Street candids lens - what do you use ?

joseluisherranz · May 8, 2014

Have heard that a good FL is 35 mm.

Well I use AF-S 85 1.8 and find it very usable.

I prefer to shoot from a distance.

What do you use ?

JJ168 · May 8, 2014

I love 70-200 2.8, but the weight started to bother me.

joseluisherranz · May 8, 2014

Right.

I was thinking about the 70-200 f4 but it still is large.

I used to shoot the canon version but boy, that WHITE colours made you very "visible".

The af speed of SLR are good for fast snaps, but size and weight are beginning to bother.

Mirrorless.....???

nathantw · May 8, 2014

joseluisherranz said:
Have heard that a good FL is 35 mm.

Well I use AF-S 85 1.8 and find it very usable.

I prefer to shoot from a distance.

What do you use ?

There sure is a lot of heavy vignetting in the corners. Did you do this yourself through post processing or is the lens like that? There is a huge hot spot similar to the 28-300 at f/5.6.

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sgoldswo · May 8, 2014

I prefer 20, 24 or 28mm for street photography. Using a portrait lens on a DSLR is a bit of a confrontational approach for street photography for me. That said, I took some nice street shots with the 70-200 F4 when I was sitting in parliament square in London a few weeks ago.
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adamba · May 8, 2014

I use 70-200VRII and it doesn't seem to be overly heavy, though not really light.

heulwen · May 8, 2014

I too prefer a longer lens. Now it's mostly the 85/1.4G, but I'm thinking about getting myself the 135/2... I don't like being close, being an observer is far more enjoyable for me, isolating things. Do not have a need of being up-close-and-personal.

One of my personal photography heroes, Saul Leiter, loved to use a 150mm in the 50's.

Some of my shots, all at 85mm (except one at 70mm with the 70-300, not a bad lens that one either):

Rexgig0 · May 8, 2014

In some places, especially where the density of structures is low, and people tend to converse at greater distances from each other, a longer lens seems necessary in order for the shooter to avoid seeming intrusive and/or confrontational. Of course, a longer lens, itself, can be seen as intrusive. I am not enough of a street shooter to provide much advice; this is just what I have noticed during my feeble attempts at street shooting.

One reason for my recent acquisition of a Voigtlander 90mm SL II was to have a compact lens with a bit of reach.

Rexgig0 · May 8, 2014

I should also mention I have favored a Canon 135mm 2.0L and Nikkor 180mm 2.8D lenses for candid shots. These are moderately long lenses with fairy low, discreet profiles.

stew84 · May 8, 2014

Nice work, i like your style.. I'm more of a landscape guy but happened to try out some candid stuff today using the 85mm 1.8g. Found the FL neither here nor there, think something longer would have suited me better. Although, I liked the more discreet nature of the prime opposed to a big telephoto and once I managed to nail focus, the lovely isolation from shooting wide open.

user_name · May 8, 2014

Sharp and small. I have it on my FM3a right now.

For street work I prefer something small (both lens and body), so I usually use an M8 with a 28mm Zeiss (35mm equivalent).

JJ168 · May 9, 2014

adamba said:
I use 70-200VRII and it doesn't seem to be overly heavy, though not really light.

Completely agree. However, i can't think this way anymore since most of my outing are with my kids nowdays

JJ168 · May 9, 2014

Some beautiful captures.

joseluisherranz · May 9, 2014

Added myself. I don´t know why, but I like to do it.

Perhaps to draw attention to the main subject.

joseluisherranz · May 9, 2014

Rexgig0 said:
In some places, especially where the density of structures is low, and people tend to converse at greater distances from each other, a longer lens seems necessary in order for the shooter to avoid seeming intrusive and/or confrontational. Of course, a longer lens, itself, can be seen as intrusive. I am not enough of a street shooter to provide much advice; this is just what I have noticed during my feeble attempts at street shooting.

One reason for my recent acquisition of a Voigtlander 90mm SL II was to have a compact lens with a bit of reach.

joseluisherranz · May 9, 2014

Rexgig0 said:
I should also mention I have favored a Canon 135mm 2.0L and Nikkor 180mm 2.8D lenses for candid shots. These are moderately long lenses with fairy low, discreet profiles.

--
I wear a badge and pistol, and, primarily with 7D cameras, with an EF-S 10-22mm and 100mm Macro L, make evidentiary images at night, which incorporates elements of portrait, macro, still life, landscape, architecture, and PJ. During personal time, I enjoy using both Canons and Nikons.

Had for short time the nikon 180 and sold it because it seemed to have little microcontrast or whatever it is called, that is it seemed to produce dull colours and somehow plain.

Perhaps then I wasn´t familiar or good enough with PP.

Did not try the Canon one which was in my list when I had Canon, but when you go long, I think it´s better a zoom though the good ones are big.

Have used the Tamron 70-300 VC with some success but it was also heavy and large.

The reach and compactness was great though.

Here a couple from Nikon 180

And with the tamron 70-300

tommiejeep · May 9, 2014

Depends on where I am shooting, how I'm going to shoot and if I want interaction or totally candid. Everything from 35mm to 200mm. I'm waiting on a 24 2.8D since I cannot afford the 1.4 at the moment and I am looking for a 20 2.8D at the moment. With the EM1, I like the 45 1.8, 75 1.8 and 12-40 2.8. I'll get the 17 1.8.

heulwen · May 9, 2014

Thank you. I haven't done much in terms of street photography lately, when digging through my pictures I got the urge to get back out there again, and most especially get my behind over to Istanbul!

heulwen · May 9, 2014

Thank you so very much, I'm glad you liked them,

.

pixelless · May 9, 2014

I don´t do a whole lot of street shooting. But if I am more interested in the people I tend to use my Sigma 105 OS. It´s not huge, is pretty sharp, good isolation, and on a crop body it gives me a confortable distance to shoot candid. If I want to capture more of the place, or if I am shooting friends, I use my Nikon 35 1.8G.

Street candids lens - what do you use ?

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