Amazing JPEGs right out of the box Fujifilm X S-20 – Prayagraj Magh Mela at night

Fujifilm Mirrorless Cameras are known to give JPEGs which are ready to share on messengers and social media. X S-10 was a game changer for the street photographer and content creator. Fujifilm followed it up with the X S-20 which comes with a greater punch. I have paired this camera with another great street photography lens, the Tamron 18-300mm which has both stabilization as well as a quiet motor. It gives a fantastic range to capture street action but it also is a great all rounder lens.

Here is one example of how great the JPEGs are.

Prayagraj Magh Mela

Before we begin sharing the pictures, you should hear a word or two about Prayagraj Magh Mela. Every city or town anywhere in the world has some space or open ground where a carnival can be setup. Big towns or cities have got multiple such open spaces. Prayagraj is known the world over as the ancient city in Uttar Pradesh where we have the confluence of three rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and the invisible Saraswati. Except for the enclosed Fort area, rest all the Sangam is open ground. There is a specific mela area where every winters the Prayagraj Magh Mela is held.

Talking about mela it is the Hindi word for a fun fair. In the good old days, it was this Kumbh Mela where children used to get lost or old folks used to be abandoned. The expansive sangam area provides for a space to host a fair of any size. However the mela area is now exclusively marked as the one behind the fort opposite of triveni sangam.

With bright lights and busy stalls all those rides provide an excellent opportunity for photography. It is also time to test the night capabilities of both the Fujifilm X S-20 and the Tamron 18 -300mm.

There was this interesting exhibition stall on ISRO. While I did not go inside, this was pretty awesome and impressive.

A replica of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir of Ayodhya.

The main attraction of a fair is always those shops selling everything under the sun and that too at attractive prices.

Capabilities of Fujifilm X S-20

As they say, a camera is only as good as the lens it is paired with. You can get away with a cheap camera but your lens has to be the best. Unfortunately there is no possibility of an all in one lens for the explorer. The Tamron 18 – 300mm comes really close as the perfect lens. But zoom lens are never as sharp as primes. Primes and constant aperture telephoto lens are ridiculously expensive.

If you understand the limitations of this lens, then you will enjoy it. For this photoshoot I used F 3.5 to F 5.0 in aperture priority to get maximum light in. During the daytime you can take F 8.0 to get the sweet spot of sharpness and low noise.