35mm lens...

[earl...]

is street photography really just meant to use 35mm lenses or wide

angled lenses???

am i supposed to use a rangefinder camera???

im 16 and need help with this...

i am obsessed on street photography and want to excel at it like

cartier-bresson did or better...

how can a 16 yr old afford a leica..or watever good camera is out

there...someone give me a free camera??

can u help me pls...

[sliu]

The answer all your questions is NO.

 

1. Street photograph can be in any angle of view.

 

2. You can use any kind of camera.

 

3. HC-B mostly used 50mm, not 35mm.

 

4. A good camera is a camera you know how to use.

 

5. The film, processing and the time you invest in photography is much much more expensive than the camera. Even if Santa gives you a free camera, he couldn't give you the time to learn and use it.

 

How to help you:

 

if you are really interested in 35mm field of view (again, there is no rule, just personal vision), you are lucky because there are lot of great 35mm fix lens cameras cost much less than a Leica lens, such as Olympus Stylus Epic and Konica Hexar AF.<div></div>

[__piotr_e_recht]

First things first - you'll need a beret.

[lachaine]

You can do street photography with any camera, any lens. However, traditionally, a 35mm or a 50mm lens offer just about the right angle of view and the right perspective. That doesn't mean you couldn't use say a 28mm lens, or an 85mm lens, or anything else. Street photography in the Cartier-Bresson style, for want of a better way of referring to it, doesn't require a Leica or any other specific brand of camera. Any rangefinder or single lens reflex will do just fine. It's not the camera, it's the person behind it. It's what you choose to photograph and how you do it. I'm a 50 year old, and I've never been able to afford to buy a Leica. Who cares. It's just a holder for the film and the lens. Mind you, a Leica is a pretty nicely-built holder, but it's still just a holder nonetheless. Don't think like so many before you have. It's simply NOT about the camera, nor even the lenses. Just buy whatever you can afford. Personally, I think a single lens reflex is a heck of a lot more flexible as a system for general photography. You can always buy yourself a Leica later on in life.

[leslie_cheung]

too much jesus talk lately so I'll play devil advocate;*)

 

1. If you *want* a leica, get one now while you don't have rent,

utilities bills, credit card debts, car payments and college loans.

Once you live on your own, you may never justify the cost of a

leica let along afford one. Acourse you need a leica for sp as

much as a bmw for a date at the local multiplex.

 

2. Regarding lenses, acourse you can take good pics with just

about any focal lengths but most hardcore street photogs will not

respect you if you shoot with a long lens on the street and many

will say long lenses make boring pics due to compression and

lack of dynamics not to mention the chicksh*t factor.

 

I would goto the local library and look up photobooks and get

cheapo setup and start shooting.

[grant_.]

street is about gettin out there and exploring....pick any cam, carry it with you always so it becomes so much a part of you as your toes are, and have fun

[EricM]

A Leica is the last camera I would recommend to someone your age and associated income. I'd get my feet wet on the street with a Nikon F3.

[Brad_]

I like the any cam idea. If you're still out there in 6 months regularly doing it, then you'll

know what's driving you. Then you can think about what other cams *might* be better

choices. Also, nothing wrong with cartier-bresson, but no need to limit your vision/goals

to what that one guy did - there's wilder stuff out there...

[dominic_.]

Don't think about getting a Leica yet, you're only 16. Just find a camera and shoot, the more the better (and then post your work on w/nw threads here). Get a camera that you can work with and get to know it well, that way you're always prepared.

[________1]

"...someone give me a free camera??"

 

Cheeky monkey.

[Allen Herbert]

lack of dynamics not to mention the chicksh*t factor.

 

Yeah, right. Do your own thing, work it out for yourself. Who wants a communal brain.

[claudia__]

SP is about hanging out and looking for something that someone might do that somehow might be interesting to someone looking at a photo that you made while you were doing all the above. An anthropologist might say that SP is an extension of hunting and gathering or in its more decadent form...shopping. But some impute a kind of Hemingway-esque heroism to the endeavor. Actually you don't need a camera. Just hang out and stare.

[donald_macklin]

First things first.The world doesn't owe you anything.95% of what you do or aspire to will

end in failure like 95% of your fellow humans.Play with the deck you've been dealt

with.And finally,go to trade school so's you don't starve in your attempts to best HCB or

the rest of us.

[thomas_sullivan]

"...Actually you don't need a camera. Just hang out and stare..."

 

before I got into so called "street photography", that is exactly what I used to do.........love watching people to see how they do things, react to stimulii, to each other, stupid stuff they do when they think no one is paying attention, how they ignore other people, how they watch other people, etc.......

 

camera just allowed me to see it longer.........plus, the extended looking (the pic) showed other things not consiously noticed during the exposure moment, that may, or may not have been noticed at a sub-concious level

 

yeah, any lens works............35mm and 50mm are just the "usual" choices. What the wide angle does is not only show the subject, but where they are also. the normal and short telephoto will isolate the subject if you feel that is what is important. Long telephoto's are less used..........but on occasion add a nice different perspective in your "collection" of street pics..........actually a 100mm at 7 feet is pretty awesome ;o)

[vdp]

You can get used cameras on that auction site or even better look at KEH. They generally have a nice stock of used Slrs like Nikon F Cameras and the 50 mm lens shouldn't cost too much. I met a girl close to your age outside of Adorama in NYC a few weeks ago. She had just purchased a well used NIkon F w/50mm lens for under $100.00 from them. These stores are looking to sell as much analog stuff as they can so they can have more space to show off their digital wonders. Just make sure the camera you get works and doesn't need an overhaul that might cost a lot more than they are worth. And forget about used leicas, get your feet wet with a used slr from the late great 1980's. If you live in a big city you won't miss the stealth facter that much as the shutter ping will be drowned out by the noise in the street in many instances.

[paul a. roid]

<i>street is about gettin out there and exploring....<br>

pick any cam, carry it with you always so it becomes <br>

so much a part of you as your toes are, and have fun</i><p>

gotta 2nd that and the advice for a used older SLR - <br>

I had lots of fun kickin' around with a Canon AE-1 and <br>

a 50mm lens (got it on ebay for less than $100)

[lee_shively]

Get something cheap like an old Pentax Spotmatic and a 50/1.4. Hang out, take pictures and expect to be disappointed.

 

First disappointment: Nobody here is giving you a free camera.

[jason]

I mostly use a 50mm lens and have done so for 45 years..Yes a Leica is special but many old RF cameras are available for very little especially if the meter not working.THe Canon, Konica and Minoltas of the 70's.Unlike others here, i advise against Olympus Stylus 'cause the lens is poor and the mechanics always doubtful.My experience with numerous Olympus products.In SLR you may get even better deals,Asahi Pentax Spotmatic,The Pentax K1000,The ME or MX models, The Canon AE-1

Program(excellent) and of course my favorite the original Nikon F.

Lenses are easily available for all these models.Get a 50 or 35 and a 28mm as well as a portrait lens,a 85 or 105.Do not use zooms. It is harder to develope a "style" and one tends to zoom in place of actually moving to or from subject.Use one film, usually a 400 iso either black and white or color negative.Read books and compare the work of Bresson and esp the photographers at "Magnum".I started with an Olympus half frame but really got much better photos when i afforded a SLR like the Pentax. The Leica is a great tool, not a collectors item. Sadly it is expensive.You are young, maybe this is THE time to ge one!Good luck.

[dean_g]

" i advise against Olympus Stylus 'cause the lens is poor "

 

If you're referring to the Stylus Epic, that's the first time I think I've heard anyone say the lens is poor. They're great little cameras with a lens that's much better than the $80.00 the camera costs. I think more pertinent reasons to avoid that camera is that it's point and shoot nature might limit "e o"'s learning about aperture, shutter speed etc.

 

Any camera will do, though why a Leica? It's not the camera that takes the pictures, that's starting out on the wrong foot. Something like a canonet Q17 might be a better choice than a Leica to get started, it if you're going to use film. The change will buy a lot of film and processing.

 

Or get a digicam an just start shooting. You can review your shots and that quick feedback can help your learning curve.

[jeffpolaski]

When I was 16, I saved some money and bought a Konica S-II rangefinder. 50mm lens, and since it was my ONLY camera, I really got used to shooting it. I shot kodachome slides because they were less expensive. The equivilent now, for experience, would be a 3 or 4 meg pocket digital camera. Shoot a lot and review your work on a computer. I just picked up a Pentax Optio 4Si, refurbished, for aout $250, and all of a sudden my shooting frequency has increased dramatically. There may even be one or two decent shots, too.<div></div>

[chip l.]

Like others have said, any camera will do.

 

On focal length, it is a matter of personal vision. Some see things in "wide angle", others

see more "telephoto". For myself I tend to "see" things at 28mm or 24mm. But before you

start buying a series of lenses, you need to learn the craft of photography.

 

There are some great bargains out there used as some have pointed out. There are even

new ones that won't break the bank:

 

http://www.penncamera.com/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=4462

 

If funds are tight, talk with relatives. They may have an old SLR or RF camera around for

you start with. My Uncle gave me his old Minolta SR7 so many years ago when I was your

age.

 

Keep in mind many photographers in HCB's time had only the Leica as a choice for a small

camera. IMO the legend grew from there on Leica gear. RF's are not for everyone.

[rt]

I like 50mm, you might like something else. The advantage to going the old SLR route is that you can try out different focal lengths for around $50 to $100 a lens (maybe less if you are a bargain hunter). Leica can cost you 10x that for similar vintage lenses and focal lengths.

 

I have found that manual focus and manual exposure are helpful so you can preset the exposure and zone focus (a lens with a good distance scale is helpful here). There isn't usually time to be messing with those when you are trying to catch fleeting moments.

 

Good luck and have fun.

[taner]

"...Who wants a communal brain..."

 

I like the way you think.<div></div>

[ericd]

If you have a SR-7 use it first. It's a great camera. It might not be the best camera for street photography however it has several advantages :

 

- you can read metering on top of the camera, it's great for presetting your camera (while non ttl mine give good exposure with the standard lens).

 

- the finder is bright, in fact brighter than later models like the Minolta SRTs because it's a non-ttl camera all the light is for your eye none is diverted for the metering cell.

 

- the microprism area is large combined with bright finder this make focus easy with microprism.

 

- many SR-7 were fitted with the 58mm 1.4 ok it's far from a 35mm but it's a fast lens, it's sharp and has beautiful bokeh.

 

- Minolta lenses are good and cheap thus you can try a 28mm or a 35mm later with a reasonable budget.

 

On the downsize :

 

- It's a large and heavy camera (In fact I like it because the camera is more stable when shooting at low speed.)

 

- It's a SLR, thus it's noisy.

 

If you wan't a discrete camera my personal favorite was the Olympus XA (not the XA2 or XA3), despite the light falloff at wide apertures. But this camera contains some electronic components and their getting old. A chip died in mine. But if you find a working one at wild price don't miss it.

[ericd]

I've read too fast e o doesn't have a SR-7...