The Olympus mju-ii feels like a bit of a mountain to climb in terms of giving it a review. Not for it’s feature set or for how complex it is use. It is in fact a very simple camera with few features. But more for the fact that it has such a massive following and that is despite a few unavoidable shortcomings. Many people actually consider the Olympus mju-ii as the ultimate 35mm compact “point and shoot” camera! I’m going to give you my thoughts on that point of view… And hopefully clarify, in my opinion, why people feel such fondness for this cheap plasticky little camera.
Edit: Since writing this post in 2013, I have updated it with a follow-up post. If you would like my full opinion of the Olympus mju-ii, please read on, then read the follow-up here
I can’t count the amount of times I have been reading forum threads, seen conversations on twitter etc where someone has asked “I’m looking for a 35mm compact camera…” And the obvious answer has been “Olympus mju-ii”. It seems many people looking to dip a toe into 35mmc shooting have similar priorities:
Small/compact/lightweight/easy to pocket -The Olympus mju-ii is arguably one of, if not the smallest and lightest going!
Inexpensive – it can be had for £20-£50.
Good lens – There is no doubting the mju-ii has a good lens! It’s 35mm which is probably the first choice for most people when looking at a fixed lens compact… and it has a f2.8 max aperture; excluding a few expensive or much larger cameras that’s as fast as they come anyway. It’s as sharp as anyone could ever need and it even focuses down to 35cm.
AE/AF – Both, from experience, fairly capable! (For most purposes anyway, more on that in a mo)
Easy to use – It has 3 buttons and a sliding lens door… It’s fairly self explanatory, especially when coming from pretty much any other camera. My iPhone has more camera features than a mju-ii I think!
Easy to come by – There is something like 3.5 million of these things knocking about people’s draws, charity shops and eBay so fairly easy to come by. Just be quick as Troy is buying them at some rate it seems.
It fits the above criteria arguably better than any other 35mm p&s camera, and that really is what makes it so hard not to recommend! If asked the question, I recommend it my self!
I walked this very path my self! Some years ago I decided I wanted to have a compact film camera, I was sick of digital compacts and how crappy they were at the time! A little research and reading online lead me to enough people saying exactly the same as the above. A little more reading and you find out it has up to 3200iso dx reading a 1-17ev meter and is weatherproof!!
And there is more to it than even that if we level the playing field a little! The mju-ii is most accurately classified as a point and shoot (P&S) camera… To be slightly awkward I would differentiate it from the likes of the Ricoh GR1, Fuji Klasse, Contax T’s et al. I prefer to refer to them as “Advanced 35mm Compacts”, point and shoot just doesn’t do them justice. Put the mju-ii up against them, feature wise at very least, and it falls short! The price tag alone of those cameras puts them in a different league anyway. So with those out of the equation we are left with just the vast array of 35mm compact point & shoot fixed, fast(ish) lensed AF/AE cameras for comparison.
So how does it compare? Well, the viewfinder is quite small, and it doesn’t provide full coverage. I don’t really find this a problem. I frame with the viewfinder, if I get more than I counted on I can crop if I want. I often crop to straighten or correct perspective a bit anyway, so a bit of extra frame is fine in my books… Just be conscious of the fact that one of the compromises the Olympus mju-ii has is a VF that’s a bit like looking through a keyhole. (It should be pointed out though, it’s no smaller than the Yashica T5’s vf which is a much bigger camera.) There is also zero info in the viewfinder other than the green focus confirmation light and an orange light to tell you the flash will be used. The green light flashes if focus can’t be found … and that, bar some parallax lines is it!
Focusing sometimes feels a little hit and miss! You aim with a cross hair of sorts… Precise focusing takes a little practice and some level of luck. When the green led in the vf lights up, the Olympus mju-ii is focused and locked; reframe if required and shoot. It’s probably fair to say that most AF cameras move the lens at the point of focusing ie before full press of the button. With the mju-ii the mechanism of focusing the lens is separate from the act of gathering distance information. What I mean by this is that when you half press the button and the green light illuminates don’t expect the lens to move, it moves to focus after full press. I quite like this as a feature, it means the Olympus mju-ii is silent until the shutter button is pressed. It’s an option I have activated on my Klasse W.
I attempted to focus on the lock and recomposed – It missed by a little bit …
Focusing at a further distance.
I should add, on the subject of focusing, that although precision focusing in the case of the above example is maybe a little harder than I’d like, I generally find focusing very good, it rarely misses in “normal”, “snapshot” point and shoot situations.
Regular readers might be aware of my referring to cameras as ‘eager’ or otherwise with regard to the shutter release. The ultimate in eager is my Yashica T5, but the oly isn’t far behind, it certainly feels satisfyingly responsive. And despite the lens moving to focus after the fact, there is little discernible lag.
So what about that minimal feature set? Well, this is probably the area of biggest concern for most when it comes to the Olympus mju-ii! The minimal features are reset when the camera is switched off. So close the front hatch, and whatever the setting you have been working with are lost. This is most frustrating and most likely to cause issue with regard to the flash mode. When you open the Olympus mju-ii it is set to auto. like many others I prefer to shoot with the flash set to off and only switch it on when entirely necessary. So having to remember to switch it off every time you switch the Olympus mju-ii on can become a little tiring. Bare in mind though, this is not unusual… Most 35mm compacts of this era act similarly to the Olympus mju-ii. But because the likes of the Ricoh GR1 have features that are retained, it is regarded as a major shortcoming of the Oly… And I sort of agree! It’s just such a good camera in all other ways, a flash switch (a la GR1) would probably escalate this camera above all of its contemporaries. But as it stands there are other compact cameras that handle flash automation or otherwise better. The Ricoh FF90 springs to mind, the little button on the top that you can hold down to prevent the flash from activating is a very clever idea to my mind!
I have attempted to find a solution to this, but it’s not been entirely successful!
The Olympus mju-ii does attempt to redeem itself with regards to flash. It’s fill flash is very good, it has red eye reduction, slow sync (“night scene”) and even red eye and slow sync combined. And of course flash off.
A bit of fill on this shot provided a very balanced exposure
Other features include a spot meter which is really aimed at (excuse the pun) backlit photography where the point of focus and the area you want to meter from are the same. The usual self timer and a mode for use with a remote… which I don’t have. There is also a “date” version… And that’s your lot for features!
So how is it in use? Well once you get used to switching the flash off (if that is indeed the way you are inclined), it’s pretty good! The hatch on the front is easy to open with one hand, the viewfinder does black out quite quickly when not viewed straight through but it manages to feel like it’s in the right place, so I can let it off that! The shape of it means that in holding it I’ve never felt like my finger is going near the lens. Yet despite this I somehow find it a little uncomfortable to hold, I’m not sure if it is the size, it’s slightly odd shape, it’s plastic construction or just because I have got used to my Ricoh GR1, but one way or another it’s not quite ergonomically correct. But then because of it being so small you don’t think twice about taking it out with you! Another notable attribute of the Olympus mju-ii is the noise it makes, it is undoubtedly one of the softer sounding cameras when its doing it’s winding or focusing! It does of course make a noise, but it’s a much more unobtrusive one than most other AF, motorised compact 35mm cameras than I have used (I am lead to believe that the Konica Hexar AF is the quietest, I’ve just not tried one yet.)
You might have gathered, I like the Olympus mju-ii, but also that it’s not a perfect fit for me. For me, I still feel the Yashica T5 is a better fit, but that might be down to the emotional attachment I have to it for getting me back into compact camera shooting. The Yashica, unless you’re lucky like I was, is an expensive camera by comparison. It’s also bigger and what “advantages” it offers in picture quality are definitely subjective.
So as I said because of its accessible price point, how easy they are to find, it’s features and it’s size it’s hard not to recommend! There really is no other camera that ticks all of those p&s boxes as well. Yes it might be a better camera with a flash switch (or memory for flash mode) and maybe a slightly better designed metal body… Why not add aperture priority to this hypothetical camera too? But then of course it would be a lot more expensive and competing with cameras like the Ricoh GR1…
By being what it is and nothing else it manages to provide just the right balance between features and cost!
I think that what I am trying to say is that yes, the Olympus mju-ii might not be the perfect camera… But nobody said it was… It is though, more than likely, the ultimate point & shoot. And with every ounce of respect to Olympus, alongside the Trip 35, it is another one of their models that every photographer should at very less put one roll of film through!
Here is a small selection of other recent images:
And here is the set on flickr that I will continue to update
Thanks for reading!
Hamish
Some useful links
My follow-up post can be found here
A review from Ming Thein
A review on Steve Huff’s site
flickr pool
It’s the greatest camera of all-time! This is the most thorough review I’ve read to date. Nice work, Hamish!
haha,
Cheers Troy!
Just how many do you have now?
18 bodies “on ice” (in a shoebox in my closet) and 5 working bodies (bw 100, bw 400, color 400, color 800, bw 3200).
I like the way you’re thinkig Troy! I currently have three Konica Big Minis (all color, ISO 100, 400, 1600) and an assortment of other compacts (including the mju-I and II). Maybe I should just standardise on one camera.
I just have loads of cameras with the same film in … daft really, but it’s easier for testing them for these damned reviews!
haha… amazing!
Nice in depth article, man. Really enjoyed this.
another thorough review! I have not tried this particular camera -yet! I’ve been mostly dabbing my feet in olympus pre-AF era compacts with the XAs and different trips.
ohyeah, but I DID have a few olympus mju ones and really liked how they fit in my hand but everyone was more or less functioning.
also the af trip mini was one of the cameras that I got into film photography with. not bad camera and very compact to boot. just got that back from a friend.
hm… what do I actually have now?
af trip mini
olympus trip 35 (needs new lube)
olympus trip ee-s
olympus trip ees 2
konica eu-mini
konica auto s3
pentax pc35 af
lomo lc-a
minolta af-c
pentax espio 120sw
maybe I should write a review or two? haha 😀
There are quite a few there on my list!! 🙂
Hamish,
I’ve had a curiosity about this little gem for a while now. I’m not sure I’ll buy one but it’s not because of your review; it’s excellent.
For the money they are practically a no brainer John!!
Good camera, good review. 35mm compacts are the best. <3 🙂
I’d have to agree with you there 😉
Enjoyed your review. I was amused to find you complained about the very same things I did in my review. Actually, I think I found a couple more things to grumble about (the exposure program among them), but like you, alos think it’s a camera with a great many virtues.
There is definitely a known set of issues with the camera, I think it just comes down to whether or not those issues hinder any one person. MT for eg also points out many of the same problems both you and I do, and the result is that he doesn’t like the camera at all. I subjective I guess…
It’s interesting what you say about the program ae, I’d not figured a tendency for f2.8 selection. What is most interesting is that my Contax T2 is the same. It will choose 2.8 all the way up to and including a 1/125th sec shutter speed selection. Whereas my Ricoh GR1 and Fuji Klasse won’t choose 2.8 unless the light is really low and a 1/30th sec shutter speed is selected.
The thing that both pairs of cameras have in common is their focusing. Both the Contax and the Oly have active focusing whereas the Ricoh and Fuji are both passive… I’m not sure if there is any real connection, but it’s interesting I think…?
Great review. I’ve been after one of these for a while on eBay but unfortunately haven’t been able to grab one within my budget. I will not give up!
Had you managed to grab one yet Alex? I got one for £38.00 GBP!
I paid £3 for a MJU II recently at Tynemouth market; I think the lens is 35/f3.5, it has the date feature (which I’ve switched off) and an optional panorama crop. Liking it so far, but haven’t finished the first roll yet.
I think the flash issue should not be too much of a problem – two quick presses of the flash button switch it off, which can be done in 1 second … that’s not to say I always remember though !
That sounds like it might be one of the zoom models to me?
Two quick button presses isn’t really a problem, it would just be better if it wasn’t necessary…
After checking on the Olympus camera museum, I realise mine is actually a Mju-1 (or just Mju) – the 35mm lens is fixed, not zoom, and predates the 35mm/f2.8 models which came along later. I have the first roll printed now, using Agfa Vista 200 from Poundland, and I was very pleased with the results – except for a few rolls where I accidentally invoked the rather pointless “panoramic” option which just masks off the top and bottom of the frame.
I’ve spotted Michael Sweet using this camera on the streets here in NYC. That says something.
I don’t know who that is…?
Hamish great report on this great camera. I have two of them : ) Michael Ernest Sweet is a Canadian street photographer. He’s quite famous for using simple cameras and for his kind of weird up close images. His work is not really my thing, but he’s for sure famous in street photography.
ah, thanks, I’m not really well versed in the world of street photography 🙂
Great review Hamish. I am itching to shoot one. The first one I bought (actually an Mju, or this being North America, the Stylus), for a dollar, does not work. I don’t recall the exact issue but think it is the take up reel. Probably good for parts. I found another one (Mju-II or Stylus Epic), like new, in its box with manuals and everything for $10 a couple of months ago but lent it to my son before I had a chance to try it. I must get on his case to finish the film and give it back.
Its a great camera… In fact, as time goes on, I’m starting to realise just how great! The lens especially, a real rarity in terms of just how good it is! I must get mine out…
I shall keep an eye out for your 52rolls post with it then shall I? 😉
I think you should, though it might be a few weeks before it is back in my hands.
Great review and site. Really enjoying it.
I picked up an MJU II a few weeks ago. Really dig it, but have a lot of problem with light leaks when using it in bright sun. I tried black taping the film window and door but got the same results. I can’t figure out where it’s coming from! Oh well, at least it’s not my main camera. Also have a Nikon AF3 coming, hopefully no light leaks with that one! (enjoyed your review of that as well!)
Are the light leaks red? If they are red they probably come from the back of the camera, if not, probably the front.
The AF-3 is a lot of fun! Let me know how you get on!!
Glad you like the posts! 🙂
Thanks. They’re white, on the sides and curved at the bottom. If the link works, you’ll see it here: https://flic.kr/p/sc3mnS
No visible cracks in the camera? It might be something in the lens??
I’ve had the same problem with one of my mju-IIs. White light leaks usually come from the shutter / lens assembly. Here’s a discussion I started at http://www.photo.net:
http://photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00d39f
Perhaps it can be helpful.
Not that I can see, I keep going over it with a flashlight but can’t find any. Oh well no big deal. Thanks.
I’ve had a MjuII from new, and it’s a nice camera. The three biggest disadvantages (in reverse order) are,
3. The shape. Looks great but has the grip factor of soap in the bath. I took the neck rope off briefly to make the MjuII easier to carry in a pocket, and it was an accident waiting to happen.
2. The flash. Not a problem when you get used to pushing the button twice and par for the course on a P&S, but still inconvenient. It encourages you to set the camera and leave it open, which may or may not be ideal.
1. No override to the DX coding. Even compact cameras without manual exposure have rudimentary +/- 1.5 stop “backlight” settings, meaning you can set 400 ISO film at 1000, but not the Olympus. This is even more of a problem as the lens hangs on to f2.8 as long as possible, meaning what should be a perfect street photography camera is just so-so.
3. Agreed
2. Agreed, and if you leave it on too long it goes funny and you have to take the batteries out
1. True, but you can over ride the DX code with a bit of tape and a sharp instrument.
Also the program mode preference for 2.8 is actually something I favour. Many of these little compacts will choose 1/30th before choosing 2.8 making them rubbish for any photography of people.
As for not being the perfect street photography camera. Tell that to Troy Holden
True, you can scratch and tape the DX coding. Having a spot meter, it’s also possible to meter for the highlights, effectively under exposing the film which can be over-developed, i.e. pushed. The frustrating thing about the MjuII is it’s nearly a brilliant pocket camera. On balance the Konica Big Mini is a more flexible camera in the same market sector, though not without its own problems. For speed on the street, a zone focus P&S with manual ASA setting takes some beating. Before you know it you’re back to full manual cameras, which is why my Bessa L gets so much use!
Don’t get me started on the Konica Big Mini, I really don’t like those cameras – the shutter button is horrible and the way it just doesn’t respond when it misses focus is so frustrating.
It’s all just what suits the individual of course, but your right really, the most ideal cameras for street seem to me to be fully manual. And indeed, the bessa L has to be one of the best street cameras. It almost makes me wish I shot street photography it’s that suitable for it.
A very accurate review of the mju II. On my part, I simply hate this camera. The lens can give impressive, SLR-like results under certain situations, but it is otherwise a horrible (yes, HORRIBLE) camera: The flash thing is simply annoying, as is the terrible VF. AF is not as fast or accurate, the camera is often plagued by light leaks that cannot be fixed due to the peculiar design of the film door and the rubber gasket that ensures weather sealing. Worst of all, it handles like a wet bar of soap, there’s no grip and it is so light that one actually has to use both hands to avoid camera shake. There, I’ve said it, now I’m ready to be crucified by the mju crowd!
Haha, brilliant!
I have to agree with Blinx and Christos. There are many compact film cameras out there that are almost brilliant, but are let down by one or two aspects that become complete “deal breakers”.
For me the mju ii has two of these. It is simply far too slippery and difficult to handle – I almost dropped mine half a dozen times shooting a single roll (I can’t recall ever actually dropping another camera and damaging it). Plus that small viewfinder is just too much of an annoyance when virtually all of the earlier era compacts have so much bigger and more pleasurable VFs. You’re never going to get the immersion of experience of a calssic SLR with a big VF like a Pentax MX in a compact, but I still like to have some sense of being lost in a different world when I look through a camera’s VF. You can;t get that if it’s too small and squinty. Yes I do love the compact size of the mju ii, but something like the XA or XA2, mju i or underrated Canon MC are just as pocketable and all with much better handling and VFs.
So many cameras, and so few that fit the bill for even a majority.
I think my point about the mju-ii is that for all its compromises, it offers perhaps the best balance between compromise/price/lens/size/ease to find etc. I don’t really like it either – but I still recommend it most times I am asked
Ha ha, that’s amusing that you confess to not actually liking it much! Have you tried a mju i? I recently got one (well, two, they were both very cheap!), and the handling is for me so much better, more comfortable and more intuitive. The mju i feels much more like a natural evolution of the XA/XA2 body style (design masterpieces!) and probably the smallest a compact camera can get without being too small and fiddly.
I’ve learned in the last three years or so that the general handling, usability and, just put simply, how much a camera makes me want to pick it up and go out and use it, is a bigger draw than the tech specs.
I have tried the mju-1, I’m not a fan of it either. My favourite Olympus of this generation is the Af-10 Super – Its a great example of how tech specs can be deceiving
Yeh I had an Olympus AF-10 Super for a while and it was easy and pleasing to use and took surprisingly good shots. Loved that it took AAA batteries too. I got rid of it before I came across your flash switch hack – that would have made it even more usable!
I’ve had one of these since they came out in 1997. While it has some serious drawbacks that prevent me from using it daily, I always like to have it on hand.
The drawbacks for me are:
The film advance is incredibly loud. I do a lot of street photography and you cannot take a photo unnoticed with this camera.
The autofocus means that you can’t shoot through glass.
The metering can be weird. I don’t know if it’s just the one I have, but it seems to be in a spot meter mode. If the crosshairs are on a dark patch of an otherwise very bright scene, the camera wants to fire the flash.
Having to disable the flash every time you open the camera. I’ve lost shots because of this.
That said, I always want to have one because the camera is small and weighs nothing, the lens is fantastic and it’s weather resistant. If I’m going out and it’s raining or snowing, this is the camera I always bring with me. I always bring it on trips for this same reason.
Perfect it is not, but I still recommend it before almost anything else …
Fancy pointing me in the direction of any of your shots with it, always interested!
Sure, here’s my Mju-ii album on Flickr. It’s incomplete but spans from 1997 when I got my first one to the present.
https://flic.kr/s/aHskhmdTC4
Thanks for the write up on this camera.
My grandmother owned one of these in the late 1990’s; she was a keen photographer of family pictures and kept many family albums. When she passed away in 2004 I managed to save this camera from ending up in the charity box. It’s the only physical memory I have of her. At the time I was in my early 20’s and experimenting with digital photography. However I liked the camera, filled it up with some B&W film and used for a couple of weeks taking photos of friends, parties and such.
Move on another 12 years and I found this camera when clearing the attic of my childhood home. It had some film in it, and some unused rolls next to it. Following the advice of Dutch photographer Aarsman ( http://bit.ly/1S1pk1a ) I try to throw away as much old stuff from the attic as possible, but not before taking a photo of it. So now I use the remembrance of my Grandmother (the camera) to take photos as new remembrances. I feel like it’s a nice full circle.
I have one of these and I love it ! Where do you buy cheap film ?
I used to get cheap film from poundland, but now I just spend a few more quid and get film I really like.
Fuji superior 400 is nice and not much money, if that helps?
What film were you shooting with there Hamish? :/
Great review btw : )
Ilford XP2 and Portra 400
Thanks 🙂
I just paid 80 cent last week. Haven’t used it jet. You where wondering if the Konica is silent. In quiet mode it is absolutely silent
I have a Hexar now as it goes, I wouldn’t call it silent …?
The Hexar (the one with the fixed lens) came in two versions. The black and champian early model had a special silent mode. The later one’s marked as ‘Silver’ did not have this mode. The early models where silent (only the photographer who took the picture could notice a very quiet click while in silent mode).
The silent mode is a hidden feature on the later models that needs to be unlocked. Its exactly the same as on the first version – I have owned both
My mum had one of these brand-new years ago and now I’m foaming at the mouth that she seems to have binned it at some point. Still trying to get my Canon AE-1 back from my father, who is apparently holding it ransom for…reasons?
Not strictly related to the MJU II but I have two MJU I’s both with broken shutters (the cameras both seem to work fine). Seems like it would be a common problem, does anyone have a solution? Seems a shame to leave them unused
Inexpensive? It can be had for £20-£50? On Ebay the cheapest one is £100…I don’t find that inexpensive at all! I’d rather have an XA2. 😀
Check the date on this post… that’s how much they have gone up in value since I wrote this…
Damn! You’re right! That’s to much … and sad in the same time. Doesn’t worth the money in my opinion, but neither a new Leica for that matter.
Damn! You’re right! That’s too much … and sad in the same time. Doesn’t worth the money in my opinion, but neither a new Leica for that matter.
Hi All,
I am still searching for the right MJU II 35mm. I see a lot of people offering the ‘zoom’ versions.
How are those camera’s in comparison with the 35mm.
Please help.
Thanks in advance,
Niels
They are pretty good – the later ones are nicer feeling I think. Just don’t pay too much. I wrote about the iii wide zoom here
The zoom camera’s are much bigger. They are easy to find sometimes even for one euro (here in the Netherlans at Kringloopwinkel’s)
” What I mean by this is that when you half press the button and the green light illuminates don’t expect the lens to move, it moves to focus after full press. I quite like this as a feature, it means the camera is silent until the shutter button is pressed”
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!
I just loaded the first film in a “new” old mju and was nervous if the AF might be broken – because of the silence when I half-press the shutter button.
So again, thank you! For this very helpful review.
On my way to the lake disctrict in Austria with 3 rolls of Fuji Superia and a mju (140mm). 🙂
best,
Paula
No problem 🙂
Very thorough and accurate review that sums up the strengths and drawbacks of this camera. In spite of these shortcomings I still miss mine, which died two years ago after helping make some of my favorite images.
A little unsolicited advice: please get your “its vs. it’s” straight. You are all over the place with them and for those of us that expect writers to know the difference your review is supremely annoying to read.
Its the curse of not paying attention at school I’m afraid 😉
To be fair, my more recent articles are less filled with errors – but unfortunately for those of you with a keen eye and a temperament that is bothered by such things, in this modern world where everyone can have a voice, you’ll just have to lump it… coz some of us just ain’t that good at writing the englishs
Glad you liked the review! 🙂
I never thought I will want one of these point and shoot cameras before, but now I want one – it will be the perfect little camera for my street photography in London.
Ouch! Now it’s 2017, and asking prices on Ebay are US$85 to 350!!!
Pretty sure they didn’t cost that much when they were new.
Yep, prices are rising like crazy!
The one I’ve owned for 6 years just crapped out; the lens won’t retract and the shutter won’t fire. Prices are so crazy and I have a lot of other cameras, so I’m afraid this is the end of the line for me.
Glad I managed to pick one up before they got super expensive. Any recommendations on a film camera that produces similar results, but isn’t as pricey? I’m fine with using something that isn’t as pocket sized…but would like to avoid slr. This post pulled me into photography btw, thank you for all the valuable information.
What are you looking to gain over what the mju offers?
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Great review of the mju II. I bought one in 1999 to take with me on my year out volunteering on the M/V Anastasis (missionary hospital ship), around Africa. It was perfect for this trip. Very small and light & works brilliantly in low light conditions (flash off). Some of my best photos are from this camera. One thing you didn’t mention is how easy it is to take arms length photos with this camera. The shape of it is perfect for holding in the palm and pressing the shutter release with your thumb. The lanyard is wrapped around the wrist to prevent loss if dropped. I got a lot of good photos like this, e.g. leaning out of a 4×4 photographing myself & others inside, photographing the road behind at foot level whilst cycling, photographing strangers in the street without looking like I’m taking a photo etc. I think it’s best use is low light, no flash, B&W candid shots. The lens is so fast & sharp, and it’s so inconspicuous. The fixed focal length forces you to see things from that viewpoint, rather than just zooming in and out from wherever you happen to be. It’s more creative I think. I should really put a roll in and take some more shots!
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