I am seldom known for using small lenses. But I have been experimenting with the Fujifilm system recently as my smaller camera option and being rather small cameras for the most part I have been encouraged by this fact to select mainly small classic lenses when shooting manually.
The following are all excellent in their own way (some obviously so given their heritage)
- Leica Tele Elmarit 90mm f2.8 (fat version)
- Canon LTM 50mm f1.5 or Canon 50mm f1.8
- TT Artisans 23mm f1.4. (Having the equivalent of a 35mm full frame field of view, it is a fairly newly released lens which has received plaudits widely in reviews and I can say deservedly so. it is not a perfect lens but is very good and has some nice classic rendering.)
- Nikkor Rangefinder 135mm f3.5 in black and chrome. (This is much lighter than its all chrome variants and is physically small for a 135mm lens.
For days when I feel that I need AF given the subjects I intend to shoot, I will use:
- Fuji 35mm f1.4.
- Fuji 50mm f2.
Both are excellent lenses and really quite small and light when compared with offerings from other systems.
Interesting this. Especially so as many of us (speaking for myself here) are going the way of smaller quality cameras with 'adapted' other brand lenses.
In November last year after a long search for THE ideal small camera for me at my age, I lucked into an as new Fuji Xpro2. Which I'm now slowly learning to figure out how it works and get the best use out of for my personal needs and wants. I do mostly architecture photography, and some of the older Fuji cameras (XE2, XT1, XT2) while good didn't quite suit my way of image making. Some of the newer Fujis maybe could, but new prices for those in Australia are now so high as to be well beyond my budget - I stretched my pension-income finances as it was to pay for the Xpro2, but even with the scrimping I did to buy it, it has been well worth the investment.
On a whim I also bought an adapter for my Nikon D lenses to the Fuji, for the whoppingly good price of AUD $35. Still experimenting with this, and my take on it is I've made the best investment in THE ideal accessory for the Xpro2. The results I've had with my Nikon D 60/2.8 micro, 85/1.8, 180/2.8 and 300/4 are impressive. The only downside being all the extra weight they add to the camera and my backpack, but I'm coping with that.
Later this year someone I know will gift me a bag of old Pentax Takumar lenses, and I've a plan afoot to invest $35 more for a Pentax>Fuji X adapter. As old boys and their new toys do.
It's good to think laterally/look sideways. None of us are getting younger, and most of my cameras are now either too heavy or getting too old to be reliable. In this way, old age brings us 'situations' we need to take into consideration with our photography, like weight and usefulness of gear.
Cromarty Blues by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr
Balnakiel Churchyard by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr
