FV | Standard Vision ?
January 6, 2023
The 50mm Lens is a wonderful optics.
It sets the standard for everything in my Photography. While this is not my natural vision and field of view, I do appreciate the skill involved to make this field of view work in harmony with the 35mm Frame.
I am choosing my words very carefully here because the 50mm Lens, while considered the standard optics, doesn’t work for me.
On a Full Frame Nikon, I get the true 50mm, on my Fuji, I don’t, the XF50mm is multiplied by the 1.5 Crop Factor and behaves like Full Frame 75mm Lens - that’s a Telephoto Lens.
In the image above, my X-Pro 1 is paired with the XF35mm F2. The Crop Factor of 1.5 gives me a Lens of 52.2mm. The 35mm Lens gives us a close representation of a 50mm field of view.
The maths speaks for itself - the only Lens in the Fuji Line up that comes really close is the new 33mm 1.4. With the 1.5 Crop, the Lens behaves as a 49.9mm Lens. 1 mm away from the classic “Nifty 50”.
I don’t own this new version; I went for The Viltrox 33mm 1.4. It is a beautiful Lens and on the right side of 50mm.
Today, I put this Lens to work to test my skill and vision for fresh inspiration for my forthcoming adventure.
This Lens crops out a lot of environmental detail. It zones in on the subject. I rely admire the images Henri Cartier Bresson created with his 50mm. His images “feel” like they were created using a 35mm Lens. I get the feeling he kept is distance and operated in stealth mode - almost invisible.
I noticed I tend to keep my distance when using this field of view because I see wide naturally. In the image above, there should be no doubt where this man is - Cafés are a common theme in my neighbourhood.
The 50mm field of view is the mid point from wide to telephoto. This means interacting physically with the scene. Deciding how much context around the subject is required or simply zooming with my feet to Frame a singular theme subject.
The Viltrox 33mm 1.4 will be in my bag for my forthcoming adventure. Along with the XF18-55mm F2.8-4 and the XF56mm F1.3, I feel confident these Focal Lengths will support my vision with refreshing narratives and stories.
Thanks for reading.
“The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure”.
Christopher McCandless