Wider View
Sunday, October 8, 2017 at 3:24PM 
It was always nice to try new things in photography. On some of the blogs, I saw some nice shots using wide angle lens on street photography, something I was yet to try.
So, last week I decided to dust off my wide-angle Fujinon 10-23mm and took my X-Pro2 for a walk. I was pleasantly surprised with my captures.
I decided to snap in RAW mode as I felt that I might struggle to bring up the shadows using such a wide-angle lens in high-contrast environment. But the beauty carried through even in my indoors, high ISO captures. Maybe the stabilisation built into the lens helped.
It allowed my to capture the scene in perspective, giving a meaning to the composed image while giving me plenty of leeway for post-processing cropping, at the expense of loss of resolution. The 24 MP sensor coped well and the final images retained their contrast as well as their colour.
I tried the setup at three separate venues. First when I left the LRT at Central Market on the way to Urbanscapes House at Medan Tuanku. Secondly at the Urbanscapes House itself, pushing it to high ISO and testing the stabilisation. Lastly, I ventured on around Masjid India before catching the LRT back to NU Sentral where I parked.
Next step, the 42 MP Alpha 7R mk II full frame with the 18 mm Batis. My ultimate goal would be to pair a medium format body to a wide angle prime .... at least in my dreams ...
Batis-simo!
I decided to go for a dedicated wide-angle lens to go with the full frame setup after trying out the wide-angle Fujinon zoom on my X-pro 2. There were not many choices to go with unless I go for Leica glass and manual focus them. The alternative would be to go with the Zeiss range with auto-focus built in.
I went with the Zeiss and picked up the Batis 18mm. Although the Fuji could go wider, I felt that 18mm was wide enough. It gave me a different perspective, allowing me to capture the scene in its entirety. I could also crop the photos in post, and the 42 MP coming out from my Alpha 7R mark II gave plenty of leeway.
I only managed to take the new setup out for a couple of outings due to my work schedule. But so far I had been impressed. The distortion were definitely there, but it added to the charm of this particular combination. The chromatic aberration was something to watch out for but it could be easily corrected using Aperture later.
I found the snaps to be rich and contrasty. Sometime to get the right frame I had to go uncomfortably close to the subject. But that was just part of the fun!
The Batis lens focussing speed was quick and the photos appeared sharper when I stop it down to f4. That was not an issue when you were outdoors in plenty of light .... Would definitely be posting more of this combination in the future especially in indoors setting, capturing the Raya decorations. Combine this with the a 35mm prime attached to the X-Pro would make a for a great day out ....