Cameras keep getting better every year, which is awesome. Higher capacity buffers allow you to capture huge bursts of RAW files without having the camera lock up.
This is crucial when shooting sports and action, even when photographing people and lifestyle. Expressions and body positions can change in the blink of an eye and so I often keep my camera on continuous high when doing this kind of work.
In order to take full advantage of your bad ass cameras, though, you’ve got to have a memory card that can keep up. Most newer cameras produce large RAW files, and that’s a lot of data to move to the memory card. If your card can’t keep up, the entire system will freeze up until it’s done writing and you’ll miss shots.
However, my favorite card is the Sandisk 95MB/S SD Extreme Pro card. It costs less than half as much as the 280MB/S card, but it’s not half as slow. In fact, it keeps up surprisingly well. In tests, it’s only about 25% slower when writing a 10 second burst of RAW files on the X-T1, and it’s WAY faster than my slower 30 and 40MB/S cards. Those are fine for landscapes and travel, but kick the camera into continuous mode and they hold me back.
If you have a newer DSLR or mirrorless camera and you shoot a mix of subject matter, this is the card I recommend. it’s reasonably priced and performs exceptionally well.
Yes, I’ll admit, I’ve been gushing heavily about the Fujifilm X-T1 ever since it hit my doorstep back in February. Since then, I’ve used it almost exclusively for an incredibly wide range of photography, and it’s tackled everything I’ve thrown at it, from action, adventure, travel, landscapes, people, and even high-end assignment work.
However, don’t just take my world for it. This week, National Geographic posted a list of their Top 10 Compact Cameras for Travelers and featured the X-T1 at the top of the list.
Citing its quick autofocus, fast image review, high frame rate, solid, lightweight styling and “one of the best electronic viewfinders yet,” NG Travel’s Director of Photography Dan Westergren sums it up by saying that with the X-T1, he can leave the DSLR at home without a second thought.
Whereas Dan felt that when compared to a DSLR, using some of the other Fuji X cameras was like walking through mud, the X-T1 is responsive and capable enough to keep up with the demands of serious shooters. This echoes my sentiments about camera. As an outdoor, adventure and travel shooter, I feel that it’s the camera I’ve been waiting for during my entire career.
The Fuji X-E2
If that isn’t a high enough accolade for the Fuji X series, NG also included the Fuji X-E2 on the list. Since it has the same 16MP X-Trans CMOS sensor as the X-T1, the X-E2 has amazing picture quality that rivals many full-frame cameras.
Jonathan Irish, program director for national Geographic Adventures remarked about just how good the JPEGs are straight out of the camera and how little he has to correct them on the computer.
In addition to the quality, I particularly love the different film simulations that Fuji built into these cameras, they allow you to experiment with different looks depending on what kinds of subjects you’re shooting. Lately, my favorite is the ProNeg Standard, which emulates the slightly lower contrast and soft look of print film. It’s awesome for portraits!
With its cool rangefinder style, the X-E2 is small, very compact and incredibly classy. It’s not weather sealed and it doesn’t have some of the top end features of the X-T1, like predictive focus tracking, but for many travel subjects, people and landscapes, it definitely gets the job done with great results. Combined with the awesome lenses that Fuji keeps coming out with, both of these models offer incredible, creative and fun solutions for outdoor and travel photographers.
I’d like to congratulate Fujifilm on this honor. They’ve done an amazing job with their X line and I think it’s great to see them get such high praise from someone like National Geographic. If you’ve been on the fence about whether a small camera will give you the quality and features that you need in your photography, I’d say that this is a pretty good testimonial.
I don’t always practice what I preach, so believe me when I say I can relate to your gear issues. I’ll give you an example. As you may know, my first passion was the guitar, and when I’m not out shooting photos, editing photos or writing about photography, one of the things I love to do is play music, write songs and and record myself.
Over the years, I’ve collected a hearty stockpile of 6-strings, as well as as enough audio gear to track, mix and produce an entire catalog of albums. However, I really don’t have that many finished songs done. I’ve got lots of ideas, but relatively few of them have made it all the way to the end of the tunnel.
Even though I have all of this stuff, instead of sitting down and actually being creative, I often find myself obsessing over the next piece of gear that I need. There always seems to be “one new thing” which would make all the difference in my sound or my songwriting ability. It might be a new pedal, a software plugin, a microphone, a preamp, a recording app for the iPad, sometimes even a brand new guitar.
Of course, is this REALLY going to make me a better musician? Hardly. Is this REALLY going to make me produce better music? No. Is it going to make me magically get over my own internal creative barriers? Not a chance.
What’s going to make the biggest difference in my songwriting is if I sit my ass down and start playing, coming with new ideas and laying down tracks, even if they’re not perfect. In other words, I need to practice and get comfortable experimenting and making use of the gear I already have.
I wholeheartedly buy into the notion that limitation enhances creativity. When you whittle down your choices to just a few essential items, whether they be cameras, lenses, guitars or mixing plugins, you’re inherently forced to make due with what you have. Less brain power is expended on trying to make choices about your gear, which leaves more that can be used for creativity and execution.
While I’m not nearly as prone to this with photography as I am with music, I still get caught up in the excitement of technology and I sometimes have to remind myself to focus less on the hardware and focus more on the process.
I know that I talk a lot about photography gear on this site, but my honest guess is that no matter what camera gear you own, whether it’s made by Sony, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Leica or Fuji, you already have the right equipment to make great photos. You just need to get outside and put it to use. Nothing will make you a better photographer than spending time sketching with your camera, practicing with the settings and experimenting with composition.
Gear doesn’t make you better. Practice does.
That said, gear is definitely fun, and if you decide you do need more of it, please consider shopping through the links here on the site. That helps me out and it doesn’t cost you anything extra.
Thanks for reading. Now get out there and start shooting! 🙂
There’s a lot going on in the photography world this month. Photokina has just gotten underway and almost everyone has introduced new products to feature at the giant, bi-annual trade show. Some of this stuff is pretty impressive and worth checking out if you’re an outdoor, action or travel photographer. In case I don’t get a chance to do more thorough reviews, I’ll do a quick run down so that you know what you can look forward to in the weeks ahead.
Nikon D750 Full Frame DSLR
Just on the heels of the new hot rodded 36 MP
D810 camera, which now shoots at 5 fps, Nikon has just announced the brand new full frame D750, and for many shooters, especially D700 users, it’s the camera they’ve been waiting for.
Positioned just above the D610, the D750 is a lightweight, compact full frame DSLR with a 24.3 MP CMOS FX sensor that features a 51-point AF system (finally!!!) and a max frame rate of 6.5 frames per second.
Even though Nikon has yet to come out with a truly viable mirrorless camera, they’ve nonetheless been watching the competition. They’ve borrowed a couple of popular features to throw on the D750, such as built-in Wi-fi that lets you share and capture images remotely, and a vari-angle tilt screen.
While it’s still a DSLR, the D750 is built with a carbon fiber front and an allow back, which makes it just about as small and light as the D610, which makes it a solid outdoor adventure camera. Not word on how durable it is compared to the D710, but considering that carbon fiber mountain bikes are built to be crashed, my guess is that they D750 will be adequately tough for most users.
Most pro shooters depend on their fast tele lenses, which is the main reason that some photographers haven’t fully embraced mirrorless systems yet. Until now, there hasn’t been a viable equivalent to the trusty Nikon and Canon 70-200 f/2.8.
Fuji has just announced their XF 50-140 f/2.8 OIS WR lens. It’s designed to be exactly that. It’s fast, pro quality glass, it has Fuji’s killer 5-stop OIS image stabilization system, and it even features a similar weather resistant design that’s found on the impressive XF 18-135 WR lens.
With an equivalent focal length range of 76-213mm, the new XF 50-140 has a Triple Linear AF Motor, 5 ED elements, a tripod collar, and an internal zoom mechanism, which means it doesn’t change length when you zoom in and out like the other Fuji XF zoom lenses.
Given the surprising sharpness of the slower 18-135 lens, I have full confidence the this will be an awesome lens that has incredible quality and sharpness. It will obviously be on the heavier side for a mirrorless lens, but it will still be lighter and smaller than any other pro 70-200 2.8 DSRL lens. I’m hoping to try this one out as soon as it’s available, and I’ll let you know what I think as soon as I have one in hand.
Also from Fuji, the latest incarnation of the X100. This time, the new X100T. The X100T features many of the same specs as the previous version, including a 16MP X-Trans II sensor, but it has some new features as well.
The new X100 has an even better advanced hybrid viewfinder with an electronic rangefinder feature that allows accurate manual focusing in real time. It also has a silent electronic shutter mode that offers speeds up to 1-32,000 second, which means you’re able to shoot shallow depths of field even in bright sunlight.
On the front of the cameras is a new 1/3 stop aperture ring, a new command dial, and 7 Fn buttons, just like we see on the X-T1. Fuji has also introduced a new film simulation called “Classic Chrome,” which is essentially a replication of Kodachrome. This will be introduced into the rest of the X Camera line with a firmware update to come later this year.
The X100 is a true modern classic and for good reason. I’m honestly surprised I don’t have one of my own yet. The new X100T is slated to hit the shelves in November, but your can preorder one here, or check out the specs on Fuji’s website.
Zeiss 16-35mm f/4 Lens for Sony
The new Zeiss FE 16-35mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens is one of the most preordered lenses right now, and for good reason. If you’re a Sony user, this looks like absolutely killer glass.
Made for full frame Sony mirrorless cameras, and compatible with APS-C E Mount cameras as well, the Zeiss FE 16-35 gives constant aperture and stunning sharpness throughout he wide angle to normal range.
With OSS image stabilization and a relatively fast f/4 maximum aperture, this lens looks to be a very solid tool for low light and a variety of outdoor and travel situations.
It has 3 ED elements, it remains a constant size through the zoom range, and the filter threads do not rotate when you’re focusing or zooming the lens. What more can be said. It’s a reasonably priced Zeiss lens. It’s no wonder it’s a huge hit.
Summer leaves town in a real hurry as soon as September hits Alaska. As much as I hate to see the warm weather and long days depart for the year, fall does mean the start of cyclocross season, so that’s a tradeoff I’ll take with excitement.
During the past couple years, it’s been lots of fun to both race in and photograph the Arctic Cross series here in Anchorage, and I’ve been especially looking forward to this fall because it’s my first season to shoot cyclocross with the Fuji X-T1 camera.
This past week, I shot with only the new XF 18-135mm weather sealed lens, and while I would have preferred using a faster f/2.8 telephoto zoom for long shots inside the dark forest, Fuji’s high ISO performance is pretty darn good, so the speed loss is not as big of an issue as it could be. Shooting wide angle makes it even less of an issue. That said, I’m very curious to try out the new XF 50-140mm f/2.8 lens that’s just been announced.
Cyclocross is indeed a fast action sport that offers a diverse number of perspectives and compositional opportunities. For that reason, I was very curious about how well the X-T1 and 18-135 lens would do with regards to autofocus performance.
As with my previous tests using the 18-135mm lens, I found it to be more than capable enough to acquire and track the bikers. The very lightweight linear motor that’s built into the 18-135 makes it one of the fastest focusing lenses in the Fuji lineup, so if there was a limitation here, it wasn’t AF, it was lens speed, as I mentioned above. That said, limitations are a great spark for creativity. You may not always have the perfect gear, but you can take what you have and run with it in whatever direction works best.
All of these were shot as straight JPEGS, and as much as I like the Fuji colors, I really love the black and white film simulations. I think they’re perfect for subjects like this; BW seems to impart a timeless quality, and it certainly has more grit, especially when you crank the ISO way up. (Most of these were shot at ISO 1600 and higher.) You can check out more photos from this week’s race here.
One of the most popular blogs on the internet, Lifehack.org is read by over 5 million readers each month. Thanks for the huge props, Jane! It’s always great to be recognized and get a little love from your work, especially on such a well read website!
In my next life, I might decide to be a glacieologist. I’m awed by the overwhelming magnitude of these immense rivers of ice and the sheer power they have to carve out entire mountain ranges. Of course, they do all this in slow motion. Occasionally you see a huge chunk calve off at the bottom, but you can’t really see them move in real time.
Living in Anchorage, Alaska, I have a number of glaciers within about 50 miles of my house. In the summer time, I love to use my little Cessna bush plane to explore the Chugach Mountains and find places to land near the glaciers. It’s harder than it seems, because, even though you can get within a couple miles of some of the glaciers, the crux is finding one where you’re on the same side as the rives that drain out of the bottom.
Last year, I managed to find strip that gave me hiking access to the Knik Glacier, and lately, I’ve been trying to find a way to get out to the Lake George Glacier, which is up the valley from the Knik. Last week, while scoping out the area, I spotted a new bush strip that looked like it would give me relatively easy access, but ran out of time to do any serious exploration.
After waiting out a few days of rain and wind, I went back yesterday to check it out. After flying low over the strip at 70 mph, I counted it out to be about 750 feet long (at that speed, one second equals about 100 feet) and inspecting it for any obstructions, holes or large rocks, it seemed pretty smooth.
Coming back around, I lined up on final, dropped my 26″ bush wheels onto the hard packed mud and grass just as I crossed the small creek at the end of the strip and rolled to a stop. After pushing the plane off to the side, I unloaded my gear, which included trekking poles, ice axe, shoe spikes and bear spray, and started hiking up the gravel bar.
It ended up being about 3 1/2 miles up to a small creek bed that wound up through the brush before finally opening up right up against the side of the Lake George Glacier. Usually you have to navigate wide moraines or iceberg filled lagoons in order to get up onto the ice, so it’s a real treat to have the access be this easy.
Unlike many glaciers, this one is relatively flat out at the edge. I’d seen this during my arial reconnaissance, which is one of the reasons I’d wanted to check it out up close. It was surprisingly easy walking, and I hiked about a mile and half, stepping over the small cracks and weaving my way around the larger crevasses.
I came across a couple of interesting holes where the ice had simply collapsed, leaving a sinkhole surrounded by a circular pattern of big cracks. This happens when the glacier moves over a section of running water or a big air pocket, and it looks pretty cool.
As I got farther up, I saw a few more collapsed sections that were created by the river that runs out at the side of the glacier. These are massive holes that you would never be able to escape from if you were to fall in. Stay down there long enough and you’d probably get crushed by one of the massive ice blocks that keep cutting loose. It’s really loud when this happens, although I guess if you dropped anything that’s as big as a car or house, it would make a thunderous roar as well.
This lens was perfect for shooting a variety of landscapes, and the weather sealing benefits of both the X-T1 and the lens really came in handy. Although it was dry out, glaciers are covered with dirt and mud that’s been carved from they mountains, and this super fine silt can get everywhere.
In addition to being water resistant, the XF 18-135mm has a gasket inside the barrel which prevents dust and small grains of dirt from being sucked up into he lens when you zoom in and out. During the course of the day, quite a bit of this find glacial dust accumulated onto my body and lens, so I was glad they were both filled with gaskets to keep this stuff out.
I also love the compositional versatility that the XF 18-135 lens has. There’s so much interesting stuff to be found in these kinds of environments, and having a lens that goes both wide and tele lets you capture a huge variety of subject matter, both up close and far away. Rocks, Cracks. Ice towers, mud. running water. You could spend days photographing here and never get bored.
However, I was just out for the day, so when I began to see warm colors on the mountain peaks above, I knew it was time to start heading back. Once off of the ice, it took me about two hours to hike back to the plane in the shady gravel bar. I crossed a number of moose tracks and even a few bear footprints, but never saw any wildlife during my 7 hour exploration.
The only other photo gear I carried in my Lowepro Photo Sport 200 photo pack during this outing was my Joby Gorillapod, which is what I used to shoot the self portrait of my feet. I never go anywhere without this little gem, it’s so useful and it hardly weight anything. I just tuck it into the straps of my pack, and if I don’t end up using it, it’s not like it weighted me down at all.
I like to joke that I’m part hobbit, because in addition to the often unplanned adventures that I find myself on, I also have a special fondness for things close to home like music, laughter, good food, beer and cheer, and things that grown in my garden. Plus I’m a little short.
Whether it be growing the greens and vegetables that we eat all summer alongside the salmon that we catch, I also love the random, freeform, whispy colors of wildflowers that grow in our yard. Few things at home bring me such visual comfort and pleasure as stepping out the door and seeing a mass of bright orange poppies or watching pollen drunk bees dart in and out of the borage.
Crouching down in the grass, I try to get as close as possible. However, if I get too close, sometimes I start to see the shadow of the camera on the plant and have to back off a little bit. I’m not using a tripod here, just handholding and doing my best to be sharp. That’s always tricky with macro, though, because focus can go in and out as your body sways the tiniest bit. I’m not too concerned, though I’m mostly just having fun out there. Photography just for the love of photography. Nothing more.
Here are a few of my favorites from this summer. I shot the sunflower and the bottom bee picture last year. Enjoy. I hope they motivate you to step outside and try some new creativity with your own camera.
If you’re interested in flower photography, I recommend checking out his very good book by Harold Davis called Photographing Flowers. I’ve got this book and it’s certainly inspired me to try different approach with this kind of photography.
A few weeks ago, I posted a first look review of the new XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS WR lens, which is Fujifilm’s first weather resistant lens. Although it can be used on any X-Series camera body, the 18-135 was designed in conjunction with the rugged, weather sealed X-T1, and it lets you shoot in out in the elements without having to worry about rain, heavy snow, water splashes or the spray from waterfalls getting inside your lens.
In addition to the 20 points of weather sealing which have been incorporated into the barrel, the 18-135 also features a special ventilation system that helps prevent dust from being sucked into the lens when you zoom in and out.
This is a really nice addition, because if you shoot in dusty conditions long enough, you’ll eventually see some of that dust work it’s way inside your lens. Believe me.
When I wrote my initial review, I was using a prototype version of the 18-135. I mainly highlighted the overall build of the lens and the usability out in the field. However, since that model wasn’t a final production version of the lens, I didn’t feel comfortable getting into too much detail about how well the it performs with regards to sharpness and autofocus.
I knew that Fuji was still tweaking the hardware and firmware before its actual release, and I wanted to wait until I got the real version in hand before I gave it a proper review.
Well, my XF18-135mm lens finally hit the doorstep last week, and after a few days of shooting a variety of subject matter with it, I’m excited to report that this lens definitely lives up to the hype.
With an effective view range of 27-206mm view when compared to full frame, the XF18-135mm is a full range zoom that goes from relatively wide angle to telephoto. This gives you a highly versatile focal length range for shooting a wide variety of subject matter without having to change lenses. This is key when shooting in wet conditions.
While it’s not quite as fast as your standard pro f/2.8 telephoto zoom, it’s quite a bit smaller and lighter, which makes it much easier to pack and travel with. The combination of weather resistance and relatively compact size makes it ideal for outdoor, travel and street photographers who want to head out with only one lens.
Let’s see how it performs.
Image Quality and Sharpness
Of course, the first thing we all wanted to know is if the new XF18-135mm would be geared more towards the professional end of the spectrum, or if it would fall into the realm of “cheap kit lens.” In other words, is it sharp? Will it get the job done?
Many kit zoom lenses show dramatic falloff in sharpness at different apertures and focal lengths, especially at the edges. However, from what we’ve seen, Fuji seems to have no interest in building cheap glass. Even their XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 is incredibly sharp for a “kit” lens. It even features an impressive OIS images stabilization system.
Built with 16 elements in 12 groups, including 4 aspherical elements and 2 ED glass elements, the new XF18-135mm is indeed a high quality lens that offers incredible sharpness. Testing it out on a few subjects, I was highly impressed with how well it’s able to record detail through all focal lengths and apertures.
Here are three photos which I feel clearly illustrate just how sharp the XF18-135mm lens is. The first is a wide angle frame shot at f/7.1. The second is zoomed most of the way out at f/18, while the third one is the same view almost all the way open at f/6.4. The field of focus is very narrow, so it also gives you an feel for how well this lens handles out of focus subject matter. e.g, how well it does bokeh.
The images are all full size original JPEGS, so you can click on each one and pixel peep all the way across.
As you can see, the XF 18-135 definitely gets the job done. Even when zoomed all the way out, the 18-135 retains a high level of sharpness out at the edges, which is a testament to how meticulous the Fuji engineers were with their designs.
Color and clarity from this lens is very good too. Images are crisp and brilliant. Straight JPEGs look awesome when shot with my X-T1, and RAW files processed with a RAW developer that plays nice with Fuji, such as Capture One Pro 7 and Iridient Developer look even better, especially when shooting in tricky light. (I processed the glacier image at the top with Capture One Pro 7.)
By contrast, the image below is a straight JPEG.
OIS Image Stabilization
I’ve been really impressed with Fuji’s OIS Image Stabilization system. Through the use of quartz oscillators, special algorithms and high precision gyros that are built into the lens, the XF18-135 offers 5 stops of image stabilization performance. I haven’t tested it down to extreme levels yet, but based on my experience with how well it works on my other XF lenses, I’m confident that this new lens performs in a similar way.
This makes the 18-135 great for shooting landscapes, street scenes, architecture or travel when you want to go light and fast and travel without a tripod. It also helps make up for the slower maximum aperture of this lens when shooting stationary subjects or when photographing in low light.
Awesome Autofocus Performance
The new XF18-135mm pairs extremely well with the X-T1, which does continuous, predictive AF at up to 8 fps. Even though it’s not an especially fast lens, it’s built with a special lightweight, linear motor and inner focusing mechanism, which allows for surprisingly fast, nearly silent AF performance.
It outperforms the XF 55-200 in a big way, and in fact, it’s noticeably more quiet than the 56mm lens. Gauging from my tests, it’s even faster too. For how much smaller and slower and less expensive this lens is compared to something like a big f/2.8 pro tele zoom from Nikon or Canon, the Fuji 18-135 holds its own in a way that you wouldn’t even imagine.
I did one quick test the other day and was impressed at how well the lens locked on a tracked a quickly moving subject across a number of frames. As with any lens, it won’t do as well in extremely low light, but it’s no slouch. In my carefully calibrated “shooting inside my closet test,” I’ve seen DSLR bodies and zooms that take longer to focus than this camera lens/combo.
Usability and Overall Thoughts
Honestly, when I first heard about the new XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS WR lens, I wasn’t sure how it would fit into my arsenal. I figured the weather sealing could come in handy on occasion, but for the most part, I’m a fixed lens guy, so I didn’t think I’d find much use for it.
After trying it out, though, and especially after getting the final production version in my hands, I’m sold. Hands down, this is a fantastic lens. Granted, it’s not terribly fast with regards to aperture, but it’s got a versatile zoom range, it’s very well made with solid construction, (it’s a bit more rugged than the 55-200) and as you can see above, it’s really sharp.
As a fast moving outdoor photographer, I like to travel light. While this isn’t quite as compact as my favorite Fuji lens, the XF 14mm f/2.8, it’s way more versatile, and it’s certainly lighter to go with just this lens than if I were to take along two lenses, like the 14 and 56mm f/1.2 or 55-200mm, which I usually do. In many applications, it’s worth it to trade a little speed for the convenience of carrying just one lens.
In fact, if you had an X camera and only one lens, this would be a pretty good choice; it’s durable, versatile and it’s a nice size. It will do landscapes, people, sports, adventure, travel… you name it! Unlike some bigger heavier zooms, like the XF 50-140mm f/2.8, this is light enough to shoot with one hand. In shot, this is a lens you can take anywhere and have lots of fun.
The weather sealing is a big plus for me. It makes this lens a perfect match for the X-T1 and it gives me protection and piece of mind when I want to shoot out in the elements or in the backcountry. We all know that the best adventure pictures often happen when you’re in the thick of a rain, snow or dust storm. I’ve already shot in some pretty wet conditions with this lens and it did just fine.
Plus there’s the whole changing lenses thing. Sure, I’ve been swapping glass in these kinds of conditions for years, but when shooting in wet weather, having a weather sealed lens zoom will let me get different views without having to expose my X-Trans sensor to harsh elements.
Do I have any bad things to say about the XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS WR lens? It’s not very fast, but we’ve already covered that. Plus, the Fuji cameras do a great job with higher ISO speeds. It makes your nice small X camera a little heavier, but it’s a solid piece of glass on there, so I’ll take that tradeoff. It’s still smaller than most 80-200 f/2.8 style zooms. It’s not quite as wide as I would have liked, but a 27mm angle of view isn’t very far off from my trusty Nikon 24mm f/2.8, so I can live with it.
Overall, kit won’t perform quite as well as Fuji’s XF 50-140 mm f/2.8 tele zoom, but you can’t expect a kit lens to exactly match the results you’d get with a super high-end pro lens. The 50-140 is considerably bigger, heavier and more expensive.
Side by side, you’ll see the difference, but on its own, the 18-135 does a really good job. Where you’ll notice it the most is if you’re zoomed all the way out and looking through a lot of air. I suspect that’s because the 50-140 glass has the new Nano GI coatings, which will make a difference in those kinds of conditions. Again- tradeoffs.
Under most normal conditions, the 18-135 does a fantastic job and I’m really happy with its performance. It was clearly made with outdoor, adventure, and backcountry photographers in mind, who are the target market for this lens and for the X-T1. Essentially, they’ve built a solid, pro quality optic that pairs perfectly with the X-T1, although it can be used with great results on any of the X cameras.
I didn’t want to like this lens, but now that I’ve seen what it can do, I see exactly how it will fit. I’ll still use my 14, my 27 and all my other XF lenses quite a bit, but if there’s a chance I’ll end up shooting in bad weather, this one’s got me covered. Or if I just want to go light with one lens and I know that the itty bitty 27mm pancake or the ultra wide 14mm won’t cover my long range needs, I’ll take this one.
I have to hand it to Fuji to design a camera and lens system that’s especially made for outdoor and adventure photographers. They’ve done an excellent job with the X-T1, and now with this lens as well. The street and portrait guys have had all their fun with the X-series cameras for a few years, now we get ours.
I have just bought an X-T2 so your articles on the Fuji X system have been very useful.
Your review of the Fujinon 18-135mm lens helped me decide to include it in the minimal, lightweight system I wanted to shoot with ( I decided to go with just that and the 10-24mm - so far, anyway!).
Alan O'Brien
Support this site: The XF 18-135mm lens is in stock right now. If you’re thinking about buying it or any piece of gear, please consider shopping through these links. It won’t cost you anything extra, you’ll still get the lowest prices available and it will help me out. It’s like your way of saying “thanks” for the time and effort it takes me to compile reviews like this.
Landscape photographer extraordinaire and Outdoor Photographer contributor Ian Plant has just created a brand new online store for all of his eBooks and video tutorials.
I follow a lot of photographers on the web and Ian is without a doubt one of my favorites. If you’ve ever seen his imagery, you know that Ian has an incredibly creative eye and a masterful sense of composition, color and form. He has an amazing ability to isolate eye catching subjects and match them with gorgeous light.
Ian Plant is also one of the best teachers and photography eBook authors around. He’s certainly a motivating source for me as a writer. His books are all well designed, they explain topics with clear and insightful ideas and, of course, they contain stunning imagery. In fact, I consider his ambitious 287-page book Visual Flow to be a tour de force manual on photography composition.
He’s also got a series of mini guides, a free book of basic photo tips, location photography guides to places like Iceland, Price Edward Island and Patagonia, and a series of video tutorials on post processing and Lightroom. A few of the titles in Ian’s store are collaborative works that he’s either written/produced with other photographers like Michael Frye and George Stocking, and some of them are titles that he’s published for other shooters.
With the great variety of price points and subject matter, there’s something for everyone in Ian’s Deamscapes store. If you’re a nature and outdoor photographer and are looking for some summer inspiration, then take advantage of this limited time special offer.
Here are a few of the titles you’ll find in his collection. Note, there are a lot of titles that are not featured on the home page, so be sure and browse through the CATALOG link in the menu bar to see all the books and video tutorials that he has available.
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