XF23mm vs XF27mm for Street Photography

[gordonrussell76]

Guido

 

To clear it up, with X-T10 you can do everything you can with the X-E2 AND you can also use the EV dial in full Manual mode which you cannot (in the current firmware) do with the X-E2. The X-E2 is supposed to be getting a new firmware and one would hope this feature would be included, there are no gurantees, so if this is important to you then go X-T10 or T1 which you can also do this with if you don't want to use the dedicated ISo guide.

 

Bottom line is that with most cameras there are many ways to skin a cat, or configure them. With imagination you can usually mold the camera to your desires.

 

With something like the X-T1 there are just even more options to get you where you need to go, but not eveyrone needs them all or can justify the cost of that amount of flexibility.

 

ONe not you mention ergonomics etc, be aware the X-T10 is smaller than the X-T1 and its also less wide than the X-E2, which means if you have big hands you will almost certainly need the additional grip on that camara

[Sella174]

Except for one poster, you all have it terribly wrong. Focal length, especially for "street photography" is not about field of view, but about perspective. Thus for the OP the choice between the 23mm and the 27mm should not be made on the basis of field of view or even actual physical size of the lens, but on how the perspective of each lens will define the ultimate style of his street photography.

[CRAusmus]

as far as control between the X-E2 and the X-T1 goes, the X-E2 is still quick to control.

 

on the X-T1:

- the unlock button has to be held down to turn the ISO dial.

- (blasphemy) Fuji for not allowing different ISO-Auto settings in your presets whilst ISO dial is on A(uto). when i scroll between different presets in the Q menu, i still have to go to the ISO-Auto menu to manually change those settings. for example, on the X-E2, i can save a 200-800 preset and a 200-1600 preset (for when i briefly step into low light areas in the daytime) which takes a simple scroll from one preset to the other in Q menu.

When I'm walking around I'm always in Auto ISO.

 

I am curious though as to why you need two Auto ISO Presets?  The camera is always going to pick the lowest ISO possible, so why is 1600 ok for certain situations, but not others?  I don't see the point in needing two ISO Presets.

 

Set it as high as you are willing to go and just be done with it.

[citral]

The 18mm being at F2 and the zoom kit at F2.8 there isn't a full stop in between so the low light capabilities are roughly the same, the small difference can be compensated by the OIS in the zoomkit. Bokeh wise, there is hardly any differences, both blurs out the background nicely

 

Wrong.

[romi.gilles]

When I'm walking around I'm always in Auto ISO.

 

I am curious though as to why you need two Auto ISO Presets? The camera is always going to pick the lowest ISO possible, so why is 1600 ok for certain situations, but not others? I don't see the point in needing two ISO Presets.

 

Set it as high as you are willing to go and just be done with it.

sorry to go off-topic here, but just to make this short...

because Fuji allows us to set the 'min shutter speed' parameter in ISO-Auto, there are certain scenarios where i want to capture blur (ie: a passing train between me and a crowd of other people on a platform across the way). so, i'd have at least one Custom Preset with ISO-Auto (1/15). then as soon as i'd walk out of the subway into the streets, i'd switch to another Custom Preset with ISO-Auto (1/500). i have other scenarios i'd want different ISO-Auto values for, but i don't want to hi-jack this thread.

[guidobartoli80]

CRAsmus, I agree with you, two Auto ISO would be not really useful...

[CRAusmus]

sorry to go off-topic here, but just to make this short...

because Fuji allows us to set the 'min shutter speed' parameter in ISO-Auto, there are certain scenarios where i want to capture blur (ie: a passing train between me and a crowd of other people on a platform across the way). so, i'd have at least one Custom Preset with ISO-Auto (1/15). then as soon as i'd walk out of the subway into the streets, i'd switch to another Custom Preset with ISO-Auto (1/500). i have other scenarios i'd want different ISO-Auto values for, but i don't want to hi-jack this thread.

I guess this is where my disconnect was coming from because I'm in manual already.  I shot Aperture Priority for about the first week I had the X-T1, then quickly abandoned it for full manual.  I did however run into an issue on Saturday where I realized I need to bump my ISO up to at least 1600 though because when I entered the tunnels under the train station 800 just wasn't cutting it.

 

At any rate, we can get back to the discussion at hand.  I've been using the 35 for the past three weeks and loving it on the street.  I think the 27 would be awesome because it's just a tad bit wider, but the profile of the camera is shrunk quite a bit.

[romi.gilles]

CRAsmus, I agree with you, two Auto ISO would be not really useful...

^

I used it because it was useful to me. it would be like, taking Fn buttons away from me. please, don't take my Fn buttons away. [emoji22]

I guess this is where my disconnect was coming from because I'm in manual already. I shot Aperture Priority for about the first week I had the X-T1, then quickly abandoned it for full manual. I did however run into an issue on Saturday where I realized I need to bump my ISO up to at least 1600 though because when I entered the tunnels under the train station 800 just wasn't cutting it.

 

At any rate, we can get back to the discussion at hand. I've been using the 35 for the past three weeks and loving it on the street. I think the 27 would be awesome because it's just a tad bit wider, but the profile of the camera is shrunk quite a bit.

^

not necessarily having a preset for lower and a preset for higher ISOs. like on my GX7, i only get to set the max ISO limit. i just set it and leave it at max 800. then i'd expand to 3200 at night. but Fuji allows us to set min & max ISO and min shutter speed. min shutter speed allows me to control the tolerance of ISO-Auto. a lower min shutter speed hangs in lower ISOs better while a higher min shutter speed jumps ISOs sooner. and the fact that Fuji uses an ISO-less sensor made a difference why i had one Custom Preset just for ISO-Auto 200-800. without going into more depth, it was just a convenience feature for me where i could easily switch between a set of more useful custom settings that i most frequently used.

 

also, before FW 4.0 on the X-T1, we didn't have exposure compensation, so that meant i couldn't fine-tune (compensate) exposure by third stops. and i think i would have missed too many quick-happening moments had i shot in full Manual. i've just been spoiled by Fuji's ISO-Auto. does the EV dial still give us third stops in full Manual now?

 

---

 

just a few shots with the XF23 and XF27...

 

^

XF23 (my fave of the Fujinon lenses). however, because of its size, i found myself using the XF27 more which is like, the lens i like the least in my bunch but have captured more photos with it. go figure.

 

the rest are taken with the XF27...

 

 

 

 

 

(Sent from another Galaxy via Tapatalk)

[gordonrussell76]

Quick update to this thread, I was going to edit my original post, but decided it was best left this way to show the progression for me.

 

So firstly I have swapped out my X-E2 for an X-T1, I miss the X-E2, I still stand by the fact that I prefer it as a camera to the X-T1, interesting note as well I honestly believe that it will last longer than X-T1 as well, its a good build and there are less knobs and doors to break off go wrong. Its a little tank.,

 

However it was a simple situtaion I wanted the 18-135mm and I got a phenominal deal on the X-T1 kit, so good that basically for the 2nd hand price of the 18-135mm (£400 based on my estimation and study of Ebay auctions) I was able to get the  X-T1 as a freebie. The upgrade to the X-T1 after I sold the X-E2 was cost neutral compared to me keeping it and buying a 18-135mm seperately. I could not ignore that deal.

 

So I have been using X-t1 for street, observations so far.

 

1) I use it exactly the same way as I used X-E2, the zone focus is occasionally nice, but general Single Point AF or manual zone pre-focus is still the best method. So no advantage here over X-E2

2) Its not that noticable with 35mm and 27mm its fine, and its actually less wide than X-E2 so although my right eye is now in the middle of the camera, I can still see past the edge of the camera and see overal scene and make eye contact with people, so actually here X-T1 is totally fine. I also find I aquire target more quicly as the lens is below the EVF so when I bring camera to eye I see what I am pointing at without having to make minor correction (in all fairness, this correction became second nature with X-E2 so i am mentioning this mainly out of completeness).

3) EVF - okay before I owned an X-T1 I thought this was the only thing that it really had over the X-E2, and I was right, what I was not prepared for was how right I was going to be. The EVF on this thing is just extrordinary and has ruined me for anything else unless its better Having used this, even though I love the X-E2 and would happily buy an X-E3 as my next camera, if they catch the features up to the X-T1/2 if it does not have an EVF on a par with this, then I may be a permanent member of the X-T camp, and I cannot believe I am saying that. However it is very interesting that having owned both cameras, this is actually the only thing that distinguishes them. I really feel Fuji have missed a trick with the X-T10, if they gave it this EVF I would buy 2, becusae I actually don't really use the ISO dial and I think it has a better layout and control system.  

4) I HATE the doors on the X-T1, they are awful and Fuji could really do with sorting them out for the X-T2.

 

In terms of 27mm I am still loving that lens.

 

Now for a curve ball. I also recently bought the 10-24mm for my wide angle needs, it was a toss up between that and th 14mm and I bought the 10-24mm as I got a steal on ebay, and my logic is might as well try this first as I can sell for a profit and easily fund the cheaper 14mm down the line if it does not work out. As it is, this is my new favourite lens for street.

 

My street kit is now

 

10-24mm

27mm

35mm

 

I am loving the 10-24mm when I first got it I was not that impressed with it at 24mm like a lot of reviewers I felt that the sharpness had something to be desired.

 

However I recently realized that the original owner had not updated it to the latest firmware. i took some before and after shots with it at 24mm and the difference in sharpness is night and day with stabilization on.

This means it ends up overall sharper as I can often use it at a lower SS and therefore lower ISO which is sharper as well. I have just added my flickr feed to my signature, look at the picture entitled 'Tribute to Kai' to see my favourite street shot with the 10-24mm. I need to process more, but thats the first one thats made it to my flickr

 

The lovely thing about this lens is I can walk around with it in 24mm shooting street shots very happily, and then if I see somethign I need a wider angle for, its there under my fingers. Will it replace my 27mm, NO, but it a lovely additional colour on my palette and I have to say I honestly love this lens at 24mm (well actually 22.9, I set marker to line up with the 4 of 24 and this gives 22.9 which is closer to true 35mm)

 

So I guess the moral is that I have found that an X-T1 with a 10-24mm zoom works quite well for street, so maybe size of camera and lens is not that important.

[darknj]

[...]

So I guess the moral is that I have found that an X-T1 with a 10-24mm zoom works quite well for street, so maybe size of camera and lens is not that important.

 

My heartfelt congratulation for your new street kit :]

 

And you are correct, the camera and lens size is not that important, it's just a matter of personnal preferences and choices.

You use what you think is right for your needs.

[gordonrussell76]

I will say that maybe the size of kit is important when you start.

 

Would i have started street with an X-T1 and 10-24mm probably not, too self conscious.

 

However starting with a X-E2 and 35mm and getting comfortable allowed me to try other things as they joined my kit.

 

So maybe it really depends also on where you are in your journey

[frod]

There is a smaller X lens than the 27mm... you've got to like f/8.0 though

[X-Pert]

As I started shooting street with a Canon 7D equiped with a 35mm f1,4 Sigma EX, size didnt matter for me...than I switched to Fuji X and started to shoot the equivalent 35mm f1.4 and loved it.

With the x-e1 body I was much more stealthy. Than I switched to the 27mm pencake to take the stealthyness to the next level and I loved it much more.

 

For me, the 23mm never was an option for street photography in terms of focal length and that was the only problem I had with the X100S, which is a great camera, but in my oppinion it´s too wide.