My Fuji X-System Gear
I currently have a basic set of Fuji cameras and lenses that I am pretty satisfied with. I decided to go with the smaller and lighter Fuji system mainly for my travel and landscape photography as discussed in Adding In the Fuji System. Image quality and ease of use are excellent and I find myself liking the Fuji system more and more all the time.
Camera Bodies:
I have two Fuji X-T3 camera bodies. They are basically set up identically, so it does not matter which one I use. I typically use one as a primary and the other as a backup. Sometimes I use both bodies with different lenses mounted for convenience or to avoid changing lenses in less than optimal conditions.
Fuji X-T3 –
I bought my first X-T3 shortly after it came out and have been loving it ever since. The image quality, colors, and handling of this camera are all excellent. About the time when the new Fuji X-T4 came out, the X-T3 went on sale. I decided to use the opportunity to pick a second X-T3 as a backup camera. Having identical cameras configured the same way makes it really easy to switch back and forth. The X-T4 is a nice camera and I like the fact that it has IBIS and better battery life. However, in the process Fuji also made the camera body bigger. While not by a huge amount, it was just enough to put it a little over the edge of what I like in a compact camera body. They also raised the price significantly over the X-T3, which did not help.
Lenses:
I like both zooms and primes. Zooms are great for their convenience and flexibility. I prefer them for travel and backcountry landscape photography. Primes are great for their wider maximum apertures, giving me better depth of field control and low light performance. Below are my current lenses and some thoughts on each of them.
Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 –
A recent addition specifically for nightscape photography. Incredibly sharp edge-to-edge with very good sagittal astigmatism performance even wide open at f/2. This is a manual focus lens, which actually makes focusing on the night sky easier than on any of Fuji’s hyper-sensitive focus by wire lenses. The 12mm focal length is also just about perfect as it wide enough to capture wide swaths of the night sky but not so wide as to cause excessive perspective distortion.
Fuji XF 14mm f/2.8 –
Incredibly small and lightweight, this wide-angle lens perfectly complements my Fuji 16-80mm f/4 when I want to go fast and light. I also use it on occasion for nightscape photography if I don’t have my 12mm Rokinon with me.
Fuji XF 16mm f/1.4 –
This is easily one of my favorite Fuji prime lenses. Equivalent to 24mm in full-frame, it is wide enough to get a lot in the frame and yet not so wide as to cause excessive perspective distortion. It is also incredibly good wide open. At f/1.4 I can get really close with its 5.9” (15cm) minimum focus distance (MFD) and get nicely blurred backgrounds. This is arguably one of Fuji’s very best X-series lenses
Fuji XF 23mm f/1.4 –
If I had to go with one and only one prime lens, this one would probably be it. To me the 23mm (35mm full-frame) focal length has the most natural and immersive perspective of all the fixed focal lengths. Wide open at f/1.4 this lens is also capable of getting a reasonable amount of background blur for subject isolation. It is, of course, also great for low light shooting. A true all-rounder.
Fuji XF 56mm f/1.2 –
Equivalent to 85mm in full-frame, this is pretty much a classic portrait lens. Wide open at f/1.2 this lens is very sharp with excellent and pleasing bokeh. I don’t use this lens a whole lot, but when I do, I am very glad to have it.
Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 –
This is my main landscape and all-around wide-angle zoom. Covering a full-frame equivalent of about 15-36mm, this is an incredibly versatile lens. Comparatively small and lightweight, I have no issue carrying it into the backcountry. I also love it as a travel lens since it covers such a useful focal range. Even though it has a relatively slow f/4 maximum aperture, image stabilization greatly helps in low light where there is little or no subject movement. For landscapes it is, of course, irrelevant since I am typically using it on a tripod at apertures of f/8 or smaller.
Fuji XF 16-80mm f/4 –
I was initially hesitant to go with this lens fearing that it covered too much zoom range to have good over-all performance. While it is nowhere near as good as equivalent primes, it represents an upgrade in almost every way over my previous Fuji 18-55mm. I particularly appreciate the extra couple of millimeters on the wide end compared to the 18-55mm. While it does not sound like a lot, it brings this lens closer to a true wide-angle at a full-frame equivalent of 24mm. The extra reach on the long end is nice to have too.
Fuji XF 50-140mm f/2.8 –
This is a great lens for lower light indoor venues as well as a compliment to the Fuji 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 for closer-in wildlife photography. Wide open at f/2.8 this lens gives me great subject isolation and very nice bokeh. It also makes a great landscape photography lens. I generally, however, prefer the smaller, lighter, and more versatile fuji 70-300mm for lightweight travel.
Fuji XF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 –
This lens is a better compliment to the Fuji 16-80mm than my previous Fuji 55-200mm. It is also optically better and gives me much more useable range on the long end (450mm full-frame equivalent). This lens also frequently replaces my Fuji 100-400mm when I want to go light and can do without the extra reach.
Fuji XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 –
Even though the Fuji system is not my first choice for serious wildlife photography, I have found this lens to be particularly well suited to it. It is optically sharp, versatile, and easily hand-holdable. Even though it is a big and heavy lens, I often bring it along when traveling with my Fuji gear for when there might be opportunistic wildlife shots.
Overall, I could not be happier with my current lens lineup. I certainly have my favorites but find that most of them get plenty of use depending on what I am working on. Naturally, I rarely take more than three or maybe four lenses on any given shoot. It is all about options and going with the best tools for the job.