Pro photographer Sean McCormack discovers that faster is not always better
(Image credit: Sean McCormack)
There’s a saying in the photography world: ‘Friends don’t let friends buy f/4 lenses’. It’s a half-truth. For most applications, a faster lens will always be the most usable option.
Most people buy the f/4 versions of a zoom, like a 24-70mm or 70-200mm for cost reasons and then ultimately sell it for the f/2.8 version. In the process you usually waste money. Hence telling your photographer friends to bite the bullet on the more expensive one.
A long time ago I switched from Canon to Fujifilm and was even an X-Photographer while that program was running. On Canon I had the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 and the EF 70-200 f/2.8 lenses. And yep, I got the EF 70-200mm f/4 before buying the f2.8 version, so I truly know the pain of which I speak. When I went to Fujifilm, the kit lens was an 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens, so it was a good compromise.
I wanted the wider faster lens though and aimed for the XF16-55mm f/2.8 (a 24-85mm equivalent). When I was going to buy it, the X-T4 was just out. Unfortunately, they didn’t do a kit with the 16-55mm, so I opted for the XF16-80mm f/4 kit. That’s a versatile 24-120mm equivalent. Basically, the lens was 300 bucks cheaper in the kit. I still bought the 16-55mm as well. My thoughts on these lenses were that the 16-80mm would be handy for travel and that I’d used the 16-55mm all the time.
I was wrong. Despite its slower aperture, the weight, sharpness, and extra reach turned this into my go-to zoom lens. This lens also has OIS (optical image stabilization), so you can combat camera shake from lower shutter speeds compared to an f/2.8 lens. I’ve used it for landscapes, portraits, and product shots, and it really is a great travel lens. Have you been wrong about a lens in a good way?
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Sean McCormack is a commercial, and editorial photographer, book author, and regular contributor to Digital Camera magazine based in Galway, Ireland. He has extensive experience with Lightroom, dating back to its original beta version, and has tried out just about every plugin and preset available. His latest book is Essential Development 3: 25 Tips for Lightroom Classic’s Develop Module.