Testing Out the Fujifilm16-55 f/2.8
I recently purchased a used Fujifilm 16-55 f/2.8 lens. I wanted a really good zoom lens. I’ve tried various Tamron lenses and they are fantastic but extremely heavy. The Fujifilm 16-55 lens is also on the heavy side, but something about it made me want to not return it. I got a few shots that I’m very happy with when I took it out during my lunch hour. It’s definitely not a lens you can carry around without a specific purpose (such as if you’re on vacation and don’t want to carry a bunch of different lenses with you, or if you’re doing landscape shots and want a lens that can give you various focal lengths, etc.) just because of the weight, but it’s actually becoming my favorite lens. This is a really good place to sit and relax or each your lunch on your lunch break. The little splash pad/fountain thing is very relaxing and it's a good place to people watch since it's right near the Oculus. I did not have time to focus the camera when I spotted this man but it seemed to focus on the greenery pretty well. 😆
I'm not a massive fan of portrait orientation and I wish I had shot this one in landscape orientation but I still like the shot. This woman definitely looks fashionable but isn't a PITA to have to constantly hold the jacket around your shoulders? On a side note, I'm glad that over the past few years I've been seeing more and more women wearing sneakers with dresses/skirts. I despise wearing heels, wedges, or even flat sandals or ballet flats. There is no cushioning for your feet. Why set yourself up with back/leg problems for the future just to look "cute"? I have no issue wearing dresses in the summer but trust I'm wearing sneakers with them (Adidas Stan Smiths, thank you very much). My mother is not a fan of sneakers with dresses but I do a lot of walking. There's no way I'd be able to make it through the day doing as much walking as I do and wearing instruments of torture on my feet. No way.This is another one that I shot in portrait orientation but this was taken right by the Oculus which is a very busy area and I didn't want to have to do a lot of cropping (which I would have had to do if I had shot it landscape style). It was only after I got the pictures on my computer that I noticed that the woman was kind of smiling at me. I wish I had noticed that or I would have smiled back. I don't really do much street photography anymore because people get so butthurt if you take their picture. I personally feel that as long as someone isn't being creepy (like hiding behind something and sneakily trying to take your picture) or being an aggressive douche and getting all up in your personal space, I think you should just relax a bit. But that's just my opinion.A typical street scene in NYC; construction going on, cones all around, and someone "directing" traffic who is usually just making something even more of a clusterfuck than it already is. It was a very overcast day but I like how the colors still stand out in this picture. After I took this shot, a young guy (early 20's) was admiring my camera and we got started talking. He likes taking nature shots and is a Sony user. I forgot the camera he said he used but I told him I used to use the a7R III. He showed me some of his nature shots and they were really good. He was also impressed by the constant f/2.8 aperture on the 16-55 lens which I told him is what drew me towards it as well even though I rarely shoot at that aperture. We talked for a bit more and then I had to get back to work and he had to get to class at one of the nearby universities, so we parted ways. All in all, it was a very pleasant lunch hour.