Pic(k) of the week 31: KEEPING BANGKOK SECURE

August 02, 2017

Pic(k) of the week 31: KEEPING BANGKOK SECURE - Fujifilm XF50mm f2 lens

Over the last few weeks, I've been shooting a lot with the new Fujifilm XF50mm f2 lens. My First look review of the lens written earlier this year, can be found here. I did like the lens very much then, but wanted to have a second look at it when it comes to Street Photography...

A 50mm lens is commonly used for street photography on a full frame or film camera body, but on a cropped sensor body like the X-T2(0), it becomes a 75mm equivalent; a focal length which is just at the lower edge of being a portrait lens and sometimes being referred to, as too long for street work.

While it is definitively a complete different style of shooting compared to using the XF23mm f2, surprisingly it has found a place in my street photography for now! I look at it as my "across the street" type of lens for street photography; when shooting a scene from a distance with the 35mm f2, I often find being just a little bit too far; the 50mm f2 sorts this problem entirely. It's also a great lens for those photographers new to Street Photography that might still be a little shy or apprehensive shooting from a short distance.

Secondary, I often also use the lens for Street Portraits and thirdly for detail shots like at local markets, etc... I've forced myself to only use the 23mm f2 and 50mm f2 for all of my Street Photography over the summer months. Expect a second look at the lens somewhere early september.

Now back to the Pic(k) of the week; the image below was shot in Bangkok (Thailand), quickly becoming my favorite place to shoot Street Photography in Asia but with Hong Kong and Singapore being not that far behind! As I was walking across the street I bumped into this friendly/funny security guard.