June 8, 2015

I'm going to try something new. Each week I'll make a post here, which will feature a series of photos shared exclusively here. One or two may be on Flickr, to link back here, but the majority will be blog-only. I tend to post all my photos to Flickr, and this blog doesn't get the love it needs, so I'll try this out for a while and see how it goes. To start it off, some photos from last night. We were hanging out out front before a run, so I used it as an opportunity to test out my new OM-FX converter. I wasn't sure what to expect. I've used legacy Nikon lenses on my Fujifilm X-E2, with only limited success, so I didn't have the highest hopes. I mounted my beloved Zuiko 50/1.8, which is pretty much the only lens I used on my Olympus OM-2n, and got to work. The more I shot, the more fun I had with it.

I bought the Fujinon 18/2.0 (~28mm full frame) lens to use with my X-E2 originally because I wanted to try out a wider angle as my walk-around lens. It's taking some getting used to, but I'm finally getting the hang of it. When I mounted the 50/1.8, it was like a whole different world. This is the focal length I've been shooting for years, and I'm pretty sure it's the focal length I'm meant to shoot (except for ultra-wide, of course). I'm going to keep working on the 18mm, but I may have to seriously consider the Fujinon 35/1.4, or even the 56mm (though that's extremely pricey) to get me back into my wheelhouse.

Anyway, back to last night. One of the things I miss about shooting this focal length is the bokeh. I killed the bokeh last night. I did everything I could to get the most bokeh out of that old Zuiko, and I think it worked. I don't know if it was just me being used to shooting with that lens or what, but I hit the focus almost every shot I took, and without the digital split-frame (which helps in manual, but still isn't great). Checking the photos last night in Photoshop, I was amazed how sharp these are. With the limited Nikon success, I was worried maybe these old lenses just couldn't cut it mixed with this newfangled digital sensor. Thankfully, I was wrong. I'd been reluctant to mount the Zuiko on my X-E2, only because I didn't want to discourage myself from shooting my Olympus, but I just loved the results. Whenever I don't want to bring my Fujifilm and Olympus, I'll know with certainty I'll have a good combo bringing at least this lens.