Would you dump your 14mm and 23mm for a 10-24 zoom? - Why or why not?

[Ted Clutter]

I have owned the 10-24 twice, going through the same ruminations that you are suffering now. Both times I shed the lens in favor of the 14mm and the 23mm. Why? First and foremost, quality. The 10-24 just does not give the razor sharpness of the primes. Second, I found that I used the 10-24 most of the time at the short end, so a lot of weight and size for an  essentially single focal length lens. I also believe that (for me) OIS is wasted on such a short zoom lens. It is true that I lack the 10mm perspective at the current time, but I also do not have to crop out squeezed, somewhat mushy corners, which significantly lessens the field of the 10-24 used at its shortest focal length. I find that for the majority of my uses, the 14 does just fine... indeed, great. And nothing beats the 23 for your X-T1 or X-T2. Always a good idea to have a backup with your X100T, but I would not give up the 23 for my main camera. Redundancy? You will only be sorry if you get rid of either lens. My recommendation would be to rent or buy the 10-24 and add it to your kit. See how you like it. Many photographers do amazing things with it. But remember what Ansel Adams said (paraphrasing) "The trouble with having lots of lenses is always wondering which one to use, instead of shooting."

[Struggs]

I am a recent convert to Fuji. I have been a professional photographer for 28 years mainly shooting Nikon with some Canon years in between. I have worked in local and national press for many but running my own photographic business for the last 16 years. I own the 10-24mm and think it's a wonderful piece of glass. I agree, when pushed at f4 it can get soft at the edges but after about f5.6/8 it becomes very sharp. I shoot a lot of commercial interiors (real estate) and have used Nikon 12-24mm f2.8 but I think this matches it and then some. The reason being is the style in which I shoot. A lot of my clients have cut budgets over the years so the huge day rates have all but disappeared. In order to make the books balance I needed to find a way of shooting faster but still deliver the quality finish. This lens, with the OIS, allows me to do this. I can now shoot a house interior much quicker as I no longer have to rely on using and lugging a tripod around. Even with 10mm I still find myself squeezing into tight corners, something the tripod wouldn't allow. I regularly shoot at 1/6th of a second, handheld and get pin sharp images. If you have the time, and already own the primes you need it's probably a moot point but if you're in the market for a one size fits all prime thus is a fantastic piece of glass.

Edited December 28, 2016 by Struggs

[photonongrata]

Like all things, the answer is "it depends."

 

If I was shooting for a client, I would get the 10-24, easy. If I was shooting for me, hell no, give me the primes.

 

I take better photos with primes. Exploring a scene with a single focal length and really getting your mind into that focal length is a much better way for me to work, if I'm not under the gun. Plus, I like the increased sharpness and typically lower distortion, and predictable distortion.

 

Why not just set a zoom at one focal length and not change it? Yeah right, I don't have that kind of self control! 

 

But for a client, psh, no question, give me the zoom, I'm not gonna miss the shot my client wants chasing perfect.

 

This is basically how I feel about zooms vs. primes across the board.

Edited December 28, 2016 by photonongrata

[antonroland]

On 9/18/2016 at 6:41 AM, Aswald said:

 

10-24's main advantages is the wider angle for landscape which is great. However, at 23, it will never replace the 23mm F1.4.

 

Hello Folks

 

I see this is a fairly old thread and I stopped reading at the bit which forms the  basis of my Google search which brought me to this forum.

 

I have the 10-24 and love it but I am lusting over the 23/1.4.

My first question is basically this: Is there good enough reason to want to own both if I can simply shoot the 10-24 at the long end?

Cheers!