Museums and the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8

 

I guess I said it many times before. The 50mm f/1.8 is my favorite for visiting museums. An alternative could be the 105mm f/2.8 MC for its macro options and excellent image quality. But you often cannot step back enough to capture the scene with such a long lens. Of course, a 35mm f/1.8 would be another choice. But I do not have one. Moreover, 50mm is just right for almost everything. I guess the Tamron 35-150 f/2-2.8 would be nice for the job. But it is very bulky, too much to carry around all day for me.

The photos above were taken in the ZKM, Karlsruhe, a world famous museum for media art. It is always worth a visit. The special occasion at that day was the Night of the Museums in Karlsruhe. The town is always busy on Saturday nights, but that occasion topped the usual mix of music, street action, coffee bars and restaurants.

You don't have to shoot the 50mm wide open. In fact, I advise to stop down a bit. This yields better DOF and corner performance. Only, if you explicitly want to isolate an object, go for the widest aperture. Even then, f/2.8 might do.

This is from the Germanic Museum in Nuremberg. Again, I took the 50mm f/1.8. It happened sometimes that I wished to have the 24-70 f/4 for a wider angle of view. The shot above would have been even just as good with that kit lens at 70mm. It was at f/4 anyway to make more of the background recognizable.

Most of the time, I am at f/5.6 anyway. The Z5 can take ISO1600 easily which is enough for still objects in a museum. f/2 and the like should be reserved for occasions when it is needed, like low light and fast moving subjects, or object isolation with absolutely smooth backgrounds.

I should finally add that I edit all my pictures. The one above was not taken with those straight lines. Even if I do my best, I get verticals slightly off. This can easily be fixed in post and makes a photo look a lot more professional. Anyway, the lights and shadows need to be adjusted. Your camera is not your eye which can adapt to everything. And the automatic HDR adaption often goes too far.

This is another one from the museum of musical instruments in Bruchsal. Again, the 50mm f/1.8 proved to be a valuable tool. Even though the 24-50 kit lens would often do and is more versatile, I prefer the 50mm, if only out of a personal relationship to this lens. I simply know what I get. And the lens is one step above the kit lens at f/4.