The rapeseed field at Hama-rikyū Gardens in Shiodome is in full bloom from early February to early April. I heard that the field is divided into sections so that the flowers bloom in stages, so that they can be enjoyed for a long time. One day in mid-February, when the cold had eased a little, I went to see the rapeseed field, which I had heard was about to reach full bloom.
As I know the field location to some extent, this time I decided to try using a single-focus lens, so I brought my Lumix S5 and three SIGMA lenses (SIGMA 17mm F4 DG DN, SIGMA 50mm F2 DG DN, SIGMA 90mm DG DN) to take pictures of the rapeseed flowers.
First, the 50mm
The lightweight, compact i-Series 50mm lens can be attached to the S5 and used at an open aperture of F2 to produce a beautiful background blur that is more than sufficient. I’m a RAW developer, so I can’t say that the colors are exactly the same as the LUMIX’s genuine colors, but the colors are close to what I see with my naked eye, and the finished image looks good (I used a DCP file compatible with the Adobe LUMIX “landscape” photo style to develop the image using DxO’s PhotoLab8. The following photos were also developed in the same way).
Next, the ultra-wide-angle 17mm.
I tried narrowing it down to F11. This is a view of the flower garden with the skyscrapers of Shiodome in the background, which is unique to this garden.
I also changed the lens to 90mm.
I took this photo with a similar composition to the 50mm, so it’s not very creative… but it’s good for comparison. Although the open aperture of f/2.8 is about one stop slower than the 50mm f/2, the 90mm telephoto lens has more power to make the main subject stand out from the blurred background. Or perhaps the 50mm should not be used in this way, and instead the subject should be placed in the background as a secondary subject, for example.
Because I lack the skills, I can only use the 17mm and 90mm in a limited way, but I want to be able to use the 50mm more flexibly, moving in and out, blurring and stopping down.
While I was reflecting on this, I could feel the sharpness and bokeh that are unique to fixed focal length lenses with each lens, even with my own skills, and there is a different kind of enjoyment to be had from taking photos with a convenient zoom.
By the way, when I was using the 90mm lens, I noticed that some early-blooming Japanese apricot trees were in bloom next to the rapeseed field. I tried to take a picture of them somehow.
No, 90mm is also quite difficult. Everything is difficult.
Anyway, after enjoying myself in the rapeseed field, changing lenses back and forth, I went for a little walk around Hama-rikyū, which I hadn’t been to for a while, and took some photos while also practicing using my 50mm lens.
I’ll tell you the story next time.
