New York Street Photography With The Fujifilm X-E5
I recently found myself with the new Fujifilm X-E5, a camera I had my eye on for some time. The rangefinder style, Fujifilm colours, the perfect size and ability to change lenses ticked so many boxes for me. The X-E5 meant that not only do I have a camera I can shoot my photography headshots on, but also one that I can travel with.
Fujifilm X-E5 with 23mm 2.8 Pancake Lens with Squarehood Soft Shutter Release.
Street photography is something I like to fit in whenever I can. Living in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, which is about a 50 minute train ride to London, means this great city is a go-to for street photography. But when I recently visited New York City, the Fujifilm X-E5 was the first thing to pack.
New York City is an overload on the senses. If you have been, then you will know what I mean. Like London and most big cities, it’s a melting pot of cultures and vibes. I was keen to photograph the low light between skyscrapers there in particular, and the only good thing about jet lag is that we were up early to catch some great light!
Lens wise I chose the new Fujifilm 23mm 2.8 pancake lens. Incredibly small, well built, fast to focus and sharp. This on the X-E5 was a great lightweight and discreet pairing for the miles of walking and exploring. I had also packed a 35mm (50mm full frame equivalent) but to be honest it never came out of the bag. The 23mm pancake (35mm full frame equivalent) was all I needed.
Plenty of technical reviews out there with photos of folks posing with the camera, so I’ll spare you having to scroll through those. The main thing with any camera for me is, does it make me want to shoot with it and do I like the images out of it? The answer here is a firm ‘yes’.
If you after a great camera set up then I highly recommend the Fujifilm X-E5 with 23mm lens. There is also of course the lovely Fujifilm X100VI to consider, but with a fixed 23mm lens it ruled it out for me as it simply wouldn’t be suitable for my headshot photography work.
Lastly, a shout-out to the Lonely Planet guides. I always buy one for every country I visit and to this day with all the apps out there, I still find these invaluable to have in the bag with me.
Lonely Planet Guide in New York City (photographed on the Fujifilm X-E5 and 23mm Pancake lens)
Some street photography highlights from New York City photographed solely on the Fujifilm X-E5 and 23mm 2.8 Pancake Lens. For the photography folks out there reading this, these images are all jpegs out of camera with a custom recipe applied.
