your thoughts on Chrome lens getting noticed more than black lens for street

danielsterno

danielsterno

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Appreciate your insight on the following. I primarily am a one lens shooter: 35mm ASPH on my M6/M5. Bought a mint 50mm- a chrome rigid 50mm v2 ( bought from RFF user Johnnie). Lens gives beautiful images and I am getting use to the 50mm FOV BUT I sense the Chrome lens telegraphs, thus gets much more notice for my street use. To the point that I am trying to think of selling it and getting another black summicron, or get my existing lens painted black or try to find a trade of some sort with $$. 3- Any other options that I should think of?

1- do you notice the same as I that it gets more notice? 2- whats your thoughts on my options…. Thank you as always in advance. Daniel
 
I don't think the colour of the lens makes much of a difference really. It's more technique and attitude. If you have aperture, shutter speed and focus distance dialled in before you move the camera to your eye, chances are you won't have it raised long enough for it to be noticed. If you are noticed, that's when attitude comes in.
 
1 - WIth respect I think you're overthinking this. One's approach, attitude and way they handle interactions with others has far, far more effect on their work in public than the reflectivity of approximately 4% of their visible surface area.

I've got a silver 35 Cron and I've never had anyone particularly notice me in years of shooting street.

2 - If you still are bugged by this, then it's always your prerogative to change. Seems like a lot of hassle and expense to do so, but your choice.
Of the options if you go this route, I guess trade or sell your lens for another identical one save for the coating...painting a lens seems like trouble.
 
Chrome lenses are regarded as old lenses and my m9 is regarded as a film old camera, so i haven´t got any inconvenent about it.

Once a youngster shouted me "you have no future with a camera like that, so old!" 😀

So after that i don´t mind too much.
 
+1 to what's been said here. Body language and attitude affects street stealth more than chrome or black (lenses or bodies). If you act nervously, people notice. Perhaps you were conscious of the fact that you were using a chrome lens, and that was telegraphed, more than the lens itself?
 
Never ever let chrome lenses go for black ones.
I love chrome lenses.

There is no way to scientifically proof or dis proof your ovservation.
I bet if you kept at it time would show you're wrong about color having berring .
Keep working that kit and see 🙂
 
I have never got any undue attention with my chrome bodies and lenses. (My personal preference BTW.)

The few comments I have received have been regarding the age of the cameras! (The Leica M4 I can understand but the Olympus EM-5??!!)

Personally, I think most people discount small, old cameras regardless of the color.
 
With all sincere and due respect to other forum members, chrome lenses are a lot more noticed for street shooting than black lenses.
And it happens for the same reason chrome lenses are recorded as higher grays on b&w film than black lenses are if we photograph them... It's that simple.
Chrome bounces light while black doesn't, and the nature of eye is attending light: it happens in a natural way...
If we use the same right attitude and body language with both kinds of lenses and cameras, black is less noticed than chrome, by a huge margin in my experience...
Apart, to lots of people, a small rangefinder is just a plastic toy when it's black and has a small black lens on it: even for museums, guards react differently in front of a chrome camera...
Cheers,
Juan
 
Most of my lenses are black. They are smaller than SLR lenses so I haven't noticed them bringing more attention one way or the other.

People see my chrome dome more than anything else! Especially when I'm not wearing a cap.
 
Juan Valdenebro said:
With all sincere and due respect to other forum members, chrome lenses are a lot more noticed for street shooting than black lenses.
And it happens for the same reason chrome lenses are recorded as higher grays on b&w film than black lenses are if we photograph them... It's that simple.
Chrome bounces light while black doesn't, and the nature of eye is attending light: it happens in a natural way...
If we use the same right attitude and body language with both kinds of lenses and cameras, black is less noticed than chrome, by a huge margin in my experience...
Apart, to lots of people, a small rangefinder is just a plastic toy when it's black and has a small black lens on it: even for museums, guards react differently in front of a chrome camera...
Cheers,
Juan
Click to expand...

Juan: Thank you for the straight answer to a sincere question…. boy this place is rough.
 
For me, I don't use a camera strap when making photos. I have it in my hand, ready when the moment arises. Usually in my left hand. Or it's on a tripod. Perhaps if I used a strap and had the camera positioned on my shoulder or neck folks would notice more if I had a chrome lens on the camera. But, then again, many of the camera bodies I own are chrome!
 
If your being noticed it's because you are pointing your camera & that itself is what is being noticed about you. I have a black J-8 & a chrome J-3. Neither makes a difference as far as I can tell. But who cares what people think anyhow is what I try & tell myself. I do have a problem at times with worrying how others might react.
 
Well, thanks for the interesting subject... Another thing is masters were able to do it with chrome cameras, and that can't be forgotten... I guess apart from their admirable skills, the world is a different one now, and cameras were not feared the way they are feared these days by some people... A couple of times I've been shooting in a park, in Barcelona both times, parents have been worried about my shooting because their kids were playing in the same park, running all around... And the words "image collector" and "future raping" appeared once... Both times I tried to be kind, but finally I had to invite them call the police to be taught in front of me about my rights in a public place...
Changing the subject, besides body attitude, low shutter noise is IMO even more important than chrome or black... Raising camera to eye level is a thing that should be as brief as possible: just an instant, and then to another thing in other direction, and that makes a big difference, because people feel you're just a common person enjoying life and you don't really care about photographs.
Cheers,
Juan
 
Nobody cares what color your lens is. Only camera nerds notice these things, normal people won't see a difference between your stealth ninja leica with electrical tape over the logo and some Kodak easyshare a dude bought on clearance at pamida.
 
I've been taking street and candid shots for some time now.
People kind of noticing you more with (D)SLR, no matter which color it is.
It just stereotype for paparazzi 🙂

But once you switch from "modern" SLR to something like OM-1, reaction changes.
Or if you are with small digital camera. Or something like Rollei 35 or Oly XA.
You are someone who just guffing around with camera, not a thread for them.
Folders and TLRs would trigger positive reaction and so does any Leica and its clones.

Silver or dark it doesn't matter, you are getting noticed not by the gear, but by your specific gesture of person who takes pictures. Yes, you could take it from the hip or at the belly, if you are OK with crapshots. But if you want good picture it must be framed.
By the time you are getting VF to your eye or at waste level, you'll be noticed.

But if it is true candid they won't pay attention to you, because they are busy with something else.

I also have to admit, my camera for close ups is black XA 🙂
 
I use a chrome 28 and 35mm on black bodies and have never noticed any additional comments or looks from people then when I am using black lens on black bodies.

..... also no extra attention when I am using black lenses on a chrome body!

I would keep the chrome lens if you are satisfied with the images that are created with its use.

Good luck with your decision.
 
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