A new era

Since 2009 I have used a 35mm prime lens, first on a Nikon digital and then on a Fujifilm mirrorless. I have begun to feel a bit bored with my photography, so yesterday I bought a used Fujifilm XF zoom lens, 55mm to 200mm, for half what it costs new. Last night I stayed up till 1 a.m. watching Youtube videos about it, and today I went, rather excitedly, for my first photowalk, aware that it isn’t weatherproof, so I had to make my discoveries before the rain started. I notice that I “see” different things with this lens than I have been seeing for the past fifteen years, and I take that as a win. 

Goats, for example. I can get close enough for their eyelashes and beards to be in focus without frightening them. Mom, kid, and Auntie in first Extra. These three have their own Instagram address.

Then I see workers who would have been only little dots on the cityscape with a 35mm lens. Second and third extras. I also see that images at full extension are a little soft. Maybe I need to select a faster shutter speed, or back off a bit from the full 200mm.

I notice architectural details like old glass in some lanterns atop a wall (fourth extra). It’s a little like walking around with a magnifying glass. Fun.

I don’t know if I’ll be using it to document protests. I could zoom in on a clever sign, on police apparatus, on flags. But it may cause suspicion. Protesters whose beliefs I share don’t want their pictures on social media for good reason. If they don’t know me, they might think I’m shooting pictures that cops can use to harm them. Another consideration: the zoom is about three times the weight of my 35mm, so I suppose the 35mm will continue to be my main all-purpose lens. But it’s interesting to become aware that I have been accustomed to not seeing (or not trying to see) much of what surrounds me.