Trip to Tunisia by Daisuke Fujimura with the TAMRON 28-75mm F2.8 G2 (Model A063) for Nikon Z mount

Do you know of the planet Tatooine? This is one of the planets featured in the Movie Star Wars that should be familiar to any movie fan. On this trip I shot in Tunisia, which served as one of the shooting locations for the film. From the sea to the desert, I fully enjoyed the capabilities of this compact and lightweight fast-aperture lens that is perfect for travel.

The first photo：　Focal length:30mm　Exposure:F2.8　1/1000sec　ISO 64　Camera:Nikon Z 8

It was just before the sandstorm season begun. On this day there were also quite strong winds blowing, making it risky on changing of lenses, so I walked around the sand dunes utilizing the zoom range possible at the wide end in search of good shooting angles.

Both camels and 4WDs are means of transportation in the desert. Camels may be slow, but they can walk long distances. A 4WD driver changed into the clothing of the Berber tribe in order to enter the desert. This is an expression of their feeling toward the desert. As the lens is compact, I was able to get as close as possible without causing alarm, and when photographing human subjects, it was easy to instantly bring the aperture wide open to blur the background.

Atop a mountain where the landscape spreads out like the edge of the world, a village suddenly appears. In this harsh land that experiences temperatures over 50°C (122°F) in the middle of summer and below freezing in the winter, the inhabitants’ homes are carved out of the earth. The sense of resolution is important for shooting landscapes and architecture. The lens renders things beautifully, capturing the details of people walking along the road, fine elements of buildings and even the tones of mountain ranges, and proving that it was not designed simply to be compact and light weight.

Taking snaps while walking through the streets is fun. Shooting well-composed shots of perfect scenery is also good! I frequently encountered evocative scenes down quaint back alleys. A shot taken in front of a beautiful gate and greenery. Tunisia is in Africa, but it is a country along the Mediterranean Sea whose culture is closest to Europe. A compact and lightweight lens that doesn’t tire you out at all even after a full day spent walking around is the ideal lens for when you want to take shots that are travel snaps but are also good photos.

Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, is a big city. It retains rich vestiges of the French colonial period, and the gas lamps are well suited to the cityscape. Here a gorgeous look is created with the shafts of light by stopping down the aperture. It was as if the scene was not of Africa, but a nightscape of somewhere in Europe. As gas lamps produce strong light, I was concerned about artifacts such as ghosting, but I need not have worried as I was able to take clear shots with the lens.

A standard zoom is a go-to lens for travel. Standard zooms are subjected to frequent use for that reason, which means they also need to be reliable. That is why when in overseas filming locations where you can’t rely on reshoots, in the past I have relied on high-end lenses. But when shooting travel snaps overseas, where you will often keep walking around all day, a lens being a little lighter is absolutely an advantage. Despite its light weight, this lens does not fall short on the functionality side, and I think it will eliminate the hassle of lugging around a heavy lens in the future. I think this high image quality standard zoom that is light weight and compact despite being full-frame compatible with an F2.8 maximum aperture truly sets the “standard” for zoom lenses. I shoot a lot of night scenes, and always have a hard time processing harsh point light sources. Often you don’t notice flaring or ghosting when you are shooting dark night scenes, only to realize afterward and end up with disappointing results. A lens with good performance in backlit conditions is also good for shooting night scenes.