Featured Forum Thread: "Greetings from Italy" by Ray Sachs

[bartjeej]

Ray, thanks so much for all your photographs, for sharing so much of your trip with us - and, as always, for your thoughts about why your camera/lenses work for you. Always highly enjoyable reading!

^ what she said!
I really like the 35/40mm equivalent for a single-camera setup, because of its versatility. But if I had other high-quality options available for those times I want more tele, my natural instinct would be to go as wide as possible - an XE1 with the 14mm lens permanently attached would probably account for a pretty high percentage of my shots!

 

[Ray Sachs]

^ what she said!
I really like the 35/40mm equivalent for a single-camera setup, because of its versatility. But if I had other high-quality options available for those times I want more tele, my natural instinct would be to go as wide as possible - an XE1 with the 14mm lens permanently attached would probably account for a pretty high percentage of my shots!

Each time I used the Fuji with the 14mm, I'd say the same thing to myself, "I should be using this more". But then I'd go out and grab the RX1 or the Nikon/Sigma more and more and have to remind myself that I should take the Fuji out at least ONCE during our time in X place... I remembered to bring the Fuji along on our day trip to Amalfi and Ravello and I used it a fair amount, but still used the RX1 more and the Nikon about as much. So, regardless of what I thought I'd be doing or even SHOULD be doing, I did what I did, which was different. I guess I'm just getting pulled back a little closer to neutral lately - I blame the RX1. Who knows, maybe I'll even own something in the 45-55mm range again someday??? I never use those when I have them, so now I don't have any, but you never know...

-Ray

 

[bartjeej]

For me it was looking at shots with the Panasonic 20mm / 40mm equivalent that really started my appreciation of other focal lengths than (ultra)wide - a year or 2 ago, I found 24mm equivalent pretty limiting and yearned for wider.
I'm not sure I've quite gelled with the 35mm equivalent focal length yet, though. One thing that plays a role as well is aspect ratio - I find myself preferring 4:3 over 3:2, and that might be the reason I tend to feel a bit more attracted to shots with the m43/20mm combo over the Fuji X100, at least composition-wise. And that's despite the m43/20mm combo, being a longer equivalent focal length, not fitting in with my typical preferences. (I did some calculations though, and if you crop a 35mm equivalent shot that's in 3:2 down to a 4:3 aspect ratio, you get very close to a 40mm equivalent )

I'm sure a large-sensor fixed-lens 50mm equivalent can't be that far off, who knows how much you'll like it? I'm sure you'd get fantastic shots out of it!