What Leica Setup should i look for for street photography

<p>OK, so i am a fairly recent digital to film covert. I am in my third year of a photography degree and i am hoping to put together a street photography portfolio taking influence from trent parke and Elliot Erwitt.<br>

I have been recommended to look into buying a leica for the street.<br>

I would like to know what sort of set up i should purchase. I am a student so price is an issue. Any reccomendations on lenses to buy?I am unsure of whether to look for a 28mm, or 35mm.</p>

<p>I have also looked into voigtlander stuff as well. Can anyone recommend me a set up?</p>

<p>When I got my first rangefinder, a leica, i shot a 35mm lens for 4 years before i got another lens. I shoot almost exclusively street photography in 35mm format. I think a 35mm lens is the best lens for street photography. If you can get the cash, by a user M2 and a user 35mm summicron or a VC 35mm 2.5.</p>

<p>M7 and a Summaron 2.8</p>

<p>You don't need a Leica, especially since price is an issue. They're fantastic cameras, especially for this purpose, but there are many more rangefinder options out there. I'd take a look at the Voightlander Bessa series (modern rangefinders) or any number of other cameras like the Canon P or 7 series, Nikons, or a huge choice of 70's era fixed lens rangefinders.<br>

Decide what is important to you first, such as frameline choices, viewfinder magnification, lens mount, etc. I like to put my money in the nice viewfinder area, where others like to spend the money on durability or built in meters.<br>

Browse Stephen Gandy's site (<a href="http://www.cameraquest.com">www.cameraquest.com</a>) for some great info. Try <a href="http://www.rangefinderforum.com">www.rangefinderforum.com</a> as well. Good luck!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Any camera will do for your purposes (even Erwitt occasionally uses a dSLR--Canon 5D, Mk II--these days), though the 28-35mm range does cover most of the famous "modern" (post 1950s) street shots. If you're really a student who's short on money, I would just use whatever gear is easiest to access, whether that's a dSLR, an old manual 35mm SLR like a Pentax K1000, or your grandpa's old Leica (if you're lucky) because not only are Leicas expensive, used or new, but so are the Cosina Voigtlander & Zeiss Ikon ZM gear when compared to equivalent SLR stuff.<br>

As far whether your should go w/a 28 or 35 (or the crop-factor equivalents if you're using that type of dSLR), it's really up to you & your aesthetic preferences. My take is that a 28 is more of a true wide-angle & requires more care in framing, etc. because of that fact. I suggest going to the Street & Documentary forum for more general suggestions.</p>

<p>A good user M6 will do. Start with a 35/2 Summicron, a few bricks of film, and let the work tell you which way to go next.</p>

<p> As many others have remarked, a Leica is not de rigueur. You can use many other types of cameras to do this.</p>

<p>This is how I would do this cheaply:<br /><br />(1) Dedicate a weekend to choosing between 28 and 35 mm by shooting "everything you see" on your DSLR - use 28 mm on saturday and 35 mm on sunday. Try to figure out what focal length you feel the most comfortable with - you'll probably have to move in closer with the 28. If you don't have primes for the DSLR, use sticky tape on the zoom :-)<br /><br />(2) Get a cheap fixed lens rangefinder - maybe an Olympus with a 40 mm lens - and shoot it for a week or two to see wather you are comfortable with a rangefinder camera at all.<br /><br />Once you are more knowledgeable about this - and what budget you might want to allocate - your choice should be simpler. Maybe you'll just love the 40 mm Olympus so much that you won't need anything else :-)<br /><br>

Good luck :-)<br /><br />Soeren<br /><br /><br />P.S.: I use an M3 with a 50/1.5 Summarit myself, occasionaly supplemented by a Voigtlaender 28/3.5. But that's just me...<br>

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An M6 or an M7 and a fast 35 or 50 would be a great combination. I personally love the 'crons (35/2 and 50/2) as they are modestly priced and really make nice images.

<p>Since money is at issue, try the Hexar AF with the fixed 35mm/2.0 lens. Many consider this glass as good as the Leica Summicron. Costs about $400-450.</p>

<p>Jared - if money is an issue and you want to shoot film and try a rangefinder, consider a fixed lens rangefinder such as Canon QL-17, Olympus SP, Yashica GSN or Konica S2 or other japanese rangefinder and spend the rest on film and processing/chemicals. Each of the cameras above can be had for $100 or less.<br>

If you want a film camera and the ability to use interchangeable lenses, get a Nikon FA or FG body (both have aperature priority and reliable meters) and a Nikkor 28/2.8AIS or 35/2 AI/S and maybe a 50/1.8 AIS (sell whatever you don't like using once you've shot a bunch of rolls with each) and spend the rest of your money on film and processing/chemicals.<br>

I'm a Leica and Konica Hexar RF user for the past ten years and 'graduated' from film SLR to Japanese RF to interchangeable RF (Leica, Voigtlander, Contax and Hexar RF) and I'm glad that I spent what little money I had as a student on film rather than on expensive cameras or lens.<br>

Best of luck and shoot as much as you can.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Absolutely agree an M6 and 35/2 Summicron would be ideal, plus 400 ISO film.<br>

Cheaper 35 fixed lenses rangefinders are around, but may not be altogether reliable.<br>

Don't discount a compact as a take anywhere camera. For a film camera, the old Leica mini 3 has a great lens and it's really small and inconspicuous. Not so hot in low light though.</p>

 

<p>M3 with 35mm lens is ideal but, to my shame, when I went to Europe/Italy with my wife several years ago I took my Leica CL, but got a lot of my best street-shooting work with my Olympus XA-- very very fast to use, quick to focus, auto function was dead-on and the film resolution -- using Ilford XP1 -- was (god help me) as good as a Leica in 11 by 14 prints.</p>

<p>You can pick them up for under $100 easily, although the occasional yard sale has them for $10 or so.</p>

<p>Do NOT settle for the XA-2. The XA has the coupled rangefinder and the 2.8 lens. It has a 35mm lens that is very good.</p>

<p>for a Leica, get a beater M3 ($300 or so) and an 35mm lens with goggles. Ignore cosmetic condition, the worse looking the better, but have it serviced so it will be reliable mechanically. It will look like crud, but the pictures will be gorgeous.</p>

<p>but get the XA too. Or get it first. It depends on your budget and how serious you want to get. The XA is plastic, so don't drop it, but then again, I dropped mine twice and the second drop fixed the damage the first drop did. Go figure.</p>

<p>Once you've done a bit, and are a firm convert, go for the M3. You will not regret it, but you'll also never get rid of the XA.</p>

<p>Here's an Olympus XA shot, on Ilford XP 2, Florence, Italy...</p><div></div>

<p>It seems that most people would like a Leica for the street. An excellent choice obviously. I probably would shoot a medium format myself (Mamiya 645e with wide angle lens, $400.00 or cheaper with the 80mm) but I am not one to take sneaky pete type shots. I just ask and proceed. But for the Leica on a budget is a tough call. Just decide the features that you want. Do you want a Light meter in the camera and do you want aperture priority. Then you might consider in order the M4-2 (KEH.com $665.00 bargain grade) , M6 or M7. Zeiss Icon bodies seem very nice. $1500.00 for a new body. 35mm would be an excellent start on the lens. Other good choices for a camera would be the Nikon FM2 with 35mm lens for about $400.00 or less. Or FE2 if you want aperture priority for about the same or a little cheaper. The Nikon bodies are not particularly quiet and certainly do not have the elegant sound of a Leica. The pictures are great. I believe Steve McCurry used a FM2 (not positive on that) before he went autofocus. My daughter is a Berkely Art student and she says that film is big on campus. Tons of great cameras out there that would work fine. I know a guy that shoots his Minolta SRT and is as happy as he can be. It's a metal beast and it's cheap. It also has a decent lightmeter for the time it was made. It favors people pictures. Good luck.</p>

<p>Jared, any camera for the street is perfect if it is something that you would actually use. There are a lot of street photographers that use pocket digital or film cameras like the Ricoh GR series. </p>

<p>"taking influence from trent parke"</p>

<p>Not to put the guy down but half of his results come from heavy darkroom pots-prod. </p>

<p>The Yashicas's GSN or Lynx are fun cameras... and CHEAP! 6X6 medium format would be interesting, but I'd go with Leica.</p>

<p>I'd start with 35mm or 50mm focal length...</p>

<p>I shoot 1000 images a weekend for weddings and digital has corrupted my skills... quantity rules over quality. Film slows me down... have fun!!!</p>

<p>I agree with Charles, M3 w/35mm I was able to borrow one once for fashion and street and loved it. You can't go wrong with this classic combination.</p>

<p>A Leica M6 or M6 TTL is preferred. Why a Leica? it's fast and the shutter is very quiet. I prefer the M6 TTL because the shutter speed dial is larger and is easier to rotate since it is aligned with the front edge of the camera. Also, IMO the M6 TTL has a nicer meter display. Any 35mm or 50mm Leica or Voigtlander lens will do the job nicely. I prefer a 35mm lens. If you can get a Leica Summicron or a Summilux, then you'll have the perfect setup. Don't like a dSLR. They're too heavy and too noisy. Mine are collecting dust. </p>

<p>A Leica M6 or M6 TTL is preferred. Why a Leica? it's fast and the shutter is very quiet. I prefer the M6 TTL because the shutter speed dial is larger and is easier to rotate since it is aligned with the front edge of the camera. Also, IMO the M6 TTL has a nicer meter display. Any 35mm or 50mm Leica or Voigtlander lens will do the job nicely. I prefer a 35mm lens. If you can get a Leica Summicron or a Summilux, then you'll have the perfect setup. Don't like a dSLR. They're too heavy and too noisy. Mine are collecting dust. </p>