X-E3 with XC 15-45

[merlin]

Wondering if anyone has used this combo.  It seems like an excellent choice for those who are wanting something small and lightweight, with better resolution (albeit much shorter reach) than my discontinued X30.

[dfaye]

My thinking exactly. I ordered this combo a few hours ago - should arrive tomorrow, and I'll post my first impressions soon after that. (I'm not a fan of power zooms, but the little 15-45 was so cheap as a kit zoom it seemed silly not to try it, and I've got a decent collection of other Fuji glass I can use if I don't like it.) Meantime, I too would like to hear of other users' experiences with this combo.

[merlin]

8 hours ago, dfaye said:

My thinking exactly. I ordered this combo a few hours ago - should arrive tomorrow, and I'll post my first impressions soon after that. (I'm not a fan of power zooms, but the little 15-45 was so cheap as a kit zoom it seemed silly not to try it, and I've got a decent collection of other Fuji glass I can use if I don't like it.) Meantime, I too would like to hear of other users' experiences with this combo.

Very much look forward to hearing about your experience!

[dfaye]

I said I’d report back on my first few days with the X-E3/XC15-45 combo, and I’m delighted to say that it exceeds my expectations. I knew the camera would be excellent - I'd handled one in a store and had studied the manual online. It’s beautifully made, well-designed and light, and of course works perfectly with the full range of Fuji glass. I hadn’t been able to actually handle the little XC 15-45 PZ lens before buying, but it was so cheap when bought as part of a kit with the X-E3 that it seemed worth taking a risk (and reviews have generally been pretty favourable).

In fact, this lens is really very good indeed! It’s very sharp at all focal lengths/apertures, focuses close, has a nice overall rendering (rather like the much more expensive XF18-55), and gives a nice smooth rendering to out-of-focus areas. Distortion seems very well controlled, even in RAW files taken at 15mm, and so far I haven’t detected any fringing, either. The power zoom is much better than I thought it would be; slower than manual zoom, of course, but easy to get used to. A key feature for me is that it “remembers” its focal length setting when the camera is turned off (the lens retracts, then returns to its previous setting when you turn the camera on again). It has a 52mm filter thread and works quite happily with a filter attached.

This is a great combo for everyday carry, as an ultra-light travel set-up or, indeed, as backup for another camera/lens combination. I’ve spent today out in the countryside with my 80mm macro on my X-H1 and with the little X-E3/15-45 combo in the bag in case I needed some wider-angle shots: so much easier than changing lenses in a dusty field - and so much lighter than bringing my X-Pro2 along as the second camera! All in all, then, I'm very glad I made the purchase - and I think the kit price for the combo is a real bargain. (And maybe, now that the X-T3 is taking all the limelight, the price might come down even further!)

Just my few thoughts.

[Rosedalelad]

On 9/6/2018 at 4:28 PM, dfaye said:

I said I’d report back on my first few days with the X-E3/XC15-45 combo, and I’m delighted to say that it exceeds my expectations. I knew the camera would be excellent - I'd handled one in a store and had studied the manual online. It’s beautifully made, well-designed and light, and of course works perfectly with the full range of Fuji glass. I hadn’t been able to actually handle the little XC 15-45 PZ lens before buying, but it was so cheap when bought as part of a kit with the X-E3 that it seemed worth taking a risk (and reviews have generally been pretty favourable).

In fact, this lens is really very good indeed! It’s very sharp at all focal lengths/apertures, focuses close, has a nice overall rendering (rather like the much more expensive XF18-55), and gives a nice smooth rendering to out-of-focus areas. Distortion seems very well controlled, even in RAW files taken at 15mm, and so far I haven’t detected any fringing, either. The power zoom is much better than I thought it would be; slower than manual zoom, of course, but easy to get used to. A key feature for me is that it “remembers” its focal length setting when the camera is turned off (the lens retracts, then returns to its previous setting when you turn the camera on again). It has a 52mm filter thread and works quite happily with a filter attached.

This is a great combo for everyday carry, as an ultra-light travel set-up or, indeed, as backup for another camera/lens combination. I’ve spent today out in the countryside with my 80mm macro on my X-H1 and with the little X-E3/15-45 combo in the bag in case I needed some wider-angle shots: so much easier than changing lenses in a dusty field - and so much lighter than bringing my X-Pro2 along as the second camera! All in all, then, I'm very glad I made the purchase - and I think the kit price for the combo is a real bargain. (And maybe, now that the X-T3 is taking all the limelight, the price might come down even further!)

Just my few thoughts.

My sentiments entirely - I hesitated to buy the XC 15-45 PZ as some users were negative - however, I've been very pleasantly surprised by both the IQ and the power zoom - yes, I would have preferred a manual zoom but this lens is a lot better than my recent Sony RX100M3. When combined with the X-E3 it's a cracking lightweight combo.

[RSH-Photography]

I haven't actually seen this lens or handled it, but I wonder does this combination turn the X-E3 into anything like a pocketable camera? I have the 18-55mm lens but when I want to travel light, I mount the 27mm f2.8 lens and it does make the X-E3 fit into my pocket, but I miss the ability to go to a wider-angle..

[dfaye]

10 hours ago, RSH-Photography said:

I haven't actually seen this lens or handled it, but I wonder does this combination turn the X-E3 into anything like a pocketable camera? I have the 18-55mm lens but when I want to travel light, I mount the 27mm f2.8 lens and it does make the X-E3 fit into my pocket, but I miss the ability to go to a wider-angle..

 Total depth of the XE3/15-45 combo, from back of camera to front of lens cap, is around 9mm/3.5 inches. Still pretty small, and lightweight, but you need large pockets.