perfect combo film reflex and street photography

[caila77]

I love the street photography and I love film..... every time I try to do a google search I find basically only information about the digital world. .I tried to do a search on the forum too, but didn't find anything: probably i didn't search properly.
I am asking to the forum members their opinion as to which film SLR is best suited, or which you prefer, for street photografy, and why.

cheers

 

[JohnGellings]

Do you want manual focus or autofocus? Does size matter? Lens size matter? Price range?

Any hand held camera can be used for street photography.

Maybe look at cameras like the Pentax MX since it is small... but if size doesn't matter, then maybe a Nikon F3.

 

[santino]

You won’t get a definitive answer. I say Olympus OM1… small, quiet, not electronic and beautiful.

 

[caila77]

Do you want manual focus or autofocus? Does size matter? Lens size matter? Price range?

Any hand held camera can be used for street photography.

Maybe look at cameras like the Pentax MX since it is small... but if size doesn't matter, then maybe a Nikon F3.

just asking which one do you prefer and why.... fil mreflex... no other limits

 

[caila77]

You won’t get a definitive answer. I say Olympus OM1… small, quiet, not electronic and beautiful.

for sure.... no definitive answer......just to know

THX

 

[JohnGellings]

just asking which one do you prefer and why.... fil mreflex... no other limits

Ah I see. Good question. When I used film SLRs I wasn't into street photography. When I became interested, I used digital and a film M. However, if I wanted to do street photography with an SLR and film I would probably go Pentax MX and Nikon F3. Or maybe a TLR.

 

[Rikard]

I have a Nikon FM2 with a voigtlander 40mm f2 "pancake" lens. It's very compact and should be a great setup for street.

 

[Mackinaw]

I normally use a rangefinder for street photography, but if I want to use an SLR, I usually grab my old Canon F-1 with the FD 35/2.0 lens. At times, I remove the prism finder and just look directly at the viewing screen, which is nice for situations when you don't want to be noticed.

Jim B.

 

[oldwino]

Nikon F3 and Nikkor 50/1.4 AIS

 

[sojournerphoto]

I usually use an M for that sort of photography, not that o really do ‘street. However, my favourite slr is my old Nikon FM2n and a pancake 50. That would do the job. Rokard’s suggestion of the Boigtlander 40 is good too, but I haven’t got one of those.

The suggestions for the Pentax MX are also good, though I prefer the Nikon in hand.

Karen Nakamura’s site, Photoethnography.com home page - a resource for photoethnographers , is actually an interesting resource too.

 

[Godfrey]

My 'standard camera' for 20+ years was a Nikon FM with 35/2, 50/1.8, and 85/2 lenses. I had others during that time period, including a couple of medium format TLRs and a Leica M, but the Nikon got most of the shooting time and most of the walkabout shooting.

G

 

[trix4ever]

Well I don't care how big my camera is for street photography I think most of that's in your head, if you lift a camera to your eye it really doesn't make much difference how big the camera is, the action is what's noticeable. For a while I even used a Linhof Technika handheld...
For nearly 5 years I used a Nikon F4 with the bigger battery pack and a 20-35mm for street wandering and realistically I could still use that now. What you need is a camera that just gets out of the way.
A lot of the photos I've put up here were taken with a Nikon F Ftn with a 35mm nikkor, a bit noisy but it still did the job.

 

[Ororaro]

Except for noise, the F301/N2020 is very hard to beat… but that noise OMG!

 

[trix4ever]

Except for noise, the F301/N2020 is very hard to beat… but that noise OMG!

For a while my compact alternative setup was a F301 with 24mm f2.8 Nikkor, very cheap and very usable, yes a great option with your lens of choice.

 

[agentlossing]

I have used the Pentax MX, and briefly an Olympus OM-1... I would say the latter is about as small and perhaps a tad quieter. They are both quite nice - however there is a downside to their being so small: they're hard to hold in the hand for extended times when out shooting. There isn't a very substantial grip. If you're good with one hanging on a strap, that's not a big deal.

Mt Pentax Z-1p is actually a nice street camera. It's larger, and it's loud. But it has really fast AF and is very comfortable in the hand.

I don't really think you need to agonize over which SLR to shoot on the street. I think it's better to buy one and make sure you get along with it, and just adapt to its quirks. None of these cameras are going to be quite as fast or easy to shoot unobtrusively as modern small cameras with tilt/flip screens, but you have the advantage of their being cool, classic and unthreatening.

 

[JohnGellings]

however there is a downside to their being so small: they're hard to hold in the hand for extended times when out shooting. There isn't a very substantial grip.

I think a lot of us are used to no grip on the RFF. Even my digital cameras don't have much of a grip.

 

[agentlossing]

I think a lot of us are used to no grip on the RFF. Even my digital cameras don't have much of a grip.

Maybe so, and I've shot with plenty of cameras without much of a grip. The MX and OM-1 just seem especially short on space for the right hand, I find myself cradling the body at the middle base beneath the lens more often, which makes it less ready to raise to my eye and take a shot. They're not light cameras, in addition.

 

[mdarnton]

I think a lot of us are used to no grip on the RFF. Even my digital cameras don't have much of a grip.

No grip is why I ditched the OM1 set and have been using Nikon FG as my film SLR since. Very similar cameras but the FG makes a better noise and the grip is really functional. I habitually work aperture-preferred when I can. Also, the whole system, bodies and lenses both, are dirt cheap and easy to find. Plus black ones are common with no $$ premium. Do NOT buy one without the grip!

After I bought a few FGs I got an FM and didn't like it, then a Nikon F90s, but the plastic ones with noisy motors and big battery needs aren't for me. After that I never felt the need for anything more than the FG. Basically why I got into Leicas is because they're small, so the FG is perfect.

 

[Freakscene]

Contax Aria and Zeiss 35/1.4, 45/2.8 or 50/1.4. Beautiful lenses, nice compact light body but with a good grip and a tremendous viewfinder. Shutter is quieter than most. Motor means no sore thumb from a big day of shooting.

But I don’t recommend getting one; 25+ year old purely electronic cameras are a probable liability. I mostly use digital and don’t use my Arias very much anymore.

 

[JohnGellings]

No grip is why I ditched the OM1 set and have been using Nikon FG as my film SLR since. Very similar cameras but the FG makes a better noise and the grip is really functional. I habitually work aperture-preferred when I can. Also, the whole system, bodies and lenses both, are dirt cheap and easy to find. Plus black ones are common with no $$ premium. Do NOT buy one without the grip!

Yeah, grip people always so don't buy without a grip. I always buy without a grip if possible. Ricoh GRIIIx, Nikon Zf and Fuji GFX-50R are my main cameras these days.