Canon to Fuji advice please

scottduffy

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Hi Folks,

I am just about to purchase the XE1 with 18-55 and claim the free 55-230 lens also. I will be selling the zoom lens and putting the money toward something else as it's reviews are ot great. Now my question is should i purchase a nice prime lens or plump for the 55-200 which seems to get better reviews? I am going to be focussing on portraits of my son but i can't really afford the 56mm lens so i was wondering if the 60mm would be a good portrait lens as it seems to retial at a bit cheaper. Maybe the 35mm but not sure about that either. Any advice would be appreciated.

The reason i mentioned Canon to Fuji in the title was that i was wondering if anyone who has used the Canon 70-200L lenses and has now used the Fuji 55-200 could tell me how they compare in image quality.

I would be probably looking to pay around £400 max for my second lens.


Regards

Scott
 
I wasn't sure if it was a bit on the short side for portraits but it does get great reviews. Thanks i'll have a read.
 
View attachment 18374

I sold the last of my Canon kit over a year ago when I moved to Fuji and have never regretted it. I don't use the 55-200 much for weddings (sometimes if I'm stuck at the back of the church or for some candids ) however I've had better results with it than the my old Canon f4 70 - 200 L. The 35 is a dream, my most used lens for wedding work.

This was taken with the Fuji 55-200
 
Don't write off the 50-230, at the price you'll get for it, it is a bargain (I paid £185 for mine from someone too who was selling a freebie one off), I'm very happy with it. I'd keep the 50-230, and save the difference you'll get from £400 by selling the it and put it in a fund for a new lens at a later date. Also don't think of the 18-55 as a simple kit lens, its much better than that.

All from a recent trip to London, all with 50-230


Ralf Little sm
by Mr Perceptive X100, on Flickr


Charing Cross Road sm
by Mr Perceptive X100, on Flickr


Globe Inn Bulb sm
by Mr Perceptive X100, on Flickr
 
In my experience and I have owned all the lenses you have mentioned. The 60mm is great for portraits and I found it very sharp from corner to corner. Some people say it's slow but I never had a problem using on my Xpro with latest firmware. I use the 35mm for my walkabout lens (now on XT1) and it's fantastic although it can hunt a bit. I had the 55-200 and it's a fantastic lens and compared to my Nikon 70-300VR & Tamron 70-300VC it was superior in my opinion.

I dont know what reviews you have read, but I found the 50-230mm not far off the 50-200mm in IQ although slower to focus. Try it and make sure you have the latest firmware and I think you will be pleasantly suprised. For what they go for, I paid £174.00 for mine from ebay, you may want to keep it. (for info, I bought the 50-230mm for the little extra reach over the 50-200mm)

As a general lens I would recomend the 35mm first, although you will have a great lens with the 18-55mm. So If you dont mind using the zoom, I would then recomend the 60mm for your portraits of your son.

Edit. Mr P posted whilst I was typing and he also recomends the 50-230mm
 
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Thanks Folks,

I appreciate the info. I will be ordering the double kit tomorrow i think so i will decide when it's arrived what to do with the zoom.

Regards

Scott
 
I also moved from Canon to Fuji. In my case a 5D - during it's lifetime I had a 50/1.4, 17-40L, 24-105L, and 70-200 f4L (non-is & IS variants). I bought the X-Pro1 and have the 18, 35 & 60 lenses. I have seen no discernible drop in IQ. It's a different way of working, but I found it quite refreshing going back to the "old days" of primes over zooms.
 
I wasn't sure if it was a bit on the short side for portraits but it does get great reviews. Thanks i'll have a read.
It depends on the style of portrait. Damien Lovegrove has a video available online where he's shooting available light portraits with the 23mm and 56mm (link to video).

The 35mm is a great lens, really excellent image quality and a useful focal length. The 23mm is also a stunning lens, and the 18mm is a useful wide prime that also delivers a great shot. I personally don't rate the 60mm as highly as the other lenses I have (although its image quality is excellent) and prefer my 55-200mm which seems to focus significantly faster in low light.

Get the 35mm - it should be in every x-series kit bag.
 
I was or still am a Canon user 5Dc and am converting to Fuji ! I currently have the X-A1 with kit lens and recently bought the 27mm 2.8 prime. Have used the 27mm alot, isn't wide, but isn't too long either, have taken some lovely shots with both, and are both very sharp ! With 27mm having a slight edge in sharpness. I do also have the 50-230mm coming, free lens also :-)
 
Kept my 5D along with a few lenses, for example nothing in the Fuji range to match the 100mm L IS macro.
Using the X-T1 with the 18-55 as a lightweight set up, looking to get the 14mm too, but that's it for me

Also kept the Canon 70-200, can't see the sense in getting the Fuji equivalent, just defeats the object of the much lighter body
 
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I've also been considering to jump to Fuji mirrorless camp, but I'm still unsure about the it.

I have the x100, fantastic little camera, does everything I want in a lightweight body, insane flash sync speed for fill flash. The Fujifilm camera nails eye popping colours every time. I do also would like a 85mm version. Problem I see is that going interchangeable defeats purpose of a small camera, I would have gone back to having need to carry camera bag.

My point is: end of the day, any camera and kit will get the job done. I personally feel if you can get a lighter, smaller lens that covers your focal length, it's a keeper.
 
I've also been considering to jump to Fuji mirrorless camp, but I'm still unsure about the it.

I have the x100, fantastic little camera, does everything I want in a lightweight body, insane flash sync speed for fill flash. The Fujifilm camera nails eye popping colours every time. I do also would like a 85mm version. Problem I see is that going interchangeable defeats purpose of a small camera, I would have gone back to having need to carry camera bag.

My point is: end of the day, any camera and kit will get the job done. I personally feel if you can get a lighter, smaller lens that covers your focal length, it's a keeper.

I used to also think this way but the difference in size and weight is still a lot, I learnt that while using both systems alongside for a while and mostly ended up grabbing the smaller camera because it was easier, the other benefit is you don't stand out like a sore thumb with a CSC. I do a lot of people photography and that makes a massive difference.

These were my typical setups, I put the 23 on the Fuji as theres no 56 option, both lenses about the same size. The FF setup was a hell of a lot heavier.

http://camerasize.com/compact/#520.422,181.223,ha,t
 
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…. typical bags to carry camera, 2 fast primes.

FF setup - Nova 190 AW
Exterior dimensions - 330 x 235 x 240 mm

Fuji - Event Messenger 100
Exterior dimensions - 220 x 140 x 215 mm

The Nova could probably eat 2 and a half event messengers.
 
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….. overall weight without accessories

Fuji / 35 / 56 / bag - 1,426g

Nikon D700 / Sigma 50 / Sigma 85 / bag - 3,000g
 
As twist has said the CSC is a lot smaller and lighter. I had the D7000 & X20 for my previous set up, I decided to sell both and buy the Xpro1 as this wasn't much bigger than the X20. I have found the Xpro1 and now have XT1 with the 35mm attached easily jacket pocketable, or chuck it in the wifes handbag.
 
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