Thread: X-100 wide angle conversion lens...

Richard, I agree with you to a certain extent that going from 35mm to 28mm seems like a pretty small step....I would have probably preferred it to go a bit wider like 24 as you mention.

I bought the X100 only partly for its' simplicity. I also bought it for it's form and the hybrid optical viewfinder. Just because someone is interested in having more than one focal length does not mean they should have purchased a DSLR. More options is ALWAYS nice.

Even though I like the way it looks, I'll likely just take one step back (if there's room). Until the GAS gets the better of me.

Originally Posted by Richkaz

Why would you want that ?

.....

You might as well have bought an SLR with interchangeable lenses to start with ?
I obviously don't own an X100 but I thought the whole point of that camera was immediacy and a need to concentrate on taking images unhindered by extra lenses, attachments and other stuff.

Hi Richard! That's why this stuff is optional. If someone wants to be free from accessories, he/she can choose to be "free." If someone wants a little wider, he/she now has that option to go wider w/o buying another camera. It's good to have options Richard!! :)

One of the knocks against some of Canon's enthusiast grade cameras (G7, G9) was that their zoom range should have started at 28mm equivalent instead of 35mm; that difference was considered to be significant by many consumers and reviewers. Some of the most popular current fixed lens (Ricoh GRD) and zoom lens (Fuji X10) cameras have 28mm equivalent. So I guess there may be something magical about 28mm...

Originally Posted by Richkaz

Why would you want that ?
If you wanna get closer - walk forward
If you wanna wider angle - step backwards.

No. Not for me, anyway. I personally find there to be a pretty big difference between 35 and 28. Neither is ultra-wide, but 28 is wide but still a lens I can walk around with all day - it just seems to be where I see most naturally. I'm fine with 24 also and use one a LOT, but that's getting a little wide to be a general purpose lens. I know a lot of people like shooting in that range between wide and neutral and 35 seems like a good all-purpose compromise for many, but I hate shooting with neutral lenses. To me the only thing a 50mm equivalent is good for is low light because that's where the really fast lenses are - I currently have two of 'em at f1.4 and I'm sure I'm only going to keep one, but I have to decide which one. I can shoot with 35 - I've done it a lot. But given the choice, I'd almost always rather have a 28. That's why I bought a GXR (only owned briefly) and that's a not-small part of why I bought the X-Pro 1. If the 28mm lens had been available for the X100 before I bought the X-Pro 1, I might not have. Can't say for sure I wouldn't have, but it would have been a much tougher call. If I had an X100, this lens wouldn't be to switch around a lot - it would be to make the X100 a primarily 28mm camera. I'd probably take it off occasionally to go to dinner or other situations where the compact size was really key, but it would be on the vast majority of the time.

To me, 28mm is where wide angle starts - in my youth it you wanted to add a wide angle for your SLR, it was a 28. Its not ultra-wide, but its wide and starts looking like a wide angle. A 35 always felt like a total compromise focal length to me. A good one for a lot of people, but neither fish nor fowl in a sense. If the X100 had been a 28mm camera to begin with still with its small profile, I'd have saved a lot of money in the past year... So, for me, that's why...

-Ray

Although I understand your point, Richard, I do think there's a big enough difference between the effective 28mm and 35mm to make it worthwhile for some. I can tell you that sometimes you just can't "step back" - especially if you're inside a room. There's also a difference in appearance when using a 28mm vs a 35mm. I like the looks of a 28mm field of view better...it's just a personal thing. Would I give up my X100 if it couldn't achieve the 28mm - never. For me, the X100 is about image quality and just as importantly (and possibly even more so) about the controls - and the hybrid viewfinder.

I'll look forward to hearing more and seeing more and trying one out, most likely, down the line.

I like 35 better than 28. But sometimes, the extra 7mm makes a difference.

I'd love to see a converter taking it from 35 to 50! Then I'd probably never re-get the XPro1. I like the Xpro1, but I like the compact size of the X100 much more. It's small, but not too small.