Point & Shoot for Street Photography ?

See if you can try a Fuji F30. Very good low light performance, excellent built-in B&W mode, pocketable.
No viewfinder though which is a pity, and it doesn't look sexy but who cares for that.
You should be able to pick one up relatively cheap.

Otherwise the Ricoh GRD seems to be an excellent choice, but I have only held it in my hands so I cannot add any value here.
 
I would say no for a couple of reasons, some of which others have missed.

1) For street photography, shots are made or lost based on whether the shutter can be released at the exact right moment. Sometimes, 1/2 second is too long, and I've missed the shot.

2) They nearly always default to auto flash mode, so you either have to leave the camera on all the time (and some of them assume you've forgotten and turn back off) or you have to remember to cancel the flahs each time.

3) Even though the majority of the time, you might be shooting in Program mode, there WILL be a time when you want some control. Maybe you want to shoot wide open, so that the distracting background isn't sharp. Maybe you WANT some motion blur for a sense of speed? Maybe you ARE willing to brace the camera in order to get a large depth of focus. Most P&S don't give you these options.

In the end, your composition will be better than a snapshooter's, but they may look a little too typically touristy for your taste due to the lack of manual control.

I would settle for nothing less than semi-automatic; either aperture or shutter priority. Even with my XA, I sometimes miss more control, so that is as automatic as I will go, unless I'm really in tourist mode and photography is not first priority.
 
It is possible, but aside from the difficulties that have been pointed out, one problem I have encountered it that you need to point the camera at the subject to autofocus and lock focus and exposure. This tell-tale sign seldom goes unnoticed especially by people who do not want to have their photo taken.

That is why, compared to other p&s cameras I have used in this way, I prefer the Ricoh GR-1, which has a "snap" focus mode which presets the focus to 2m. This also makes shutter lag very minimal.
 
I have an Olympus Stylus Epic that I got from Randy. I love it. However, there's one major drawback. With it's narrow DOF I wouldn't trust shooting with it from the hip when I'm not sure what it's pointing at. Some focus-free P&S cameras might do the job well though.
 
I used to carry a Hexar AF precisely for the reasons articulted throughout this thread. For me, it had manual controls when i wanted them, automatic for those times. It was unobstrucive in all respects, and allowed me to pass through the scene unnoticed.
 
P&S is great for size, but the street needs shutter response. Even the Contax T3 with locked focus has 1/2sec delay and that (as mentioned by Jeremy) is too long. While not strictly a P&S, the original Contax T is my top choice (instant response leaf shutter, invisible in the hand).
 
jscolman@scolma said:
stupid ? ? ? ............... Jim.
Click to expand...


Hi Jim, you are right, those little marvels aren't stupid at all. Mea culpa.
Cheers,
Ruben
 
Jeremy Z said:
I would say no for a couple of reasons, some of which others have missed..................
Click to expand...

Hi Jeremy, thank you for disagreeing, what a relief from my usual seat !

I would just comment that point 3 in your post is so so to my non enlightened opinion, if you accept the P&S for what it is, instead of regarding it as a competitor besides a fully manual or semi-automatic camera.

So our case AGAINST P&S goes somewhat like this:

a) The flash issue

b) The AF lag issue

c) Small viewfinder (why no one is commenting about it ? )


Cheers,
Ruben
 
I think I went a little over-the-top in my P&S selection. I ended up with this:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=524976&postcount=352

I'm hoping its the ultimate autofocus film P&S camera, but we'll see. Perhaps I shouldn't have got black (in the interests of looking more like a tourist) and it isn't really small (or cheap) but I'm hoping I'll enjoy using it and that the lenses live up to their reputation.

...Mike
 
I think Ruben makes a good point re: P&S being accepted for what they are and not as a substitute for full featured cameras. That's a tough thing to do for people who agonize over which of their 6-50mm lenses to gake along on an outing.
I've got a XA on the way that I hope will serve as my P&S.
 
OT Post (my apologies)

OT Post (my apologies)

dazedgonebye said:
...I've got a XA on the way that I hope will serve as my P&S.
Click to expand...

If all is well with it, you will love it. It looks like an amateur P&S, but it has real capability.

The only dilemma I have with mine is that I don't want to put it directly into my pocket for fear that lint & dust will dirty it up inside again. If I put it in a case, it isn't a pocket camera any more because it becomes a bigger package to carry.

Honestly, the size of the lens is in no way tied to its optical quality. It is multicoated, contrasty, and sharp.
 
I hate to be a naysayer here but I don't really think the lens on the XA is all that great. I shot with one for awhile exclusively and while it's a great camera design and very fun to use, I found the lens tended to flare and often produced hexagon shaped flare marks. It also vignetted quite a bit wide open. Now a sub $100 camera has no reason to have a lens any better than that, but especially if you like to display photos taken with different cameras/lenses together, you are probably going to notice the XA vs. quality rangefinder glass.

But it has no shutter lag and is pocketable and opening the lens and carrying it with the lens open is much better than the Minox/Contax T drawbridge style opening.

Personally this thread gave me GAS and I just ponied up for a dark grey T2.

XA Flare:

20060421044452_kid.jpg


20060212141515_30-pier-pylons.jpg
 
'The only dilemma I have with mine is that I don't want to put it directly into my pocket for fear that lint & dust will dirty it up inside again. If I put it in a case, it isn't a pocket camera any more because it becomes a bigger package to carry.'

Why not make a car wash leather pouch for your XA - relatively cheap, pretty thin, so not very bulky. Of course you have to be able to sew!! If not ......

As I really wear only one jacket I am thinking about lining one pocket with car wash leather.

However I'm not too sure there is a problem if you clean out your pocket first, and I really mean clean. Paper hankies are a real devil for dust!
 
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