One day, as I packed my LUMIX S5, SIGMA 50mm F2 DG DN, and SIGMA 90mm F2.8 DG DN into my bag to try a photo walk with prime lenses, an impure thought crossed my mind. I really could use another lens around 30mm for street snaps.
That’s when I remembered: I already own an ultra-wide zoom that shoots at 28mm. Right, the LUMIX S 14-28mm f/4-5.6. It’s incredibly light (345g), almost like a prime lens. I should give that a try.
So, while running an errand somewhere along Tokyo’s waterfront, I decided to test out some snaps with the 28mm.
The 28mm field of view is definitely wide.
This is one of my favorite scenes with high contrast. With the S5’s full-size 24-megapixel sensor and ample dynamic range, it’s a breeze. This time, I’m using the LUT “Teal and Orange D2” to give it a slightly cinematic finish.
Outside a produce store. The vibrant seasonal fruits have that quintessential “locally grown” look. Though the zoom lens isn’t exceptionally bright, its close-focusing capability allows for background blur.
The terrace of an Italian restaurant is preparing to open. If you focus, you can get a reasonably sharp shot from the stone wall on the left foreground all the way to the back of the shop. Good.
It’s silly to only remember the lens specs after the fact, but with a 28mm telephoto end and a maximum magnification of 0.5x (half macro), it should definitely get close.
The quality of the background blur isn’t exactly outstanding, but the lines aren’t harsh and it’s not overly noisy, so I’d say it’s decent. This is very practical.
Since it’s such a super-wide-angle zoom, let’s try an even wider angle of view.
I thought I’d opened it wide, but checking the EXIF data showed it was only 21mm. My training with super-wide angles still has a long way to go.
Hmm, maybe I should hold off on buying that 28mm prime for now. Packing this 14-28mm zoom, along with my 50mm and 90mm, into my bag for street photography walks could be pretty nice. I could use the 28mm as my base while also practicing ultra-wide-angle scenes.
That’s all from the field.
