Since I picked up street photography, Chandigarh has served as my personal artistic canvas. I have barely gone anywhere else to photograph the streets, and all the images have been captured using my old Canon 700D camera.
But, last weekend, things took a slightly interesting turn when I met a friend who owns a Fujifilm XT200 with a 7artisans 55mm f1.4 lens along with the kit lens. Now, I got excited hearing the word 7artisans, as in the past, I too was planning to buy one but sadly they don’t make lenses for the EF mount.
So, I asked him to loan me the camera for the following weekend so that I could try some street photography on it. I borrowed the camera from him and within the hour I boarded the bus for Solan. The plan was simple- to photograph the streets of Solan and make a POV video along the way.
It was a fun experience and I loved creating images with this kit. My photowalk began at 7 AM when the streets were drowsed in an almost deserted quiet. The town was stirring awake, its first whispers the clinking of chai glasses and the soft murmur of conversations over steaming cups.
Here are the results-
These are some of the photos that I captured with the 7artisans 55mm f1.4 lens. It is a manual lens and has a metal body. I love the quality and the feel of the lens. At first, I faced some challenges trying to focus on the subjects. I took a lot of ‘out of focus’ shots even though the focus peaking was ON, sometimes I missed the shots entirely. As the day progressed and my muscles were getting a hang of the camera I started getting more crisp shots.
My overall experience has been great with this kit. Coming from a Canon 700D to a Fujifilm camera, even though it was entry-level (just like. mine but better), the focus felt so snappy and fast that I barely missed any shot while I was using the kit lens. The image quality and the user interface were top-notch.
I have realised that I cannot review gear properly, because I barely find flaws in it. I have a habit of navigating past any flaws and difficulties without realising that it is a flaw and adapting to the product with ease.
If, right now, I go to YouTube to check the reviews of this product I’m very sure that there will be a pros and cons list that will go beyond my expectations and I will have many “oooohhhhhh” moments as I realize what all is wrong with the camera but honestly, it doesn't matter to me. I’m happy as long as it produces a good enough image.
You can check out my POV Video here.
