do you need the 'best' lenses for street shooting?
- Thread starter back alley
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 44
- Views 5K
jsrockit
Moderator
I recently purchased my first new style Leica lens since the 90s... the 28mm Elmarit ASPH. To my eyes, there wasn't much of an improvement over the CV 28mm f/3.5 that I was using prior. I'd be fine with either really. Honestly, I hate the fact that I have to use a $5000 camera combo to be happy making photos. Here's to hoping the Fuji X100 delivers and allows me to bring my favorite camera rig down to a reasonable level.
Sonnar Brian
Established
If you are doing photo-lithography or high-resolution machine-vision applications, you are generally better off with the best lenses available. Sure you can do corrections for distortion in lenses using software in machine vision applications, but that requires more processor power. Best to go with a better lens.
Otherwise, it is all personal taste.
Otherwise, it is all personal taste.
johannielscom
Snorting silver salts
I shoot with an L-Hex 35/2.0. Sharp when needed, low contrast wide open, modern lens when stopped down.
The focus throw and the easy accessible aperture ring is what really counts, whenever I actually focus, that is. Most of the time I have set it to f8 and 10ft.
The focus throw and the easy accessible aperture ring is what really counts, whenever I actually focus, that is. Most of the time I have set it to f8 and 10ft.
pvdhaar
Peter
What branch of street photography is that???
Renzsu
Well-known
No need for a fast lens, unless you prefer shooting at night. If you do hyperfocal shooting, you'll be at f/8 - f/16 mostly, so you won't need a fast lens at all.
Go for something that you feel you can work fast with. Something that you can grab blindly and immediately know that you have the focus ring and not the aperture ring, something that you can feel where it is focused without having to look at it (although I admit this is not really an issue when you shoot hyperfocal.. and there will be plenty times when you CAN take a quite look at the lens).
So, you could be perfectly happy with a 35mm f/3.5 lens if you know how you want to use it. Likewise, if you know you'll be shooting in dark places you might not want to settle on anything less than a nokton or summilux (or even noctilux).
Go for something that you feel you can work fast with. Something that you can grab blindly and immediately know that you have the focus ring and not the aperture ring, something that you can feel where it is focused without having to look at it (although I admit this is not really an issue when you shoot hyperfocal.. and there will be plenty times when you CAN take a quite look at the lens).
So, you could be perfectly happy with a 35mm f/3.5 lens if you know how you want to use it. Likewise, if you know you'll be shooting in dark places you might not want to settle on anything less than a nokton or summilux (or even noctilux).
35mmdelux
Veni, vidi, vici
Sam Abell said that he could shoot publishable pictures with his high school TLR if he had to. Leica for most of us is like driving a Lotus at 60 MPH, when its built to cruise at 100.
bo_lorentzen
Established
The CV 35 1.4 is perfectly fine for street. Besides, go look at 100 frames taken at full speed on the street wide-open, maybe 25 of them are perfectly focused, so unless you nail every one wide-open, you are not likely to see much difference to a $5000 lens. ;-)
Get a lens which focuses well at your preferred f.stop then focus on the content, its about the content not the lens, I'm pretty sure even Chris would agree with that. 🙂
do you need the best possible lens to be found, no, but if money is not object it is nice to think the lens is as good as it can be "if" you happen to take the next American Icon image. 🙂
Bo
www.bophoto.typepad.com
Get a lens which focuses well at your preferred f.stop then focus on the content, its about the content not the lens, I'm pretty sure even Chris would agree with that. 🙂
do you need the best possible lens to be found, no, but if money is not object it is nice to think the lens is as good as it can be "if" you happen to take the next American Icon image. 🙂
Bo
www.bophoto.typepad.com
Phew!finder
Member
Lens choice with regard to street photography is all about ergonomics, IMO; tab/no-tab, short/long focus throw, damped-ness of focus action, accessibility of aperture ring, size, etc.
When you have a camera in your hand for hours on end, walking around in the cold (and wet/snow), you wanna be comfortable operating your machine.
Optical quality these days is far greater than the acceptable threshold anyways.
Oh and lose the collapsible hoods...
When you have a camera in your hand for hours on end, walking around in the cold (and wet/snow), you wanna be comfortable operating your machine.
Optical quality these days is far greater than the acceptable threshold anyways.
Oh and lose the collapsible hoods...
dbarnes
Well-known
I like a good lens as much as the next guy.
But for street photography, I say optics, schmoptics. It's all about the moment.
F8 and be there!
But for street photography, I say optics, schmoptics. It's all about the moment.
F8 and be there!
dyao
Well-known
I like a long focus throw for street shooting, as it's easier to change focus quickly without worrying about overshooting the mark
helen.HH
To Light & Love ...
NO , No & No
some of my FAVorite street shots have been with
an Uncoated 1937 Summar,
the Nokton 50 1.5
certaunly NOT lenses that were High Cost
but in terms of Rendering ....STELLAR !
some of my FAVorite street shots have been with
an Uncoated 1937 Summar,
the Nokton 50 1.5
certaunly NOT lenses that were High Cost
but in terms of Rendering ....STELLAR !
And some of my favorite street shots are your street shots, Helen. 🙂
Chris101
summicronia
If you can d'do it in the road, then it's street.
Chris101
summicronia
Carterofmars
Well-known
F8 is great. Nuff said.
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
Since I only have one lens for my M4-P, the answer is easy 🙂
I get the best lens *I* can afford.
I get the best lens *I* can afford.
Tompas
Wannabe Künstler
I like my Snapshot-Skopar 4/25 for it's very nice handling 'in the street' (it's tinyness, the clickstops on the focus ring at 3, 1.5, and 1m) -- but I love it because it's a very good lens optically as well.
Sure, first of all you need to get the image. But imagine you've caught the image of the century -- only to find out that it's crap quality-wise because the lens you used isn't very good: I'd be annoyed.
Sure, first of all you need to get the image. But imagine you've caught the image of the century -- only to find out that it's crap quality-wise because the lens you used isn't very good: I'd be annoyed.
cz23
Well-known
Go through your copy of The Americans with lens quality in mind. I think the book would not be near as powerful if shot with modern high-end lenses.
John
John
Harry Lime
Practitioner
No.
It's the content that counts.
It's the content that counts.
Similar threads
