Kamlan 28mm F1.4 - Lichtstarkes Objektiv für Streetfotografie.
Today I would like to introduce the Kamlan 28mm F1.4 lens for the Fuji cameras in my photography blog.
At around 180 € it is one of the absolutely affordable lenses, and there are two main reasons for this:
On the one hand it comes from China and on the other hand it is a completely manual lens without electronics. This means that you have to operate the camera manually, i.e. select the focus and aperture directly on the lens. Just like in grandpa's time.
official Kamlan shop
This lens is primarily used for street and people photography, as the open aperture creates a very interesting bokeh effect. It has a very shallow depth of field at f / 1.4 to 4, which means that even "boring" motifs can be significantly enhanced: People who are standing in front of a building, for example, are exposed, the background is blurred.
simply: you don't have to be a great photo artist to make photo art with the Kamlan.
Manual operation of the camera is of course a challenge for beginners. You have to take your time for the photo and focus very precisely with open apertures. The focus aids in modern cameras make this relatively easy. But to quickly pull out the camera at the party (before / after Corona) and take funny shots, you either need practice and experience or you better leave this lens at home and take the autofocus lens with you.
I would call the Kamlan 28mm a special-effect lens that is only used in certain situations. If you call yourself a street photographer, it can definitely be an “always on”….
Processing quality
The high-quality Kamlan consists of aluminum and glass. Thats it. No electronics, no contacts, no AF motor. At 393 grams (including glare protection) it is quite heavy, compared to the Fuji XF18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS, which weighs only 348 grams. I can clearly notice the almost 50 grams difference.
Even the glare protection is made of aluminum. It Incidentally, it is screwed on and not plugged in and you can not slide it upside down onto the lens to save space in the photo bag. The only plastic part here is the lens protector.
Operating
In my opinion, both the focus and aperture ring can be rotated just the right way: not too stiff, not too easy.
The aperture ring is stepless, i.e. without clicks. You can like that, but you don't have to. I prefer a grid, but you can't have everything ...
Sample photos with tripod - approx. 40cm distance
Aperture 1.4 – 1/1000s – ISO 160
Even with these objects standing very close to one another - chick-> candles-> window-> green vase - you can see a clear gradation in depth. Fancy.
The chromatic aberrations and color fringes on the chick's hair can also be clearly seen. (Click on the photo, then double-click again to enlarge)
These artifacts can, if you want, be removed with all common photography tools. I can Raw Therapee recommend for this kind of work
The focus area is only a few millimeters wide with this aperture and this distance: only the front area of the chick is sharp.
Aperture 4 – 1/60s – ISO 160
The chromatic aberrations at the chick have already completely disappeared. The green vase in the background can be seen a little more clearly.
Depth of field still very dominant
Aperture 8 – 1/4s – ISO 160
I would call this aperture a sweet spot. The photos are almost always successful, but of course you are already in the aperture range of other (AF-controlled) lenses. The sharpness is good, but falls off a bit at the edge, as always with this lens.
Aperture 16 – 1/8s – ISO 160
Now the brick wall in the background can also be seen better. With this small aperture, however, the lens loses its appeal in my opinion.
Conclusion
The Kamlan 28mm /F1.4 is an enrichment to my photography. It delivers good and interesting results, is apparently very well made and feels valuable, even if it is a little heavy. Personally, I really like the completely manual operation, as I only use the Kamlan for carefully selected motifs for which I take my time. For approx. 180 € you don't get 1000 € quality (edge sharpness) with the Kamlan either, but the use of the open aperture is used for the artistically blurred representation of the surroundings anyway. Street and people photography is definitely very impressive.
I would like to point out that I have no business connection with Kamlan and that I am not sponsored. I am introducing this lens because I personally like it and bought it myself.