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Lens for travelling on low light


DashingElegance

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Hi there, i'm new to this (both photography and fuji). I recently purchase x-t10 and kit lens 16-50. I'm using it to travel mostly. I really like the kit lens but want to add a prime lens for low light photo. Is 27mm pancake lens good? Because its really small and weight is one of my concern. I might leave it at home if its heavy (i'm a small person). One more thing is OIS. I read that there's no fuji prime lens with OIS. Will it shake considering I'm new?

Or do you have any lens advise to accompany my 16-50 kit lens? I just want to carry an extra lens when travel because I don't like to change lenses. Just thinking my kit lens when light is good and one other lens when its dark(er).

 

Thank you guys.

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The XF27mm is a great little lens and pairs well with the XT10. The lens weighs next to nothing, and is incredibly sharp for what it is. It also can make some nice small amounts of bokeh depending on how you frame your subjects.

 

At f/2.8, it's 1+ stops faster than your 16-50mm at similar focal lengths, but if the light is getting bad, then f/2.8 still isn't terribly fast. It's better than what you have currently, but if light gathering is your primary concern, you can do better. If you want the best for low light, go for one of the f/1.4 primes - either the 16mm, 23mm (my personal favorite), or the 35mm.

 

The XF23mm f/1.4 is a part of my travel kit along with the XF18-135mm and Samyang 12mm and I'm absolutely happy with this kit.

 

If your primary concern is getting the lightest possible kit, look no further than the XF 27mm.

 

A good compromise between size and speed would be either of the f/2 primes such as the 23mm or 35mm.

 

A word about OIS, is that it's not always the end all-be all. Yes, it helps if you are shooting static things. OIS helps for camera shake but not for moving objects. If you're shooting people or have anything in your frame that you want to freeze, you'll want a faster shutter speed anyhow, which will mean a higher ISO.

 

Better to have a noisy high ISO photo than a motion blurred photo.

 

 

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The XF27mm is a great little lens and pairs well with the XT10. The lens weighs next to nothing, and is incredibly sharp for what it is. It also can make some nice small amounts of bokeh depending on how you frame your subjects.

 

At f/2.8, it's 1+ stops faster than your 16-50mm at similar focal lengths, but if the light is getting bad, then f/2.8 still isn't terribly fast. It's better than what you have currently, but if light gathering is your primary concern, you can do better. If you want the best for low light, go for one of the f/1.4 primes - either the 16mm, 23mm (my personal favorite), or the 35mm.

 

The XF23mm f/1.4 is a part of my travel kit along with the XF18-135mm and Samyang 12mm and I'm absolutely happy with this kit.

 

If your primary concern is getting the lightest possible kit, look no further than the XF 27mm.

 

A good compromise between size and speed would be either of the f/2 primes such as the 23mm or 35mm.

 

A word about OIS, is that it's not always the end all-be all. Yes, it helps if you are shooting static things. OIS helps for camera shake but not for moving objects. If you're shooting people or have anything in your frame that you want to freeze, you'll want a faster shutter speed anyhow, which will mean a higher ISO.

 

Better to have a noisy high ISO photo than a motion blurred photo.

 

 

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Thank you for your reply.

 

If comparing the 27 pancake vs 35 f2 vs 23 f2. Which one is best for travel in night? I'm not going to shoot in very dark alley but more like in Disneyland or at events in the streets. I might want to shoot some nice portraits (me and friends) with the view behind me.

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Thank you for your reply.

 

If comparing the 27 pancake vs 35 f2 vs 23 f2. Which one is best for travel in night? I'm not going to shoot in very dark alley but more like in Disneyland or at events in the streets. I might want to shoot some nice portraits (me and friends) with the view behind me.

 

Like I said above, if you want the best low light performance, a faster aperture is needed. So one of the 23mm/35mm f/2 primes would be better. Even if you aren't shooting in dark alleys, a bigger aperture gives you better low light performance and cleaner photos due to faster shutter speeds/lower ISO. If that is your main concern, get one with a bigger aperture.

 

If you want good environmental portraits (that is, the subject and some of their surroundings) then a good medium focal length is the 23mm. The 27mm also works well. 35mm is do-able outdoors, but you'll have a harder time framing subjects and a lot of their surroundings when indoors.

 

 

 

 

The 35mm f1.4 at 187g is a massive 17g heavier than the 35mm f2.0; certainly worth bearing in mind :)

It's not so much the weight as much as it's size/profile compared to the 35mm f/2.

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As you have the kit lens I would suggest to check first the focal length. You can do it easily with your lens:

Fix 23mm on your lens with some tape and try this focal length for some days (without changing the focal length on your lens).

After that try this with 35mm and 27mm.

 

After that you will notice which focal length fits your needs best.

 

After that you can decide what lens you have to choose.

The new F2 lenses are really great:

- light and small

- auto focus is fast (faster than the older F1.4)

- weather resistant (if this is important to you)

 

 

 

 

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Edited by gregor_24
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Thank you but I read that it is heavier than the 35mm f2. Is it worth the extra weight?

 

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Yes it's worth the extra weight, especially since you want to shoot in low light. A larger aperture = better low-light performance. And with the latest firmware the AF is pretty good.

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As you have the kit lens I would suggest to check first the focal length. You can do it easily with your lens:

Fix 23mm on your lens with some tape and try this focal length for some days (without changing the focal length on your lens).

After that try this with 35mm and 27mm.

 

After that you will notice which focal length fits your needs best.

 

After that you can decide what lens you have to choose.

The new F2 lenses are really great:

- light and small

- auto focus is fast (faster than the older F1.4)

- weather resistant (if this is important to you)

 

 

 

 

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Thank you for your answer. Maybe I will try that.

 

Is the auto focus in lens f1.4 that much different than in the f2? Auto focus vs bokeh & low light. Which will be good for my need?

 

 

 

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The weight difference is negligible, it's 17g, which is roughly the weight of an AA battery. Would that "extra" weight really put anyone off or be any kind of consideration in the purchase?

Yes the extra weight is not an issue. However gregor_24 above mention auto focus is quicker in f2 than f1.4.

 

 

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Maybe check youtube for some videos about the different lenses.

Here on for the 23mm F2 vs. F1.4

https://youtu.be/rXhM2dnZArs

 

 

 

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The video tells a lot. Thanks.

f2 is quicker auto focus & quiet too. Not to mention the size. I think it will fit more in my X-T10. And almost half the price.

 

I wonder if there is comparison too for 35mm f2 vs f1.4

 

 

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Here we go:

 

https://youtu.be/ZLdPo8i6VDc

https://youtu.be/hgX9VCfNWVU

 

 

 

 

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Wow thanks. Really love the quiet auto focus on the f2s. And smaller size too. Now I just have to figure which should I take, the 23 or 35. Thanks very much. It really help a lot.

 

 

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I would go with the 35mm f/2. I have both the 27mm and 35mm. I am happy with them both. Size and weight go to the 27mm, but weather resistance goes to the 35mm. F/2 and a little higher ISO will work just fine.

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28260197506_58c75e2d1c_b.jpgDSCF8810 by Andrew Thompson, on Flickr

 

 

X-T10

XF 35mm F/1.4

ISO 200

F/1.4

SS 1/60

Taken at dusk

 

Hope that helps. I shoot a lot with the X-T10 and XF 35 F/1.4, check my flickr for lots more examples

That is a nice picture. Thank you. Will check your flickr definitely.

Do you think no OIS will be a problem for a newbie like me?

 

 

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I would go with the 35mm f/2. I have both the 27mm and 35mm. I am happy with them both. Size and weight go to the 27mm, but weather resistance goes to the 35mm. F/2 and a little higher ISO will work just fine.

Is the 35mm wide enough for landscape?

I also concerned about no OIS in the prime lens. Since I'm a newbie, I worried if will take a blurry image.

 

 

 

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That is a nice picture. Thank you. Will check your flickr definitely.

Do you think no OIS will be a problem for a newbie like me?

 

 

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No I don't think no OIS will be a problem.

 

If your taking photos with people in them you need to keep a minimum shutter speed of at least 1/60s (with children probably 1/120s) or you will have motion blur. OIS only helps with camera shake not motion blur

 

For photographs where motion blur is not an issue (landscapes etc) to avoid camera shake try and keep the minimum shutter speed at the focal length of the lens. I can handhold the XF35 F/1.4 at 1/30s but try not to shoot at less than 1/60s to make sure of no camera shake.

 

I'd really recommend shooting in manual mode and consider remapping a function button to ISO, so it is quicker to change, preventing the camera in one of the semi-automatic modes making a bad decision regarding Shutter speed, Aperture, or ISO (or at the very least set the boundaries of how low you want the Shutter speed to go and how high you want the ISO to go.) The camera does not know what you are wanting to capture it is just exposing the photograph correctly based on what it has metered

 

Exposure

 

Aperture - Controls the amount of light that reaches the sensor and the depth of field (creates separation between focus point and background)

Each F-Stop movement doubles the amount of light that reaches the sensor (e.g. F/1.4 allows twice as much light as a F/2.0)

 

As far as exposure is concerned Aperture @ F/1.4, Shutter speed @ 1/60s and ISO 200 = Same exposure as Aperture @ F/2.0, Shutter speed @ 1/30s and ISO 200 = Same exposure as Aperture @ F/2.0, Shutter speed @ 1/60s and ISO 400

 

Shutter Speed - Controls the amount of light reaching the sensor, and controls motion.

​Each time the shutter speed is halved double the amount of light reaches the sensor, with the trade off of motion blur (not always a bad thing, as sometimes you want to show movement, not have a perfectly frozen image)

 

ISO - Amplifies the amount of light received at the expense of noise/grain.

Personally I always try and shoot at the lowest ISO (200) as long as I can create the image I want as I'm not a fan of noise, but for example if i'm taking a low light portrait and I'm already at F/1.4 with a shutter speed of 1/60s, I would rather increase the ISO to get the correct exposure than reduce the shutter speed and have motion blur on my portrait. Noise is acceptable at quite high ISO's on the X-T10 but it depends on what is being photographed and the output medium you are wanting to use  

Edited by Tikcus
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Is the 35mm wide enough for landscape?

I also concerned about no OIS in the prime lens. Since I'm a newbie, I worried if will take a blurry image.

 

 

 

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That would depend on how far you can walk backwards :)

 

as you have the Kit lens, It is quite small, I'd be using that for any wide angle shots landscapes etc.) Since you would normally want an extensive depth of field (in the F/8-F/22 range).

 

If i'm not photographing wildlife on a trip (birds etc) but not sure of the location, I would take 2 lenses with me the 18mm F/2.0 in my pocket/bag encase I need a wider angle shot and the 35mm F/1.4 attached to the camera. (18mm is just my go to 2nd lens out of the lenses I have, there are plenty of other lenses that could quite easily be used as a wider option).

 

I personally don't miss the focal lengths between 18 and 35mm as I am normally happy to zoom with my feet between those focal lengths.

 

The XF27mm is a great lens I can't compare it to the 35mm F/2 as I don't own it, but I don't use it very often as I don't find the 35mm F/1.4 heavy, it is a similar Field of View to the 35mm, and gives up 2 stops of light and F/2.8 is not bright enough for low light shooting for me, it would involve shooting at ISO 6400 instead of ISO 1600 for the same exposure, or reducing shutter speed to levels that may introduce motion blur

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Is the 35mm wide enough for landscape?

I also concerned about no OIS in the prime lens. Since I'm a newbie, I worried if will take a blurry image.

 

 

 

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One of the best landscapes of the past year, I shot with a 200mm equivalent focal length. Very dramatic mountain against storm clouds. On the other hand, I love photographing prairie with superwide lenses, emphasising the vastness. For landscape features, any focal length between the two. I often shoot panoramas with lenses around 100mm and stitch them together. Very high pixel count and extremely high detail. The 35mm with its extreme sharpness works extremely well with both in-camera stitching and stitching in processing.

 

I am a great fan of OIS since much of my shooting is done in available darkness or extreme focal lengths. However, I accept it is a very limited solution to a fairly rare range of problems. With my X-Pro1 and X100, I am shooting primes exclusively. My subjects are almost all people living their lives. OIS with the Fuji cameras would be no advantage at all. I have learned to hand-hold with sufficient steadiness to ensure sharp results. Lean against walls, rest your elbows on a table or chair back. Crank the ISO up to whatever is needed. A bit of noise trumps satin blurs every time. No matter how smooth, with no detail, your image is ruined.

 

Just as learning to steer a bike so you don't end up in the canal, learning to hold a camera steady is one of the fundamentals to be practised and learned. It is fundamental to all photography. With practice, you find out how slow a shutter speed you can risk with any given focal length. For APS-C cameras, a person in prime condition may be able to use the 1/1.5×focal length rule of thumb. It would say that the lowest shutter speed for the 35mm lens would be 1/52.5th of a second—1/60th in the real world. Shorter exposures are generally preferable. Wide apertures and high ISO ratings provide these goodies. Keep an eye on your results and change your workflow to suit. It is no more difficult to become a musician on a new instrument than to be a photographer fluent with a new camera. Nor is it easier. In both cases, study and practice wins the day. We are not born with the skills and knowledge, but we can learn and practice.

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