Expensive VS Budget Lens… Can You Tell?
Whenever I pickup a new piece of gear I always want the top of the range option and even if I clearly don’t need it, I manage to find 100 excuses why I do. In many cases I wouldn’t even consider the lower end options, however now as I’ve matured I decided to put my beliefs to the test. Over the last few weeks I’ve been trying different lenses at various price points and from various manufacturers. In this blog I will give you my high level thoughts on budget lenses and answer whether they’re actually good value or if the age old saying ‘buy cheap buy twice’ applies here.
The lenses I used were:
Fujifilm XC 35 f2 which costs around £150
TT Artisan 27 f2.8 which is also around £150
TT Artisan 25 f2 that comes in at an insanely low price of £60
Viltrox 27mm + 75mm f1.2 lenses and although at £400 they are not exactly budget, they are half the price of equivalent Fuji glass.
I’m aware that there are other budget lenses out there however these seem to be the most popular.
Build Quality
As you can imagine cheaper lenses will be built to a cheaper standard. Let’s take the Fuji XC 35mm which is entirely made from plastic, even the mount. An equivalent XF premium lens will be all metal.
If we look at the TT Artisan 27mm f2.8, we can see it’s also made entirely from plastic however at least the lens mount is metal. On the other hand the TT Artisan 25 f2 is an all metal build which for the price is simply insane even though it’s manual focus.
As we move up to Viltrox lenses, the build quality jumps to being on par with the best Fuji glass.
Features
Generally speaking lenses don’t have many fancy features however there isn’t a clear trend of cheaper lenses having less features. For example even though the Fuji XC35 doesn’t have an aperture ring, the TT Artisan 27 f2.8 does. Some Viltrox lenses actually come with extra features such as an AF-MF switch. Something that none of the equivalent Fuji primes have.
Image Quality
This is where we start to see a bigger difference between lenses specifically when shooting wide open. The Fujifilm XC35 performance is great and comparable to the more expensive XF35. However the cheaper TT Artisan lenses really fall apart when shooting wide open. Below is an example using the 27mm f2.8. The first image is at f2.8 while the other is stopped down to around f5.6. You can see that when shooting wide open, there is a halo around the highlights and the image feels a little muddy. At f8 however the image looks fine.
This is a common problem I found across many cheap sub £200 lenses although not all of them suffer from this as the Fuji XC35 demonstrates. When it comes to the Viltrox lenses, they were good and you would really need to study and pixel peep to see any meaningful differences compared to the equivalent and more expensive Fuji glass.
Autofocus
Autofocus performance is another clear separator between cheaper and more premium lenses however there is a caveat. Generally speaking there are two types of focus motors, stepper and linear. Stepper motors are cheaper and smaller while linear motors are the opposite. However linear motors are quicker and more precise. There is a noticeable difference between a stepper motor and a linear motor even when comparing two premium lenses. The same can’t be said when comparing a stepper motor in a budget lens to a stepper motor in a premium lens. The point here is that the focusing of the TT Artisan 27mm is not much different to that of the Viltrox 27mm despite the huge price difference. Equally I can’t say that the focus of the Fuji XC35 is much different to that of the XF35. However if I were to compare the XF35 to the XF33 Fuji, there is a clear difference as the former has a linear motor but comes in at nearly twice the price and size.
Summary
Taking everything into account, it’s not as easy as cheap = bad and expensive = good. There are many nuances and caveats to take into account. However generally speaking the cheaper the lens the more degradation you would see in image quality when shooting wide open. The differences are minimised once you stop past f4 and above. The main differences would be the build of the body and material choice.
Instead of telling you how these will change your life, I would rather be practical and answer the most common questions that people tend to have when buying presets.
What are presets?
They are editing settings that are saved in a file and can be applied to any image.
Why do people buy presets?
Sometimes because they like the work of the photographer and want that style for their own photos. Mostly because they would like to see how other people edit and learn by reverse engineering the presets. Other times it’s just to support their favourite photographers, thank you!
What’s the overall style of these presets?
- Filmic
- Minimal
- Soft
- Bright
What are these presets suitable for?
Street & Travel Photography
Some Nature (with further editing)
Some Portraits (with extensive editing)
What do these presets look like?
These presets 100% reflect my current editing style. Please see examples of work below.
Do these presets get updated?
Yes, as my style changes, these presets will also be updated. Any time a new update is available, you will get a free update via email. Of course you also keep all the old presets in case you prefer the older looks. Only presets purchased from 2025 onwards will receive the updates.
What file types are these presets for?
- All RAW files
- JPEGs & TIFFs (not recommended)
What camera brands are these presets for?
These were designed around Fujifilm, Sony, and Leica sensors. With that said, they will work with all camera brands. While there might be subtle colour changes due to individual camera colour science, the overall feel of the preset will carry over.
Will these work with JPEG files?
Yes, but you will need to reduce the intensity and make further edits. I strongly recommend editing RAW files.
Are these one click edits?
95% No. You would need to do some basic adjustments as each image is different. These adjustments can include exposure, colour balance etc. In 5% of cases you can just apply and leave it alone.
Do I need to know how to edit?
You need to have a basic understanding of adjusting exposure, highlights, shadows, etc. A more comprehensive editing skillset will let you get the most out of them.
How many presets are included?
15 in the main pack and 20 in the extras pack
Why two packs?
The main pack is what I use for 99% of my edits. The extras pack is random test presets, one-off looks, and looks I don’t use often.
What software do I need?
These presets will work with any of the following:
- Photoshop (adobe camera raw)
- Lightroom Classic
- Lightroom Desktop
- Lightroom Mobile
Will these presets work with free versions of the above software?
You need to research and double check before buying. These presets were designed for the full paid versions.
Will these presets work with very old versions of the above software?
You need to research and double check before buying. These presets were designed on and for the latest software.
What file type do I get?
XMP
What else do I get?
- Comprehensive PDF guide
- Short video of me editing using these presets
Can I modify these and turn them into my own?
Yes! In fact I encourage you to modify them and play around. Use these to help you get your own style.
I have more questions…. What do I do?
Make a cup of tea and drop me an email on hello@snapsbyfox.com
Please note that due to the nature of digital products, refunds are generally not accepted. However, if you experience any issues, feel free to contact me and I’ll review your situation individually. You are welcome to use this product for personal or commercial projects, but you may not copy, distribute, or resell the files in their original or modified form.
Finally I want to say a massive thank you for supporting me. Buying these presets is the most direct way you can support my work thus allowing me to make more videos / photos / tutorials for you.
Thank you for your support!