View Full Version : Substitute for the Fuji 18mm
anorphirith
04-27-2012, 05:04
I"m about the buy the Xpro 1 with all the lenses but I'm hesitating about the 18mm I'm not very impressed by the sharpness.
is there an alternative to that lens, something that I'd be able to adapt to the Xpro1 and that would be around the same price thanks !
p.s I"m trading ALL my canon gear for that camera, it's a big plunge but I'm tired of caring around my dslr :)
p.s 2 : I tried manual focusing in the store: it's definitely NOT unusable, it's not the most responsive system, but when I"ll actually need MF it'll do just fine
PointOmega
04-27-2012, 05:13
I've just mounted my ZM 21 4.5 via the Kipon adapter. The images look good so far. Will load some when I have time.
anorphirith
04-27-2012, 05:17
I've just mounted my ZM 21 4.5 via the Kipon adapter. The images look good so far. Will load some when I have time.
thanks but that's almost double the price of the 18mm
MiloMoskover
04-27-2012, 05:21
The Fuji 18mm is an excellent lens! Don't believe what you read! First, try the lens yourself. If you really don't like it, return it and look for something else. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
Agreed. I have the 18/2 as my only X-Pro1 lens & have been satisfied, but maybe my standards are different or lower. In my experience, the 18/2 compares well w/the 28s I'm familiar with (Nikon 28/1.4 AF-D, Leica 28/2 Summicron ASPH, CV 28/1.9 Ultron, & Zeiss 28/2.8 Biogon for Contax G), but I shoot mostly people, not architecture, etc., so can't be very informative about many types of distortion or relative sharpness at the corners.
The Fuji 18mm is an excellent lens! Don't believe what you read! First, try the lens yourself. If you really don't like it, return it and look for something else. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
jsrockit
04-27-2012, 05:35
thanks but that's almost double the price of the 18mm
Ok, that answers the question. You will not find a better 18mm or wider lens for the Fuji than its proprietary 18mm lens (that is cheaper than the Fuji 18mm).
The 18 is my next lens purchase, super sharp or not, for $599 you can't really go wrong I think.
Other than trying to get a Color-Skopar 21mm f4 and an adapter...! or a 15mm f4.5 LTM, for the value the 18 gives.....
The Fuji 18mm is an excellent lens! Don't believe what you read! ...
I'd second this. if its still a disappointment after trying, CV 12 and 15 are there for rescue :) had CV 15 LTM and it was good small lens on M8.
willie_901
04-27-2012, 05:50
The Fujinon is really a street/reportage lens. It seems Fuji traded speed for accuracy. This is a very fast lens given it's angle of view. It clealy does not excel at serious landscape usage. At the same time I would use it as a travel lens without hesitation.
I would not describe it as excellent or outstanding. I would describe it as very good and worth every penny. It coud be one of the best fast 18 mm lens for the money.
It remains to be seen how well Adobe's Lens correction profile cleans up the lens' biggest problem - purple fringing at the intersection of high and low contrast edges in the outer regions of the frame. The fringing can be annoying and appears even when the high contrast region is not over exposed.
boomguy57
04-27-2012, 06:23
Sharpness? Bah! Zone-focus that baby at f/8 or f/16 and you won't notice :D
Archlich
04-27-2012, 06:30
When looking for alternatives for a closed system, you usually don't care about the price.
When it comes down to speed, there is no alternative for a 18/2.
Dante_Stella
04-27-2012, 08:18
When looking for alternatives for a closed system, you usually don't care about the price.
When it comes down to speed, there is no alternative for a 18/2.
Right. A 12mm CV lens is f/5.6; a 15mm CV is f/4.5; an 18mm Zeiss is f/4. So what if the Fuji is not eye-burningly sharp at f/2.0? It's not like anyone else is making a faster lens anyway. And a well-focused "bad" lens still beats a mis-focused "good" lens most of the time.
You almost have to chuckle - the 16mm NEX lens gets a bad rap. But stick its wide-er angle adapter (http://www.dantestella.com/technical/nexwide.html) on it, and you have a really fast 12mm that actually autofocuses (and appears to still profile correctly in Lightroom). It's definitely decent at f/5.6, which is all you need to tell you that you don't want to buy a CV lens and adapter at roughly double the price. That it can also shoot passably at f/4 and f/2.8 is just a bonus.
Dante
BCMielke
04-27-2012, 14:08
Go with the 18mm from Fuji. Since you are putting it on the X-Pro 1 you won't find a better performing lens than the 18mm on that camera. I have mounted via adapter the Voigtlander 15mm and Oly 21mm and a Zeiss 25mm as well as the Fuji 18mm. Of that group on the X-Pro 1 the 18mm perform the best. There is just too much smearing on the edges with the 3rd party lenses.
anorphirith
04-27-2012, 16:42
actually I looked at recent samples of the images the 18mm produces, and they were excellent... the earlier examples were really soft, looks like fujifilm has a quality control issue going on again ... I'll get the 18mm but I'll test it in store before walking out, thanks guys !
actually I looked at recent samples of the images the 18mm produces, and they were excellent... the earlier examples were really soft, looks like fujifilm has a quality control issue going on again ... I'll get the 18mm but I'll test it in store before walking out, thanks guys !
It wasn't a quality control thing, they were making minor optical tweaks to the pre-production samples of the lens right up to production. The production versions are sharp the the edges at f4 and up, and still very good wide open.
Stockman
04-30-2012, 20:06
My issue with the 18mm is chromatic aberration and fringing. Focus is quick enough for me, no complaints there. Haven't really had a chance to examine sharpness closely as yet, but I think I would only describe it as "adequate".
For 500+ quid, I expect a lot, lot better. I have a feeling it will be going back unless any of you have any suggestions.
Machspeed
04-30-2012, 21:37
My issue with the 18mm is chromatic aberration and fringing. Focus is quick enough for me, no complaints there. Haven't really had a chance to examine sharpness closely as yet, but I think I would only describe it as "adequate".
For 500+ quid, I expect a lot, lot better. I have a feeling it will be going back unless any of you have any suggestions.
Suggestion: Read this thread from the beginning. You won't find a better equivalent lens at this price point.
CA is among the easiest of aberrations to correct accurately in post, particularly if there's a good lens profile available, which for this lens there surely will be in time. I would not worry about it.
If you really don't want the 18, slam a CV 15/4 on and rock it.
anorphirith, with the APS-C sensors take into account that almost all wide angle lenses shorter than 28mm you'll either accept some compromises or go with retrofocal ones. I have tested a lot of wide angle lenses on the Nex-5N, even some legendary lenses exhibit corner smearing and/or color shift toward corners. The retrofocal lenses are better in some regards however they are large, clumsy, heavy. The best for you is to stick to the native Fujifilm lenses as they are designed to cope up with the 2.5mm thick filter group on the sensor. Also they are the only ones existing to operate with automatic diaphragm, automatic focus features.
armanius
05-01-2012, 11:15
Or just wait until Fuji releases the 14mm.
Stockman
05-01-2012, 13:34
Suggestion: Read this thread from the beginning. You won't find a better equivalent lens at this price point.
Hi Machspeed. Thanks for your reply. I can assure you that I always read threads from the beginning, I have always thought this to be a logical place to start. Your point about the "price point" of the lens is a valid one. I guess I am just very demanding in that, I expect a product to match up to manufactures claims. Its a failing of mine.
All the best.
I guess I am just very demanding in that, I expect a product to match up to manufactures claims.
Which of Fuji's claims (http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujinon_lens_xf18mmf2_r/specifications/) about the 18/2 are inaccurate?
I mean, seriously.
The lens has a bit of coma (hence the eminently-correctable-in-post fringing), but Fuji was honest and brave enough to put up a golldarned starfield image (http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujinon_lens_xf18mmf2_r/sample_images/img/index/ff_x_pro1_003.JPG) on the lens's example page (http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujinon_lens_xf18mmf2_r/sample_images/) which shows the aberration quite clearly.
I don't recall Leica showing a full-resolution starfield image for the 28 Summicron ASPH (equivalent angle of view and aperture, remember) — or any of their other lenses, for that matter. You know why Leica doesn't do it? Because it is exactly the sort of shot that shows coma, that's why. Not to mention sensor noise.
With that sort of forthrightness, it's obnoxious to imply that Fuji is not being honest about the lens's performance.
Hi Machspeed. Thanks for your reply. I can assure you that I always read threads from the beginning, I have always thought this to be a logical place to start. Your point about the "price point" of the lens is a valid one. I guess I am just very demanding in that, I expect a product to match up to manufactures claims. Its a failing of mine.
All the best.
I'd love to know which alternative 18mm (28mm equiv) f2 pancake lens lens you're going to buy for $600us instead of the Fuji....
jsrockit
05-02-2012, 04:05
Yeah Gavin, I'm with you. Unrealistic expectations.
fiddlergene1
05-02-2012, 12:19
The simplest and easiest answer to the chromatic aberration issue is to convert everything to b/w
I'd love to have this lens in an M-mount with manual focusing & aperture! I could use it on my Ricoh GXR....
Stockman
05-03-2012, 13:35
Yeah Gavin, I'm with you. Unrealistic expectations.
I have always found that the imposition of apparently unrealistic expectations result in those unrealistic expectations being met!
Eventually!
But then I am unreasonably demanding.
All the best.
jsrockit
05-04-2012, 04:21
I have always found that the imposition of apparently unrealistic expectations result in those unrealistic expectations being met!
Eventually!
So, you think someone will bring out a 18mm f/2 lens that performs better for less than $600?
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