During a recent trip to Hawaii we were able to try out the Fujinon 10-24mm lens and Fuji X-T1. We want to take some time to reflect on these remarkable Fuji products, and show you some of our sweet shots too!
First, let's look at the Fujinon 10-24 lens. This small, sharp lens is an absolute dream for travel. It is amazing for hotel rooms and landscapes when it is zoomed out, and the tele end is good for a variety of other shots. While I haven’t quite become a photography guru, there are a few things that stood out to me that I really appreciate. First, with such a wide zoom, I expected a little distortion in the corners. The 10-24 surprises with extremely clean corners at 10mm. Check out some of these shots that look incredible!
I also like how you can control aperture with a built in auto switch on the lens. I know you can’t have everything right there on the lens for you, but I like that you don’t have to go digging through the menu to find the setting you want.
I thought I would have an issue with the aperture of this lens being limited to f4, but I found I was primarily using this for ultra-wide (and would switch to my Fuji 23 if needed). While the 10-24 isn’t super fast, it gives you some good low light controls to keep it valuable when you are without a tripod- which is often when you are traveling.
Overall, this lens is the most convenient that I have found for travel photography. It will definitely be the next lens I add to our kit. It is relatively compact (easy to pack) and it takes beautiful photos. Great job Fuji, may we keep it?
Next, the Fujifilm X-T1. When shopping for a camera, we were told this was the best mirrorless body out there. We opted for the X-E2 to save a little money, and because we didn’t think we would notice a difference. But we did. And we want one. (Are you seeing a trend?)
The Fuji X-T1 body looks pretty awesome at first glance. Compared to the X-E2, it has more controls, a more pronounced handgrip, and (like the X-E2) has amazing overall design.
While I was overwhelmed by all the dials at first, I quickly appreciated having more control on the body instead of looking through the screen menu (like the 10-24 lens). The dedicated shutter speed dial has a lock on it that keeps it in the automatic setting, but once taken off can rotate all around. I really value having the ISO dial on this camera, as I am prone to using Auto ISO on the X-E2 since it is more difficult to toggle with. My fear of all the dials turned to gratefulness, as every major function that I need to change mid-shoot is at my fingertips.
I didn’t realize how much I would love having the handgrip of the X-T1. The X-E2 has a minimal handgrip, but I figured since it is such a small camera it wouldn’t’ matter. I found that the X-T1 was much more comfortable, and the grip gave me peace of mind as I walked up and down the beach looking for the perfect photo.
The beautiful look of this camera is backed by a control scheme that is easy to navigate, and an image quality that is incredible. Combine it with any of the X-Series lenses (we want the 10-24) and you have a compact photo kit that is perfect to take with you on a journey to Hana, or to capture a breathtaking sunset from your Lanai! Aloha!