I recently purchased a cheap Yongnuo 35mm F2 for about USD40. I wanted a 50mm equivalent lens for my Nikon D50, because 50mm is my favourite focal length for street photography. I brought the D50 and Yongnuo 35mm to Malacca streets over one weekend and did some street shooting there. I also recorded a POV video to show you what happened around and in front of me as I clicked the shutter button. You can find the POV video here (click).
The Yongnuo 35mm felt like what a cheap, budget lens is supposed to be, plasticky, and light. The image quality was good enough for the 5MP Nikon D50, I guess if you use the lens on higher resolution more modern camera bodies, with more than 20MP then you may find more flaws to complain about. The lens resolved enough resolution for my Nikon D50, the center was sharp and I could care less about corners, especially when I was shooting mostly wide open, shooting a lot of close up portraits. The bokeh was better than I expected, smooth, creamy without appearing distracting or messy and it was good enough to provide some subject separation when I needed it. There was nothing to write home about really, I am pretty sure the Nikon's own 35mm F1.8 G is a superior lens in every single way but that lens also will cost me 3 or more times of what I spent on the Yongnuo 35mm, even in the used market place. I have checked, and I did not want to spend too much on something that I won't be using to make money, and just for the fun of shooting random street images.
I really love shooting on those streets outside metropolitan area. Don't get me wrong, I love Kuala Lumpur streets and they gave me plenty of favourite shots over the years, but there is just something different in other towns, smaller places with slower pace and more relaxed vibes. People in Malacca are generally friendlier also, easier to approach, which was good for my on-going portraits of strangers series. I was also glad the light this time was relatively good, compared to my last visit last year in December. Good light, good photo! I only wish I had one more day to shoot more!
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