Which lens buy

[Iluzion]

Hellow,

 

I have X-T2 with lens 18-55mm and I wart to buy new lens I am thing about Fujinon XF 23mm f2 or Fujinon 35mm F2. Whats do you think about this lenses? Or maybe you have some different sugestios?

[cug]

See other thread ... ;-)

[Larry Bolch]

With the excellence of the 18-55mm, the Fujinon XF 23mm f2 or Fujinon 35mm F2 are somewhat redundant. The 18-55 is too often called the "kit lens" since it has a zoom range comparable to actual APS-C kit lenses on consumer-level bodies. It is not. Though it shares the zoom range, it is in every way a full-fledged Fujinon. It is lightweight and affordable, but well built and capable of the quality expected of FX lenses.  

 

At the most, you gain a bit of aperture, but not as dramatic as the f/1.4 versions of these focal lengths. They really do very little to increase your photographic capability. If you really want primes, the f/2.8 14mm, which is a brilliant lens, will considerably increase your wide-angle capability, while still being a fairly friendly focal length. At the other end of the scale, the f/2.0 90mm could give you a significant boost telephoto-wise.

 

If you can be content with zooms, the 55-200mm or the highly affordable 50-230mm will provide substantially greater versatility at affordable prices, albeit with considerable compromise with apertures.

[Larry Bolch]

The best way to choose a lens is to stop a moment and define the weakness of your current kit. What do you find most frequently frustrates you, presenting a lack of capability that your current kit prevents you from shooting? Just because you can afford another lens, and you have not bought some gear for a while is the WORST possible reason to buy a lens.

 

Do you do architecture and your back is constantly pressing against the wall, then you probably need a highly-corrected wide angle lens. If you have a kid that plays soccer, and you are constantly cropping most of the image away even at the maximum zoom, you need a longer focal length lens and the time to master it. Every purchase of camera gear should solve a definable problem. You don't shop for filters, lenses, tripods and accessories because they are "neat". You shop for solutions that empower your photographic capabilities unless your wallet is just too heavy to carry. 

 

Once the problems have been clearly defined, solutions are much more obvious.

[Phil]

What do you see yourself shooting with this lens that the 18-55mm can't do? Do you want to be able to get shallower depth of field? Or are you looking for a more compact lens to carry around with you as a daily carry?

 

If you're looking for shallower depth of field, get the 35mm. It'll emphasize background blur more, and is a bit sharper at closer focus distances. 35mm is a sweet spot where it's long enough for pretty much any portraiture, but it's wide enough to be flexible and is a good lens for pretty much any kind of shooting.

 

If you're looking for a compact everyday lens, the decision gets a bit tougher. Go out and shoot with the 18-55 on 23mm only, then do the same thing at 35mm, and see which you like more.

 

For me, 23mm is how I seem to see naturally (I can most easily frame for 23mm in my head before I've actually looked through the lens), and that's my preferred walkaround lens. It's wide enough to be flexible in tight spaces, but still looks natural IMHO. It's a good documentary/vacation lens for me, since it can do indoors and landscapes well, but still looks natural for people photos.

 

35mm is more of a portrait/speciality lens for me. For regular use (aka just bringing my camera around and documenting life), I find it too long. I'll always go to frame a shot and find myself having to take a couple steps back. But if I were choosing one lens and portraiture was going to be a priority, I'd do the 35mm, because it's significantly better than 23mm for formal portraits IMHO, but is still a flexible focal length overall.

[Steve Lew]

I had almost the same dilemma as you since I have a 10 to 24 and the 18 to 55 kit lens. I purchased the fairly recently released 50/f2 which is supposed to be as fast as the 23/2 and the 35/2. The 50/2 is at almost at the end of the 18 to 55 and is a semi portrait lens. My next purchase will probably be the 50 to 200 as a long lens.