he Dickens Fair is one of those places where the light feels alive—soft gas-lamp glows, pockets of shadow, and sudden bursts of color from costumes and shop windows. It’s magical to walk through, but it can be a tricky environment for photography. This year again I brought a lightweight setup: the Nikon Z50 and the compact NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2, and the combination turned out to be surprisingly capable in the gloom.
My son and I did go before Thanksgiving. It was a great way to enjoy the fair without so many people, since most are not thinking about Xmas just yet.
The Z50’s sensor holds up well as the ISO climbs, and the Z 40mm’s f/2 aperture gives just enough brightness to keep shutter speeds workable without pushing things into noisy territory.
The 40mm focal length was also a sweet spot: wide enough for tight indoor spaces, but still able to capture candid portraits without distortion. And because the whole kit is so small, it never felt intrusive. I could move through the crowds, duck into narrow alleys, and catch unscripted moments without attracting attention.
It’s not a “low-light monster,” but the Z50 paired with the Z 40mm f/2 is absolutely up to the challenge of the Fair—quiet, nimble, and pleasantly responsive in a setting where light is part of the story.
The Dickens Fair
The Dickens Fair is a vibrant, immersive holiday event that brings the world of Charles Dickens’ Victorian England to life. Set in a sprawling recreation of 19th-century London, it offers visitors an enchanting mix of costumed performers, themed shops, lively entertainment, and traditional food and drink. Guests can wander cobblestone streets filled with characters like Ebenezer Scrooge and carolers, enjoy theatrical performances, or participate in festive dances. Whether savoring a cup of mulled cider or browsing handcrafted gifts, the fair captures the warmth and wonder of the holiday season, making it a cherished tradition for all ages.
Photography at the Dickens Fair
The event presents unique challenges: low light, mixed lighting, and crowded scenes.
In a previous post, I explained my preference for the Z50, particularly for its compact size and discreet design. The kit lens, however, isn’t adequate for low-light conditions, hence the addition of the Z40 to my equipment list was a winner. And last year, I posted about photographing the fair with my Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8.
Thanks to modern advancements in artificial intelligence, noise is no longer a major limiting factor in photography. For the photos below, I used f/1.8 and ISO settings between 1,250 and 2,000, while maintaining a shutter speed of around 1/60. The images, which were noisy, benefited from Adobe Camera Raw’s AI-assisted denoise. The results are impressively clean, and acceptably sharp.
Shooting wide open-a few tips
One thing to keep in mind when you are shooting wide open is that you will not have much depth of field (D.O.F.). Stepping away then cropping will give you more D.O.F. than trying to photograph from close. When photographing a person, focus on the eye closest to the camera, and when photographing groups of people, or objects, focus on those in the foreground. It is more natural to observe things going gradually out of focus, than to have the background elements in focus while the foreground is out.
The FEATURED IMAGE portrays a live model inside the window of a shop. Note that for the times, she had a lot of skin showing, and that she is showing a portion of her leg, something that, during the Victorian era (1837–1901), was considered taboo .
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Wall Art landscapes and miscellaneous
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It is all about the light 
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