I just got the Fujifilm X-S20 and I am so incredibly stoked to finally have a real camera but honestly I have no idea what I am doing lol. Sorry if this is a total noob question but I keep hearing people say I need a prime lens to get those blurry backgrounds but there are so many different ones like 23mm and 35mm and I am just lost.
I am heading to Japan in three weeks and really want to take nice street photos of my wife. My budget is strictly under 450 dollars since the camera was already a lot. Which one is the easiest to start with for someone who just wants things to look professional without knowing all the settings?...
Congrats on the X-S20! Its a killer camera to start with. If you want those blurry backgrounds for photos of your wife in Japan, I would definitely suggest looking at a 35mm lens over the 23mm. The 35mm on a Fuji camera acts like a nifty fifty which is basically the gold standard for street portraits because it mimics how the human eye sees things. I personally use the Fujifilm Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR and it stays on my camera most of the time. Here is why it works for beginners:
- It creates better background separation (bokeh) than the wider 23mm lenses.
- The size is tiny, so it wont feel bulky while you are walking miles around Osaka or Tokyo.
- Its weather-resistant, which is huge if you get caught in a sudden Japan drizzle. If 450 dollars feels a bit tight after buying the body, you could even grab the Fujifilm Fujinon XC 35mm f/2. It has the same internal glass as the XF version but costs way less because the outside is plastic and it isnt weather-sealed. Both will give you that professional look without needing to master manual mode right away. Just set your camera dial to A for aperture priority, set the number to 2.0, and let the camera do the heavy lifting. You are gonna love the results.
