You never know what photo opportunities lie ahead when you are out for a walk or even simply running an errand. Petite, lightweight and versatile, the EOS RP is a great companion to have on you all the time, ready to capture those picture-perfect moments. Lifestyle and daily life photographer Sayaka Suzuki took a walk around with two of her favourite RF lenses, and here, she shares how they helped her preserve the scenes she wanted to capture. (Reported by: Sayaka Suzuki, Digital Camera Magazine)

 

RF24-105mm f/4L IS USM: The flexibility to change the angle-of-view

The RF24-105mm f/4L IS USM is 95g lighter than the EF24-105mm f/4L IS II USM, and pairing with the petite EOS RP allows you to take fuller advantage of its light weight.

The focal length range is just right to frame and capture images the way the scene feels. If you are sensitive to subtle transitions, not just in the subject but also in the background and other details, such differences in framing can also give clues to when the image was taken.

EOS RP/ RF24-105mm f/4L IS USM/ FL: 47mm/ Manual exposure (f/4, 1/125 sec)/ ISO 320/ WB: Tungsten (WB Correction: A6, G5)

Komorebi—dappled sunlight that shines through the leaves of trees—created the shadows of these new leaves cast on the wall. I didn't have the space to step back, but the flexibility of the zoom lens allowed me to frame the shot the way I wanted without moving a single inch.

Preserve light the way you see it

Images like the one above of shadows created by sunlight shining through young leaves, or the one below of a shop whose colours somehow seem to look more vibrant as the weather gets warmer—are not as much about the subject as they are about the time and space where the shot was taken. I’ll think of spring whenever I look at them. I would want to capture them so that the spring lighting is carefully preserved. The RF24-105mm f/4L IS USM, together with the EOS RP, helps me to do just that.

EOS RP/ RF24-105mm f/4L IS USM/ FL: 67mm/ Manual exposure (f/4, 1/125 sec)/ ISO 320/ WB: Daylight (A8, G7)

A mannequin wearing a coat inside a shop’s spring window display. The bright colours of the subjects fill the image with the fresh, joyful atmosphere of spring. I placed my focus in the middle of the window to turn the reflections in it into bokeh.

 

Tip: Turn on Highlight Tone Priority to prevent blown highlights

It’s easy to get blown highlights and lose detail when shooting bright subjects reflected in dark glass.  Shooting with Highlight Tone Priority set to “Enhanced” helped me to retain the highlight details in the two images above.

The RF24-105mm f/4L IS STM is a constant aperture, professional grade lens. If price and weight are a higher priority, you may also consider the RF24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM.

 

RF35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM: Lets you tell stories by moving closer

Besides an angle-of-view that is slightly wider than standard, the RF35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM also has semi-macro capabilities that let you shoot at a closest focusing distance of 17cm. There is hardly any distortion even when you shoot that close—the forms of the subjects are generally well-preserved. The corner-to-corner clarity that this lens provides means that you can confidently compose your image all the way to the edges.

 

Shooting close-up means paying more attention to the focus!

Being able to shoot so close to your subject means you have to make sure that it is properly in focus. In fact, when using a lens like this, the shooting distance and placement of the focus point are the keys to expression.

EOS RP/ RF35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM/ FL: 35mm/ Manual exposure (f/1.8, 1/125 sec)/ ISO 2500/ WB: Daylight (A6, G7)

I got the chance to eat freshly made shima tofu (“island tofu”), a delicacy of Okinawa.  The macro capabilities of the RF35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM allowed me to shoot from just 17cm away and capture the unique solid and firm texture of the tofu along with the Hasami ware porcelain plate. Placing the focus in front of the tofu ensured that the large grains of salt were also in focus.

When I photograph subjects like steam, which can be hard to get in sharp focus with the AF alone,  I use One Shot AF to get the general focus, and then turn the focusing ring to make fine adjustments. Alternatively, you can intentionally put the subject out of focus to make it look softer and dreamier.

EOS RP/ RF35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM/ FL: 35mm/ Manual exposure (f/2.8, 1/1600 sec)/ ISO 200/ WB: Shade (A6, G6)

Here, I placed focus on the hangers, which are meant to hold squid for drying, and which were swaying gently in the sea breeze. The 35mm angle-of-view is slightly wider than what you see with the naked eye, and it allowed me to incorporate enough of the background to share the cosy, breezy atmosphere of the place.

 

Tip: Assign your control ring to change aperture

Focus is not just about your focus position, but also about the depth of field. The EOS R system provides a quicker way of adjusting this even during EVF shooting: simply assign the control ring to change the f-number, and all you need to do is turn the ring to change the aperture.

 

Learn more about the RF lens lineup in:
RF Lenses: A New Era of Imaging

Find out more about why Sayaka Suzuki loves using the EOS RP for her style of everyday photography in Why I’m Glad I Bought the EOS RP, and learn more about White Balance Correction which she often uses to achieve her unique colours in What is White Balance Correction ([WB Shift/Bkt.])? How Do I Use It?

 

 

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