Good to know! I'll probably go with the 16-55. Lots of options in that zoom range.

[Nero]

I lived in Maine for a couple years and have been to Acadia a number of times. I like have a zoom on one body and a prime on another. I don't own the 16-55mm, but I do own the 16mm prime. 16mm should be plenty wide for most of what you encounter in Acadia. I love my 10-24mm, but I tend to use it as a "scouting lens" when I want to go wide. I'll shoot mid-day with it just getting to know the place, then I'll go back during the best light with the 16mm unless there is a compelling reason that I need the 10-15mm range of the zoom. Go with the 16-55mm, you won't miss out on much, if anything, in my opinion.

[deepsun]

I lived in Maine for a couple years and have been to Acadia a number of times. I like have a zoom on one body and a prime on another. I don't own the 16-55mm, but I do own the 16mm prime. 16mm should be plenty wide for most of what you encounter in Acadia. I love my 10-24mm, but I tend to use it as a "scouting lens" when I want to go wide. I'll shoot mid-day with it just getting to know the place, then I'll go back during the best light with the 16mm unless there is a compelling reason that I need the 10-15mm range of the zoom. Go with the 16-55mm, you won't miss out on much, if anything, in my opinion.

 

 

That's essentially what I'll be doing. Planning on using my ND setup on my 16mm prime, as well as using it for nighttime stuff, and using the 16-55 for just about everything else. The main reason for a zoom this trip is just speed and convenience, since I won't e there very long.

 

As a former Mainer, got any tips on locations in Acadia for a short trip? I'm so torn on where to go for sunrise, in particular. Don't really care that much about Cadillac Mountain, as I live in a mountainous area anyway, but the coast is special. 

[Nero]

Well, Cadillac Mountain is special in one way, it's the first point in the US that sunlight hits during sunrise. It's not the furthest east, but the elevation gives it the edge. That being said, it's a beautiful view that you have to fight crowds of other photographers to get good shots on some days. One of my favorite spots on Acadia is a place called Hunter's Cove or Hunter's Beach. It's a little out of the way and very nice. Also, one thing that a lot of people don't realize is that there is a section of Acadia National Park that isn't on the island, It's on the Schoodic Peninsula. It gets much less traffic typically and the coastline there is quite beautiful. Winter Harbor and Prospect Harbor are interesting little fishing towns too for photographing. Schoodic Arts in Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor is a nice stop to learn a little more about the area. 

 

If you have any time to spare, I will say that Quoddy Head State Park is 100% worth the drive to go see. It's maybe 3-4 hours north along the coast near Lubec. That is technically the far eastern point in the US. Gets very little tourist traffic, and has wonderful, dramatic coast with cliffs and a lighthouse. If you can take a day and a half or two days to go up there and hit both golden and blue hour, you will NOT regret it!