a city lens?

[dmr]

For street shooting I prefer something wider than "normal", meaning such things as the 40mm fixed on the GIII, a 28mm prime, or a zoom close to the wide limit.

However, for this one below (across the street, roughly curb to sidewalk), the correct tool for the job was the 28-80 zoom close or at the long end. (The best camera/lens for the job is the one you have with you!) 🙂

 

[Pentode]

I shoot mostly in the city and mostly in the street, but NYC's neighborhoods are quite varied in how they're laid out and how people move about.

For years I defaulted to a 35mm as my "normal" lens in the street but I'm finding myself drawn a little more toward longer focal lengths recently. The 55's and 58's that were popular kit lenses in the early seventies and late sixties seem to be working out well for me lately and sometimes I've been going a little longer to 85 and 100 to isolate people from a more comfortable distance.

I still use the 35 plenty, though, and I'm also starting to admit that the plain ol', pedestrian 50mm, which I avoided using for years, is actually a pretty darn good focal length for a lot of things.

Most of the time I only bring one lens out with me for the day and the focal length dictates how I shoot to some extent, but I do pick the lens based upon where I think I'll be walking so it's not completely random.

A lot of fixed-lens RF cameras from the 1950s through the 1970s were fitted with lenses a little shorter than the typical 50mm SLR lens; 42s and 45s. I would bet that's one reason why they've always been so popular with urban street photographers. It's a pretty good all-around focal length for this type of shooting.

 

[back alley]

i used to think that a 28 or a 50 were too boring to get a really good image...i thought that using a telephoto on the street was 'cheating'...i really liked very wide shots but they were for other people cause i didn't 'see' that way....it's so easy to limit oneself.
these days i pick a lens depending on where i'm going, what i hope to achieve and how i feel, both physically and emotionally. i'm allowing myself to think of myself more as an artist than i have ever allowed before so my feelings are very important to me when choosing a lens. i am loving wide angles, really liking the fuji 18 and 14 and 16...wide views and lens size itself help me decide when going wide. i looks through a few of my flickr albums today and discovered i had a few good shots and shots that i liked in the 56 album...a lens i have not pulled out for awhile.
like i said earlier, i'm a city kid mostly and i have throughly enjoyed this conversation.

 

[narsuitus]

On 35mm film cameras, I have used the following focal lengths as a "city lens:"

35mm (my personal favorite)
40mm
45mm
50mm
55mm

 

[peterm1]

i used to think that a 28 or a 50 were too boring to get a really good image...i thought that using a telephoto on the street was 'cheating'...i really liked very wide shots but they were for other people cause i didn't 'see' that way....it's so easy to limit oneself.
these days i pick a lens depending on where i'm going, what i hope to achieve and how i feel, both physically and emotionally. i'm allowing myself to think of myself more as an artist than i have ever allowed before so my feelings are very important to me when choosing a lens. i am loving wide angles, really liking the fuji 18 and 14 and 16...wide views and lens size itself help me decide when going wide. i looks through a few of my flickr albums today and discovered i had a few good shots and shots that i liked in the 56 album...a lens i have not pulled out for awhile.
like i said earlier, i'm a city kid mostly and i have throughly enjoyed this conversation.

I think that is a good way of thinking about photography - treat lenses the same way an artist - say a painter treats his paint brushes by picking up the one that works best for the specific task in hand. I have declared my hand (I like longer lenses) but I seldom limit myself to just one lens if I can at all help it - I just do not know what photographic opportunities are likely to confront me on a typical day.

 

[zuiko85]

A 50mm (on full frame film) and 38mm on the Pen F (half frame film). If you cannot back up enough a 28mm for full or 20mm for half frame can be slipped in a cargo pocket and carried almost unnoticed.

 

[Contarama]

20, 35, 50 mostly the 35

105, 135 I like to use to pick out details

 

[lynnb]

Many thanks Kostya for the compliment!

Joe I like 21, 35 and 50mm for the city. I currently use 21mm the most, shooting from the waist or using an external finder. 21mm is easier to use on an inconspicuous camera like a Barnack rather than an SLR or larger camera. Before using the 21mm I liked the 24mm on my LX3 and 5D a lot.

 

[willie_901]

With my FUJIFILM cameras I use 18, 23, 27 and 35 mm lenses. These are for candid work of people. I don't use zooms because they're too heavy. Larger lenses also draw attention.

The least used is the 27. I like to use when I can't be on the move because its small. The small 27 is also useful for public spaces on private property.

I use the 18 when I'm walking around in crowds. With some practice you can isolate subjects (get close) and they assume you're photographing something in the distance.

The 35 is useful when there aren't crowds.

I use 23 mm when I don't have any plan or specific project in mind. My silver X100T is also useful for public spaces on private property. People don't take it seriously.

 

[RichC]

Shift lenses - 35mm and a 55-110mm zoom! 😀

The zoom weighs about a kilo (2 lb), cobbled together from a Mamiya 645 lens and a shift adapter.

I hate converging verticals, which are unavoidable in narrow city streets if you want a certain framing; hence I always use shift lenses.

The zoom? Again, it’s the narrow streets! Prime lenses mean I often can’t get the framing I want without standing in the middle of the road or in someone’s yard. Plus it saves swapping lenses all the time.

The Mamiya 55-110mm might weigh a ton and be massive but I’d put up against most prime lenses...!

 

[FranZ]

with Fuji the 16-55 2.8 and now I switched to Sony the 24-105 will do perfectly (with OIS) as a walk around city lens

 

[back alley]

my mind sometimes thinks in terms of kits...different combinations of gear...put together with a purpose. like these...fuji gear, for the street...18 & 27, very small, good general coverage and no one would take you very seriously...i could carry this all day!
16/23/56...clearly this would be the fast kit, all larger apertures...great for those long winter days of limited light...14/23/35/50...the biggest small kit available. great from wide to a decent portrait...and all great in the city.

 

[narsuitus]

My Fuji Travel Kit also makes a good city kit.

Fuji X-Pro2

23mm f/2 Fujinon auto focus

12mm f/2 Rokinon manual focus

55mm f/1.8 adapted Fujinon M42 screw mount manual focus lens with FotoDiox adapter


Fuji Travel Kit by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[rfaspen]

Many thanks Kostya for the compliment!

Joe I like 21, 35 and 50mm for the city. I currently use 21mm the most, shooting from the waist or using an external finder. 21mm is easier to use on an inconspicuous camera like a Barnack rather than an SLR or larger camera. Before using the 21mm I liked the 24mm on my LX3 and 5D a lot.

I've noticed this too now (after how many years?) The 21 is much easier to use "from the hip" than most lenses. And, it seems to be a great match with a barnack. I've also put it on an MDa in recent times. But, it tends to be the little LTM CV 21/4 and a IIIa that feels right.

The DOF and the "Holga-esque" technique of pointing and shooting from any position (i.e., the hip) seems to work with the 21. I also have a 15, and it works with that lens too, but not as well. Composition and subject distance become factors, so less spontaneous.

 

[jsrockit]

It really depends on the city and how wide the streets are... but generally I still like a 50MM equivalent.

 

[Roger Hicks]

It really depends on the city and how wide the streets are... but generally I still like a 50MM equivalent.

This is almost exactly what I was going to say, except that I'm still undecided between 50 and 35. As I get older I find the 50 more and more useful, though the 35 was for almost 40 years (and to some extent, still is) my "standard" lens.

Cheers,

R.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

35mm is my focal length of choice, for city or country.

Chris