First proper go at "Street"

[C&C]

Well, following watching quite a few videos on YouTube, including several from @StreetSnapper , and having a chat about the pros and cons of various models of Canon EOS-M cameras on another thread, I dusted off my old Canon EOS-M (mark 1), put on the 22mm f2 (full frame 35mm equivalent), set it to manual focus, f8 aperture, and went for a wander around central London.

I'm fully aware that many are not technically very good (need to practise with the manual focus/shutter speed), but would certainly appreciate any comments/hints/tips, and advice for areas of improvement.

Below are a selection - there are a few more on the FlickR album here.

IMG_0942 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

IMG_0950 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

IMG_0954 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

IMG_0960 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

IMG_0962 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

IMG_0971 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

IMG_0975 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

IMG_0977 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

 

[Peter123]

Great effort.
I like the man on the bike best.

 

[gramps]

Well done on getting out and giving it a go
I think some on your Flickr album are better than some on this thread, the problem I think you have is being fixed on using f8.
I hear this all the time on Youtube videos and yes it's great if you have the light but you are getting a shutter speed of 1/25th on some photos and that isn't going to work unless you are wanting to show movement but have superb focus on the subject.
I am not familiar with your camera so I don't know how it handles high ISO but IMO you need to get your shutter speed up and that may mean allowing a higher ISO and sacrificing depth of field a bit (f4/f5.6 perhaps). Maybe even see how you get on with coming out of manual and using AF.
Personally shutter speed is more important than aperture but my camera works well for me.

1/500th at f1.7


Travelling Companions by Bristol Streets, on Flickr

 

[C&C]

Thanks @gramps - some very good points there.

The camera is 12 years old, so AF isn't very quick, and low light performance also not brilliant on the crop sensor. It also doesn't have a conventional viewfinder or EVF.

cam1 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

cam2 by conradsphotos, on Flickr

As it was a first attempt, I followed the advice from various videos, but the next time I go out, I'll push the ISO a bit and open up the aperture a stop or two to ensure faster shutter speeds if the light is a bit low.

Regarding the AF, I actually found using manual focus quite liberating, as it enabled very quick shooting without having to frame the image and then wait for the AF to lock on to the subject. I'll have a play with using AF next time I go out, but my feeling is that improving my technique with MF may well be the way to go - especially as it seems to have a lot of advantages in staying quite unobtrusive. It's a pity the lens doesn't have any distance markings on it, so the approach seems to be to use AF to focus on an object around 6 feet away, then switch back to MF, and don't move the focus ring. I could use the rear screen to focus using MF, but to be honest, the older I get, the worse my eyesight is!

I have access to much better (and much bigger) cameras and lenses for AF and low light, but the whole point of this is to remain as unobtrusive as possible, hence trying to see what I can do with the little EOS-M.

I'll post some updated images when I manage to get out and about again.

Many thanks.

 

[gramps]

the older I get, the worse my eyesight is!

I know what you mean!
My Leica is 28mm and with that wide angle I find that I have got used to what is likely to be in the frame so I rarely need the viewfinder.
If your AF is particularly slow them MF will be better once you've got the depth of field worked out, but it's very easy to misjudge in typical UK light.
Using shutter priority at 1/300th - 1/500th and auto ISO might work, certainly worth a bit of practice.