A 70mm for street photography works to me

Working with the Neewer 35mm f1.7 on my Olympus EPL2

I know: most of street photographers think is odd to consider a lens superior to 35mm. In street photography today the 28mm focal lenght is the most appreciated. But I am not like the most of street photographers and I consider that street photography is much older than instagram boom. In fact if we think to Camilo Josè Vergara and many photographers in the 60s, 70s and 80s they were not worried to follow rules. Today is a rule to be between in 28mm and 35mm. and even the 50mm the focal lenght used by a certain Henri Cartier-Bresson is considered too much.

I think that is stupid.

And despite I love to photograph with 28mm and 35mm I don’t believe that I am doing something wrong ny using now a 70mm lens.

I also advise you to be careful with these tales of ideas: they use a 28mm and they almost always crop. Or they use the new “crop in camera” that is the same shit. It is a digital crop of their framing: I think that is worse than using directly a lens with a different focal lenght.

Tiny Terror

Let's start with the positives. This Neewer lens is like a little ninja on my Olympus EPL2. Small, light, and built tough with metal, it's perfectfor my small camera and on the street.

Sharp Shooter (Mostly)

Image quality is surprisingly good, especially for the price: I did have mine included in a deal with the Lumix 14mm f2.5 that is fixed now to my Olympus EP5. I can snag some crisp center-focus shots, especially when I stop down a bit (f/4 most of the time). The corners might be a little soft wide open (f/1.7), but that can sometimes add a cool, dreamy effect to street scenes, in any case I rarely go for that aperture.

Focus Challenge

Here's the catch: the manual focus. Since my Olympus EPL2 lacks focus peaking, mastering focus can be a bit tricky. But the practice makes perfect, and I seem to be nailing it most of the time anyway, even more than using AF with this camera or the EP5! I consider it a way to hone my focus skills and slow down to see the scene better.

Focal Length Frenzy

The Neewer 35mm becomes a 70mm equivalent (due to the crop factor of MFT) and is not the most typical street photography focal length. It can feel a bit tight for capturing wider environmental details. But here's the thing: I stand further away from the subjects and this allows me to include an entire building, without the distortions of a wide angle lens. At the same time you should’t think this makes me distant from the action or having “a distant aesthethics” like many attribute to focal lenghts that are not wide angle. 70mm is not an exagerate tele lens, and this makes me totally involved inside the context.

Final Verdict

This Neewer 35mm f/1.7 is not for anyone, especially for MFT that means is a 70mm equivalent but I see it as a fantastic option for my photography and the typical work I do and I want to achieve: I photograph also in the popular neighborhoods where often I feel the need to have a longer lenght.This lens is particularly small, well-built, and takes sharp photos, especially at f3.5- f4. By embracing the 70mm equivalent I can see the streets in a new, more personal way. While anyone, me included goes most of the time with a 28mm, with this lens I can differentiate my proposal. The photos you see in downtown are a proof of the different experience I can achieve. By counting with 2 small and compact cameras, I can carry both in my bag: Pen EP5 with the 14mm and EPL2 with this 35mm. At 28mm and 70mm I have anything for different situations.

Bonus Tip

Since I’m already focusing manually, I pre-focus on a specific distance most of the time and this allows me to capture those fleeting street moments, without being stressed all the time. This is the selection of photos for this review. It includes images realized in the barrios and downtown:

I made only 3 shots in color and I am particularly happy with this one:

This photograph deserves some context: it's election time in Mexico and many candidates are killed. I have seen this man sleeping covered by a political promotion billboard. the color is red and I think it works great in its ambiguous nature.

From a purely aesthetic point of view of color rendering, I love it: it seems film photography, guys! I decided to share this photograph because now is time to see color photos made with this lens, so I could propose a part 2 of this review.

To conclude I share here the video realized for THE STREET PHOTOGRAPHY CHANNEL: