Like many people who enjoy photography, I wonder sometimes if piece of gear X, Y or Z would be better than what I am currently using.
I have been using the Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 zoom lens since I bought my first Fuji in 2013. I have been happy with it and it has spent a lot of time on my cameras, first an X-E1 and now and X-T3. From time to time it has occurred to me that the Fujinon 16-55mm might not only give me a slightly wider angle of view and a constant f/2.8 aperture, but also access to that elusive beast… better image quality.
Of course, “better” means different things in different contexts.
Rather than wonder about it anymore, I decided it was time to rent rather than take the plunge of buying. Vistek Ottawa makes renting easy and a mere CDN$30 let me use the lens for a weekend.
All told, I liked the lens very much but my two conclusions surprised me.
First, using the 16-55mm for two days reminded me why I decided to invest in the Fuji system in the first place: to drastically reduce the weight of the gear I was carrying, especially when travelling. There’s no question that the 16-55 is lovely piece of gear, but my X-T3 felt a bit front-heavy with it and, frankly, I didn’t think I’d want to carry it around all day. And I was losing built-in Image Stabilization (which I really appreciate).
Second, I decided that if I was ever to commit to carrying around heavier equipment I would only do it if it came with a much larger sensor. The kind of sensor you might find in, say, the Fujifilm GFX medium format system.
So, no 16-55mm for me, but an eye open for Fuji’s forthcoming update to the GFX 50s expected for this fall.
In the meantime, here’s an example of what I got up to with that lens on the weekend. It’s a beautiful chunk of glass, but not “better” for my needs and wants.
Fujifilm X-T3 with Fujinon 16-55mm f/2.8 at 16mm