honestly so fed up with this bulky 18-55mm zoom lens right now. i love my xpro3 but this thing is just way too big and it totally kills the rangefinder vibe i was going for. its driving me crazy how heavy it feels after an hour and it just stands out too much when i try to take candid shots. im super stoked though because im finally heading to tokyo next month for two weeks and i have about 600 bucks saved up for a proper prime setup. i need something tiny and fast so i can actually blend in for once and not look like a tourist.
which prime lens is actually the best for street photography on the xpro3?
Building on the earlier suggestion, unfortunately native lenses are so overpriced now.
- TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 AF Fujifilm X Mount is tiny but kinda noisy.
- Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 AF Fuji X Mount is faster for Tokyo nights.
Saw this late but I totally agree with the sentiment that big zooms ruin the X-Pro3 experience. I've tried many different primes over the years and for Tokyo, you definitely want something weather sealed for reliability.
- Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR is the king of stealth. It makes the camera pocketable which is huge for blending in. In my experience, the newer version with the aperture ring is way more reliable than the original pancake version.
- Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2 R WR is slightly tighter but feels indestructible. The autofocus is faster than the 27mm, which helps when things are moving fast in Shibuya. Personally wouldnt risk a non-weather-sealed lens in Japan. Having that WR rating is a massive safety net so you dont have to baby the gear if it starts drizzling. Stick with the weather resistant primes and you'll be set.
You might want to consider the Fujifilm Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 R WR for Tokyo. Just make sure to watch for distortion near the edges, but its weather sealing is great for rainy nights, tho.
Man I wish I found this thread sooner. Would have saved me so much hassle.
bump
Re: "bump" - seen this thread popping up and figured I'd drop my two cents since you're heading to Tokyo. The consensus here is pretty much split between weather-sealed Fuji glass and those budget-friendly third-party pancakes. If you want to keep the X-Pro3 truly compact for street work, check these out:
- Fujifilm XF 18mm f/2 R: It is basically the original pancake lens. It is super light, fairly wide for tight city streets, and focuses decently enough. The downside is it's a bit older tech, so AF is not as snappy as the newer stuff.
- Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary: This is a bit larger than the pancakes but the low-light performance is stellar. Great for those neon-lit Tokyo nights when you want that creamy background separation. Basically, the Fuji lenses offer that native weather sealing which is nice for peace of mind, but if you want to save cash, the Sigma is a workhorse. Just grab whatever feels right and dont overthink the gear too much. Tokyo is amazing regardless of what lens you have on.
