Trying out Fujifilm lenses while in New Zealand

A couple of weeks ago I did a post on the Fujifilm X-T3 camera, but while I was using it I was also trying out their lenses for my trip to New Zealand. When it was organised, I asked if I could borrow 3 lenses from Fujifilm Australia to use.

Trying out Fujifilm lenses while in New Zealand

There is no point borrowing a camera without the lenses. I was loaned the following three. When making the request I asked for these.

• Fujinon XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens
• Fujinon XF10-24mmF4 R OIS Lens
• and Fujinon XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens

They seemed like good choices and would cover everything I could need.

Fujinon XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens

Part of the reason I wanted to borrow this was because the friend I was travelling with loves wildlife photography. I thought it would be good for that. As it turned out we really didn’t do that much. It isn’t a light lens and turned out to be much bigger than I thought it would be, with the weight as well.

It is a beautiful lens and if you want to do wildlife photography where you need that longer length it is would be worth buying. In the end, I only used it a couple of times. The first time was when doing the boat cruise on lake Mapourika and the other was the second morning at Lake Wanaka.

With the first time, I was hand holding it. I wasn’t absolutely happy and quite a few of my images were out of focus. However, that could have been because I was on a boat. Then again, I also got many that were great. They were the sort of shots I wouldn’t have been able to get without it.

The second time, I had the camera and lens on the tripod. I experimented with some long exposures. I didn’t use it for long as I realised I needed to get back a bit. Still, I got some great images.

Here is a selection of some of those images.

Fujinon XF10-24mmF4 R OIS Lens

The first time I borrowed a camera from Fujifilm Australia they sent this lens with it. I loved it. You know how much I love a wide angle. It is great for long exposures. I had hoped that when I went to New Zealand I would get lots of opportunities to use the lens for that. I did use it, but not as much as I thought I would.

It was good to have in the pack and I’m very glad I did have it. There were some places it wasn’t possible to use it for that type of photography, mainly because it was too wide.

The images from it are always lovely and clear and if I were going to buy X-T3 camera, I would definitely have to have this lens. When I was using it around Melbourne it stayed on the camera, but not so much in New Zealand.

I have some images that were taken with it.

Fujinon XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens

Without a doubt, this is the lens I used the most. It was used every day. While I put the other two on from time to time, this one always went back on.

If I had to guess I would say I used it 80% of the time. It was by far the most versatile out of the three. It didn’t always get as close as I wanted, but it didn’t do too bad. I knew that I could crop. On top of that, I could put the filters on it and do long exposures, which I did do a few times.

Have I ever told you that I am a lazy person? If I don’t have to change lenses, then I won’t. Towards the end of the trip, this lens stayed on a lot because I couldn’t see the point in changing it. I was in love with it. I like a good zoom when travelling. Something that I can use to take lots of photos, up close and in the distance. Perhaps that is me. Sometimes you don’t want to muck around with lenses.

Here are some photos. I will have to be careful here, really narrow down the selection.

Finally

I can’t say that I was disappointed at all with any of these lenses. They did as I thought they would. Perhaps if I were to borrow the lenses again, I wouldn’t bother with the 100-400mm. Only because it is a big lens to carry around on the off chance you might use it. If you knew you would be doing a lot of wildlife then, by all means, yes. Sometimes you don’t know, which was the case for me.

It was great being able to try them all out and I love using them. Fujifilm make good quality gear. I would like to thank Fujifilm Australia for allowing me the opportunity to take their gear on holidays with me.