Would like to get some feedback on XCD 30mm in urban settings

[salvaz]

The majority of the images I see with the XCD30mm are landscapes but I shoot in downtown Los Angeles.  I use the 45mm and 90mm for street and urban photography and I am considering the 30mm.  Just want some opinions by owners that use it other than landscapes.

[hcubell]

Strangely (or maybe I'm just strange) I prefer a longer lens like the XCD 90 for landscapes not a wide angle lens. Wide angle lenses make the foreground too big. The XCD 30 should be ideal for street photography in tight locations - narrow roads, tall buildings. But where a wide angle lens excels is in interior building shots. I have the XCD 30 but it is probably the least used of my four lenses. Up to now the XCD 90 is by far my most used lens but the XCD 120 is fast catching up.

I am the same. I have always found it much more difficult to make a really good photograph with a very wide lens. The things that attract me visually tend to lose their "relevance" with a very wide angle lens.  I know landscape shooters are lusting after a 21mm XCD lens, but I personally would make much more use of the 135mm.

[salvaz]

Yes, a wide lens has to be carefully used and I know that my Leica M21mm SEM sat in my drawer for long periods of time. 
It was interesting to see how much of buildings and urban life I could get with the XCD 45mm.
Yesterday morning I took this morning image by making a 2 shot vertical pano with the 45mm.  I am hoping that with the XCD 30mm, I can fit the entire scene.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/waterman1/25597971847/in/dateposted-public/ 

[rent]

Gotta say I'm in the same camp here. I find the 30mm too wide for street settings. My personal preference is actually 35mm (28mm equivalent). Not surprisingly, I went through my photos and I see more with the 45 than the 30.

I do love the 30 for landscape. It's just incredibly sharp.

[salvaz]

Alex, enjoyed your images, you put that 5D III to great use.

[Hausen]

I am a one lens per cam type of guy and chose the XCD30 because as a long exposure guy wide is normally good. Lens is super sharp and I would have no problem using it as a street shooter if I shot digital for street. My walk around is a Fuji GF670w with Potra 160.

[salvaz]

I received the XCD 30 yesterday and went for my shutter therapy in downtown Los Angeles,  it does a wonderful job for architectural images, no mote need to pano.  It is raining today and I like to shoot in the rain for those unusual images of people in coats and umbrellas.  This weekend I will visit a few museums to test the lens with high ISO and color.
It does feel great and complements the X1D quite nicely.

[tedtrimmer]

I frequently photograph Honolulu skyscrapers using the 30mm and shoot a mix of profiles and straight up vertical shots on Bishop Street.  The effects are great and the colors rewarding right out of the camera.  For closeup street shots my favorite lens is the 45mm for both color and sharpness when I wander through the old Chinatown District.  I am curious about the coming 65mm lens but have no interest in the 22mm lens for architectural photography.  Honolulu is cramped and I find that the 90mm and the 120mm lenses allow me to isolate  a subject for a photograph.  Have fun with these amazing lenses.

[alex_tseli]

I am usually doing a healthy mix between landscapes and street photography in my trips so I used 30mm and 45mm on my latest trip to Morocco. While the attitude towards photographers in Morocco doesn't allow you to make candid shots with people and to approach *anyone* with the camera without explicit permission, I still felt too slow with both lenses - basically the AF won't allow you to 'react' to what you see, but to make shots, where people are just part of the scene, but aren't key actors. With some luck you can use MF and that might do the trick.

Overall I have mixed feelings in terms of the amount of successful shots I managed to get sharp and nice, but image quality of those I like is so good (dynamic range, raw quality, lack of distortions due to wide angle etc), so I give 30mm a green light in street photography Some shots (on 30mm) samples.

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5.

[rent]

@alex_tseli These are wonderful shot!

[alex_tseli]

@alex_tseli These are wonderful shot!

Thank you

[alex_tseli]

While the attitude towards photographers in Morocco doesn't allow you to make candid shots with people

I see nothing much has changed from my trip to Morocco in 1990. It's a difficult place for photography. However I should like to congratulate you on some excellent shots, great colours!

Contrary to expectations I found photography in Fès and with the Berbers in the Atlas mountains very much easier. I was even allowed to photograph inside a mosque.

Thanks Wonderful shots, this is almost like time has stopped and you witnessed that moment! Indeed, as the most modern part of the country moves to the urban values, the countryside remains the same. I had much less stress shooting in smaller cities and medina in Fez was also easy to operate in. Though, after visiting a lot of countries and places I was surprised with the attitude.

[alex_tseli]

Alex, I thought I'd attach a few more images from 1990 Morocco for you. It's a pity there's so much harassment of tourists and in particular photographers. Otherwise it would be a great place to visit.

Thanks, that is so cool I went to a primary school in 1990 and have only seen Morocco on the world map