> 4 minute read

Choosing Your Second Lens

You’re probably pretty happy with the standard zoom that came with your camera, but an extra lens can help you see things from a new point of view. Let’s look at some options.

If you got a standard zoom with your FUJIFILM X Series camera, then you’ve probably noticed its range of focal lengths is great for all kinds of photography. The wide-angle end (typically 15mm or 18mm, depending on which lens you have) is great when you need to get lots in the frame, but can’t (or don’t want to) step back. You’ve probably used this for landscapes, photos taken inside small spaces, and group pictures of friends.

At (literally) the other end of the scale, you have more telephoto focal lengths – something like 45mm or 55mm. These get you closer to your subject, so you can fill the frame better when you can’t (or don’t want to) physically step closer. Between these extremes, there are focal lengths that are more ‘natural’ – in other words, they offer a view much like the human eye.

These focal lengths are great for most of the regular photography you’ll tackle, but sometimes you’re going to encounter situations where you can’t zoom out any more to include extra stuff in the frame. Or you can’t zoom in any more to get closer to your subject. So, what do you do?

When It’s Time to Invest in a New Lens

Well, because your X Series camera accepts interchangeable lenses, you can swap your standard zoom for a lens that gives you a different view. This could be an ultra-wide angle lens, which has a much shorter focal length that lets you get more in the frame. Or you could go for a longer telephoto lens, which lets you fill the frame with far-off subjects (birds, children, athletes) from much further away.

There are over 30 lenses in the X Series range, each one designed to do a different job. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at some of the differences between them, but in this article let’s consider what you can do with a wider-angle or more telephoto lens in your bag.

Ultra-Wide Angle Lenses

Although they are very useful for getting more in the frame when you can’t step back any further, wide-angle lenses also have other uses, especially if you are into landscape or architecture photography.

The wider focal length not only lets you get more into your shots, but also exaggerates the distance between objects in the foreground and the background. This can give your images more ‘depth’, especially when you’re using objects in the foreground to draw your viewer’s attention into the picture.

If you think that an ultra-wide angle lens is what you’re after, have a look at the FUJINON XF10-24mmF4 R OIS WR lens, which not only gives wider shooting angles, but is also image stabilised and weather sealed.

Telephoto Lenses

The uses for telephoto lenses are much easier to imagine. When you can’t get close to subjects like birds (because you might scare them away), or athletes and football players (because you’re not allowed to just run on to the field), a telephoto lens takes you nearer without needing to move your feet.

As well as magnifying your subject, telephoto lenses also magnify accidental camera movements, making blur from camera shake more of a risk. For this reason, most of our telephoto lenses feature Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), which smooths things out.

Where wide-angle lenses exaggerate the distance between foreground and background, telephoto lenses do the opposite, compressing perspective and making objects seem nearer to each other. That’s useful when photographing repeating patterns in architecture and landscape, as well as for giving portraits a more flattering look.

If you think you’d benefit from a telephoto lens, there are several in the X Series range. Have a look at FUJINON XC50-230mmF4.5-6.7 OIS II, XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS, or XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR.

Your Next Steps

• CHALLENGE When you add your first extra lens to your kit bag, show us what you can do with it by posting some pictures to social media, with the hashtag #learnwithfujifilm and #mynewlens. You can also submit your work here for a chance to be featured on our social media channels.