Best wide angle+camera, for street & landscape ?

<p>I was looking for comparaison wich will be the best actual (or next release) wide angle lens actually on the market, for making landscape and street & documentary ? With a wide aperture.<br>

<br />It's seem's the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM / <a>Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II or maybe Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G ED...</a><br>

I was interested into maybe buying a Pentax K5 but there's no special lenses ?<br>

<br /> As well for the next OM-D EM-5 with a 12mm f2 ? seem's to be great lenses not as good as the canon ?<br>

<br /> And the Sony Alpha 57 ?<br /> So in this case maybe better buying on a second hand market a Canon 5D MKII ? Maybe better buying something like a 7D ? I was thinking to buy a full-frame to have a best wide angle ?<br /> Or even an old MF Fuji GW690 II or III ? I was a bit disapointed with this last one because it seem's the Bookeh is not so good due to lake of lames... ONly 5 lames, I think... SO it's might be better for sharper pictures.<br /> On the other hand my budget is limited to $1500, to be more selective.<br /> I must admit that I prefer a fixed lens than a bad ranked zoom.<br /> I also need a camera with a really good dynamic range.<br /> I would like to be able to print at 45x60cm at least...</p>

<p>Thanks if you've got sugestions</p>

<p>My personal favorite is the 24mm f/1.4. Still wide enough to be "fun," yet, still able to shoot people if well-framed. The Nikon version is tack-sharp, and can shoot in any light. If you're more budget-conscious, try a third-party 24mm f/1.4, or a slower, camera-branded f/4.0 short zoom with VR/IS instead. For an APS-C mirrorless ILC, I would choose a fast 16mm pancake.</p>

>>> Thanks if you've got sugestions

 

With respect to "street," I wouldn't worry too much about the notion of "best" - I currently shoot with a

cellphone. Pick a focal length (or focal length range for a zoom) that captures your view of the world and

go with it.

 

In the end, moderate apertures, such as f/2.0, are fine.

<p>The best piece of advice I can give Nico is that there is no "best" wide+camera for street <em>or </em>landscape. There are those who will tell you what they use, but you are not them. The street or natural environment in which you photograph is probably not identical to theirs or your vision. </p>

<p>While the conventional wisdom of a wide angle for SP might also fit you, some of the best used a 50mm, which is not to say you should, just that people's needs vary.</p>

<p>I would say use what you have for at least several months and gain more experience. It will facilitate your decision. </p>

<p>I love my Panasonic GF1+20mm... maybe will upgrade for a 12mm f2 ? And a nice Fuji GW690 just for fun...</p>

<p>With respect to street, technical IQ isn't worth as much as landscape, if at all. You ought to find a comfy FL instead of finding the best IQ lens as Luis mentioned. Most street photography could be done with okay lens/camera as Brad alluded to...</p>

<p>What's wrong with your 20mm combo? By most account, it's a great lens though the AF is a bit slow for me. On the other hand, many still use manual focusing cameras, and with good results... </p>

<p> </p>

When I was doing street photography, my camera of choice was a Leica IIIf with a 35mm Summaron lens. It was light and unobtrusive.

<p>Use what you feel comfortable with and you'll get your best work.</p>

<p>An RF 35mm camera (Leica, Zeiss-Ikon, Bessa) and fast wide angle do both well, but for a sufficient negative size (required to my mind for attacking the often quite detailed landscapes and high mag enlargments) and also fast operation, the Mamiya 6 with the wide angle 50mm lens is a fine choice for both street and landscapes. Light, compact, silent, excellent bright and rapid viewfinder and an extremely high quality lens are for me the telling characteristics encompassing these two applications. The lens is only as fast as f4, but you mention the Fuji 690, which is of the same speed, more or less, but noisier. Use of Tri-X or HP5+ buys you good dynamic range and tonality, and circumvents somewhat the presence of a slower lens.</p>

<p>But it should above all be mentioned that street photography is not of just one sort. It can be done with many types of cameras and optics, but what is important is your approach to it, what you want to achieve, the proximity of your human elements, your complicity or not with them, and other factors. The camera can be somewhat secondary in such cases. Instead of using a zoom lens and a fairly fixed location, the mobility of the photographer has to come into play, and his surreptitiousness in moving about. Cartier-Bresson used a small Leica RF and a 50mm lens for much of his output, but he was a master of anticipation, placement and strategy. The slowly but surely being recognised Vancouver German photographer, Fred Herzog, like Helen Levitt of about the same time (1950s and 60s), innovated street photography with colour rather than the then badge use of black and white, showing that different approaches (media) can be successful in street photography. As does today Fabien Ghez in creating beautiful blurred semi-abstract images in colour of buyers and sellers at the Marrakech in Morocco. So you should not limit yourself to either one technique, approach or piece of equipment. </p>

<p>Very interesting work from Fabien Ghez, thanks for the link. It's very cool somebody playing with results around the blurred pictures, very interesting relation between painting and picturing in the Monet style.<br>

I always think that I need to play more with the graphic aspect, that why sometimes it may be good having a zoom...<br>

Thanks for this interesting purpose...</p>

<p>bY the way I already own a 6x6 Rolleiflex tessar F/3.5 T with one great rolleinar 1 and a few chromoplan that's why I won't buy a Mamiya 6... I'm more interested in rectangular format I think it's better for composition work.<br>

I also own an old Mamiya 6 IV from occuped japan really cool for traveling because it's more tiny and the body seem's to be more resistant... Last time I break my rolleiflex with almost not having take any pictures...<br>

thks bye</p>

<p>Yes, Ghez reminds me of some of the work by the late Ernst Haas. Like your Rolleiflex (Tessar lens, subjectively great for B+W images), I use an old Minolta Autocord occasionally, mainly for its multiple exposure provision and ease to mentally compose images in either square, portrait or landscape mode, but I prefer the maniability of my little Mamiya 6 for people and event photography (I must do more of the latter). Ghez's work with blur is I think easier to work with using digital technology, unless you like to "let the dice fall where they may" (also not to be dismissed as an exercise).</p>

<p>I don't actually believe in a best. Maybe a zoom only because of the wide variety of subjects you need to cover. In reality, you really need more then 1 lens, and you need to test it to fiond it's sweet spots. In the end, Photoshop skills along with a good knowledge of exposure will provide dam near anything from any camera, just pick one.</p>