Diggin' in the Crates Vol. 1
The new lens
I thought I would introduce a new series featuring some shots from my photo archive taken over the past few years. Nothing big, no deep dives or anything like that, just some semi-recent photos I wanted to share.
These are some shots that were either fun to take, or reflect trying out some new (to me) techniques. This series will feature some good, some bad, and some ‘just ok’ (my bread ‘n butter), but the key is I wanted to keep it simple and just share a bit of background/context to set the scene.
I’m starting with a bit of an oddity in my archive. I don’t often shoot with ‘gimmicky’ lenses - in fact I almost never have before this one. Nothing against them - I’ve seen photos taken with them that are cool, they just don’t match up with my style. But, when Polar Pro introduced their Light Leak lens last year, the hype got to me and I got the G.A.S. real bad and immediately bought the 28mm for my Fujifilm.
I put it to the test last summer on a sunny day while downtown (sunny days are where this lens performs best). Most shots that day were taken without the light leaks as I wasn’t quite feeling it (these shots included).
Will I shoot with this lens again? Maybe. I definitely had fun with it, and the size of it was great on my camera - love a pancake style lens! The circumstances will have to be pretty casual though, as this lens has you committing pretty hard to a very distinct look, not all that different from shooting film (maybe I’m best just to stick with film…).
Have any of you tried this lens or others like it? Let’s chat about it in the comments!
All images are SOOC and shot with Fujifilm XT-30II w/ 28mm f/11 Light Leak lens.
Stay focused.
Interesting lens for sure. I haven't heard of it before. It seems like it does a color cast + light leak + blurry vignette all in one? Sure saves you editing time if that is what you're looking for :-) But like you said: it's baked in. Does other f-stops get you (much) different looks? But yeah for the money you can't really go wrong I guess 👍
Great shots!! F11 has its standing in the photography community and I appreciate the look. I usually stay around F8 but actually, with manual focus I've been veering more in the 11/16 direction...I know this is slightly away from the topic, but I sold all my Fujifilm gear except for the X-E2, which I find magical, and the 28mm Fujinon plus a TTArtisan 25mm manual focus lens. I love the X-Trans II sensor the best, but I did have the XT30II for many years and it worked well for me until I got a little tired of the Fuji look. I'm 85% Nikon FF and MFT now. I still find that Fujifilm is amazing but I'm just ridiculously fickle with my camera gear. All that said, lately I have been missing the ergonomics of the Fujifilm cameras, especially the tilt screen, which is amazing for street. The X-T30II was not as responsive for me in that regard but I am hearing good things about the X-T5/50 and might just be having another G.A.S. attack!