So I finally bit the bullet and upgraded to the X-T5 after lugging around my old heavy DSLR for way too long. I love the body, but man, I am seriously struggling to pick a lens. I feel like I have spent the last three nights falling down a rabbit hole of forum threads and YouTube reviews and Im just getting more annoyed the more I read.

I keep seeing people rave about the 18-55mm kit lens, saying its basically the only thing you need, but then the next thread is full of people calling it soft and saying I should definitely grab the 16-55mm f/2.8 instead. But honestly, that 16-55mm looks like a total brick and I dont think I want to balance that thing on my X-T5 all day when I am out hiking or walking around downtown Chicago. I want something I can throw in my bag without it feeling like Im carrying a literal dumbbell.

I have a trip to Europe coming up in like five weeks so I really need to pull the trigger soon or Im going to be stuck using just my phone, which would be such a waste of this camera. My budget is probably around 1k, maybe a bit more if its really worth it, but I just want one lens that I can keep glued to the body for street stuff and the occasional landscape shot. The prime vs zoom debate is also killing me because I like the idea of the 23mm f/2 being small, but am I going to regret not having the zoom when I need to frame something quickly? Everyone seems to have a different opinion and its honestly stressing me out because I dont want to buy the wrong thing and then deal with returns right before I leave. Does anyone actually have a setup that doesnt feel like a chore to carry, or should I just suck it up and get the heavy zoom for the image quality...