im honestly so fed up with carrying around three different prime lenses every time I go out to shoot street stuff or take photos on hikes. I shoot on an X-S10 and I love the body itself, its super comfy and fits my hands great, but lens swapping has literally ruined so many good moments for me already. Last weekend up in the Catskills I missed this crazy red-tailed hawk because I had my 35mm f2 mounted and by the time I fumbled in my bag for the telephoto it was already gone. Im so tired of missing shots while playing lens change roulette. I need one single piece of glass that can just stay on the camera 90 percent of the time. My budget is around 800 bucks max since weddings drained my savings last month, and I need something weather resistant enough for light drizzle because Im in upstate NY and the weather here is totally bipolar. What is the actual best all-around zoom lens for the X-S10 that wont make my neck ache after two hours of walking around
@Reply #2 - good point! Checking back in today with some hard data. If you want max reach and weather sealing under 800 bucks, the Tamron 17-70mm f 2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is an absolute beast for stabilization and low light, even though it lacks physical aperture rings. Meanwhile, the Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f 4 R OIS WR gives you that wider 16mm end and full weather sealing, but you sacrifice that fast f2.8 aperture. Honestly both crush the prime lens juggle any day!
Get the Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f 3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR. It saved my hikes in the Catskills, handles light rain easily, and stays glued to my X-S10 90 percent of the time.
Coming back to this thread after checking my bag, and honestly I feel your pain on missing that hawk shot. Lens swapping in the cold or rain is the absolute worst. Before dropping cash on a heavy piece of glass, what kind of low light shooting do you find yourself doing most? Are you mostly daytime hiking or do you stay out into twilight?
- If you want something super sharp that fits your budget, look into the Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f 4 R OIS WR. It usually runs right around 800 new and drops even lower used.
- The constant f4 aperture makes exposure way easier when clouds roll in.
- Weather sealing has held up fine for me in unexpected Hudson Valley downpours. Let me know about your lighting habits and I can tell you if you need something faster or if that reach is enough for your hikes.