Ksocha Loc: Bethesda, MD

I logged into this Fuji Buy/Sell/Swap site on Facebook and can’t find any classified ads at all. Just the usual Facebook attempts to connect me to all sorts of others. ???

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

I would second that recommendation about the body. The HX is geared toward video, and if that is your thing then it is worth the extra price. But if not, the XT-2 or the 20 are a better deal. I have the 18-135, and it rarely leaves my camera. It is sharp and plenty fast enough for my purposes. Here is a shot I just took of one of my newborn pups. No chromatic aberration, and you can count every hair.

(Download)

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

I use Fuji gear for a lot of my photography and have numerous primes and three zooms. I think the 18-135 is a very good "walk-about" general duty & travel lens. I actually prefer the 18-55 since it enjoys faster glass, is so small, and is very light. I am not certain you will enjoy the 18-135 for indoor sports, however. Indoor sports usually requires two things. Fast glass to overcome poor lighting and reach. The 18-135 has reasonable reach if you are close to the action, however, it is slow to focus in these conditions and requires a bit of ISO & related grain to function well.

If there is a weak spot, it’s at the widest setting (18mm) wide-open. Here, the corners are noticeably soft at 100% magnification, and the corner sharpness does not match what you can get out of the 18-55mm even stopped down. There is also more light fall-off as compared to the 18-55mm. The 18-135mm performs quite well at longer lengths, with corner sharpness close to that of the 18-55mm at 55mm. It does offer weather resistance which could be a deal-breaker depending on your shooting style. A weather resistant lens (water and temperature) is a great partner with the both these bodies because you can shoot in the cold and rain without a worry. If you don’t want to lug a larger & heavier lens, then the 18-55mm f/2.8-4.0 OIS lens remains the go-to choice with either the XT2 or the XH1 bodies. It provides wonderful results, and it’s better indoors where its faster aperture comes in handy. I almost always will trade length for aperture when shooting indoors. In short, I think the 18-130 is great for outdoors and travel.

Now, on to your desire for the new X body, XH1. As stated earlier by one of the other contributors, the XT2 with the included "kit" 18-55 lens is about the same or less $$$ as the new boy on the block. The XH1 offers in body stabilization which can help in low light with subjects that remain still enough to shoot, which is good. The new body is enjoys better 4K video as well, however, it still has the same sensor as the XT2, is larger, heavier, and loses the EV dial on the top deck. There is a new (September 2018) XT3 on the horizon that is said to enjoy numerous improvements including the all important upgraded sensor. Although is will not include stabilization, it may be a much better body than the XH1 is in it's current iteration. Just some food for thought as we live in exciting photographic hardware times!!! Cheers!!!

magpix Loc: St. Michaels, MD

Very well said. I couldn't agree more. The 18-55 surprises me sometimes at how good it is. I also have the 16-55 f/2.8 and only use it when I feel I have to because of its size and weight. Otherwise, the 18-55 is my go-to lens. I also agree about the 18-135 not being ideal for indoor sports. It's an ideal travel lens. I've also tried out the XH-1 and felt its size negates much of the Fuji allure.

AlohaBob Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Thanks!

AlohaBob Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Thanks for the input! It really sounds like a versatile range.

AlohaBob Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Thanks. I didn't realize how much smaller the 18-55 was. That lens gets a lot of love here :)

le boecere

Thank you for posting this site, Sunny ~ I was unaware of it; and (s)he reviews the Fujinon 18-135 in concepts I "get".

Edit: Were I to go looking for such a lens, "The Lightweight Photographer's" experience (here) would prompt great caution:

"By way of background, this is the second Fuji 18-135 lens I have owned. The first I purchased second hand and after a lot of frustration, it was eventually traded for other equipment. The problem with the first lens was that it was soft and didn’t focus correctly across the frame. The performance was hit and miss, which also seemed to be exaggerated by Adobe Lightroom “smoothing” the finer details in the Fuji RAW files."

AlohaBob Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Thanks for the link. Excellent site; I hadn't heard of it and images are quite impressive.

AlohaBob Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Thanks for the input. I got spoiled when my son was coaching at Loyola in New Orleans; in their gym, there are seats behind the baskets,so I could do very well with around 80MM focal length. Not so much on the sidelines in bleachers...

SteveLew Loc: Sugar Land, TX

I also shoot the Fuji XT2 and I have four lenses. 18 to 55/f2.8-4, 23/f2, 50/f2 and 55 to 200/f3.5 to 4.8. All the Fuji glass is very good. I have not used the Fuji XH1 nor have I used the 18 to 135. I agree with Magpix regarding the need for the larger and stabilized XH1 unless your are going to shoot mainly video. Although the cheaper XT2 shoots wonderful video also at 4K. Finally, keep in mind that if you are going to shoot considerable video you will need the battery grip for the XH1 since the stabilized camera uses the same battery at the XT2 and because the XH1 is stabilized it uses up batteries faster than the XT2.Good luck I think you are going to really like the Fuji system. After I borrowed my friends XT2 I sold all my Nikon FF camera and lenses and moved to Fuji and never looked
back.

AlohaBob Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Thanks for all the data. Much appreciated! My primary decision point for the XH1 over the XT2 is the form factor. I like the bigger camera. It works better for my hands, however this could probably be a moot point with one of the add-on grips for the battery grip for the XT2...

AlohaBob Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Very definitely sharp enough!

AlohaBob Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Thanks. I am a bit worried about the noise and speed for basketball, but I don't like having a heavy lens hanging off when travelling; no doubt I'll end up with a faster lens when I can afford it.

AlohaBob Loc: Los Angeles, CA

Very nice image; I've admired work you've posted in the past. Sounds like I can't go wrong with the 18-135 as a general purpose/walk-around lens. I've been drawn to the XH1 because of he larger grip...