The Fuji 27mm 2.8 Pancake Second Try for Street Photography

Here we go again. THE Fuji 23mm f2 oops...I mean the Fuji 27mm f2.8. LOVING this little guy. Sharing thoughts, tips, and photos..like usual.

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[jag]

IMO, if the focus is on a person or the design aspect of building, I like B&W. If it's graffiti, food or nature, I prefer color.

[NinjaMonkeyPrime]

In 2016 I switched from my old Canon equipment to a Fujifilm X-T10 and the 27mm pancake lens because I avoided using the Canon due to the size. On my first trip with that Fujifilm setup I instantly fell back in love with photography. That first trip with the 27mm lens is still some of my favorite images of my wife and my father while we were on vacation. Looking at them now, some are out of focus and suffer from many poor decisions on depth of field but I still love the way they look and the way they evoke the memory of that trip. As technically poor they were, for me they were so much better than most of what I had done in the past. And it was mostly possible because I was able to pocket the X-T10 and the 27mm in my winter coat without much thought while we went from spot to spot and by just stepping back a few feet I could frame everyone in an image. Looking back now the 23mm would be better or even the 16mm but that 27mm has such a soft spot in my heart. My only gripe is the lack of aperture ring but what can you do with a pancake?

[michaelrc]

I think black and white is more compelling. I love it cause it's more dramatic a little more straight to the point. It also has a timeless look. but I also love color photography because the colors can help set up the scene and tell a story.

[qin]

Depends on what you want to present, b&w gives much mood and maybe your feelings at the moment. But there are also beautiful colors on street that you can’t present in b&w.

[bitmastermac]

I’m not a 35mm guy, so I have the 18/28mm glued on an xt20. I use all the others (12, 16, 34, 55, 55-140 on an xt2 with RRS plate— a little easier to grip with my long fingers. That little lens and little body is a great combo.

[RoelandCSchaart]

Hi Omar, always great to see your videos. The fun part is your strong suit and makes it so great to watch your videos! What is your setup for capture yourself? Thx

[ferdiyansurya]

Excellent review! The 35mm is too restricting and the 27mm is the sweet spot. I wish they had made it f2.0 instead of 2.8.

[jag]

5:38 LOL!!!! JPEG edit all the way. So much faster and the shots coming out of the XT-20 almost perfect. Omar, how about you do a video where your fans send you a sample pic of their street shot so that you can provide your thoughts?

[MrTezzuka]

"Directly on the bicycle!" lol. At 1st I thought you were serious. hahahahaha Crisp shot though. Keep up the great work mate

[DontLeaveMeLucile]

When i think about what inspires me about photography in general, i think color! Color and emotion. But, i have to admit, my favorite street photographers utilize black and white. My favorite TRAVEL photographers use color and extensive post processing but... in my opinion, when i look at their Instagram feeds, the only reason i love the color is because they're in a land I've never stepped foot in, full of that star-struck novelty and neon ecstatic newness. The only other time i like color is soft film tones. When i look at a black and white Instagram page, on the other hand, I'm looking for expression, emotion, creativity, and I'm quite honestly judging skill. That's what makes black and white fun. The photo becomes a document full of data, and showcases emotion and photographic skill rather than WOW those bananas are so bright yellow!

[MarcoACasco]

Omar, always watch your reviews, nice !!! That's why I like the Fuji X100 series, great prime lens, 35mm equivalent, always use zone focusing for street photography, so quick to snap a picture !!!! most of my pictures are from waist level while my camera is hanging from my neck. 1/500, f8, auto ISO, set to about 10 feet (will focus around 4-20 feet, somewhere around there) hardly ever miss a shot. Also, the little flash that's within the body, does a fantastic job filling in.

[rogervanschie]

I use the fn button next to the shutter for "back button" focus, that way I can shoot one handed and still use back/side button focus. Works well on the X-E3 at least. I've also stopped using the lens cap for the 27mm, still got it, but the front element is so small and retracted into the lens that it's pretty hard to get anything to scratch it if you're just putting it in your pocket or camera bag.

[c.c]

Awesome video Omar. I own the 23mm f2 and will be taking that and my Samyang 12mm lens to Europe next month. Cant wait to see pics from your Costa Rica trip.

[scho]

B&W for street! Love the pics, especially that bicycle....so bootyful. You'll love the 23mm f2 once you start using it more, it's my favorite of the f2 trinity.

[andrerenaud]

A useful shortcut for black and white stills in the X serie: hit and hold the display back button two seconds, , until fonction settings appear, go to fn1, and choose the film simulation for this button. You can go to A (acros) or B (monochrome). Done.

[maquefort]

Great video! The one with the chess player is definitely coming to its right in colors. The one with your mom and the tree shadows is a beautiful bw photo. Generally I think most of the photos were better in colors, but it greatly depends on the subject and the mood you want to convey.

[nicosplace]

You are one of the funniest guy I have ever known in my life. Thank you for the joy you bring to us :)

[grafixnetz]

Just found this. Great video on 'how to use...' from your personal experience.
The B/W works where color *isn't* the story, like the drinks machine and the duck's head in store window. Chess? Heck yes!
What I like to do is turn saturation to 0 to get a quick idea of what the photo looks like in BW, a very easy step. It can sometimes bring life to a photo I thought was bad.

[cosmogang]

Also, I'm not afraid to edit the JPEG files off the xt20. You can push them to the limit and still get great results, especially for Instagram.

[luisfidalgo]

B&W is great for street photography but sometimes the colors look good to bring out the subject on your frame! Fuji color are amazing man!