semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
Maggie has my old one. I miss it, and see a new one in my future…
Which 35mm lens for street photography?
- Thread starter ramosa
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Maggie has my old one. I miss it, and see a new one in my future…
borge
Established
Summilux 1.4/35 FLE. Mostly because I have this lens myself and haven't used other 35mm lenses on the M personally.
Why? Because I can zone-focus easily with it at f/8, and I can focus manually quickly and easily at f/1.4 and get excellent results. Since it also opens up to f/1.4 (mine goes one half-click extra down to f/1.3) it is also excellent as a lens for night time street shooting - which I do quite often.
Why? Because I can zone-focus easily with it at f/8, and I can focus manually quickly and easily at f/1.4 and get excellent results. Since it also opens up to f/1.4 (mine goes one half-click extra down to f/1.3) it is also excellent as a lens for night time street shooting - which I do quite often.
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
Where is the option: Any of them according to taste? Because they are all equally suitable and just produce a slightly different look, which will be appreciated by the photographic über-gourmets only....
jagwar.jim
Member
Same here! But I use mine on film...
segedi
RFicianado
I second that. I have the Summarit and the FLE - and the Summarit is a really nice walk about lens. I like how light it is.
The thing I really like about the slower lenses is that they are easier for me to zone/scale focus. The faster the lens, the more apertures are on the barrel and the harder it is for me to quickly read how much DOF is there.
Although a 28mm Elmarit is stunning as well, tiny, light and nice FOV.
maggieo
More Deadly
I am very grateful that you sold it to me!
quicksilvermike
quicksilver
Jupiter 12 lens will be fine for me!
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
I was surprised by the number of votes for the Summilux ASPH FLE. I wonder if those who voted for it have really found it best for street photography, or if they just felt like voting for the world's most expensive 35mm lens. I have the ASPH Summilux (not the FLE), but it seldom occurs to me to use it for street photography, because I'd rather have more DOF than I can get at f/1.4. I like a small, compact lens for street shooting, so I might use my Summaron, or my pre-ASPH Summilux, or my version IV.
zuiko85
Veteran
I would love to have a Pen W but the prices, when you can find one, are through the roof! It is a cult camera now.
I did just pick up a Pen D2 that was a basket case. Fixed it up and have the first roll loaded. The 32mm f1.9 lens is usually fairly good at f5.6~11 and I also have a Pen D. The 'transfer-the-EV#-to-the-lens-meter' is a joke and I use a hand held meter if I need to.
I have an extra top and VF from a Pen S f2.8 and think I'll swap it for the regular top and VF on the D2. I know the bright frame for the 30mm lens on the Pen S won't match exactly the FOV of the 32mm lens on the D2 so I'll just adjust mentally when I frame the shot.
Frontman
Well-known
I've used several of the lenses mentioned, and many that aren't. My vote also goes to the Nikkor 35/1.8. Beautiful in monochrome, and even nicer in color. I have the LTM and Nikon S versions, sweet lenses.
airfrogusmc
Veteran
I voted for it and I bought it because I really like the flexibility it gives me. Of course in most situations on the street I shoot hyper/zone focus f/8 & f/11 but I do like the option of wide open sometimes for portraits or other situations. The 35 LUX FLE is not a big lens at all.
flyalf
Well-known
The 35/1,4 FLE is really quite compact with lens hood comparing to my pre-ASPH 35/1,4 with 28/2,8 ASPH hood on, or even with the original hood. The FLE hood is an excellent design, but alas the lens cap is as bad as any Leica lens cap, and the lens should be provided with at least 20 so that one could have worth of a months usage since one is doomed to loose the cap if one actually use the lens for photography.
I prefer to use all lenses with hoods, in particular for street in order to protect lens. I also love the FLE IQ in terms of sharpness, little distortion and other objective parameters. The FLE also allows usage on f/1,4 with excellent and neutral results, as opposed to the pre ASPH that have ...eeh more character 🙂
Btw, this might be only me but I have never understood the idea of having a poor quality of street photos in terms of IQ (grain/noise and resolution) and composition (such as tilting horizon or not cropping to improve). Something to do with having photos appearing more spontaneous or something?
shanenoir
Established
Something like that. Some street photographers are more into the 'feeling' of the moment, and then you start getting into the world of 'conceptual artists', where f/stop and shutter speed don't really matter, and some artists are happier with a disposable camera, or don't even use the viewfinder or control when the shutter is released (see Vito Acconci, Blink Piece, 1969). That's when stuff gets really weird 😉
airfrogusmc
Veteran
The beautiful thing about say the MM is you can now change that vocabulary and still get the spontaneity and get much cleaner images. Its a new world and for me and my new work I like the cleaner images and if I wanted a film look I would shoot film.
kshapero
South Florida Man
This kind of proves how stupid this poll is. OP asks which 35 mm lens but only lists Leica lens.
ramosa
B&W
"Kind of proves" ... Nuff said.
ramosa
B&W
All,
Aside from a few glitches (and a nasty comment or two), I'd like to thank you for your input on this matter. While it was a simple survey of lens use in a certain situation, it helped me answer a few underlying questions that I have, ones that affect my normal lens choice and use.
Best to all,
R
Aside from a few glitches (and a nasty comment or two), I'd like to thank you for your input on this matter. While it was a simple survey of lens use in a certain situation, it helped me answer a few underlying questions that I have, ones that affect my normal lens choice and use.
Best to all,
R
gb hill
Veteran
So what did you choose? Myself I like my 35/2.5 Color Skopar.
kbg32
neo-romanticist
Why does one have to create a poll to figure out what kind of lens to use? To see what is most popular? Either you have a "look" you want to achieve by experience or you don't. Asking what others use doesn't really get you there. So many variables come into play - film, developers, printing paper, etc.. Two people can use the same exact equipment, etc., with varying results.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dear Keith,
I have to agree with this.
Two other common RFF posts that puzzle me are:
"I have an old cheap camera that doesn't work very well. What should I do?"
and
"Help me waste some money on a camera/lens. I know I won't get better pictures but the money is burning a hole in my pocket."
Cheers,
R.
