"Talipapa" Make-Shift Market in Quiapo -Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R

Street vending is still a way of life in the Philippines, especially in the older parts of the city of Manila. In 2002-2010, a drive was spearheaded by the Metro Manila Development Authority under the leadership of Bayani Fernando to clear the roads of street vendors to open little-used roadways to vehicular traffic. The initiative was largely successful, albeit difficult for that agency at the time. During the presidency of Noynoy Aquino, however, the same MMDA, the agency tasked with making and keeping the metro beautiful, orderly, and running smoothly, largely failed. Hence, the return of vendors to the streets.

Street vending is a source of income and livelihood for many. Despite the challenges they pose, transient buyers still patronize them for their convenience, best-selling wares, foodstuffs, and relatively low prices.

I walked the street near the Quiapo Church to do some window shopping, but mainly to document the activity using my Fujifilm X-T10 with an XF 35mm f/1.4 lens attached. Most of the images were shot with an aperture of 1.4 at around ISO 640, between 1/20th to about 1/100th of a second.

The Fujinon XF 35mm F/1.4 R is a fixed-focal-length large aperture (prime) lens that produces smooth bokeh (out-of-focus backgrounds), very sharp and saturated images. Autofocus is a bit behind newer Fujinon lenses in terms of speed, but it is nonetheless reliable. When using a bigger autofocus point (known as group AF on some DSLRs), focusing is fast and accurate despite the somewhat rough and noisy autofocus motor. The build quality (all metal) appears reassuring and looks great with the metal rangefinder squared-edged hood reminiscent of Leica lens hoods. It’s a perfect match for classic-styled cameras like the X-T10 and Fuji’s rangefinder-style bodies. All the rings (aperture and manual focus) are properly dampened to the touch and feel premium. Size is compact, and weight balances well with the X-T10.

Here’s my report:

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