Fujifilm XF 100 to 400mm Telephoto - One Year Later
Before I switched to Fujifilm, I was shooting photos with a Canon t5i and I had invested in their entry level telephoto lens, the 70 to 300mm. Looking back, I don't believe I was a big fan of it. I used it occasionally, shooting subjects like the moon or attempting to use it for some portraits here and there but I never really liked nor appreciated it due to it’s aperture, starting I believe around f/4 (at the time I was all about trying to get much light into the camera, and I was not great at getting proper exposure). Over the course of time that I had it, it wasn't a go-to lens of mine. When I made the switch to Fujifilm, a telephoto lens was not a priority because of that. I spent a good year and a half without being able to exceed beyond 120mm (after crop sensor conversion). That was until I stumbled upon an incredible deal from a local camera store.
Above - The Fujifilm X-T3 w/Battery Grip and the Fujifilm 100-400mm lens.
Like I mentioned in a previous blog, the telephoto lens I never thought I’d own, I walked away with the 100-400mm lens. A year has passed since then and I’ve gotten a ton of use out of the lens since I first acquired it. Despite getting a deal on the lens, I would have gladly paid full price for the lens. Not only has it helped me take better photos of the moon, but it also got me interested in taking photos of birds. I never really taken photos of birds or much other wildlife before hand, but now I’ve been keeping an eye out for birds around the house (they love to hangout on the fence). I also had the opportunity to use it on set for a feature film and using it outside from a distance was a smooth, incredible experience.
It’s still sharp, still allows me to have a reach that I've never experienced before, and I wish I brought it with me more. That brings me to my one con about this - the size. Yes, I realize that Fujifilm came out with the smaller brother to this lens, the 70 to 300mm last summer, but I acquired this lens shortly before it came out. Of course now they just recently announced the even bigger brother, the 150 to 600mm lens (which is massive in comparison) and I struggle to bring this lens with me. It can still fit inside the bottom slot of my peak design bag, but unless I bring that bag, I won’t have that lens on me. It’s size and weight are annoying, but I still love to use it when I can. Carrying it around for hours at a time may take a toll on me physically, but I suppose that’s where a good monopod could come in handy. I will look into one in the future, but man to have to buy another thing to comfortably use the lens is annoying, but this is a small gripe of mine. The quality I get out this lens makes up for it entirely. It sounds like I’m complaining a lot, but it’s purely based off of when I used it on set and I was continuously carrying it for hours at a time. In other words, first world problems.
One of the things that I greatly appreciate about this lens is it’s water and dust resistance - and I can say, the water resistance does hold up, as during production for the upcoming feature film, Hi., it started to storm. Naturally, everyone scurried to get the equipment inside, and once most of it was put inside, I documented the rest of it, and being outside in the rain while still being able to operate with no concern was a wild experience. I wanted to duck under something but I did move around in the rain and take a couple shots. Weather Resistance isn’t new to lenses at all whatsoever, but it is a nice addition that gave me peace of mind.
Overall, adding this lens to my arsenal was such a great decision, I use it way more than I anticipated and having this to be able to take some great landscape shots, shots of the moon, photos of birds, or even the occasional portrait has made this purchase so worth it, even a year later. It’s a lens that I would have bought at full price, but if I had the option now, I might have gone with the 70 to 300 and gotten the 1.4x or 2x teleconverter that Fujifilm offers. Definitely would save on the space and weight, but hey, I still love this lens regardless.