Sunday 20th December 2015

I digressed a little this week, photographically speaking: the first two pictures in this post are not from the usual 35mm lens.

The first is from the Fuji 18 – 55mm f/2.8 – 4, the mid-range ‘kit lens’ that most people seem to think is undeserving of the negative connotations such a term suggests. It certainly is a nice lens, especially given its price when bought as part of a kit, but I think I’ve become too dependent on being able to operate in the aperture ranges above f/4 (at the 35mm mark the lens’s maximum aperture is f/3.6), either for light-gathering purposes, or for depth of field control. I know it’s not really a fair comparison, since obviously the zoom is rather better than the prime at being an 18mm or 55mm lens, so it’s really just a question of which things one is willing to compromise on (even the 16 – 55 f/2.8 is a compromise, in terms of weight, size and cost).

The second image is from the Fuji 60mm f/2.4 macro, not a lens I really shoot much with, and not just because it’s Zoe’s; macro just isn’t something I’m interested in doing, neither do I have any inclination to learn how to use a 60mm lens for non-macro things, at least not until this project is complete. Still, on a whim I took it out on one of my lunchtime walks this week just to see, even though it was heavily overcast and the sun was heading towards the horizon (I imagine; couldn’t actually see it).

Also, regarding that last picture: I think it really just has to be in colour to work, because of the contrast between the browns of the… sludgy stuff, and the green/blue of the water. In mono it’s that contrast is obviously absent, and what remains isn’t enough to make the picture work.


park path park path

30 mph speed limit sign 30 mph speed limit sign

HIGH QUALITY banner HIGH QUALITY

McDonald’s Sign McDonald’s Sign

stack of boats stack of boats

lifebuoy and caravan lifebuoy and caravan

icky water icky water