Lens for Street Photography

LewisHall

LewisHall

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Lewis
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im looking at getting a new lens for my Nikon D3200 for street photography as all i have atm is my kit lens 18-55mm my 70-300mm and my 105mm macro so was looking at getting either a 35mm or a 50mm is there one in particular people think would be better etc and if so is there any that anyone could reccomend please?
 
200mm f2, they even have one for Nikon ;)

Do Nikon have a 40mm 2.8 pancake equiv, that's pretty nice for street photography due to the less obtrusive size.

Sorry I can't give any Nikon specific help :) good luck!
 
not that i know of lol the smallest i have is the kit lens which is obviously the 18-55mm do you think it is worth me getting a 35mm of 50mm just for street?
 
dancook said:
200mm f2, they even have one for Nikon ;)

Do Nikon have a 40mm 2.8 pancake equiv, that's pretty nice for street photography due to the less obtrusive size.

Sorry I can't give any Nikon specific help :) good luck!
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not that i know of lol the smallest i have is the kit lens which is obviously the 18-55mm do you think it is worth me getting a 35mm of 50mm just for street?
 
LewisHall said:
not that i know of lol the smallest i have is the kit lens which is obviously the 18-55mm do you think it is worth me getting a 35mm of 50mm just for street?
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I suppose it depends on your technique

If you're going to use the viewfinder and autofocus you could get more subject isolation with a fast prime, but otherwise it depends what you feel your kit lens isn't doing for you.
If you're going to hipshoot - a prime might be easier to learn to frame the subject blindly because the FL will stay the same.

If you hipshoot, use ~f8 and zone focussing, if there's something with markings it might help (although maybe not so likely)
My 35mm 1.4 zeiss has markings, but it's a manual focus lens, so I guess not many AF lenses will have it
 
i guess its all down to how up close and personal you want to get with your subjects. a prime though fast wont give you much leeway for manouvering but is far more discrete too.
ive used my 18-135 to keep some distance but then bigger lenses can attract attention.. i guess you have to decide if you want to shoot from near or far first.
 
dean messenger said:
i guess its all down to how up close and personal you want to get with your subjects. a prime though fast wont give you much leeway for manouvering but is far more discrete too.
ive used my 18-135 to keep some distance but then bigger lenses can attract attention.. i guess you have to decide if you want to shoot from near or far first.
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Tbh i want to try get as close as i can, and just think it will be easier for framing etc..
 
LewisHall said:
Tbh i want to try get as close as i can, and just think it will be easier for framing etc..
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For getting CLOSE, like within a metre - you might want to be discreet.

5dm3 has a silent shutter mode, but I use the ricoh GR for this with it's leaf shutter and very small discreet design + 28mm equivalent focal length.
 
dancook said:
For getting CLOSE, like within a metre - you might want to be discreet.

5dm3 has a silent shutter mode, but I use the ricoh GR for this with it's leaf shutter and very small discreet design + 28mm equivalent focal length.
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Dont get me wrong i dont want to get right up in there face like Bruce Gilden but i think a prime will make me have to get closer and will get to know how to frame the picture etc without having to zoom in and out. im not to sure if mines got a silent shutter mode :s
 
LewisHall said:
Dont get me wrong i dont want to get right up in there face like Bruce Gilden but i think a prime will make me have to get closer and will get to know how to frame the picture etc without having to zoom in and out. im not to sure if mines got a silent shutter mode :s
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You could always set your kit lens at 35mm to make sure you're happy with the FL, but yea it is a good FL for street without having to get too close.
 
dancook said:
You could always set your kit lens at 35mm to make sure you're happy with the FL, but yea it is a good FL for street without having to get too close.
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i did this the other day and was quite happy with it the other reason i wanted it because its maximum aperture is 1.8 where the kit is 5 i believe
 
photographer friend of mine pretty much does street and swears by hes fuji x100.
with its leaf shutter and 23mm blistering fast f2 lens its an absolute joy to use.
had a play with one myself when i got the fuji X-E1 and have to say it was a tough choice at the time but i wanted the more veratile lens as street wasnt really my thing.
of course price is a key factor as its rather more than the 35mm lens you linked above and even second hand they can fetch £400+
if i had the money it would certainly be my second camera in my bag alongside my canon dslr.
 
dean messenger said:
photographer friend of mine pretty much does street and swears by hes fuji x100.
with its leaf shutter and 23mm blistering fast f2 lens its an absolute joy to use.
had a play with one myself when i got the fuji X-E1 and have to say it was a tough choice at the time but i wanted the more veratile lens as street wasnt really my thing.
of course price is a key factor as its rather more than the 35mm lens you linked above and even second hand they can fetch £400+
if i had the money it would certainly be my second camera in my bag alongside my canon dslr.
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Will take a look at this.. Thankyou! :)
 
The 35mm is a brilliant lens and for me the focal length is of much more use than 50. There is usually 2 or 3 in the classifieds for about £90-100. Ensure you don't get too close with a wide aperture though unless you're using the viewfinder as dof will decrease and you may fluff your focus point if shooting from the hip.

BUT... for my street stuff, I tend to use my Fuji XF1. It's discreet, pocketable with brilliant IQ and is cheaper to buy than a new lens at £129.99. The x100s would be my choice is I had the cash.

HTH's, Lewis.
David.
 
minnnt said:
The 35mm is a brilliant lens and for me the focal length is of much more use than 50. There is usually 2 or 3 in the classifieds for about £90-100. Ensure you don't get too close with a wide aperture though unless you're using the viewfinder as dof will decrease and you may fluff your focus point if shooting from the hip.

BUT... for my street stuff, I tend to use my Fuji XF1. It's discreet, pocketable with brilliant IQ and is cheaper to buy than a new lens at £129.99. The x100s would be my choice is I had the cash.

HTH's, Lewis.
David.
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Thanks mate think im going to go for the 35mm. Going to have a look at the Fuji XF1 when i have a bit more money!
 
I would too, it's an awesome little tool to have in your pocket.

The 35 is a cracker of a lens although now I have the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 it doesn't really get used. But it's twice the size. Lol.
 
I have the 35mm and use it on my D7000. Great little lens, you wont regret it (y)
 
Glad everyone has just said the 35mm is good just bought it thought id get the polarising filter with it too seeing as i havent got one. and will come in use when taking pictures through windows! :D

will definitely have a look at the Fuji XF1 just wont have the money for a while now as saving to move out! so the 35mm will probably be the last lens for a while now :(

:ty: Everyone!
 
Bought the 35mm a month or so back and haven't taken it off my D3100....think I also got the £20 Nikon cash back on it. Enjoy....
 
Mightyboosh said:
Bought the 35mm a month or so back and haven't taken it off my D3100....think I also got the £20 Nikon cash back on it. Enjoy....
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Oh good feels like i have made the right decision going for the 35mm! :)
 
I think what this thread shows is there is not a perfect lens or specific focal length for street photography. Some of my best street shots were captured using my sigma 10-20mm.
 
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I used to have the 35/2 AF-D Nikkor when I had a D70s a few years ago and it was a really nice lens for a crop sensor - a bit more pricey than the 35/1.8 G DX (£255 vs £148) but it does have a distance scale for people who prefer to manually focus (a lot of street shooters rarely use AF) and it also works on FX bodies as well as DX if you upgrade bodies in the future.
 
minnnt said:
Double check the cashback, I'm pretty sure that Currys are offering it on the 35mm.
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How can I find this out now I didn't see anything about it :s
 
I would stay with your kit lens as long as possible. Really easy to set up to either 24 or 35mm and leave there, check the hyperfocal distance for hip shooting and jsut go and enjoy. Suggest you set up auto iso on the camerawhich can quickly compensate for low light at a specific aperature. If creativity needs shallower DOF then move to a faster lens but there are the Sigma 18-50 f2.8's, etc out there as well as the primes- not 1.8 but still reasonably versatile.
 
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