This Guy Broke His XF 10-24 (Again) Shooting Waterfalls… And Why That Fujinon XF 8-16mm WR Can’t Come Soon Enough!
The Fujinon XF10-24
The Fujifilm XF10-24 is one lens I always lusted after. I also almost bought it, but at the end went for the smaller and much cheaper Samyang 12mmF2.
Regarding the XF10-24, I remember how it was launched just a two months before Fuji’s first weather sealed camera, the Fujifilm X-T1. At that time, here on FujiRumors I already told you that a the WR X-T1 would come in January 2014. So, when Fujifilm decided to launch the XF10-24 in November, we all hoped it would be weather sealed… but it wasn’t.
Now, I know that there are tons of X-shooters out there enjoying this lens day after day. But if you are like Jim, and bring it out into some really tough conditions, then you might be interested to read to rest of the story :)
Why That Fujinon XF 8-16mm WR Can’t Come Soon Enough
Jim drove several hours to reach a simply stunning waterfall in Portland, at the Columbia river gorge. The gear he used is the Fujifilm X-Pro2, the Fujinon XF 10-24mm F4 OIS, the Feisol CT-3442 Tripod, the Really Right Stuff ball head… all packed into his Mindshift Rotation 180 Horizon.
Now, Jim is completely in love with the X-system. He loves the image quality, the form factor, the size, the usability, the dials… just everything. He says it “fits my style of photography”
But he also says that “photography is adventure” and that it is “completely unaccetable” that the only wide angle zoom lens in the Fuji system is not weather sealed.
In fact, after a while shooting in the very wet and humid waterfall envoriment, he couldn’t take pictures anymore, because “the lens gets wet and causes a lens communication error“. He says this is not the first time it happens to him. That’s why he owns two of these lenses and changes them, when one stops working. And once at home, he has to dry the lenses.
Jim apparently reads FujiRumors, since he knows about the XF 8-16mm F2.8 WR lens, which will come in early 2018 (I’ve shared the first rumor back in May 2016 (!) here). But he said he’s not sure he can wait that long for the XF 8-16. Hence, despite him loving Fujifilm’s image quality and usability, he is considering to switch to another brand.
At our immense future APS-C lens poll, with over 11,000+ voters, the XF 8-16mm F2.8 WR is the most wanted out of the 30 lenses in the voting-list.
Just a curiosity, on the way back, he uses a Beta version of an App, called “The Really Good Photo Spots“, which I think he’s developing right now. Based on your location, it shows you the best spots to photograph in your area.
See the video “I Broke My Lens….Again!” at Improve Photography Youtube
Considerations
Of course, Jim is using the XF 10-24 in an enviroment it is not planned to be used (rainy/wet conditions). But if he wants to get the shot he wants with a Fuji camera, then he currently has no other choice than to go with the XF10-24. The next widest weather sealed lens in the Fuji line-up is the XF 16mmF1.4…. and evidently not wide enough for certain landscape photography.
So, Jim might do well to switch, because Fujifilm currently does not offer the lens he needs the most… unless he is willing to dry his two XF 10-24 for a few more months, until the XF 8-16 will be out.
Or, maybe, just use a plastic bag around your lens in the meantime ;)
And What About You?
So what about you? Do you own the Fujinon XF 10-24mm F4 OIS? Did you have the same experience as Jim? Are you also waiting for the weather sealed XF 8-16mm F2.8 WR or are you just fine with the Fujinon XF 10-24?
Feel free to drop you thoughts and considerations in the comments :)
cheers
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