so whoops and then he spoke coffee all over my
cameras then if you've been around my videos for a while you know I often
shoot with my xt-1 then he always with the ordinary standard 18 to 55 lens now
I think's calling an ordinary and standard and kit is probably an
understatement because I think it's a brilliant little lens now unfortunately
in February this year I put my camera on a tripod on a bus in Iceland turn around
taught somebody the bus moved away this went bang lens first down onto the
ground and it smashed my little 18 to 55 which I love it's so small and compact
and lovely the only lens I could find in Iceland to replace it I had to replace
it quickly was this one now this is the F 2.8 weatherproof 16 to 55 SuperDuper
amazingly wonderful Fuji lens and it is a very good lens but there's things
about it I don't really like and I am gonna be getting rid of it I'm going to
sell it or exchange it was only cheran eBay ah today and a few people have said
I'm completely mad why would you want to get rid of a one and a half thousand
pound lens in favor of a 250 pound blends well this kind of fits in with my
ethos that it's not the kit and it's whether or not you like it and whether
or not it delivers the goods so first off the aperture that is a 2.8
throughout the range lens whereas this one is and I think it starts at 2.8 when
you're zoomed in short wide angle and then it kind of changes as you go out
but do I need F 2.8 for the sort of shots that I like to take now I don't
really I don't necessarily need it so that's one thing I don't really need the
other thing is look at the size difference this is a big chunky old lens
well and that's not too much of a problem apart from the fact what I do
like with this is I can just chuck that in my pocket with the lens on and the
lens hood and it's there in my pocket I don't have to carry a bag I can just
whip the camera out and shoot stuff but the biggest thing I have with this
is having developed some of the images and looks at them in Lightroom I think
they're too sharp now I know that sounds possibly bonkers because most
photographers spend their lives panicking about is their image sharp
enough well I think these days a lot of lenses are becoming too sharp they're
unnaturally sharp and I don't like it it's like those big SuperDuper OLED LED
whatever it's called high def TVs I don't like looking at them because the
world isn't that sharp I find they hurt my eyes my buddy Simon Taplin who works
at a very very high level and round the world he was telling me that he and a
lot of other photographers and filmmakers and looking back and buying
old lenses from the past simply because they don't have this super sharp thing
modern lenses are too sharp so that is my theory as to why I'm not so keen on
the pictures out of this lens but I thought let's go and put it to the test
let's go take a few shots with each and then
compare them on the computer so I'm gonna go see what I can find
I reckon this at work what I like is the colours we've got strong light we've
also got little shadow is going on on the edges of these posts and that's
going to give us some good details to kind of compare when we get to camera so
I'm going to shoot one at the wide end and then one at the long end we use the
same camera settings and then we can compare them when we get back to base
cameras on a tripod you don't need to watch me do that so that hole coming
through the beach huts thing was all choreographed let's have a look I'll see
if I can show you my shot quickly what I'm going to do so let's roll a bit of
video on this one there we go so now you can see that shot that's the shot I'm
going to do I'm going to use the tripod because I want to make sure that's a
fair test you know I don't want to change things between shots but I'm
going to do one shot like that and then we're going to do another one with the
lens longer so I'm just going to use the same shot the same tripod and just kind
of zoom that shot and make it something like that that's all out of focus at the
moment I can't change it while I'm filming
you get the idea 18 millets recomposed my shots focus which is of course very
important there we go I'm using f10 I'm going to use that on
both lenses so it's a nice middle aperture we should be in the right place
I'm using auto everything I'm just shooting JPEGs with aperture priority
but I'm moving the camera to the exposure I don't interfere with anything
and this kind of lighting is should be fine so focus there we go there's our 18
let's just zoom that to 35 take that shot I'm not going to change the
aperture I'm just going to focus on the gray blue darker blue of the two huts so
let's get that lined up there we go shoot that shot right then change time
there's the expensive one
here we go so let's set that to 55 while we got this composition all set and
ready to go let's just focus in the same place that's on ft 9 we don't want f 9
we won't have 10 happy days shoot that one now this one's a 16 mil so I'm going
to have to come back out to about 18 they're going to guess this because it's
written on the barrel on the top I can only guess it it doesn't display in the
viewfinder I think I'm pretty sure that is our shot 16 sneak it in a little bit
it should be good there we go okay let's go find some more so we've got a nice
shot of some angular looking beach huts where are you Tillie Lou here you are
we've got an angular looking beach huts in the sunshine now let's go for
something a little bit softer and compare the two lenses with that you may
remember tilly Lou James designed with the butterfly yoga seat we did that
shoot down on the beach and she has kindly volunteered to be my lovely model
so let's have a look now I'm hoping we'd have some little bits of sunlight but I
don't know what the lights going to do tenido just here somewhere please and
I'm going to shoot a shot looking down there with the kind of driveway and the
light coming in round the corner I think that will look really good yeah we've
got a bit of sparkly light on your face first let's do the composition so 55 mil
for this I'm not going to use 2 8 on this lens I'm going to make sure it's
fair we're going to just use 5 6 so it's the same on both lenses if I just focus
up onto you they make sure it's on 5 6 there we go I'm just gonna roll a bit of
video here we go so you can see that's the composition I might come a little
closer move to the side a bit you see that light down the driveway that's good
look at the horrible light on Tilly's face till you do can you go back a
little please into the show keep going keep going a bit more a bit more a bit
more that's better whoa did you see the light change on
Tilly's face that's much much much nicer cool so that's our shot now let's just
take it I think the videos off of course the lights change but it
doesn't matter as long as we're getting both in the same light looking wonderful
oh we've got you rubbing your chin then that was like a nineteen nineteen
seventies right we've got that shot may I get you to hold the lens please I need
to then change time w job thank you right lens has changed makes me got
their identical settings on both fifty five mil F five point six are we on a
five six yes we are do you know what this time I'm just gonna put the
driveway over the T lose other shoulder just so that we can differentiate one
more don't put your tongue out excellent marvelous so that's another
one we can go and compare so thank you too leo any chance you makes a cup of
tea before we go cup of coffee oh thank you oh this is good isn't it
right I found a lovely little detail shot we're at Steve Lee's art studio as
the beautiful things come have a look Emma should look at these beautiful
things these beautiful paintings that he does and his lovely wife Julie who's in
the shop there give us a wave Julie as said yeah of course you can I was
walking down I just saw these little details and I thought that will look
absolutely awesome as a detail shot and you can also kind of see through into
the back of the shot it's going to roll a little bit of my video and then you
can see what my shot is so we've got these little details so that'll be an
interesting analogy just to see the difference between the two lenses with a
little bit of background data a little bit of separation between here and there
so we're going to use a wide aperture now if you don't know why you would need
a wide aperture you do need to learn how to the use the controls what the
controls are the cameras do this my ultimate beginners course is all about
you will tell you all about this good stuff that we've been doing in this
little video so go and check it out if you're not quite sure right I'm going to
focus here on the cup my focal length we're going to use a mid-range one now
because we've been using long and shorts about 30 millimeters I guess I'm focused
on the cup I'm not interfering with anything I'm leaving the camera to do
all of it and there we go we're taking a shot now lens change time there we go so
we got the big bad boy on let's have a little look make sure my settings are
all right take the lens cap off it works better now then that's just there's
quite I'm just going to take that picture so just like the picture I quite
like the wide-angle I'm just being all creative and arty there I just like that
pitch of it right so we're where we were at about 30 30 millimetres weren't me
said that is our focal length my aperture was on five six so I just need
to change my aperture to make sure we're using the same things that's looking
good we're in focus same settings take the picture cool so that's our shots no
we need to do is go back to base and compare them right images are now on the
hard drives let's take a look so hoping to develop so I can see the information
we know what's what now this one here was taken on mind well 18 to 55
millimeter there it is 250 maybe 300 pounds worth of lens and this one here
was taken on the 16 to 55 you would probably pick this one up in the UK for
800 to a thousand pounds maybe I pay probably 1500 pounds big premium because
I was in Iceland everything in Iceland is a very very expensive but what is the
difference let's just drag this along here so then next to each other it's
just a bit easier now ignore that little bit of distortion movement going on
around this area here because that's where I didn't get the focal length
exactly right look we've got 18 millimeters vs. 17 and and that's just
me where I didn't have the camera lined up absolutely perfectly what I noticed
when I flicked between the two straightaway is there's a contrast
difference if we look at this one taken on the little 18 to 55 look into this
area here this into any other shallow areas when we
flipped to the more expensive 16 255 it's darker but look at the exposures up
here look 1/350 of a second 2f 10:1 350 to the second at f10 it's exactly the
same exposure so there is a bit more contrast there and that may be what's
contributing to my fiend that are a little bit over sharp I'm not sure if
you look at the other two closer in shots I still think that the little 18
to 55 was just a slightly nicer look it's not quite so noticeable when I
flick between those two if we can have a quick look in Photoshop because
Photoshop we're really we're looking at the the pure JPEG image as it came out
of the camera so this one is from the little 18 to 55 250 quid lens with file
info just to prove my point here we go where is it
iOS lens 18 to 55 cool when we flicked the slightly more contrast I think you
can see the difference a little more in this one and I think when we go so this
is the 18 to 55 this is the 16 to 55 it's not quite so noticeable and you may
not see this on screen but to me it's still an eensy bit sharp I mean I am
talking the most tiny ridiculous little bits here
this is pixel peeping of the worst kind in my opinion and I'm not a pixel paper
and I'll come and say more about that in a moment that's just getting a bit
closer let's just go into 100% on both of those images and just see how they
stack up there so again you see I'm just seeing that this one here on the 16 to 55
just somehow has that little sharp edge to it it's like those big flat-screen HD
TV 4k ready blah blah blah look at the detail on this type TVs which I honestly
hate I think they look absolutely dreadful I really really don't like
watching them reality doesn't look like that and it's not just because the whole
player glass is either I promise you mmm anyway I'm having a ran for what about
the other images and why am i discussing this well I'm going to come more to that
in a minute go to light trim here let's just have a
look at these portraits of Tilley Lu so what do we got here this was on the
little sit that's on the 16 255 this one's on the 18 to fit again just put
them next to each other it's just easier to look at it's not as easy to see in
like them I don't think but again I'm seeing that the WR this one the
water-resistant somehow has in the portrait to me a very very faint whiff
of almost like it's had one of those portrait filters put over it you know
one of those those bits of software you get the smooth skin and all the rest of
it just has a little whiff of that only the merest hint of a whiff of that but
very very little otherwise I say there's not a great deal to choose between the
two again I would say that the WR there 16 to $55,000 and lens has got a bit
more contrast to it's the shadow areas until you lose face are just a little
bit darker when it comes to the shots we did outside the shop I'm not even going
to bother to look at those because I'm afraid hands up a cocked up eyeballs it
up if you look you may notice that this shot here taken with the 18 to 55 s at
f/4 and one I took with the WR was at five six so I don't think that would be
a fair comparison we're not going to talk about it so why am I talking about
this it's all down to you again thinking about your photography rather than
spending all your life worrying and thinking about kit and which kit to buy
you can see look 350 300 pounds 250 350 pounds in there thousand pounds is there
much difference very very little what you need to weigh up in this case is the
differences between the 2 lenses visually almost nothing so we have a 2.8
aperture here is that a good thing in this case as far as say getting a faster
shutter speed and avoiding camera shake comes in no doesn't make any difference
because this one doesn't have image stabilizing and this one does and it's
very very good so I said I would say that the two cancel each other out here
also this is 2.8 at the wide end and then it changes to 5 6 as you zoom it so
about the 2:8 again well on this lens here the thousand-pound lens you got to
wait throughout the range therefore you can have a shallower depth of field
that's something creative which you may like and it may be of use to you
you just have to weigh up the cost is it worth that much money the other thing of
course is this one is water-resistant and this one isn't so if you're into
landscapes you like going out and shooting in the rain then I would say
the water resistancy probably is a bonus and it may be worth the money but again
it's just something for you to weigh up this isn't about sitting around
pondering over which kit you should buy what lens will give me better photos
because you can see the photos don't really look any different at all do they
between those lenses personally I would rather keep my little cheapy lens here
because it's smaller it does everything I want it to do I can fit it in my
pocket with the body on it I don't have to carry a camera bag with me that's
great if I just wanted to put the camera and shoot something I'd rather have the
money so I'm afraid I'm gonna be saying goodbye to that little baby there you
may think I'm bonkers but that's the way it is you just need to think about your
kit do you really really need it or would you be better off spending a few
quid investing it in yourself learning how light works composition when's the
decisive moment when do you want to press the shutter how are you gonna get
mood and feeling and empathy into your images do you want foreground or not
want foreground you want to start flat compositions you want depth in your
composition none of those things are affected by kit
they're affected by you and I think they are way more important so I hope that
little comparison has been in value and it is a comparison of opinion this isn't
a comparison of reality I'm not saying one lens is better than the other I am
NOT saying that's a better lens could I live with this absolutely I could it is
a stonkingly brilliant lens all I'm saying is the difference is so small
between them I'd rather have the money so there we go I hope this has been some
value to you and look forward to seeing you next time I'll also welcome your
comments I'd love to know what you think about what I just said so please leave
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