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Lens Question for Street Photographers

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TowedJumper

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If you are a street photographer and use mostly or exclusively prime lenses, what focal length would you say you don't leave home without?

24mm / 35mm / 50mm / 85mm or even 100mm?

I'd love to get some real street experience on what has worked the best in the past for you guys.
 
My Sig 50 1.4 is my fave
--
May the light be with you
Stop global whining
Stupid should hurt

Gear: My Lab Lara, cameras, lens, tripod, monopod, cars, MH, motorcycle, helmet, yacht, etc. too much stuff.
 
I would think 50mm is popular for this type of photography, but would like to hear what others think. 50mm was what Cartier Bresson used.

When I say 50mm I mean that as an equivalent of 35mm format focal length.

(So in actuality is approximately a 35mm lens on my Nikon crop camera)

Please can people specify if they mean equivalent focal length in their replies?

This is an interesting thread to learn from...
 
TowedJumper said:
24mm / 35mm / 50mm / 85mm or even 100mm?
Click to expand...
In my personal view of things, the best street photo's are made when you are a participant. With a lens longer than about 50mm (75 equiv.) you are at best just an observer, at worst a voyeur.

Taken at 22mm (33 equiv.):



--
Tacoma, Washington, USA
 
My favorite lens for street photography is my Olympus Zuiko 40-150mm lens, which gives me 80-300mm EFL pictures. I know other people may like to use more wide angle lenses, but I like to get in close. It's an inexpensive lens, but it's known to deliver sharp photos. Here's some examples from various focal lengths.

The first two pictures are from our annual city parade.

Olympus E-500, Zuiko 40-150mm lens, ISO320, F9, 1/640, 40mm FL (80mm EFL)



Olympus E-500, Zuiko 40-150mm lens, ISO320, F14, 1/400, 73mm FL (146mm EFL)



Here's some beach "street photography". We had cloudy weather that day; that's why the ocean is a gray color. We just had a small amount of sunshine coming in between the clouds. I liked the affect.

Olympus E-500, Zuiko 40-150mm lens, ISO100, F10, 1/320, 106mm FL (212mm EFL)

 
I mostly agree with the shorter focal length in terms of being personal with street subjects.A few have listed long focal lengths on this thread. People on the streets might find it intimidating carrying around a Sig 120-300mm?

I understand that you can definitely get more candid shots with such a long lens. But a shorter FC gives the scene a more 'intimate' feel for the subject(s) IMO.
 
The Olympus Zuiko 40-150mm lens that I use is quite small. The 2.0x crop factor gets us close.

Some people might be shy about getting close to people. But I like to mix right in with them with this relatively small lens. I suppose it would be similar to one who had a superzoom P&S camera. With the right camera, an equivalent focal length as I use or as others use does not have to be intimidating.

Olympus E-500, Zuiko 40-150mm lens, ISO320, F9, 1/1000, 40mm FL (80mm EFL)

 
I really like your images - both posts. For some reason the first is my favorite - although they're all good. Street photography is my favorite. The E-Pl2 serves me well. :-)

I have the 40-150 - use it mostly on the E-PL2. It's a fine lens.

Thanks for sharing your work.

Maria
 
TowedJumper said:
If you are a street photographer and use mostly or exclusively prime lenses, what focal length would you say you don't leave home without?

24mm / 35mm / 50mm / 85mm or even 100mm?

I'd love to get some real street experience on what has worked the best in the past for you guys.
Click to expand...
A Nikon 24mm used to be the go for me. Liked the perspective. Could get in close and shoot without using the finder just on instinct and camera movement was far less of an issue than it is with something longer so I could just slip the camera into place and shoot and be gone before anyone knew I was there. I could hold the camera behind my back and shoot what I expected to be there as I walked past and shoot while looking in other directions. I miss that setup. Good old film Nikon. Now I use a G10 and never get away with the same methods. Good clear and sharp shots are a lot rarer.

--

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting it. -Aristotle

The one serious conviction one should hold is that nothing should be taken too seriously.
...oh, and I see by the lack of responses that I am right yet again.
 
That's excellent photography, specially the 21mm shots. I also prefer shorter focal lengths, although your technique is 180 degrees different from mine, as to where you are very discreet with your photography, I'm very open when I take photographs of my subjects.
 
Thank you. As long as you have fun any technique is good.
21mm with 1.5 crop is not very short.

14mm with 1.5 crop will make 21mm. This is short lens and I cannot imagine that you can use viewfinder being so close.
--
Greg Y.
http://www.candidstreetphoto.com
 
Right now, my favorite street shooter is my Olympus EP1 with 17mm lens. But that's mostly because the camera is so small and unobtrusive. If I had a Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens, then that would be my top choice.

It really goes back to the great small rangefinder cameras I used... like the Olympus RC or the Canonet 17. I guess I'm just used to the semi wide view.
--
Marty
http://www.fluidr.com/photos/marty4650/sets/72157606210120132
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marty4650/sets/72157606210120132/show/
my blog: http://marty4650.blogspot.com/
Olympus E-30
Olympus E-P1

 
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