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I did ask myself if the Mitakon 35mm f/0.95 could indeed be the hardest lens for street photography. Despite the clickbait title, this was a genuine question I had. And so I decided to give it a good test.
To this day, Fujifilm does not release blueprints for its lenses to other manufacturers. So you don't often see other brands produce lenses for the X-Mount.
One brand that comes to mind is Sigma that produces great quality lenses for Sony, Nikon and Canon but not yet for Fujifilm. Or Tamron as well. And the companies that decide to go down this route can only make a lens that fits the mount. Not lenses that use camera features like the autofocus.
Viltrox seems to have reversed-engineered the autofocus and made it work, but I have never tried their lenses because Fujifilm does not endorse their operations.
UPDATE September 2020: Fujifilm is finally welcoming third-party lenses (and I started my reviews with this one).
But one widely praised among photographers is this Mitakon (Zhongyi) 35mm Speedmaster f/0.95. The 0.95 aperture is a well-sought feature for any portrait photographer because of the incredibly shallow depth of field that blurs everything that is not in focus. Perfect for isolating a subject.
It is also a great lens for astrophotography, i.e., shooting the Milky Way, because its wide Aperture helps capture lots of light while maintaining a low ISO.
Note that because of the crop sensor or Fujifilm mirrorless cameras, f/0.95 is equivalent to f/ 1.4 (still great). It's debated that only the light is affected, not the depth of field, but there is no definitive answer yet.
Manual lenses may slow you down because you must constantly focus and refocus. And f/0.95 can be extremely tricky in a fast-paced action. So, is this the hardest lens to use for Street Photography?
It does seem to be.
The Video
So, you guessed it, in my latest YouTube video, I extensively test this in the streets of London. And ask myself if it could be a good lens for Street Photography.
I also give you important tips on mastering manual lenses in these shooting conditions. Not to miss!
And here's the direct link, in case the embed doesn't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwqozPt2SD8
- noiseless focus when filming
- Focal Range: 35mm
- Aperture Range: f/0.95 – f16
- Number of diaphragm blades: 9
What are your thoughts? Do you use manual lenses in your work? And do you think this Mitakon 35mm can be a good lens for street photography? Let me know!
If you are looking for a similar lens but with AF, maybe try one of the best Fujifilm lenses: the 33mm F/1.4.
See ya all next time!
