fuji 90 vs 50-140 on balance which is better?

[lbsu]

I am an amateur and I recently got XT1 with 14 mm and 35 mm lenses for landscapes and street. I also wanted a lens which would give me better and closer view while being less noticeable on the streets. I am considering 50-140 vs 90mm. I understand they both are big and therefore i will not get away unnoticed but 90mm seems to be half the size of 50-140. At the same time the 50-140 gives you a larger focus allowing you to be further away from the objects of interest. I read a lot of comparison reviews but i am still not sure. What do you think? May be I wrong and both lenses are just for portraits and not for real life?

 

[jaomul]

Primes are generally better, but you have to figure a trade off between function and ultimate quality. In fujis case your trade off is likely not big.

I'd take an f2.8 50-140 any day on a crop sensor over a 90mm. The 90 would for me be a bonus focal length prime, the 50-140 would be just so much more in use though

 

[Desertphotog]

I just made this choice yesterday and the primary reason was the 90 lacked OIS while the 50-140 has it. With both lenses mounted on the store's demo X-T1 I focused on a sign clear across the store. The 90 seemed to be shaking a lot. With the 50-140 set at 90 the same sign was rock steady. Big plus for me as I have some severe disabilities that make standing sometimes difficult, let alone holding steady while I'm at it.

Another personal argument for the 50-140 was the old saying you zoom primes with your feet. With the afore mentioned disabilities "zooming with my feet" runs from difficult to impossible. A zoom helps with that.

Finally, I've always been a prime lover as I believe they give superior images. I am told by some people who know more about this than I do, the best image quality from zooms will be found in ratios of no more than 3X. The 50-140 falls comfortably in that range.

Some of this may not apply to the OP but I hope it helps a little.

Dave

 

[Gary A.]

I haven't used the 90mm, but I am a big fan of the 50-140. I have used the 55-200 for street. If you want long and also feel more comfortable shooting street displaying a smaller camera footprint ... then think about the 55-200. It is slower, but also longer, not as rugged as the 50-140 ... but it is still Fuji sharp and significantly cheaper than the 50-140. Soooo ... give some thought to the 90mm (especially if you lean towards primes and toss in just a few more bucks get the 55-200).

Fujinon 50-200 @ 200mm

Fujinon 55-200 @ 77.9mm

Fujinon 55-200 @ 200mm

Fujinon 55-200 @ 55mm

Fujinon 55-200

Fujinon 55-200 @ 200mm