The APO-LANTHAR 50mm F2 is my favorite snapshot lens these days, so I went out with this lens to capture everyday life in Paris. If you are interested in this lens, please take a look at my previous post “Walking around Tokyo and Shonan with APO-LANTHAR 50mm F2”!
Ultimate resolving power, high contrast, and deep color depth
On my way to the Gare de Lyon area in Paris with the APO-LANTHAR 50mm F2 on a sunny morning after a long time, I found stylish shadows in the diagonal! Combined with a man operating his smartphone while taking a smoke break in a sunlit spot between the shadows, it was the perfect scene for street photography, so I quickly snapped a shot. I was very pleased with the photo, which showed not only excellent resolution, but also high contrast and good color reproduction. The high contrast does not mean that the dark areas are blacked out or the bright areas are white-washed, and the high dynamic range makes it easy to retouch the image.
The superb melt-in-the-mouth bokeh effect is also a strong point, so the sharpness of the focus plane naturally draws the photographer’s attention
In table photos at cafes, the subjects are often close together and the quality of the bokeh effect is a concern, but here too the quality is high without compromise. By producing a pleasant, melting bokeh effect without distracting the background, the photographer’s eye is naturally drawn to the focus plane, resulting in an impressive expression.
The APO-LANTHAR 50mm F2 produces wonderful images even in monochrome
I used the APO-LANTHAR 50mm F2 to capture a woman walking in front of the Arab World Institute with the intense morning sun in the background, but it is still quite difficult to get a moving subject in perfect focus with a manual focus lens. I set the aperture to f/5.6, keep the depth of field wide, and just concentrate on enjoying snapshots.
On a fine day, a picnic along the Seine is the happiest time of the day
The winter months are usually dreary, rainy, and cloudy, so the spring sunshine is like a reward for Parisians who have survived the dreary months. On such a pleasant day, even if it is a little cold, I like to wear revealing clothes and enjoy the blessings of the sun with my whole body, but since everyone has a happy expression on their faces, I tend to focus my camera on Parisians and Parisiennes on their picnics.
Portrait photography from the Centre Georges Pompidou during the golden hour
The APO-LANTHAR 50mm F2, with its apochromatic design that minimizes aberration, does not produce unwanted flare or ghosting and there is almost no degradation in image quality when used in semi-backlit portrait photography with such an intense sunset in the background. These are ideal specifications that make me want to actively take it out during the golden hour.
The night sky of Paris at dusk with the Eiffel Tower
I stopped down the lens to f/8 to maximize the APO-LANTHAR 50mm F2’s resolution performance. The Eiffel Tower is quite far from the Pompidou Center, so the 50mm focal length lens would have made the Eiffel Tower appear small, but this wider composition is also quite nice!
Participating in a Photo Walk event and taking street snaps on Montmartre Hill
In Europe, there is an event planning site called meetup, and I participated in a Photo Walk event where photographers who love street snapshots gathered. Not only French people, but also quite a few foreigners living in Paris and tourists participate in the event, so it is a great opportunity to commune
Enjoy taking photos at your own rhythm while the guide introduces the spots for photography in Montmartre
The main goal of the tour seems to be to create opportunities for participants to meet each other, so everyone is friendly and easy to talk to. At the same time, the tour guide leads the participants to the photo spots while explaining them, so the tour proceeds in a very pleasant atmosphere.
One shot with a smiling elderly woman out with her grandchildren
An elderly woman with a satisfied smile and a handsome man with long hair wearing a trench coat was so photogenic that I snapped this shot without hesitation. Next week, there will be a Photo Walk event in the center of Paris, near our house, and I hope to be there!
A walk through Tokyo and Shonan with the APO-LANTHAR 50 mm F2