Hanoi At Night, Vietnam

DSCF5490FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO6400)

I still can remember the time I shot Fuji Velvia slide film at ISO 40! Today I’m shooting Velvia again at 6400 ASA. That is more than 7 stops advantage. In these nightlife samples I used my brand new 14mm lens wide open at f2.8 and set shutter speed to 1/125s to stop motion. I was shooting from a small electric bus. If I would still use Velvia the shutter speed would be half a second! Or in other words. These images would not be possible. Great modern world.

DSCF5447FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/50 sec, ISO1250)

After a day long meeting with a new potential distribution partner they brought us to our hotel to change cloths. It’s a little cooler in Hanoi but still warm. I washed, changed to casual, took this shot out of my hotel room and went down to meet the others. Two employees were our lovely guides. We went to the center and changed car for a small electric bus for sightseeing in the old city.

DSCF5453FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/50 sec, ISO1600)
DSCF5454FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/30 sec, ISO1600)
DSCF5459FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO6400)

This is what I expected to see and still I was surprised. People are cooking, eating, meeting, playing, chatting, …. on the street. Everything is full of life. The city of Hanoi has 8 million people officially but nobody really knows. It could be much more. Everybody seems to be on the streets. Even small kids. I imagine that the flats behind the small shops are even smaller. They just go in late night to sleep.

DSCF5473FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO6400)
DSCF5484FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO6400)
DSCF5486FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO6400)

Fuji cameras are not the fastest when it comes to AF. This is especially true if we talk about low light. But with the 14mm lens there is a very elegant solution: zone focus. It even works at f2.8 if your subject is farther away from you. It even worked for my favorite shot of the series.

I saw the lady with the typical hat walking her bicycle and got ready to take the shot. Just in the moment our bus overtook her I pushed the shutter button. There was no delay and because of that I was able to capture the moment. The strong eye contact and the lady with the iron in the background looking at the bus make the shot. It was there only for a fraction of a second. If you have to wait for AF to lock it is gone. Even if your camera has very fast AF it is not as fast as zone focus. My lessons of that day:

  • today you can shoot at 6400ASA in poor light
  • best AF is no AF

DSCF5487FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO6400)