anyone using 1 zoom lens only?

[back alley]

thinking about the fuji 16-55 zoom...it covers my most used focal lengths and is relatively fast at a constant 2.8 aperture.
would make choosing a lens set easy...just pick up the one lens and if some distance is required then my 55-200 could be called into service.
biggest con is size/weight.
would be kind of nice to have all of my favourite focal lengths with me all the time.

any thoughts or experiences?

 

[back alley]

...and it's discounted by $350 over the holidays...

 

[Huss]

I covered an event a few weeks ago with just my F6 and 24-120g lens. worked out perfectly and it felt good to embrace a zoom instead of being a prime lens snob that i usually am.

 

[leica M2 fan]

Joe, I've been using a Nikon 24-85 3.5.-4.5 G lens for several years as my go to lens for
everything in general and it works great for me. What I like is that it focuses down to 10 inches
at all focal lengths, so I can get a full range of pictures.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Zooms like these are most common kit lenses which came in use well before any Fuji X was made.
I had 18-55 on my first DSLR. Now it replaced with 16-35 lens and my another DSLR is with its kit lens and nothing else as well.
Second common kit sold as package with camera is 18-55, 55-250.

 

[kxl]

Not as an "only" option. I think zooms have their use, as a complement to primes (and vice versa). At some point in the future, I may get a 16-55/2.8 (and a 50-140mm) to mix/match with my 16-23-35-50.

 

[kuvvy]

I only have one zoom lens Joe, the Fuji 18-55. The range is good for a walkabout / travel lens. That said, I’ve only used it twice. I tend to go with primes 9mm, 18mm and 50mm.
I thought the other Fuji zoom too big and heavy though that wider end would be very useful.

 

[back alley]

i'm not looking at selling any of my gear just adding this lens...tho not too sure about how much i might use it, thus the question here about how others handle their situation...i think that i also might be a prime lens snob...

 

[taemo]

I tried the Fuji XC 16-50 and XF 18-55 and while the later is a great performer for being a kit lens, I ended up selling both simply because when I travel or shooting for fun, I enjoy more using primes.

However if I have to shoot an event, then I use my zoom lens which is a 24-240mm on the Sony so it covers all focal lengths that I will ever need. Heavy but convenient.

 

[Dogman]

Although I had (and still have) several Canon prime lenses, I used the Canon 17-40L on APS-C bodies exclusively for a couple of years. After I sold it, I used a Canon 15-85 for another year or so. Then I got into Fujis and the Fuji primes.

With the zooms, it was nice to only carry one camera and one lens. I made lots of pictures I really like with those zooms and I don't recall ever feeling limited. But I'm too much in love with Fuji's prime lenses these days to go back to zooms, even Fuji zooms.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I have several lenses for my Olympus Pen-F, but the 12-40mm f2.8 Olympus Pro lens gets used 90% of the time. If I don't feel like carrying a lot of gear, I'll just go out with that lens on the camera.

 

[markjwyatt]

For with my Fuji XT-2 I only have the 18-55. It is compact and works well travelling plus has OIS. I also adapt a number of MF primes.

 

[Timmyjoe]

My Canon 6D only has one lens, a 24-70 zoom. Use it for a lot of work. Covers most of what I need, and it's easy to deal with, one camera, one lens. And I've always got my two foot zoom if I need to get in tighter, or need to get wider.

Best,
-Tim

 

[narsuitus]

would be kind of nice to have all of my favourite focal lengths with me all the time.

For the times when I do not need to carry my three favorite focal lengths (16mm f/1.4, 23mm f/1.4, and 56mm f/1.2) or when I do not have time to change lenses quickly or when I do not know where or what I will be shooting, I use my Fuji 16-55mm f/2.8 instead.

If I need to add something longer, I take a 50-140mm.

If I need to add something wider, I take a 12mm.


16-55mm Fuji f/2.8 by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[Darthfeeble]

Any more, when we travel we both just pack the "Do All" lenses. I have the 18-55 on my XP1 and Charlee has the 18-135 on her XT2. In that travel photography isn't exactly high art, it seems to make sense to carry light. If we are just day tripping then we might pack more. The current crop of zooms are so close in image quality to primes it just doesn't seem to matter.

 

[ornate_wrasse]

My thoughts? BUY IT!

My experiences:

I love this lens. It is a bit heavy but that hasn't stopped me from using it on my XPro1. The fact that it covers such a wide range of focal lengths makes it very versatile. Other than the tiny 27mm lens (which I bought when I first got the XPro1 so I would have something inexpensive to shoot with and which I never use anymore), it's the only Fuji lens I have.

I took it with me when hiking a trail at Glacier National Park in September and got the following images.

 

[Taipei-metro]

thinking about the fuji 16-55 zoom...it covers my most used focal lengths and is relatively fast at a constant 2.8 aperture....
biggest con is size and weight...'

yeap size and weight

i only have one 15-45 sebc fujinon w my X-T100, even cheaper than 16-55, it's a 'regular' KIT, as the same w a Sony sam 18-55, Canon 18-55, or Nikon 18-55 or smc pentax 18-55 well, i have them all, plus the Zuiko Kit...they're all great...for me

first world
1

south pasadena

2

los angeles airport

3

arcadia
Los Angeles County

all by taipei-metro
Fuji X-T100, Fujinon 15-45 OIS

 

[jarski]

Changing lenses on street is cumbersome and can add dust to sensor. Enough reasons for me to prefer zooms, especially on longer trips. Camera processing easily corrects most distortions zooms have over primes.

 

[Tim Murphy]

Yes, it's pretty much the only way I fly

Yes, it's pretty much the only way I fly

Dear backalley,

I have a 15-85 on my APS-C camera and a 150-600 on my APS-H camera.

It works for me.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA 🙂

 

[Ccoppola82]

My wife loves zooms on our canons and I’ve switched to primes for basically everything. When I grab the zoom (24-70 2.8) I cannot stand it. It’s too bulky and a pain to carry around. I also often miss the speed. So, I quickly revert back to my prime. For hiking and landscape work, I do use the 16-35 f4 and 70-200 f4 though because I can’t always “foot zoom” to the proper composition. Those f4 zooms are fairly light as well.