Fuji X-T1 kits. 18-55, or 18-135?

S

Sothai

Guest
Hi All,

Simple question really.

I'm leaning heavily toward the 18-135 kit, which (and this appears to be peculiar to Thailand as far as I can tell) comes with the VG-XT1 battery grip. Pricey at B68,590 though. That's about £1373/$2110 USD.

Anyone know a good reason Togo the 18-55 route?
 
Thanks!

So, do I pander to my "want it now" problem at the local price, or do I wait a month and save $180 when a friend comes over from Hong Kong..?
 
Oh hell! My local shop has a kit in stock! It's usually an order item; it seems they sell very well indeed.

Help! What do I do?
 
The banks are closed today, unless I go to a big shopping mall, so I'm stuffed until tomorrow anyway.

Oh the pain! :-(
 
Bill, I don't know if you have been to South East Asia, but water resistance is pretty academic here. When the rainy season hits, it's full-on. It rains so hard that the droplets actually bounce a couple of yards after impact.

That said, the climate change that Bush Jr. denies has resulted in some almost British drizzle, but I'd still be reluctant to use the camera out in it.

This brings me to another question:

Are there any genuinely weatherproof cases for the X-T1?
 
Bill, do you have the battery grip? Does it balance the lens well?

On another note, may I ask you opinion of the included mini-flash?
 
Sothai said:
Bill, do you have the battery grip? Does it balance the lens well?

On another note, may I ask you opinion of the included mini-flash?
Click to expand...

I do, and it does, to the extent that I wouldn't be without it. It is also essential for the second battery - the X-T1 is quite power-hungry.

I can honestly say I haven't even mounted the tiny flash; I am first and foremost an available light photographer so it sits in a corner of my bag, unused.

As to weatherproofing and SE Asia I spent a month in Singapore one weekend :rolleyes: , and a longer and happier time in Vietnam. Moreover I have worked in both Cumbria and Dublin so I know what proper rain looks like - "stair rods" as we called it in my youth. One man's water resistance is another's fragility so I think it comes down to what you are happy exposing your camera to. I used to use Contax film SLRs - they did not claim particular water resistance but I went on a distributor day that suffered from biblical downpours. One of the experts - James Bareham, as I recall - led us out and had us carry on. His only stipulation was that we dried everything thoroughly once we came back inside. The Contax people - who had lent much of the kit people were using - did not bat an eyelid...
 
How did you keep the rain off the lens then? Extra large hood?

Available light..? Does that mean a fast lens for indoor stuff?

Any recommendations for a fast lens then? How fast? F1.2?

I also fancy a wide angle lens. I read a few reviews that gushed over the 10-24, but, as a newb, I'd need more advice before sinking that much cash into an option that I may not use that much.
 
Regarding the kit pop-up flash... It's a good enough little flash that you can get away with stopping motion indoors in situations where you'd just frankly Not Get A Shot without some kind of flash. I don't use it often, by any stretch... I'm much like Bill, and almost always prefer available light. But I also have a 5 year old daughter, so sometimes it's "flash or nothing." In those situations, it's very small, it extends up enough to help combat red eye, and it's strong enough to reach out ten or fifteen feet, I guess... well worth the (essentially) nothing you pay for it.

XT1 with 14mm lens, max sync speed (1/180):
15841715180_4456a640d4_c.jpg
KBRX1359 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

XT1 and 14 again, this time with flash used to fill in for shadows. She was completely dark without it.
14199009797_904ea811e7_c.jpg
KBRX4401 by gordopuggy, on Flickr
 
Sothai said:
How did you keep the rain off the lens then? Extra large hood?
Click to expand...
Exactly that. A rubber one, that you can extend and collapse. And a hanky to wipe the front element from time to time.
Sothai said:
Available light..? Does that mean a fast lens for indoor stuff?
Click to expand...
It does. I am not a big flash fan. As things stand I have all the Fuji prime lenses. The 23 and 35mm are 1.4 and the 56 is 1.2 those lenses form a fast "holy trinity" for 95 % of my uses. In general, 1.4 is fast for a standard lens, 2.0-2.8 is fast for a tele lens. I'm looking forward to the 90mm 2.0.
Sothai said:
Any recommendations for a fast lens then? How fast? F1.2?
Click to expand...
As above - it depends on how you see the world, which focal length you choose.
Sothai said:
I also fancy a wide angle lens. I read a few reviews that gushed over the 10-24, but, as a newb, I'd need more advice before sinking that much cash into an option that I may not use that much.
Click to expand...
Well, same comment as before - it depends how you see the world. I have the 14mm and it is quite wide enough for me. If cost is an issue particularly vs. frequencey of use, have a look at legacy lenses and a decent quality adaptor from novoflex, kipon or the like.
 
Thanks Bill, much appreciated.

Well, the deed Is done and the new camera is to hand. I got a "free" 8gb Sandsik card and a rear screen protector and that was my lot. No haggling, which is unusual in Asia. They seem to sell a lot, albeit mostly as the 18-55 kit.

My only consolation was that the lady behind the counter was stunning, 33 and single. Damned good job I'm married.

Anyway, I'd like to ask your collective advice about filters please. Is Quality much of an issue here, inasmuch as do simple protective filters have much effect on the optics? Clearly, if they do, it's not worth putting a $5 filter on an $900 lens.

UV and a Polariser enough? Hoya 67mm?

Thanks in advance!
 
Well done that man - you won't regret it. Do keep asking questions - we are always happy to help.

Cards - you will fill that 8gb quickly, particularly if shooting raw+JPG fine. I use SanDisk Extreme 32gb cards, the fastest I can find. 32gb is a good compromise between too small and too big, I find.

Filters; your logic is sound. Don't degrade your optical chain with a filter that is cheap and nasty. Get a decent quality one. UV is fine for front element protection. Beyond that I have a variable ND but no polariser - never felt the need. You could argue that the ND may be superfluous since the last firmware upgrade but there are times when I want wide open AND a relatively low shutter speed.
 
That's the 14mm f2.8 then? Or would the 18mm f2 be better indoors?

I like wide angle stuff and I have a pretty large family, so that one looks like a must then. Best price I can see is £379 for an excellent used one, including filet and he is in Bangkok and open to offers... Does that sound about right for what it is?
 
hey kaito!

Yeah, yeah, come home with pics of her on the camera and what if 'Er Indoors saw the pic/s??

Ever heard what jealous Thai women do..? I won't ruin you meal.
 
I've buggered something up already!

I have a yellow line across the EVF and a note telling me to seep the camera around. If I hit the shutter, it goes off like a machine gun.

Any clues for the clueless?
 

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