Old Spitalfields Colour Walk

People of all stripes dress up on the third Thursday of each month and do a Colour Walk around and about in Old Spitalfields Market in London. It’s advertised on various sites recommending things to do in London, and that’s how I heard about it.

I went and it seemed that there were as many people photographing as there were parading. I thought the people who were dressed up would be in a group or parading as a group, but no. At least not when I arrived, after it had started.

It was advertised to start at 1:00pm and perhaps they did gather at the start. When I got there colour walkers were being shunted off in ones and twos to stand against a dark hoarding to be photographed. It all felt a bit odd somehow, as though the original bonhomie had gone or deflated a bit.

But there was one person who would not be deflated, and here is a shot of him. I recognised him because I also saw him in the middle of a crowd at the Extinction Rebellion protest in 2019 when protesters nailed a pink yacht to the intersection on Oxford Circus in the middle of London, and handcuffed themselves to the stanchions that secured the yacht.

The police at the Oxford Circus protest were a bit nonplussed about how to deal with what was then a novel situation. Eventually they made some arrests, but in terms of human interaction it was a success.

Two women I bumped into on the way to the Oxford Circus protest that day saw only good things that would come from it. A bit like young soldiers marching off to war. But we are all wiser now. ‘Just stop destroying the place’ has taken a back seat.

Just Stop

When the last Conservative Prime Minister issued new licences for oil drilling, the UK was in uproar. When President Biden said it would do incalculable harm to stop using fossil fuels rather than wind down their use, the US and the world’s media just took it on the chin. I guess it is the manner of the delivery.

Whatever the case, the Just Stop Oil protest movement has had less success in uniting the populace when they have blocked motorways to protest the use of fossil fuels. And where is Extinction Rebellion now? I haven’t heard from them for a while.

Back To The Colour Walk

Here is a photo of a woman who I think is one of the organisers of Colour Walk, being photographed, with a good natured attempt at a smile.

I shot this with the Canon EOS R6 and Canon RF28-70mm F2.8 IS STM lens at f2.8, 1/30th of a second, and ISO 100. The lens was at 70mm.

ISO 100

By Tower Bridge in London

I shot this little group after taking a shot of the buildings across the River Thames. When I turned and saw this happy group I had to take the shot. Canon EOS R6 with 50mm f1.8 lens. shot at 1/800 second at f3.5 and 400 ISO.

The tall buildings look as though they have been corralled by the smaller buildings surrounding them. It’s easy to imagine them bursting out of the fence and marching across the river like alien creatures.

Fuji X-Mount Lens Release Dates: A Complete List

Here is a list of Fujifilm X-mount lenses – both XF and XC – and the dates they were released. And at the end is a list of the prime lenses and zoom lenses that are optimised for the 40 MP sensor on the X-T5 and X-T50.

As of February 2025, Fujifilm has relased 39 lenses for its X system, 23 primes and 16 zooms, and all within a space of 13 years.

Fuji introduced the X-mount lens system in 2012, starting with three lenses that were all fairly short range. The 35mm f1.4 R was known for being slow to focus and made a screechy noise as it focused, and I can testify to that.

I’ve heard it said that the 35mm f1.4 focuses faster with newer bodies. Despite its shortcomings, some photographers still like the look of the images it produces and prefer it to the 33mm f1.4 that was released in 2021.

Older doesn’t mean less capable. Fuji released its first long zoom, the 55-200mm, in 2013 and photographers still swear by it today.

That said, two reasons for looking at later lenses are that they focus faster and that optically they are built for the greater demands of sensors with more megapixels. So if you are looking at the 40MP cameras in the Fuji range, maybe look for the later lenses that are built to pair with them.

A word about the nomenclature in the lens descriptions. OIS stands for optically image stabilised and you will notice that none of the primes are stabilised. LM stands for linear motor, meaning the lens uses a linear motor for faster, smoother autofocus. R in the nomenclature means the lens has an aperture ring, and WR stands for weather resistant.

2012:
XF 18mm f2.0 R
XF 35mm f1.4 R
XF 60mm f2.4 R Macro

2013:
XF 14mm f2.8 R
XF 18-55mm f2.8-4 R LM OIS
XF 55-200mm f3.5-4.8 R LM OIS
XF 27mm f2.8
XF 23mm f1.4 R

2014:
XF 10-24mm f4 R OIS
XF 56mm f1.2 R
XF 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
XF 50-140mm f2.8 R LM OIS WR
XF 56mm f1.2 R APD

2015:
XF 16-55mm f2.8 R LM WR
XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS ||
XC 50-230mm f4.5-6.7 OIS ||
XF 16mm f1.4 R WR
XF 90mm f2 R LM WR
XF 35mm f2 R WR

2016:
XF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
XF 23mm f2 R WR

2017:
XF 50mm f2 R WR
XF 80mm f2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro

2018:
XC 15-45mm f3.5-5.6 OIS PZ
XF 200mm f2 R LM OIS WR
XF 8-16mm f2.8 R LM WR

2019:
XF 16mm f2.8 R WR
XF 16-80mm f4 R OIS WR
XF 33mm f1.0 R WR

2020:
XC 35mm f2
XF 50mm f1.0 R WR
1 XF 10-24mm f4 R OIS WR

2021:
XF 27mm f2.8 R WR
XF 70-300mm f4-5.6 R LM OIS WR
XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR
XF 23mm f1.4 R LM WR
XF 33mm f1.4 R LM WR

2022:
XF 150-600mm f5.6-8 R LM OIS WR
XF 18-120mm f4 LM PZ WR
XF 56mm f1.2 R WR
XF 30mm f2.8 R LM WR

2023:
XF 8mm f3.5 R WR

2024:
XF 16-50mm f2.8-4.8 R LM WR
XF 16-55mm f2.8 R LM WR II
XF 500mm f5.6 R LM OIS WR

Prime Lenses Optimised For The 40 MP Sensor

XF 16 mm f/ 2.8 R WR
XF 18mm f/ 1.4 R LM WR
XF 23mm f/ 1.4 R LM WR
XF 23 mm f/2 R WR
XF27 mm f2.8 R WR
XF30mm f2.8 R LM WR Macro
XF 33 mm f/ 1.4 R LM WR
XF 35mm f/ 2 R WR
XF 50mm f/ 1.0 R WR
XF 50mm f/2 R WR
XF 56mm f/ 1.2 R WR
XF 80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS Macro
XF 90mm f/ 2-R LM WR
XF 200mm f/2 R LM OIS WR

Zoom Lenses Optimised For The 40 MP Sensor

XF 8-16mm f/ 2.8 R LM WR
16-55mm t/ 2.8 R LM WR
XF 18-120mm f/ 4 LM PZ WR
XF 50- 140mm f/ 2.8 R LM OIS WR
XF 70-300mm f/ 4-5.6 R LM OIS WR
XF 100-400mm mmlf/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8 R LM OIS WR

Nikon 70-300mm VR AFP ED Lens

Just now I was looking at the metadata on photographs I took with my Nikon D500 and the Nikon 70-300mm VR AFP ED. It is a full-frame (FX) lens with an aperture of f/4.5 at the short end and f5.6 at the long end. The reason I was looking was to see what focal length ‘reach’ I would need to marry with a Canon EOS R6. The D500 is a crop-sensor camera whereas the Canon is full frame. So I need to multiply the crop by 1.5 to compare the Nikon focal length with the Canon.

I shot this first image at 300mm, which is equivalent to 450mm in full frame. And I shot the second image at 240mm, which is equivalent to 360mm in full frame.

Canon makes full frame RF mount lenses for cameras like my EOR R6. The company makes lenses that would cover the distances needed for these photos.

But look at the prices! £3,000 for a lens. I like the images that come out of the R6, but if I were starting again I am not sure I would allow the look of the images to trump everything else.

Perhaps I will need to look at EF lenses and a converter.

Or when will Sigma or one of the other third-party lens manufacturers be allowed in to the Canon ecosphere?

Nikon 70-300mm VR AFP ED Lens