Cherry Blossom Festival

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Yesterday was the Cherry Blossom Festival in Branch Brook Park, Newark. It’s always a photofest, and the perfect opportunity to put my AF NIKKOR 20mm 2.8D through its paces.

As I may have mentioned, the 20mm D is 30mm on an APS-C DSLR, just a tad of extra wide goodness over the 35mm, the standard in photo reportage. Many prefer 35mm as their “normal” focal length, and I can see why. In practically every situation, it seemed to feel just right. Wide enough to get everything in that I perceive as the scene before me, not what I actually see. A wide depth of field that makes focusing generally unnecessary. Built-in image stabilization afforded by the physics of optical reduction. Yes, 35mm is a great focal length to work in. Bridge and compact digital cameras whose widest field of view is 35mm fire up all ready to go. My Canon SD780 is 33mm, which is very close to this lens.

I mostly used it in manual focus mode, because by and large it’s waste of battery power just to have the AF system throw the lens against its infinity stop each time. Yes, D lenses have hard stops making them manual focus champions. Plus, manual focusing is quite enjoyable on this lens; smooth, direct. Just a little bit of slop which is to be expected in an AF lens to prevent the motor from jamming. With just a quick flick of the AF/M lever, it’s in AF mode ready for a quick portrait or the unpredictable.

Many of the trees were peaking, and many had a ways to go. The festival is held on this day, but the blossoming cherry trees can be enjoyed for several weeks to come. Last year we missed the festival, but saw the trees against the early green spring foliage, which was much more attractive. The wide angle lens lets you put yourself literally inside the tree, and still take a picture of it. You can shoot upwards through the tree to reveal the white and pink blossoms against the blue.

It’s was also entertaining to see a diverse cross section of the general public with their various cameras, most of which were digital. I saw a Contax SLR in their somewhere, which was obviously film although they did produce the “N”, a 6MP DLSR for a short period of time. One gentleman had his LCD pivoted out and to the left, and was using it as a handle to steady the camera. There was a woman who also had her LCD swung to the the left, who seemed as if she were trying to use both it and the viewfinder at the same time. Lots of strange looking, first-generation pseudo SLRs. Lot’s of long zooms with petal hoods attached. I started to feel conspicuous with my tiny 20mm prime, so I clipped on my Pearstone petal hood just for show. Didn't really need it, although there is a specific, low angle when shooting into the sun at which it prevents a small amount of flare at the bottom of the viewfinder. But, you almost have to go out of your way to find this flair. So, the hood is really a huge safety net that you use just in case you forget the “don’t shoot into the sun” rule and take so many exposures that you’re bound to hit it. I liked the fact that it clips on; I hate having to fiddle with threading it on and tightening that huge locking ring; this is even easier than a bayonet.

I must have looked SLR-competent, as a couple with a Canon and an enormous zoom stopped me and asked if I would take their picture. They put the camera in Full-Auto-Dummy-Mode (a wise precaution, but it begs the question, what mode were they using? Manual perhaps?) and handed it over. I immediately threw the strap around my neck, and looked for the 75mm mark on the zoom lens, foot-zoomed, composed, and tripped the shutter. Took an extra exposure just in case. They thanked me, and in the blink of an eye, my first experience with a Canon DSLR was over.

A long walk brought us to the celebration proper, with tents filled with arts and crafts, art photography, face painting, food; the usual fare. On the way back, we stopped at the Bocce court, but the 20mm was not the best choice of lens to capture the fast-paced action of this highly-competitive sport.

All in all, an enjoyable early spring day out, and nice break from the rain.