Last Updated May 2026: Of all the articles that I have written, this one remains one of my favourites as it is still highly relevant and its intent is to try and simplify things and save you money by avoiding the trap of buying too much. I still believe these lens kits make as much sense as ever.

So you’ve got your X-T5 — which I personally think is the best photography camera Fujifilm makes right now and the best travel camera. It is incredibly versatile, from family photography to travel. But with the sheer amount of Fuji lenses available, it can be hard to figure out what you actually need in order to shoot the kind of photos you want.

If you’re new, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need a massive bag full of lenses to cover every possible scenario. But as you gain experience, you start to realise that 2–3 quality lenses are all you really need. This holds true whether you’re shooting landscapes, wildlife, or just general travel and family photography.

If you just want to get straight to the best lenses for the X-T5 recommendations click the link below that most interests you.

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Some of the best photographers in history have worked this way. Sebastião Salgado, Ernst Haas, Don McCullin — they each had a strong preference for just one or two primary lenses. And if you’ve heard of the so-called “Holy Trinity” of lenses (the standard ultrawide, standard zoom, and telephoto zoom setup), you’ll know it usually means 14–30mm, 24–70mm, and 70–200mm. The problem is, even on APS-C, that kit gets heavy fast.

I could just take the standard line and tell you to go out and buy all the best professional-grade zooms, mix in a handful of the top primes, and call it a day. But that simply isn’t true. For most people it’s unnecessary, it will cost you a fortune, and it won’t make your photos any better. In fact, once you have a bag full of heavy, expensive gear, it might put you off taking your camera out altogether.

If you’re looking for more detailed comparisons then I compared the Fuji 18mm 1.4WR vs the Fuji 23mm 1.4WR here. I also have other lens comaprisons on the website that can be searched.

That’s why I’m writing this article: to cut through the noise and clarify which Fuji lenses you really need for the X-T5 — and, just as importantly, which lenses pair together well. It’s not a comprehensive list that covers every scenario, but rather a set of 1- 2- and 3-lens setups that balance versatility, quality, and practicality. And if one lens doesn’t suit your exact needs, feel free to swap it — the idea here is to simplify the decision and help you build a kit that works.

Landscape Kit: Wide to Telephoto Versatility

A lot of people will tell you to go with the “holy trinity” of zooms for landscapes — an ultrawide, a standard zoom, and a telephoto. And while that’s perfectly valid, my own experience as a professional landscape photographer in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland taught me something different.

Like many beginners, I once thought landscape photography was all about going as wide as possible. I shot almost exclusively with the Canon 10–22mm and 17–40mm lenses. But after a while, I grew tired of the exaggerated perspective. I found myself reaching more often for the 24–105mm and even the 70–200mm, which allowed me to create more intentional, less “gimmicky” compositions.

On the Fuji system, the XF 10–24mm f/4 OIS WR hits the sweet spot. It gives you that option to go ultrawide when needed, but most of the time you’ll find the 24–35mm equivalent range more natural for landscapes. It’s compact, sharp enough, weather sealed, and a great all-rounder.

Why not the XF 8–16mm f/2.8? Several reasons. First, it doesn’t take filters easily — you need bulky, expensive mounting systems to use them. Second, it’s significantly heavier than the 10–24mm. Third, you don’t need f/2.8 for landscapes. Even with the 10–24mm, you’ll almost always be stopping down to f/5.6 or beyond. Yes, the 8–16mm may be sharper, but if sharpness alone makes or breaks your photo, then the composition probably isn’t strong enough in the first place.

Pair the 10–24mm with the XF 70–300mm f/4–5.6 OIS WR and you’ve got a landscape kit that covers everything from expansive wide views to intimate detail shots. The telephoto is an underused tool in landscapes — it allows you to compress a scene, isolate textures, or highlight patterns that would get lost with a wide-angle lens. The 70-300mm is sharp, relatively light and compact and is weather sealed.

Why not the XF 50–140mm f/2.8? Again, it comes down to practicality. The 70–300mm is lighter, covers a broader range, and for landscapes you’ll rarely benefit from the wider aperture of the 50–140mm. Weight and cost savings matter more when you’re carrying gear across long hikes.

If you feel the gap between 24mm and 70mm is too big, you can always slot in a tiny prime like the XF 35mm f/2 WR or XF 50mm f/2 WR . Both hardly add any weight to your bag, yet they give you a capable low-light option and round out the kit nicely.

Why this kit works: A lightweight, weather-sealed setup that balances the dramatic look of wide angles with the subtlety and precision of telephoto landscapes. Perfect for XT5 shooters who want flexibility without hauling a massive bag.

I’ve linked everything included in this landscape kit below, all in one place to make it easy for you to find.

Of course, not everyone is heading into the hills with their X-T5. For most people, the real challenge is travel photography — finding a kit that’s versatile enough for everything from city streets to sunsets on the beach.

Travel Kit: Zoom Plus Prime for Flexibility

There are two main ways to approach travel photography. These days, I tend to keep it simple with a prime-only kit. But for someone starting out, I recommend going with a zoom plus a prime lens. There are a couple of reasons for this.

First, a zoom lens gives you the flexibility to capture a wide range of subjects — from street scenes and architecture to tighter portraits and details — without constantly changing lenses. Second, when you’re new, you might not have worked out your shooting style yet or which focal lengths you prefer. A zoom lets you experiment, while the prime gives you a taste of faster glass for low-light and portraits.

For the zoom, I recommend sticking with the XF 18–55mm f/2.8–4 R LM OIS. It’s one of the best “kit” lenses on the market, and when bundled with a Fuji body, it often costs less than $100 extra. At 18mm (27mm full-frame equivalent) it’s wide enough for storytelling, street, and architecture. At 55mm (82.5mm equivalent) it reaches into portrait and detail territory. It’s sharp, relatively bright for a kit lens, and thanks to optical image stabilization, it’s surprisingly capable in low light — as long as your subject isn’t moving too much. It’s compact and lightweight, though not weather sealed. Honestly, unless you specifically need more reach (as with the 16–80mm) or pro-level sharpness and build (as with the 16–55mm f/2.8II), the 18–55mm is good enough to get you started — and far more portable.

To complement it, add a fast prime. The XF 35mm f/2 WR is an excellent lightweight choice — discreet, weather-sealed, and sharp, it’s a perfect walkaround lens that can handle evening street shooting and portraits. If you want something with more character and even better performance, go for the XF 33mm f/1.4 WR. It’s larger and more expensive, but the image quality and low-light performance make it a worthwhile investment for anyone serious about travel photography.

Why this kit works: It covers almost every travel scenario while keeping weight down. The 18–55mm handles daytime flexibility, while the 35mm or 33mm prime lets you shoot confidently in low light and gives portraits that extra special look.

I have linked to this kit below. If you don’t already have the 18-55mm lens then I have also included the XF 16-80mm lens in this kit. It gives a little more reach, a constant aperture and weather sealing. All the items are linked in one place to make it easy for you to find them.

If you already know you prefer primes, there’s an even simpler and more focused way to travel — leaving the zoom behind and committing to fast Fuji primes only.

Travel Kit: Prime-Only for the Purist

If you prefer to shoot primes, like I do, then Fujifilm gives you fantastic options ranging from compact and affordable to pro-level optics. For the sake of this section, I’ll assume that if you’re considering a prime-only travel kit, you’ve already got some experience, you value image quality, and you appreciate just how compact Fuji’s best primes are compared to full-frame equivalents.

My go-to two-lens travel kit would be:

• XF 23mm f/1.4 WR → This is my storytelling lens. The focal length is flexible enough for street photography, group shots, and everyday context, while offering superb image quality, fast autofocus, and weather sealing.
• XF 56mm f/1.2 WR → This gives you the ability to capture portraits and tighter details with beautiful subject isolation and pro-level rendering. Fuji 56mm 1.2 WR review here

Together, these two lenses cover everything from mild wide-angle to intimate portraits in a lightweight package that delivers professional image quality.

• XF 23mm f/1.4 WR → My storytelling lens. Flexible for street, groups and everyday context, with superb image quality, fast AF and weather sealing.
• XF 56mm f/1.2 WR → Portrait/tight detail specialist with beautiful subject isolation and pro-level rendering.

If you want a one-lens setup, I’d suggest the XF 33mm f/1.4 WR. The 50mm-equivalent field of view is, in my opinion, the most versatile single focal length for travel — wide enough to tell a story, long enough for portraits, and with excellent low-light performance.

If you prefer a three-lens setup for more separation between focal lengths, I’d recommend:

• XF 18mm f/1.4 WR
• XF 33mm f/1.4 WR
• XF 56mm f/1.2 WR (or XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR if you want extra reach)

All of these lenses are excellent. The Fuji 18mm 1.4WR lens is immersive for landscapes and cityscapes, the 33mm is a classic all-rounder, and the 56mm/90mm give you beautiful portrait options. While the 56mm autofocus is a touch slower, it’s still more than good enough for most travel scenarios.

Want to travel even lighter? I often go with Fuji’s compact “Fujicron” primes (the XF 23mm f/2 , reviewed here, 35mm f/2, and 50mm f/2) and just take two or three depending on the trip and subjects I expect. They’re discreet, weather-sealed, and offer excellent image quality in a tiny package. if you are trying to decide, I compared the Fuji 50mm f2 against the 56mm 1.2WR.

Why this kit works: A prime-only setup requires a shift in mindset. Instead of trying to cover every possible situation, you commit to a small number of focal lengths and make them work. That limitation forces you to slow down, think about your compositions, and ultimately come home with stronger images — even if you miss the odd shot along the way.

I have linked to all of these primes in the kit below for ease.

But what about closer to home? For me, the most meaningful photos I take with the X-T5 aren’t from travel or landscapes at all — they’re the ones of my family as my daughters grow up.

Family Kit: One Lens, One Perspective

When it comes to photographing my family, I don’t want to cover every possible scenario. My wife has a phone for snapshots — the “we were here” photos. What I want to create are images that stand out: pictures of my daughters that capture emotion, interaction, and milestones in their childhood. The kinds of photos I can print, frame, and look back on years later to feel all those moments flood back.

That’s why I don’t recommend buying a bag full of lenses for family photography. Instead, pick one truly great lens and learn to use it for everything. Over the years, you’ll build a catalogue of images tied together not only by emotion and quality, but also by a consistent perspective.

For this approach, I recommend either the XF 23mm f/1.4 WR or the XF 33mm f/1.4 WR.

• The 23mm f/1.4 WR gives you more context. It’s wide enough for capturing your children in their environment — playing in the living room, baking with grandparents, blowing out candles at a birthday party — while still being fast and sharp enough to handle low light.
• The 33mm f/1.4 WR offers a more intimate look. The tighter field of view helps you isolate your subject and create photos that feel closer, more personal, and emotionally charged.

Both lenses are among the sharpest I’ve used, well built, and compact compared to zooms or full-frame equivalents. Both are weather-sealed, so you don’t have to pack your camera away the first time your kids play in the rain or snow. And both deliver professional-looking shallow depth of field that transforms everyday moments into something timeless.

Why this kit works: By choosing one high-quality lens and committing to it, you free yourself from gear decisions and focus entirely on moments. Whether you prefer the wider storytelling perspective of the 23mm or the intimate feel of the 33mm, you’ll end up with a consistent body of work that documents your family’s life in the best possible way. That’s not to say you can’t add a second lens to your bag — I sometimes do. But the key is knowing why you’re carrying it, rather than trying to cover every possible moment. Most of the time, I still follow this one-lens approach because it keeps me focused and results in stronger photos.

You can find both of the primes plus others linked below:

Final thoughts

The Fuji X-T5 is an incredibly versatile camera, and yes — you could build an entire bag of lenses around it. But in my experience, you don’t need to. Whether it’s the 10–24mm paired with the 70–300mm for landscapes, a flexible zoom-plus-prime travel kit, or simply one exceptional lens for documenting family, you’ll find that keeping things simple actually leads to stronger photos.

But what about wildlife shooters? Honestly, I only write about what I really know, where I feel I can add value. Yes, I’ve shot wildlife, in fact I shoot it regulalry on the Nikon Z system here in Scotland but I haven’t shot it on Fuji so I can’t give you the kind of deep, trustworthy advice I’d want to stand behind. I’d rather give you fewer, better recommendations than generic advice on every topic.

If you specifically want guidance in those areas, I’m happy to help — just leave a comment below or contact me directly. Having run a camera store and worked professionally as a photographer, I can point you in the right direction. But for this article, I’ve focused only on the setups I truly believe in and have been using consistantly myself.

The right kit isn’t about covering every scenario. It’s about choosing the lenses that inspire you to pick up the camera, learn them deeply, and focus on the moments that matter.

If you’re building out your Fuji X-T5 kit, don’t miss my XT5 Accessories Guide for the best add-ons, and grab my free XT5 Setup Files to get the most out of your camera from day one.

A few years abroad. Some travel. A bit of life experience before I did the “normal” things people like me are meant to do — get a job, buy a house, settle down somewhere predictable.

That was the plan.

Until my first daughter was born in 2016.

Everything changed after that.

Not instantly. But slowly. Subtly.

I’d still look at living abroad as a phase, something I’d grow out of. And every time I travelled or lived somewhere new, I saw it through the lens of a Brit abroad — curious, appreciative, but always with the feeling that the UK was still better.

Less corruption. More freedom. Safer streets. Fewer deadly animals (yes, Australia — I’m looking at you).

It was always the place I’d return to.

⸻

I remember landing in Cebu years ago and hearing Oasis playing in the taxi from the airport.

It filled me with pride. A silly kind of joy. That was my country’s music. A sound from the 1990s that made me feel like home was still close, even from halfway around the world.

⸻

Even as Sofia grew up here in the Philippines, I kept telling myself we’d end up back in the UK eventually.

For the schools. For the NHS. For the opportunities.

In fact, during all the COVID madness, we actually moved back to the UK for two years.

But we didn’t stay.

We came back to our home here in Cebu.

And that’s when things really started to shift.

⸻

As I write this, I’ve just landed at Birmingham airport on what will likely be my final trip to the UK.

My return journey is next week.

So this trip is a kind of goodbye.

You see, I’m not travelling alone this time.

I’m flying back to bring my mum to live with us here in the Philippines.

⸻

We’ve always been incredibly close.

But since my dad passed away so suddenly in 2023, the distance between us has grown harder to live with. She’s getting older, and every year I’d make the trip home to spend time with her — no matter what else was happening.

That annual trip to the UK was my anchor.

It kept me tied to my roots.

To the version of me that never quite let go of the idea of “home.”

But that’s changed now.

She’s coming here.

To live near us. To be part of our daily lives. To be with her granddaughters as they grow up.

And while that brings me an enormous sense of peace and joy — it also brings a very strange kind of sadness.

⸻

Because it means I’m finally letting go of the idea that I’ll ever live in the UK again.

Not just for now.

But ever.

That’s a hard thing to wrap my head around.

To know that the country I grew up in — the place where my memories and friendships and old dreams live — is no longer where I belong.

⸻

The last time I was there, something felt different.

The country I once loved so fiercely just didn’t feel the same.

Maybe it changed. Maybe I did. Probably both.

But for the first time, I didn’t feel like it offered a better life.

Not for me.

Not for my daughters.

Not anymore.

⸻

Letting go of that felt like losing a friend.

Not in a dramatic or angry way — just a quiet sort of mourning.

I’ll never be Filipino. But in some ways, I’m no longer fully British either.

At least, not in the way I used to be.

Isn’t it strange how life twists like that?

How what we thought would be a chapter becomes the whole book?

Read More:

• One Natural Disaster Too Far — Why We’re Moving to Scotland
• The Week That Changed My Thinking — And Why the Nikon Z8 Now Feels Essential
• The One Habit That Transformed How I Photograph My Kids
• My Camera Doesn’t Just Save Memories — It Saves Me
• The Saddest Photo I’ve Ever Taken

As you read this, I’m making the 26-hour journey back to the UK.

I’m not going for a holiday. I’m going to bring my mum to live with us here in the Philippines.

⸻

My Nan got Alzheimer’s.

At first, it was just little things. Misplacing objects. Forgetting names. But we all knew where it was heading.

It’s a devastating illness to witness.

And quietly, it terrified my mum.

She never said it out loud, but I could see it — in the way she looked at her own mum, in the way she tracked the decline. Watching your own mother disappear like that, knowing it could be you next… is very scary and sobering.

⸻

Then my dad got motor neurone disease.

He was healthy. Walking. Driving. Laughing. And then he wasn’t.

From diagnosis to death in under two years.

That changed something in me — and I know it affected my mum deeply too.

Mortality had entered her generation.

It wasn’t theoretical anymore.

⸻

She lives alone back in the UK.

We’ve always stayed close, but for the past decade, I’ve lived in the Philippines with my wife and two daughters. And during a quiet conversation about a year ago, I saw something in her eyes. Fear. Uncertainty. Loneliness, maybe.

I told her — without hesitation —

“If you ever need care, I’ll fly back. You’ll never be in a home.”

She smiled, but it stuck with me.

Why should we wait for illness to start living closer together?

Why not now, while we still have time?

⸻

So I made a decision.

She mentioned she wasn’t happy in her current home. She was thinking of moving within the UK. I said:

“Come here. Move in next to us.”

We own two small houses on our land here. I used my savings to fully renovate the second one just for her. I wanted it to feel like a real home — not just a room to grow old in. My savings are gone, but the memories we can now make will last forever.

This week, I’m flying back to the UK to bring her here.

She’ll live just a few feet away from us.

She’ll get to see her only two grandchildren whenever she wants.

She’ll have a garden, sunshine, companionship, and the time with us she would’ve otherwise missed.

⸻

This wasn’t a sacrifice. It was a choice.

To rewrite the story before it became another goodbye.

To honor the time we still have, rather than mourn it when it’s gone.

⸻

I don’t know what the years ahead will bring.

But I do know this:

My mum will never grow old alone.

And I’ll never have to wonder if I should’ve done more.

⸻

And of course, I’ll be documenting this new chapter — not for the blog, not for Instagram — but for me. For her. For the girls. So that someday, when this story becomes memory, it won’t disappear.