Just got the X-M5: Is the TTartisan 14mm f.35 my best choice for now?
Hey everyone! I used to shoot with a DSLR (Nikon D3200), but it was a hassle to carry around and with the emergence of better Smartphone cameras I ditched it 10 years ago. Now that AI is ruining like 60% of the shots on my Pixel, I decided to get back in the game and got the X-M5 as a small and portable Point & Shoot (this camera is sooo beautiful). I got a good deal with the kit lens (so got this as a backup and/or to bridge some gaps), but I want to slap a fixed lens on it, to make it as compelling to carry-around as possible. Also I prefer shooting with a fixed focal, being "restricted" by my smartphone camera really fueled my creativity. I do know how to work a camera in manual (had some photo- and videography courses in University), but I'll probably shoot in "A"-mode most the time. Like I said, as easy to use and compelling as possible. I mostly do Travel, Architecture and Landscape (some samples at the end of this post).
I'm just not 100% sure what lens I should get. The new Fuji 23mm seems like the ideal choice to me, but it's too far out (I have a vacation coming up in August). Still, I have my eyes on it and will probably buy it, as soon as it's available. So, that should be taken into account, when choosing another lens for now...
What i gather is, my best (budget-friendly) options right now are the 14mm or the 27mm by TTartisan (the Viltrox 28mm F4.5 seems gimmicky to me tbh). Coming from a wider angle on my smartphone (I think it's around 23mm full frame equivalent), I gravitate more towards the 14mm. But I'm a bit afraid that it's too wide and my shots will look off, especially without AI correcting lines and perspective. But the 27mm on the other hand looks to narrow for my taste and it might be redundant when I get the 23mm (although I think 23mm and 27mm is a bigger difference than it sounds).
Then I thought: Why not both? Having my eyes set on the 23mm and owning the 15-45mm kit, I don't think this is reasonable and I need to preserve some money. So I think my best bet would be the 14mm and try out, if it fits the shooting style I enjoy most. If I'm not satisfied with it or need more flexibility I still can take the kit on vacation as well.
What do you think? Does my line of thought make sense or am I off? Am I missing a better fitting lens that's on the market? Small form factor (pancake-ish) is a must and no manual focus for me.
Some (unedited) samples of what I shoot most with my phone:
Posted Jul 2, 2025, 3:23 PM UTC