PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIMENT
CAPEL STREET 25 FEBRUARY 2025 [A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIMENT]
Since Christmas I have photographed Capel Street almost daily so there is little point in discussing the street in detail at this stage so this session was experimental as I used a Sony 85mm GM lens and a Sony FX30 Body which I actually like. Within the next few months I need to upgrade my equipment and decide what path to follow. Do I restrict myself to Sony but concentrate on getting the best lenses such as the new 28-70mm GM or do I get a Leica Q3 or a Fuji GFX100S II. Do I buy new or do I get some second hand equipment?
Expected Results: Compressed Perspective - The 85mm GM lens, combined with the 1.5x crop factor of the FX30, effectively gave a 127mm equivalent. This results in a compressed perspective, meaning distant objects appear closer together, and the background will appear more blurred. This is great for isolating subjects and creating a shallow depth of field.
Narrow Field of View: I had a narrower field of view compared to using the 85mm on a full-frame camera. This is ideal for focusing on specific details and isolating your subject within a busy scene like Capel Street.
Potential Challenges (due to FX30's stills limitations):
Dynamic Range: While the FX30 has decent dynamic range, it does not match the performance of a dedicated stills camera, especially in challenging lighting situations. I found it harder to recover details in shadows and highlights.
Low-Light Performance: The APS-C sensor, while capable, did not perform as well in low light as a full-frame sensor. There was more noise in the images at higher ISO settings.
Autofocus (for Stills): While the FX30 has excellent video autofocus, its stills autofocus is not be as refined as dedicated stills cameras, especially for capturing fast-moving subjects.
Image Processing: The FX30's image processing is optimised for video, which does not produce the desired results for stills, particularly in terms of colour rendition and sharpness.
Since Christmas I have photographed Capel Street almost daily so there is little point in discussing the street in detail at this stage so this session was experimental as I used a Sony 85mm GM lens and a Sony FX30 Body which I actually like. Within the next few months I need to upgrade my equipment and decide what path to follow. Do I restrict myself to Sony but concentrate on getting the best lenses such as the new 28-70mm GM or do I get a Leica Q3 or a Fuji GFX100S II. Do I buy new or do I get some second hand equipment?
Expected Results: Compressed Perspective - The 85mm GM lens, combined with the 1.5x crop factor of the FX30, effectively gave a 127mm equivalent. This results in a compressed perspective, meaning distant objects appear closer together, and the background will appear more blurred. This is great for isolating subjects and creating a shallow depth of field.
Narrow Field of View: I had a narrower field of view compared to using the 85mm on a full-frame camera. This is ideal for focusing on specific details and isolating your subject within a busy scene like Capel Street.
Potential Challenges (due to FX30's stills limitations):
Dynamic Range: While the FX30 has decent dynamic range, it does not match the performance of a dedicated stills camera, especially in challenging lighting situations. I found it harder to recover details in shadows and highlights.
Low-Light Performance: The APS-C sensor, while capable, did not perform as well in low light as a full-frame sensor. There was more noise in the images at higher ISO settings.
Autofocus (for Stills): While the FX30 has excellent video autofocus, its stills autofocus is not be as refined as dedicated stills cameras, especially for capturing fast-moving subjects.
Image Processing: The FX30's image processing is optimised for video, which does not produce the desired results for stills, particularly in terms of colour rendition and sharpness.
PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIMENT