Ive been shooting with my X-T3 for a few years now, mostly just using the kit lens and that one 35mm f2.0 prime everyone recommends, but I honestly feel like I hit a wall with it lately. I really want something wider for street photography when I head to Chicago next month. My budget is pretty tight, like 300 bucks max, which I know is pushing it for Fuji glass. I keep looking at the Viltrox options or maybe grabbing a used XC lens if I can find one. Has anyone tried the cheaper third-party primes? Im worried about the autofocus speed holding up when Im actually out there walking around...
In my experience, if you want something sharp and tiny, look at the Samyang 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS. It is manual focus, but for street work, you can just zone focus and leave it. Used copies are well under your budget.
- Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is another beast if you can find one used
- The 7Artisans 18mm f/6.3 II is basically a pancake lens for pennies Honestly, the Samyang is unbeatable for wide shots.
Coming back to this, i spent a few months in the city with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary and it was solid. While thats a bit tight for streets, maybe look at the 7Artisans 18mm f/6.3 II Pancake. Its incredibly cheap and manual, but honestly, at f/6.3, you just set it and forget it. Saved me a ton of cash and fits right in a pocket.
Honestly, 300 bucks is tight but doable if you look at the right stuff. Don't worry too much about speed, the newer third-party stuff is fine for street.
- Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 XF is usually right around your budget if you find a sale or used copy.
- TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 is super cheap and tiny. Just be careful with build quality on the really cheap ones, but for Chicago, you'll love the wider view.
Helpful thread 👍
Exactly what I was thinking
Building on the earlier suggestion, are you planning to do mostly night work or daytime shooting in Chicago? If you need consistent AF for street stuff, id be careful with some of those cheaper manual options. I have used the Fujifilm XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS II when I want something cheap and light, but for a prime, you could check out:
- TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4 APS-C
- Meike 25mm f/1.8 APS-C Honestly, stick to auto if youre worried about missing shots.
Honestly, I spent way too much time obsessing over specs before my last trip to Chicago. I ended up picking up a budget prime because I wanted something lighter than my usual kit, but it was honestly a letdown.
- The chromatic aberration was honestly all over the place whenever I shot against the city skyline.
- The focus motor had this really high-pitched whine that drove me crazy in quiet areas.
- Unfortunately, the corner sharpness just wasn't there, and I had a lot of issues with field curvature that made portraits look kinda warped. I really wanted to love it because the price was right, but it just didnt hold up compared to my older glass. It taught me that sometimes those budget third-party options just cant replicate the optical corrections you get from the native stuff. I spent half the trip wishing I had just brought my heavier gear instead. Just be careful with what you pick up, because some of these cheaper primes are definitely not as good as expected once you actually start looking at the files on a computer screen.