Lens Choices in the Subways of NYC

Calzone said:
I'm an old hippy. Give me the old retro gear. Only have a cell phone because my girlfriend insists, and she pays for it.

Cal
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I like the old retro gear as well... I feel a stronger connection with it and hence I think my photos are better.

That said, I wish you could share some of your photos as I would really like to see your subway shots with the Plaubel.
 
jkrumsick said:
I like the old retro gear as well... I feel a stronger connection with it and hence I think my photos are better.

That said, I wish you could share some of your photos as I would really like to see your subway shots with the Plaubel.
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Even if I scanned that would be impossible because I have not use this camera for the subway yet, although it has gotten extensive use performing urban landscape a lot all over NYC.

If you asked John above he would tell you that I shoot lots of B&W film, that I shoot a lot, and that I have a camera museum at home, LOL) but with so much gear some of it does not get fully utilized. This is the case with the PLaubel.

As you know 8 shots on a roll of 120 means going through horrific amounts of film (currently shoot about 50 rolls a month), but this will likely increase this winter finally doing this subway shooting. I'm a lucky guy because I think I have the best rig for shooting on the subway.

Cal
 
jkrumsick said:
I like the old retro gear as well... I feel a stronger connection with it and hence I think my photos are better.

That said, I wish you could share some of your photos as I would really like to see your subway shots with the Plaubel.
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Come to the meetup and maybe cal can bring some prints?
 
Like some of the other posters, I've found that a 50mm can work very well in some situations. I've used an f2.0 with minimal problems. Going to f1.4 would give more leeway for slower films or digital ISOs. A 35 mm would probably be best. Going wider means getting closer. If you're fine with that, 28, 21, 15 mm? Depending on what you are doing, all could work. You'd be paying a speed price with most 15mms, at least ones that I could afford.
 
I was the guy complaining about how I couldn't make it to the NYC monthly meetup in the thread ;-). I would really love to see the Plaubel. Maybe some other time. Any chance you would want to get together for some street shooting one evening? Are you in Manhattan?

Cheers
 
ChipMcD said:
Like some of the other posters, I've found that a 50mm can work very well in some situations. I've used an f2.0 with minimal problems. Going to f1.4 would give more leeway for slower films or digital ISOs. A 35 mm would probably be best. Going wider means getting closer. If you're fine with that, 28, 21, 15 mm? Depending on what you are doing, all could work. You'd be paying a speed price with most 15mms, at least ones that I could afford.
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Hey Chip - I agree, going wider means you have to get closer. Of course I would like to work more with a 50mm but on the train the angle of coverage is too narrow. Because of that I think anything above 50 is really just not useable inside the train car (for the work I do).

Funnily enough... I just did some shooting with my 135mm in the train not too long ago... awaiting the results... will update.
 
Presuming 35mm FF, 28 to 50mm is the normal range I'd use. Prime and reasonably quick. Mostly 35mm or 40mm for me. BUT, on the trips to NY I made in 2007 and 2010, I shot the subways and streets with an equivalent short tele (60 to 70mm), which worked very nicely for what I was after.

This small batch, streets in NYC but not down in the subway, were made with a Ricoh GXR fitted with A12 28mm camera unit:

Day in Manhattan - New York City 2011.
 
Thirty years ago I shot with a 35 Summicron in the NYC subway even with slow film (Pan X) and got results that surprise me in a pleasant way all these years later. Now, having foolishly traded the cron, a Canon 35/2 fills the bill nicely. I've also played around with a CV 15/4.5 on my M8 at high ISOs with mixed results (sometimes the noise gets overwhelming; sometimes not). I like the fact that with the super wide you can incredibly close to people without being obtrusive, but that's a lot of light gathering capability to give up with such a slow lens. However, if I'm not shooting from the hip or over my shoulder, a Canon 50/1.4 or 50 cron would do nicely. I still lean more toward the wide angles when underground.
 
Mostly a 35/f2.8, strangely enough. I would have used a 21 if I had a faster one than f/4. I don't care much for ISO 800 and faster film.

In the Berlin subway, you can shoot pretty much everywhere at f/2.8, 1/25 of a second with ISO 400 film. That was also where I learned to love the Contax/Kiev shutter - soft and quiet as a whisper, much more so than anything Leica.
 
jkrumsick said:
I was the guy complaining about how I couldn't make it to the NYC monthly meetup in the thread ;-). I would really love to see the Plaubel. Maybe some other time. Any chance you would want to get together for some street shooting one evening? Are you in Manhattan?

Cheers
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I live in Madhattan, specifically in Spanish Harlem, AKA. SpaHa. LOL.

This Sunday is the Meet-Up and generally I use any excuse to shoot. Send me a PM and we'll hook up.

Cal
 
jkrumsick said:
Hey guys - I wrote a post about which lenses are best for street photography on the subway in NYC. My main argument? Fast, wide and prime - 21mm to 35mm.

Does anyone shoot in the subways of NYC here? If so what lens choices do they make?

Cheers,
Jeremy
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I don't take kindly to people that take shoots in the subways
 
just that subways are were i find peace and I usually relax my eyes a bit after a busy day , i feel like it would be bothering someone , similar to toilet street shooting in public toilets
 
35 or 50 for me... Works very well
Funny I never shot the 21SA in the Subway...just on buses & streets :eek:
 
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