honestly im so fed up with this 15-45mm kit lens that came with my x-s20 its just way too plastic-y and that power zoom drives me crazy when im trying to quickly snap photos of my dog at the park. my logic was that fuji glass would be affordable but some of these xf zooms are like 900 bucks which i just cant do after spending my savings on the body.
i was looking at the sigma 18-50 but i heard it lacks ois which might be a problem? im heading to montana next month and need something solid under 500 bucks. whats the move here?
Grab a used Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR! The weather sealing is fantastic for Montana. Its linear motor offers amazing autofocus speed for pets. The build quality is superb!
To add to the point above: weve basically boiled it down to the speed of the Sigma vs the reach and weather sealing of the Fuji zooms. In my experience, if youre trekking through Montana, reliability is the number one priority. Since you mentioned being tired of that plastic-y feel, switching to a lens with a metal barrel will make the whole camera feel like a professional tool rather than a toy. Quick tips for buying budget glass:
- Go used to maximize your $500. You can get a Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS for around $350 easily.
- Avoid the XC line entirely if you hate plastic; theyre basically the cheaper versions of the XF lenses. Id personally go for the 18-55mm. Its a classic for a reason and the manual zoom is lightyears better for snapping quick shots of a dog than that sluggish power zoom.
I remember being stuck with that power zoom in a downpour once, total nightmare. Look, you got IBIS in that X-S20 body so dont sweat the lack of OIS too much.
- Grab the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary for Fuji X for that f/2.8 speed.
- Find a used Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS if you want a metal build on a budget.
I agree with the point about reliability. Been very happy with the Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR.
- Solid weather sealing
- Works well No complaints here.
