Chinatown 65:24 by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure
I recently decided to experiment with the 65:24 aspect ratio option in my GFX50R (and for that matter, the GFX50S). As I often do street photography in NYC's Chinatown, it was natural I start this experiment on its crowded streets. After just a morning of doing just so, I realized that its long, thin panoramic "letterbox format" style gets quite addictive...so I returned a few times since, and tried to improve the technique.
This aspect ratio option replicates a wide panoramic 65x24mm negative, which is approximately equal to the width of two standard 35mm frames side by side. The well known Hasselblad XPan's 65x24mm film negative size is one the better known examples. It is quite challenging especially in street scenes of Chinatown, and it pushed me to see differently; almost peripherally.
Although better suited to landscapes (and frequently to cinematic projects), I found the 65x24mm aspect ratio to be visually quite appealing in certain scenes. Parked cars often shielded the crowds of pedestrians going about their shopping, so interesting scenes were not as plentiful as I hoped. It's certainly a different type of street photography...if it can be called that.
Perhaps streetscapes is a better description.
