Fuji X-Pro 1: Recommendations for using telephoto SLR lens

[filmfan]

So my X-Pro 1 should arrive any day now, including the 35mm 1.4 lens. I also plan on buying the 18mm f/2 lens.

I go sailing a lot and want to use a long telephoto lens to take photos of other boats on the water. I am thinking of 80-200mm zoom from an SLR attached to the Fuji.

Would this be recommended and if so, what kind of experience should I expect? I know I will need a converter and I assume I will need to use the EVF...

 

[ACullen]

I've used a few MF telephoto lenses on my Fuji XE-2. It is slightly smaller than the XPro1 but it felt pretty ungainly with a long MF attached to the front. It's really too light. The XPro1 is heavier but not by much. A secondary grip would help balance better. I tried an old Pentacon 135mmF2.8 , Takumar 135mmF3.5 and a Tamron 80-210 zoom (mid eighties). Handling issues aside the results were good enough. Since getting the XF90mmF2 Fuji lens I've not tried them again and probably won't - the Fuji is much better size.

 

[f16sunshine]

My experience with longer lenses adapted to the xpro were very poor.
The refresh rate of the evf was too slow when you already have a wiggly image in the evf from a long lens.
It's very difficult to focus accurately. .... Especially on the water.

The Fuji 55-200 should be your choice. Used at around $350-$400.
It has IS and the focus speed and accuracy I experienced with the xpro1,xe1, and xa1 with that lens was very good.
It's a sleeper lens in the fuji line..... One of the best imo.

 

[cz23]

I occasionally use a 90 Contax G and a Nikkor 200 on mine and they work OK. I would not use it for anything fast-moving, but for sailboats, I think you'll be fine. Switch focus peaking to magnified view, which will be very shaky, but for a single slow object at a distance, like another boat, it should work well enough. I'd certainly try it before buying something new.

John

 

[taemo]

My experience with longer lenses adapted to the xpro were very poor.
The refresh rate of the evf was too slow when you already have a wiggly image in the evf from a long lens.
It's very difficult to focus accurately. .... Especially on the water.

The Fuji 55-200 should be your choice. Used at around $350-$400.
It has IS and the focus speed and accuracy I experienced with the xpro1,xe1, and xa1 with that lens was very good.
It's a sleeper lens in the fuji line..... One of the best imo.

this.
EVF on the X-Pro1 and X-E1 wasn't the best for manual focusing, also with long lens expect a lot of vibration so IS will help a lot.
I've had the 55-200 and used it quite a bit on the X-Pro1 and got some awesome shots.

taken with X-Pro1 + 55-200 at ISO 3200

but if you dont want to spend on a new lens, other legacy lenses will do.
I've used my 200mm f4 AIS lens on the X-E2 and it worked ok.
I have an old FD 100-300 but I still havent had the chance to use it on the X-E2 as I don't shoot a lot of tele now a days.

 

[Addy101]

Yeah, a dedicated lens makes the most sense. On a boat both AF and image stabilisation will be nice. The Fujifilm XF-55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS (what is a name) seems nice, the only downside is the lack of weather sealing, but neither have the lenses you're looking at. If you want to save some bucks, what about the Fujifilm XC 50-230mm F4.5-6.7 OIS?

There are on the other hand boatloads of lenses in that range, ranging from lousy to great. How much are you willing to pay?

 

[back alley]

there is always the fuji 50-230 lens...pretty good lens.

 

[willie_901]

There is anecdotal evidence that shutter times shorter than 1/focal length are required for sharper images from X-Series cameras. This might simply be due to skewed results from people with shaky hands.

 

[Jdi]

No. Get a native zoom/tele. Yes, I've tried. Also a sailor. One rule I have is the Fuji's don't go on our boat unless we're coasting in the ICW. Once you see all the potential points of entry (salty sea air, water, humidity) you may reconsider your plans.

 

[narsuitus]

I am thinking of 80-200mm zoom from an SLR attached to the Fuji.

Would this be recommended and if so, what kind of experience should I expect? I know I will need a converter and I assume I will need to use the EVF...

I used a Kiron made Vivitar 70-210mm Series I AI f/3.5 manual focus zoom lens with a Nikon/Fuji adapter. The Vivitar zoom worked fine for slow moving subjects. However, since I sometimes shoot fast moving subjects under adverse conditions, I replaced it with the Fuji 50-140mm f/2.8 auto focus zoom with image stabilization and weather resistance.


Vivitar 70-210mm by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[filmfan]

I think you all are on to something here with the dedicated XF longer lenses. I may just use my old film SLR for this purpose.

 

[valdas]

I will probably buy Fuji 100-400. Expensive but... I tried legacy SLR (Contax 200/3.5 Tele Tessar) - can't really get a sharp shot. Focusing is a major pain with legacy Tele (unless used for static subjects, on tripod).

 

[Ken Ford]

Hmmm. I have an OM-X adapter I picked up but haven't tried yet, I may have to trot out my Oly 135/3.5 to see how it works on the XP1.

 

[shawn]

You can use adapted telephotos on the XP1 but how successful will depend upon what you are doing. Outdoors in good light works much better than indoors in low light. With good lighting you can have the aperture stopped down more to give more DOF while still keeping the EVF refresh and gain reasonable.

When you get into lower light as the EVF gain starts increasing the refresh rate drops. The combination of slower refresh rate and grainier EVF makes MF much more difficult. In that situation I tended to pre-focus using the EVF on a set distance. Depending upon the lens I would then sometimes use the OVF to follow action.

Depending upon what you are doing the longer XF lenses may or may not make a huge difference on the XP1. When shooting sports indoors I typically shot the 55-200 zone focused anyway. Big benefit is having the focus distance scale in the EVF/OVF available with the XP1 and the 55-200.

Shawn

 

[Ken Ford]

I definitely wouldn't be trying it for sports or other action - it's not the right tool for the job. Just for slower work that need longer glass.

 

[Dogman]

I'm unable to use the EVF on the X-Pro1 very well due to my vision. But I originally got the camera for the OVF anyway. IMO the X-Pro excels with wide to normal and a more contemplative approach. Long lenses and moving subjects work better (for me) on DSLRs.