Just saw this and totally get the stress. I remember my first trip to Osaka with only a 35mm... total nightmare trying to zoom with my feet in those tiny crowded alleys. I've learned to be really cautious about weight on bodies like your S20 tho. If you go too heavy, your wrist is gonna hate you after four hours of walking Shinjuku. I eventually settled on the Tamron 17-70mm f2.8 Di III-A VC RXD for my travel setup. It is a bit chunky, but having that f2.8 for the neon lights at night was a total lifesaver. It usually stays under your 750 budget if you find a used one. Be careful with those super-cheap imports on eBay tho, shipping times are a huge gamble when you're on a 12-day clock. Quick tips:

• Buy from a shop like MPB or KEH to ensure it actually arrives before your flight.
• Pick up a decent wrist strap like the Peak Design Cuff to save your hand from the lens weight.

Regarding what #1 said about "I totally agree with your concern about the 18-55mm being a bit short", I found the Fujinon XF 16-80mm f4 R OIS WR really disappointing. The edge softness is a huge letdown. Check these out to save money:

• Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC DN Contemporary for Fujifilm X
• Way sharper and way cheaper.
• Tamron 17-70mm f2.8 Di III-A VC RXD for Fujifilm X
• Great for low light. Go used to keep it under 750.

I totally agree with your concern about the 18-55mm being a bit short for a place like Tokyo. I had that exact same realization during a trip to Kyoto a couple years ago. You see these incredible details on the temples or a perfect street scene way down an alley, and you just cant get close enough. It is frustrating to feel limited by your gear when you are in such a beautiful place. Honestly, my experience with the 16-80mm was a huge letdown too. I bought it thinking it would be the ultimate solution for my X-S series body, but it just wasnt as sharp as I needed it to be. The edges were mushy and it felt really unbalanced on a smaller camera. I ended up selling mine after just one trip because the image quality felt like a step backward from the primes I was used to. It was a real bummer. Here are a few things I learned after years of trying to find that one perfect lens:

• Extra reach is basically useless if the images arent crisp.
• Constant f4 sounds nice but can feel pretty dark in Tokyos narrow alleys at night.
• Lens weight really starts to matter after you have been walking for ten hours straight. I really wanted that lens to be the answer, but unfortunately, it just didnt have the magic. If you want my advice, look for a zoom that starts around 17mm or 18mm but maybe from a different manufacturer that prioritizes sharpness over just having a massive range... it makes a world of difference for travel shots.

I am usually so happy with my current setup because it works well for everything local, but this upcoming trip is totally stressing me out. My Fujifilm X-S20 is coming with me to London soon and the thought of switching glass while it is pouring rain in a crowded street gives me so much anxiety. Been dealing with this for like a month and still cannot find a one-and-done solution.

• Usually I have no complaints about my Fujinon XF 23mm f2 R WR but it is just not enough for travel.
• Swapping lenses in a crowd is just asking for a dropped piece of glass or sensor dust.
• Every all-in-one zoom I look at has some kind of major reliability concern. It is just a massive headache trying to find that one perfect lens that wont fail when you need it most. Swapping back and forth every night on which one to buy is exhausting... still have no clue what to do.