House of Glory Fallout with the Leica Q & Fuji XT
I’m a wrestling fan. I’m also a fan of photography and the associated gear for it! So when there was a local show a few subway stops from my home that feature Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 5 wrestler of the world, Hijo de Vikingo, I just had to come through and test out how well my Leica Q shots high octane action shots.
Of course, the Leica Q can handle low light shots during meeting with Mr. Top 5 wrestler, Vikingo, his awesome helmet that he was selling for $400, and some fans cosplaying as Macho Man and X-pac. But as soon as the show started, even at the premium 2nd row seats, the focal length was an issue. It’s just too wide at 28mm, and all my shots were either too far or doesn’t capture the moment of impact.
David who brought his Fuji XT camera that has a cropped 50mm lens, worked way better. At 50mm, he had some nice shots of the actions and dramatic moments. You can take a look here:
I wanted to experience Vikingo’s match without any distractions, so I didn’t take as many pictures. I’ve seen his matches on TV through AEW and online on Ring Of Honor, Impact and Triple AAA, and I became a fan of his high flying death defying move set. Seeing them in person got me mesmerized. I had to get his mask for this occasion. But at $500, I don’t know.
Anyway, David’s camera and its lens were perfect capturing Vikingo’s match, as well as the other matches on the card. The black and white added a more dramatic look with these pictures. Take a look on some more examples:
Lesson learned: it’s best to have the right focal length lens for sporting events. 50mm or above would be the best. And of course, a fast one at that since most events are in low light environment. and the depth of field makes a different if is a crowd you’re shooting from. It gives it more personality. Here’s one of my favorite that David took:
Even though I failed to capture anything special with my Leica Q, I still needed something awesome to have as a keepsake for this moment. Seeing Vikingo LIVE for the first time was something special. So I had to get that helmet… and after going back and forth haggling for a better price… Vikingo agreed for $350. It was still steep but it was worth it… at least to me….
