The Lumix S 35mm F1.8
The Lumix S 35mm F1.8
If you spend any time on YouTube searching out lens choice for street photography you will get a load of opinions. Sometimes the best way to approach information is to test yourself. This was motivation behind the next three blog posts. I took the time to test the Lumix S F1.8 series in the 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm variations. The street photography battle begins.
The Lumix S F1.8 Series
When first launched the Lumix cameras based on the L-Mount lens system from Leica had only a small set of lenses. As of this publishing date the available lenses for L-mount from Panasonic, Leica, and Sigma have a variety any photographer could appreciate. Part of those new lens series is the F1.8 series of primes from Panasonic. The original release of that series includes:
Lumix S 18mm F1.8
Lumix S 24mm F1.8
Lumix S 35mm F1.8
Lumix S 50mm F1.8
Lumix S 85mm F1.8
Also recently released was the Lumix S 100mm F2.8 Macro. All of these lenses share the same body build size, the same filter size of 67mm, color rendering profile, sharpness, aperature down to F22, and weight of around 300 grams each. For video work this means if you balance your gimbal with one of the lenses in this group, the gimbal is balanced for all of this series. This is brilliance in design for those who want quick video work which Panasonic L-Mount cameras.
What would be your choice?
35mm, 50mm, or 85mm
The Lumix S35mm F1.8
My Thoughts on 35mm for Street Photography
For me the 35mm focal length feels short. When I use a 35mm lens I can fill the frame, but have a feeling of distortion. I review of the photos I took here though I don’t see that fish eye, Go Pro look on any of these photos. Nothing looks distorted or stretched out of place. Testing my assumptions about what to use and when are a large part of why I do these photography expeditions. If you don’t challenge your beliefs, how can you improve?
I can’t help but think about the Leica M6 when photographers talk about wanting the focal length of 35mm. The Leica M6 is a range finder with outlines for various focal ranges in the viewfinder. The viewfinder had a magnification of .72. When using a 35mm lens for this model the outline takes enough of the viewfinder area for accurate subject placement, but also leaves enough in the corner to watch subjects come in and out of frame. I’m of the opinion that viewfinders like the Leica M6 helped to popularize the 35mm focal length for photography.
Example Photos
For this blog I took the Lumix S 35mm F1.8 around the around the Aoto neighborhood of Tokyo where I visited the Shogan-ji Temple, Nanzion Temple, and Gohozan Kumano-jinja Shrine. The competition beings…
Wrapping Up…
I enjoyed my time the the Lumix S35mm F1.8 and am sure it will come in handy for video work. I had no issues with the autofocus and clean and clear images were the result of this lens design.
I’m not calling this competition over yet though. In the next blog I’ll take a look at the Lumix S 50mm F1.8. Come back around around and join me for the next Expedition in Light.