DSLR or MIRRORLESS for street photography

[LEROY PAUL]

Should i get a DSLR or a mirrorless camera for street photography ? I'm struggle between this 2 type of camera . Which really suit for street photography ? I'm still comparing Nikon d7100 for DSLR and Olympus ep-5 and Panasonic GX7 for mirrorless . Please give me some advise .

Thanks

 

[xtoph]

LEROY PAUL wrote:

Should i get a DSLR or a mirrorless camera for street photography ? I'm struggle between this 2 type of camera . Which really suit for street photography ? I'm still comparing Nikon d7100 for DSLR and Olympus ep-5 and Panasonic GX7 for mirrorless . Please give me some advise .

i haven't had a chance to use the new crop of mirrorless cameras personally, though i have used their predecessors and i've taken note of some of the early reviews. they appear to be excellent cameras, and the oly in particular is well known for its face tracking af, useful in street, and proven sensor. the new high res vf for it is an additional cost, of course.

in my experience, there isn't a huge difference between shooting street with a smallish dslr (like the excellent nikon) and a mirrorless camera. all other things being equal, though, there is a little bit of difference. the smaller cameras are generally less intimidating to people. your attitude as you use them will probably matter more though.

the sensor and af on the nikon will be a bit better than the mirrorless, and the af in particular might help you get some difficult shots. more importantly, the good quality optical vf is a very strong tool to use to make the most of your opportunities. the nikon is the safe choice--you can't really go wrong with it.

but in the end i would choose based on what lens or lenses you want to use. the pany 14/2.5 or oly 17/1.8 are probably the best choices currently for mirrorless street. either of those will keep the size advantage of the system and deliver fine results. with the nikon, you probably want the 28/1.8 (though that is even nicer on full frame) to retain speed, though at a slightly longer effective angle. this is the difficulty with dslr systems: the lenses still aren't completely fleshed out for crop sensors. so unless you are interested in bumping up to a d600... (bear in mind that you may save some money by getting to use cheaper lenses with it; e.g., on a d600, you can use the inexpensive 28/1.8, while to get closer to that performance on the d7100, you would need the larger and more expensive 24/1.4... )

so that may not make your decision for you, but i hope it helps. the new mirrorless options do finally offer good direct controls, so for the first time, they come close to real parity with bigger cameras.

if you still can't decide, ask yourself which setup you will be happier bringing over your shoulder everywhere you go. if you are less likely to bring the larger system with you, then unless you also need to use it to shoot sports, go with the smaller mirrorless camera.

have fun--

 

[Blanko00]

I'd go GX7... but you should get into a shop, try them out. Have you thought about Nikon A or Fuji X cameras, or very street orientated, the new Ricoh GR.

 

[LEROY PAUL]

Blanko00 wrote:

I'd go GX7... but you should get into a shop, try them out. Have you thought about Nikon A or Fuji X cameras, or very street orientated, the new Ricoh GR.

 

[LEROY PAUL]

xtoph wrote:

LEROY PAUL wrote:

Should i get a DSLR or a mirrorless camera for street photography ? I'm struggle between this 2 type of camera . Which really suit for street photography ? I'm still comparing Nikon d7100 for DSLR and Olympus ep-5 and Panasonic GX7 for mirrorless . Please give me some advise .

i haven't had a chance to use the new crop of mirrorless cameras personally, though i have used their predecessors and i've taken note of some of the early reviews. they appear to be excellent cameras, and the oly in particular is well known for its face tracking af, useful in street, and proven sensor. the new high res vf for it is an additional cost, of course.

in my experience, there isn't a huge difference between shooting street with a smallish dslr (like the excellent nikon) and a mirrorless camera. all other things being equal, though, there is a little bit of difference. the smaller cameras are generally less intimidating to people. your attitude as you use them will probably matter more though.

the sensor and af on the nikon will be a bit better than the mirrorless, and the af in particular might help you get some difficult shots. more importantly, the good quality optical vf is a very strong tool to use to make the most of your opportunities. the nikon is the safe choice--you can't really go wrong with it.

but in the end i would choose based on what lens or lenses you want to use. the pany 14/2.5 or oly 17/1.8 are probably the best choices currently for mirrorless street. either of those will keep the size advantage of the system and deliver fine results. with the nikon, you probably want the 28/1.8 (though that is even nicer on full frame) to retain speed, though at a slightly longer effective angle. this is the difficulty with dslr systems: the lenses still aren't completely fleshed out for crop sensors. so unless you are interested in bumping up to a d600... (bear in mind that you may save some money by getting to use cheaper lenses with it; e.g., on a d600, you can use the inexpensive 28/1.8, while to get closer to that performance on the d7100, you would need the larger and more expensive 24/1.4... )

so that may not make your decision for you, but i hope it helps. the new mirrorless options do finally offer good direct controls, so for the first time, they come close to real parity with bigger cameras.

if you still can't decide, ask yourself which setup you will be happier bringing over your shoulder everywhere you go. if you are less likely to bring the larger system with you, then unless you also need to use it to shoot sports, go with the smaller mirrorless camera.

have fun

someone recommend me d7100 with 35 mm and 50 mm lens , oly with 17mm f1.8 will be excellent . i'm still waiting for the gx7 launching . i quite interested with the nikon d7100 but just worry of the weight will makes me feel irritating . you're correct , the nikon af really awesome and the optical are pretty nice .

 

[Digirame]

Presently, I'm using two to three DSLR cameras at a time. If you don't want the mirror-slap noise, so you can take candid pictures up close without anyone being distracted, you might consider mirrorless (the ones that are more quiet in operation). I don't normally take pictures of people that close (like within three or four feet); otherwise a mirrorless camera might be better. But sometimes I will take pictures of people very close, but it's usually because there's a lot of background noise or I just want to take the picture anyway (and don't care if there is the mirror-slap noise).

I remember once using my old 6mp Sony H2 P&S camera, where I would hold the camera without looking through the viewfinder (at about chest high), and click away like crazy. There's no noise, and I got lots of candid pictures of people that way. Although, many will say we should always use the viewfinder (and not shoot from the hip). But I've found that people often will move away from camera, if they see it pointed in their direction as we look through the viewfinder at eye-level.

Here's one recent example, where the two men separated to each side, after they saw me with the camera (using the viewfinder at eye-level). Normally, they would have kept walking straight ahead. So, having a noisy mirror-slap and using the viewfinder at eye-level might reduce your ability to get those special shots. Take all of that into consideration, as you look for a new camera.

 

[Sal18]

Check out the Fuji X-E1 and X100S....you con't have to spend the big bucks on the Pro1.

Sal

 

[Cailean Gallimore]

An amusing observation about street photography:

When someone is walking down the street and they see someone pointing a DSLR at them, they reflexively think they should move out of the photographers way.

When someone is walking down the street and they see someone pointing a small camera at them, they think the photographer should move out of their way.

Lol.

Honestly, I've seen this dozens of times

 

[PSCL1]

To the OP: Sounds like you were going to buy m4/3 mirrorless, then someone gave you second thoughts with a Nikon. For street shooting, you definitely need small size - forget any Nikon DX DSLR. If you don't mind absence of a viewfinder, ANY Olympus Pen body (except the too-large OMD EM5) is recommended, EP(L/M)-x. The Panasonic GX-7 is tempting only because of the viewfinder but no-one knows yet how it will perform. Lenses: Prime(s) only: Panasonic 20 f1.7 or 14 f2.5 are cheap and small; critics claim the 20's AF is too slow but it is one of the great lenses of all time, up there with 35 - 50 Leica lenses in image quality ad 'look.' Wanna spend too much? 17 1.8 or 12 f2 Oly primes. All the Fuji's, Sony's et al which others have/are going to suggest are too large and cost too much for what you get.

 

[Cailean Gallimore]

PSCL1 wrote:

To the OP: Sounds like you were going to buy m4/3 mirrorless, then someone gave you second thoughts with a Nikon. For street shooting, you definitely need small size - forget any Nikon DX DSLR. If you don't mind absence of a viewfinder, ANY Olympus Pen body (except the too-large OMD EM5) is recommended, EP(L/M)-x. The Panasonic GX-7 is tempting only because of the viewfinder but no-one knows yet how it will perform. Lenses: Prime(s) only: Panasonic 20 f1.7 or 14 f2.5 are cheap and small; critics claim the 20's AF is too slow but it is one of the great lenses of all time, up there with 35 - 50 Leica lenses in image quality ad 'look.' Wanna spend too much? 17 1.8 or 12 f2 Oly primes. All the Fuji's, Sony's et al which others have/are going to suggest are too large and cost too much for what you get.

I am particularly fond of street portraits, and in my experience the small camera is much the better tool. I like to engage with the people I photograph and people are much more at ease with a low-profile camera.

 

[Silvernitrate]

Get what you are most comfortable with, there is no rule that states a camera should be small and desecrate and there is no rule that states you should only use primes.

The only real advantage of mirror-less is its smaller size and in the case of M4/3 the smaller lenses.

 

[Brad Evans]

Really, it doesn't make much difference. I shoot with an iPhone, a Sony RX100, and a Canon 6D. They all work fine.

Street photography is incredibly undemanding with respect to gear. For me, it's about being out there in the mix of energy and street dynamics, trying to catch moments other people walking by take for granted. I will say, again for me, shooting close, like with a 35mm lens (referenced to a full frame) works best, letting me be in the zone, rather than shooting from a half block away.

............
Brad
Urban photoblog: http://www.citysnaps.net
.

 

[adamba]

It's just a personal preference. I'm into a street portrait and use Nikon D7000 with 70-200VRII most of the time, sometimes Nikon 24-70 and seldom Nikon 12-24. Check my work

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamba100/

Here is an example:

 

[Silvernitrate]

Another advantage mirror-less might well have apart from size in the case of the GX7 and EP5 is the tilting touch screen the enables shooting from the hip without shooting blind, I know dslr`s have live view these days but its still a little slow and clunky compared to the new bread of camera`s.

Not everybody enjoys shooting from the hip so it may not even be an advantage

 

[Charles Pike]

I shot with a SLR and then DSLR for years. I always loved my 35mm and later DX equipment, but I did have trouble shooting street with the larger equipment. First there was the weight, I have been a shooter for over 50 years, and I don't like to haul around all that equipment today. Second were the rent a cops, who said I couldn't shoot in uptown Charlotte (no longer true today, if you are on the sidewalk they will not stop you). As others have said, people take notice of a large camera and not so much if you are using a smaller body. If you are on a budget, you might think about a discontinued model, as they might well be last years cream of the crop. I just bought my son a G5 from B&H, and bought myself a second G3 when B&H reduced the body of the G3 to $250. Buying a discontinued body might open the way to buying a great lens like the 20 mm or 25 mm (I know that there are others, but those two I own).




I like to work close and try to fill the frame. I am starting to shoot in 1:1 to not include anything other than the subject. In the past I have talked about using other methods than the center focus point, but someone pointed out that my photos are not always tack sharp (I am still learning and willing to change).

www.photosbypike.com

 

[LEROY PAUL]

PSCL1 wrote:

To the OP: Sounds like you were going to buy m4/3 mirrorless, then someone gave you second thoughts with a Nikon. For street shooting, you definitely need small size - forget any Nikon DX DSLR. If you don't mind absence of a viewfinder, ANY Olympus Pen body (except the too-large OMD EM5) is recommended, EP(L/M)-x. The Panasonic GX-7 is tempting only because of the viewfinder but no-one knows yet how it will perform. Lenses: Prime(s) only: Panasonic 20 f1.7 or 14 f2.5 are cheap and small; critics claim the 20's AF is too slow but it is one of the great lenses of all time, up there with 35 - 50 Leica lenses in image quality ad 'look.' Wanna spend too much? 17 1.8 or 12 f2 Oly primes. All the Fuji's, Sony's et al which others have/are going to suggest are too large and cost too much for what you get.

you're totally correct , my uncle gave a second choice of nikon d7100 , i had trial the nikon d7100 and the oly e-p5 . the the impressions that nikon d7100 gave me was ' it's really heavy and bulky 'but i still love the optical viewfinder and the fast focus time , and the oly e-p5 was great ! i love it very much but it's don't have built in viewfinder , makes me stop there . i love gx 7 because of the built in viewfinder , but there's no one knows yet the perform . i'm still waiting the gx 7 launch and do some comparison .

 

[LEROY PAUL]

Cailean Gallimore wrote:

PSCL1 wrote:

To the OP: Sounds like you were going to buy m4/3 mirrorless, then someone gave you second thoughts with a Nikon. For street shooting, you definitely need small size - forget any Nikon DX DSLR. If you don't mind absence of a viewfinder, ANY Olympus Pen body (except the too-large OMD EM5) is recommended, EP(L/M)-x. The Panasonic GX-7 is tempting only because of the viewfinder but no-one knows yet how it will perform. Lenses: Prime(s) only: Panasonic 20 f1.7 or 14 f2.5 are cheap and small; critics claim the 20's AF is too slow but it is one of the great lenses of all time, up there with 35 - 50 Leica lenses in image quality ad 'look.' Wanna spend too much? 17 1.8 or 12 f2 Oly primes. All the Fuji's, Sony's et al which others have/are going to suggest are too large and cost too much for what you get.

I am particularly fond of street portraits, and in my experience the small camera is much the better tool. I like to engage with the people I photograph and people are much more at ease with a low-profile camera.

maybe low profile brings out the soul of the photo . that's great too

 

[LEROY PAUL]

adamba wrote:

It's just a personal preference. I'm into a street portrait and use Nikon D7000 with 70-200VRII most of the time, sometimes Nikon 24-70 and seldom Nikon 12-24. Check my work

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamba100/

Here is an example:

ignore the bulky weight , nikon d7100 are still my choices . love the perform ! anyway , your works are awesome ! thanks a lot

--
LEROY PAUL LEONG CHEE YEUNG

 

[LEROY PAUL]

Silvernitrate wrote:

Another advantage mirror-less might well have apart from size in the case of the GX7 and EP5 is the tilting touch screen the enables shooting from the hip without shooting blind, I know dslr`s have live view these days but its still a little slow and clunky compared to the new bread of camera`s.

Not everybody enjoys shooting from the hip so it may not even be an advantage

DSLR = perform

mirrorless = fun , enjoy , convenient

the tilting touch screen won't be an advantage for me but i'll still love the weight and those art filters

--


LEROY PAUL LEONG CHEE YEUNG

 

[LEROY PAUL]

Silvernitrate wrote:

Get what you are most comfortable with, there is no rule that states a camera should be small and desecrate and there is no rule that states you should only use primes.

The only real advantage of mirror-less is its smaller size and in the case of M4/3 the smaller lenses.

i love grip , optical viewfinder , perform from DSLR . you're totally correct , that's no rule in street photography .