Fuji So.. what wide angle lenses...

[Karl]

What I have.. gripped XT-1, 18-135, 56 1.2 (and a XM-1 kit).

What i'll be doing next... 2 week road trip on CA coast, Oregon, and Washington in Nov.

What I'm thinking about. Wide angle lens, or the 10-24, or the pancake, or some combo there.

What do I shoot.. landscapes, and landscape details, a lot of handheld and available light stuff. No action or stuff where tracking is an issue.

Any thoughts, suggestions?

 

[KillRamsey]

- The 14 is ridiculously sharp, and 2.8 is a decent aperture (especially if you've got a tripod).
- The 18 f2 pancake isn't all that sharp, and I'd say it might not be all that great for landscapes, where sharpness is key.
- The 10-24 seems to be a great lens if f4 is ok, and would provide a little more flexibility for just HOW wide you'd like to be on any given shot.

So if you need to go all the way to 10mm, then the choice is easy. If, however, you think 14 would suffice, the choice is more difficult. I say skip the 18 for this kind of work no matter what - the 18-135 is probably a good bit sharper at 18mm anyway, even if it's slower.

 

[Bobby T]

The 16mm 1.4 would be the best middle ground for wide, sharpness, and available light. Also, the 16mm has macro close focusing. But you'd have to decide if it is wide enough.

 

[KillRamsey]

^ Yep. It's only a little wider than your 18-135 (though of course the millimeters mean more of a difference down at that end of the scale...), but it sure as H-E-doublehockeysticks is a lot faster.

 

[Bobby T]

What he said. My experience when I had the 14mm and 18-55 was that the 4mm difference wasn't enough to need both for what I shoot. Either the zeiss 12mm or the 10-24 would have been needed to make a noticeable difference for me.

 

[KillRamsey]

Also worth considering: That Rokinon (etc) 12mm f2 lens, for about $400. If you can live with manual focus, it's SHARP, and FAST. I want one pretty badly.

 

[Bobby T]

I forgot about the Rok 12mm. That is a fantastic option.

 

[KillRamsey]

I looked the rokinon up again: $319 new.

 

[Karl]

Thanks guys! Sounding like the 10-24 when it goes on sale again.. (and when I get off my duff and sell my Nikon gear).

The 16 is tempting, but I'll probably buy the 90 prime first as my next prime.

 

[Karl]

Howdy again...

Since I'm still waiting for the next Fuji sale.. been rethinking this a bit again after a comment Rico made. Wondering about the coverage of a good zoom lens, vs the very good images from a stellar prime. So maybe the 16 over the zoom? But the 10-24 does provide a lot of coverage. Choices....

 

[KillRamsey]

I still very much enjoy having the 18-55 kit zoom, in conjunction with the rokinon 12m f2. 12 is a big enough difference to really be noticeable from the 18, and with such a wide angle, focus is pretty easy and forgiving. And it's sharp.

 

[Karl]

Pulled the trigger on the 10-24 yesterday. Decided that in the end, the zoom range would work best for me, esp for when I really need the wide end for travel.

(Now I really need to sell my Nikon gear so I can afford the 90.

 

[rbelyell]

congrats and please post photos from your new lens. i, and i'm sure alot of others, are interestted in experiences and samples from this lens.

 

[Lou Tingle]

Pulled the trigger on the 10-24 yesterday. Decided that in the end, the zoom range would work best for me, esp for when I really need the wide end for travel.

(Now I really need to sell my Nikon gear so I can afford the 90.

I personally believe you made the right choice to compliment your 18-135. It is a great landscape lens and I love the extra-wide it achieves for close-up work.