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Archive 2022 · What are people using for street photography?

  
 
galenapass
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · What are people using for street photography?


I am switching from bird photography to other genres of photography for m4/3. My first emphasis will be street photography. After selling all my m4/3 gear and switching to Sony, I have recently purchased an OM1 and repurchased a G9. My first street photography lens is the Laowa 17mm/1.8. This lens is shockingly small, well built and surprisingly sharp. All for $150. Are there any other small and sharp lenses that I should consider? Budget is not much of an issue, I am mostly after small and sharp. I am also comfortable with manual focus and I use both zooms and primes. I thought I would start with native m4/3 lens options first but I am open to Zeiss/Leica lenses (for example) with an adapter.

Another thread suggested the Oly 12-45 which has great reviews. This lens covers the FL range I am most interested in.




Nov 04, 2022 at 12:09 PM
johnvanr
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · What are people using for street photography?


If you want to use zone focusing, the Oly 12mm and the 17mm are good small candidates.


Nov 04, 2022 at 02:24 PM
stan2
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · What are people using for street photography?


the 17mm is kinda 'classic street' in the M43 system. Close to the 35mm used by some of the big name people. I like it for the clutch/zone focussing. f1.8 version is nice size and good at night. The smaller EM5 bodies might be best for more stealth than the 1 series tho.


Nov 04, 2022 at 03:47 PM
anthonysemone
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · What are people using for street photography?


I agree with you, Stan. Some of my photos from Paris that I liked the very best were taken with either the E-P2 or the EM5 with the 17mm lens. Portability, stealth, inexpensive, etc. OM-1 and small prime will do It as well, I'm sure.


Nov 04, 2022 at 04:12 PM
MEDISN
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · What are people using for street photography?


Typically a PEN-F and compact prime. I shoot a lot of underground and very low light so zooms aren't ideal.

Some examples:
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/Chicago/
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/DC-Metro/
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/Los-Angeles/
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/New-Orleans/
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/Philadelphia/
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/Toronto/

I like the Panasonic 15/1.7 and recently the 20/1.4. Also get a lot of use from the 45/1.8.



Nov 04, 2022 at 05:30 PM
SpecFoto
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · What are people using for street photography?


For street I use my EM1, even though I have a EM1.3. Do this because of the tilt up/down screen which works great as you can hold the camera waist level and you don't look like a clown with the screen hung on the side of the camera.... It silver and matches my Olympus silver 12mm f2, 17mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8 lenses, all 3 lenses are plenty sharp. Makes for a small, lightweight and discrete setup.




Nov 04, 2022 at 09:17 PM
galenapass
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · What are people using for street photography?


MEDISN wrote:
Typically a PEN-F and compact prime. I shoot a lot of underground and very low light so zooms aren't ideal.

Some examples:
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/Chicago/
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/DC-Metro/
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/Los-Angeles/
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/New-Orleans/
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/Philadelphia/
https://www.mitropoulos.photography/Toronto/

I like the Panasonic 15/1.7 and recently the 20/1.4. Also get a lot of use from the 45/1.8.


Nice shots. I saw your review of the 20/1.4. Not a bad lens.



Nov 04, 2022 at 10:35 PM
galenapass
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · What are people using for street photography?


SpecFoto wrote:
For street I use my EM1, even though I have a EM1.3. Do this because of the tilt up/down screen which works great as you can hold the camera waist level and you don't look like a clown with the screen hung on the side of the camera.... It silver and matches my Olympus silver 12mm f2, 17mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8 lenses, all 3 lenses are plenty sharp. Makes for a small, lightweight and discrete setup.



I'd be tempted to use an EM1 just for the extra noise. IMO a lot a black and white photos look good with some grit to them - and they don't have to always be sharp either. Reminds me of my film days.

Some film shots....






















Nov 04, 2022 at 10:36 PM
leolab
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · What are people using for street photography?


As far a small great IQ kit...I use the laowa 10mm f2, the Panasonic Leica 15mm, the Oly 25mm 1.8, and the Panasonic 42.5 1.7 (which I find to be better than my Olympus 45mm). The Olympus 12mm f2 is also nice but IQ-wise its good but not great

Oh, and as far as cameras go, the Pen-F is a great street companion but it is definitely slower in operation than I would like, a GM5 might be ideal.



Nov 05, 2022 at 09:33 AM
galenapass
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · What are people using for street photography?


leolab wrote:
As far a small great IQ kit...I use the laowa 10mm f2, the Panasonic Leica 15mm, the Oly 25mm 1.8, and the Panasonic 42.5 1.7 (which I find to be better than my Olympus 45mm). The Olympus 12mm f2 is also nice but IQ-wise its good but not great

Oh, and as far as cameras go, the Pen-F is a great street companion but it is definitely slower in operation than I would like, a GM5 might be ideal.


I just checked some reviews on that Laowa 10mm and it is quite sharp. Thanks for the recommendation. I think I am settling on the following: Laowa 10/f2, Laowa 17/1.8, Oly 25/1.8 and finally a 40-50mm lens. Not sure about the last lens. I used to have a PL 42.5 Nocticron and really loved that lens. Its not particularly small but it is really sharp.



Nov 05, 2022 at 10:55 AM
leolab
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · What are people using for street photography?


galenapass wrote:
I just checked some reviews on that Laowa 10mm and it is quite sharp. Thanks for the recommendation. I think I am settling on the following: Laowa 10/f2, Laowa 17/1.8, Oly 25/1.8 and finally a 40-50mm lens. Not sure about the last lens. I used to have a PL 42.5 Nocticron and really loved that lens. Its not particularly small but it is really sharp.


I love the laowa 10mm , its fast and sharp and communicates EXIF and enables punch-in focusing just by turning the focus ring since it has electrical contacts...lovely lens

Nice thing about the Penny 42.5 f1.7 lens is that it focuses very close for pseudo-macro and is sharper to edges vs Olympus 45mm, and if you go Panny bodies it has OIS



Nov 05, 2022 at 11:05 AM
anthonysemone
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · What are people using for street photography?


PL 42.5 Nocticron I had several years ago was absolutely stunning, across the frame. I'll see if I can find some pics taken with it.


Nov 05, 2022 at 12:20 PM
johnvanr
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · What are people using for street photography?


I don't consider a 40+mm lens a street photography lens anymore. Nice lenses, but still that's moving into another territory...


Nov 05, 2022 at 09:19 PM
anthonysemone
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · What are people using for street photography?


I was simply commenting on the quality of the 42.5 PL



Nov 06, 2022 at 07:39 AM
ElvisD
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · What are people using for street photography?


My short primes are the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 and the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7.

They're both quite small, especially the 14, and I like those focal lengths. Both under $150.

The 14 is slower and slightly softer than the Panny 15mm, but much smaller and much cheaper. The 20mm has some AF quirks, some noise and a bit slow, but they haven't caused me to miss shots.

For flexibility, I picked up a Panasonic 12-32 zoom. In good light, it's a decent lens and they are less than $100.



Nov 06, 2022 at 10:52 AM
doady
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · What are people using for street photography?


It's too bad neither 25mm F1.8 or even the new 20mm F1.4 have the manual focus clutch. That would have made them the ideal lenses for me. Pen F also has the LCD that swings out to the side instead of tilting up/down. The full potential of the Olympus/OM system for street photography still unrealized. For now, if I get back into street photography, I will probably have to stick with my C-7070: compact and rangefinder-styled with the manual focus distance scale, tilting LCD, and silent mechanical shutter.

I've always preferred moderate wide angle or normal focal lengths for street. Even moderate telephoto can feel a bit too "distant" or something like that. Maybe it is important for the viewer to have the feeling to seeing through photographer's eyes, of being there, to really have connection to not only the photographer but also of course the people that are being photographed.

I think street photography and capturing the "decisive moment" is good practice for all types of photography. Being able to quickly recognize photo opportunities and shoot spontaneously could be helpful even for landscape photography. I started out mostly doing street photography and in a way I still shoot like a street photographer even though I am mostly doing cityscapes now.



Nov 06, 2022 at 03:16 PM
laterplease
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · What are people using for street photography?


I alternate between the PL15 and the O25/1.8. On small inconspicuous bodies with no evf's (GM1 and EP7).


Nov 06, 2022 at 09:50 PM
Robin Smith
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · What are people using for street photography?


I use OM 17mm 1.8, OM 25/1.2, OM 45.1.2, and OM 75/1.8. Sometimes I take the 8-18 Leica or the 7.5mm Samyang fisheye. Might get the 9mm or 10mm Laowa someday (or 9mm Pany) to use when I don't want the larger Leica. I could probably just as well use the f1.8 25/45s or the Pany 25/1.7 instead of the f1.2s, but I don't feel like having more than one lens of the same focal length as I have the others.


Nov 07, 2022 at 10:19 AM
galenapass
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · What are people using for street photography?


Robin Smith wrote:
I use OM 17mm 1.8, OM 25/1.2, OM 45.1.2, and OM 75/1.8. Sometimes I take the 8-18 Leica or the 7.5mm Samyang fisheye. Might get the 9mm or 10mm Laowa someday (or 9mm Pany) to use when I don't want the larger Leica. I could probably just as well use the f1.8 25/45s or the Pany 25/1.7 instead of the f1.2s, but I don't feel like having more than one lens of the same focal length as I have the others.


The f/1.2 lenses are getting a little too big for what I want. That 75/1.8 is a little long for street photography but it is one of the best lenses in the m4/3 arena. I'll probably pick one up again just because of that.



Nov 07, 2022 at 11:19 AM
petersm59
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · What are people using for street photography?


On the street I shoot with wide to normal primes. Depending on the day, and my mood, it could be the PL 12 or 15 and the PL 25. Or maybe the Sigma 16 and 30. I will carry either the L or PL 42.5, but they never seem to leave my bag. I now have a set of TTArtisan lenses that I'm playing with also. I carry two bodies, each with their own lens. Sometimes I just go out with the Lumix 20.

As far as cameras, my go to lately is the G100, and previously the G9 and the GX8. Now I keep the G9's the pro use and the GX8's are long gone.

The G100 is quite underrated, and the lack of IBIS works in its favor on the street, keeping down weight and consuming far less battery power. Since I'm usually shooting at a fast enough speed to stop motion, IBIS is superfluous. And image quality seems identical to the G9. Less weight is better when on your feet all day, especially with a bad back from carrying too much stuff for 45 years!

I really don't like to use zooms on the street. I think it's more important to pick your focal length and put yourself in the right position, rather than using a zoom. It makes it harder, and you have to think and be more involved in the process with a prime. I firmly believe that zooms lead to less interesting compositions, you tend to stand too far away, or get too much in. Street photography is all about being intentional with your entire mindset, before you even leave the house. There is freedom in simplicity, and picking one or two primes will give you the ultimate freedom to just see with those focal lengths. My longest lens is a normal, or in this case either a 20, 25 or 30mm lens. I have to be close, within conversational distance to get what I want. The lenses dictate where I stand, and that makes me work to get over my fear, every time.



© Mike Peters 2022

  DC-G9    SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | C 017 lens    16mm    f/1.4    1/125s    320 ISO    -1.3 EV  





© Mike Peters 2022

  DC-G100    LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25/F1.4 II lens    25mm    f/3.2    1/500s    1250 ISO    0.0 EV  





© Mike Peters 2022

  DC-G100    LEICA DG SUMMILUX 15/F1.7 lens    15mm    f/1.7    1/1250s    200 ISO    -0.3 EV  





© Mike Peters 2022

  DC-G9    LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25/F1.4 II lens    25mm    f/1.4    1/12800s    200 ISO    -0.3 EV  




Nov 13, 2022 at 05:52 PM
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