What do you shoot with?

[amsp]

I've uploaded more street shots to my flickr, all done with my Hassy. In case anyone is interested

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hassy501cm/7015242767/

Very cool, AMSP. This one of the riot police calmly looking at you is really interesting. Would be interesting to know the backstory there.

Great stuff. Reinforcing my quest for a Hassy.

Thanks, the other side of the story and the reason they were out in force is in the photograph before that one, there was a Communist party rally nearby. I saw these guys and hesitated for a moment (I think you can guess why) but then asked my girlfriend who speaks Turkish to ask them if it was ok for me to take their portrait. After assuring them I was a "tourist" they agreed, needless to say I was pretty shaky taking the photograph as they grimly stared at me. But looking at the result I'm glad I did.

 

[Taslim Abdani]

I use, at various times the Contax RX with the Zeiss 50 1.7 or 1.4 and sometimes the Zeiss 35 2.8, the Contax Aria with the 45mm Zeiss Pancake lens, the Konica Hexar AF (great for street photography as it is extremely quiet and has a fine 35mm lens) and finally the Voightlander Bessa R with the Soviet era Jupiter 8 lens.

 

[blockend]

A pair of A-Series Canons with 24/28mm lenses and 50mm 1.4, or an Olympus MjuII and a Konica Big Mini. At events where people expect to see photographers I take the SLRs, for mobility on the street the compacts win out.

 

[Arkasha]

Thanks for the posts, asmp - It's good to know one can do street with a MF camera!

 

[amsp]

Thanks for the posts, asmp - It's good to know one can do street with a MF camera!

For sure, and I've found that using a waist level finder people either don't notice you or they respond very favorably. There's something very disarming about the old time charm of a Hassy or a Rolleiflex for example. The photos by Vivian Maier I think are a good example of this.

 

[graywolf]

Punctuation goes inside the quotes, big guy.

Yah, that is what they teach in the universities these days. I recently took a class that was called "professional writing", but was really "writing for professionals". From there it went down hill. No self respecting secretary from the 1950's would have allowed any such crap as the "professor" taught to leave their desk except to the waste basket. Not only was this stuff not a third or fourth year college class, it was not even an acceptable high school class back in the days when students were expected to learn something rather than just be there.

Punctuation goes inside the quotes when the whole sentence is quoted. It goes outside the quotes when the quote is contained inside a sentence. If you think that is wrong go up to the above sentence and replace "professor" with "professor." (There I did it your way, and it is still wrong wrong wrong! Semantically, grammatically, and logically wrong.)

The funny thing is everyone remembers the rules, but not the part that goes, "..., except when...". (A period does not follow ellipses, except when separated by a closing quote.)

Sorry, I get upset when people start spouting rules while ignoring the "except when". Almost every English grammatical rule has an "except when".

 

[pstake]

Yah, that is what they teach in the universities these days. I recently took a class that was called "professional writing", but was really "writing for professionals". From there it went down hill. No self respecting secretary from the 1950's would have allowed any such crap as the "professor" taught to leave their desk except to the waste basket. Not only was this stuff not a third or fourth year college class, it was not even an acceptable high school class back in the days when students were expected to learn something rather than just be there.

Punctuation goes inside the quotes when the whole sentence is quoted. It goes outside the quotes when the quote is contained inside a sentence. If you think that is wrong go up to the above sentence and replace "professor" with "professor." (There I did it your way, and it is still wrong wrong wrong! Semantically, grammatically, and logically wrong.)

The funny thing is everyone remembers the rules, but not the part that goes, "..., except when...". (A period does not follow ellipses, except when separated by a closing quote.)

Sorry, I get upset when people start spouting rules while ignoring the "except when". Almost every English grammatical rule has an "except when".

You're partially correct. English contains many conditionals. Your "writing for professionals" apparently does not apply to professional journalists. So there's a caveat, too. There's at least one exception.

Also, I'm a professional print journalist. Not a photojournalist. I'm a writer; I know the rules ... and I lighten up in conversational threads except when people start sharpshooting as though the conversation exists in a vacuum, without context. Did you read this entire thread, graywolf?

I quote the Associated Press Stylebook.

“PLACEMENT WITH OTHER PUNCTUATION: Follow these long-established printers’ rules

— The period and the comma always go within the quotation marks.

— The dash, the semicolon, the question mark and the exclamation point go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only. They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence.”

 

[dnjl]

I don't consider myself 'seasoned' at all, but I feel that if I try hard enough, one day I'll produce photographs that will be worth seeing. Until now, my primary tools for street photography have been SLRs, namely a Canon F-1n and an FTb. I used to shoot different lenses, but eventually settled on the 50mm f1.4 - a lens that is as good as it is expendable. It gives me a certain feeling of security, walking around with easily replacable gear instead of a 10.000$ Leica setup.
Lately, I've noticed that using manual-everything SLRs can be too slow for street photography. I've missed quite a few opportunities because I was fumbling around with my camera. That's why I'm currently saving some money for a Bessa R3a and 50mm lens.

By the way, how do you guys feel about filters? I never use one, not even UV. Uncoated ones flare, multicoated ones attract dirt and are impossible to clean on the go. I also rather like the low-contrast look with lots of shadow detail that I get from unfiltered light.

I have some recent photographs up on my blog, which is in my signature line.

 

[gb hill]

Mainly I shoot with my Bessa R with CV35/2.5 color skopar. I have a Canonet but I find it impossible for me to zone focus.

 

[jvo]

weapon of choice

p-38 air-cooled, blood-fed...

the weapon of choice for the vietnam era infantryman "shooting' holes in those tin cans of c-rations.

jvo

 

[StoneNYC]

I've uploaded more street shots to my flickr, all done with my Hassy. In case anyone is interested

That shot of the kid is fantastic! Not sure I could have gotten that with my Mamiya RZ67, I'm impressed.

can we get details? Lens, film, if you remember any settings?


~Stone

The Important Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

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[Yashinoff]

I've been using an Exa too lately:

exa by berangberang, on Flickr

I've run about five rolls through it this summer, but haven't developed them yet so I don't really know if it has been a success. But it is rather small, rather quiet, and you can shoot "from the hip" without losing the ability to compose your shot, thanks to the WLF.
It is also rather friendly looking and sometimes people ask you about it.

 

[Relayer]

Canon EOS 300 + Sigma 2.8/24 + Tokina 19-35, Yashica CC/GX ... but last time I like Zorki-C (russian leica copy) + Jupiter-12 2.8/35 + Jupiter-3 1.5/50

 

[Taslim Abdani]

I also use Contax Slrs (RX and Aria) with Zeiss lenses as well as the Konica Hexar AF with its fixed 35 wide f2 lens. For shooting street you don't really need top shelf equipment. You do need reliable equipment. The Contax cameras are/were top shelf and reliable. I don't find them so loud since I shoot mostly in NYC where the street noise seems to drown any shutter noise out. The Hexar is quiet and very fast. It, for me, is the very best camera for street photography since it is small and fast.

 

[Rodchenko]

I use either a Minox 35GL, a Yashica Electro 35GSN (but I'm going to sell that), or my lovely Olympus 35SP. I think I'd be too self-conscious to use my SLR (and I'm impressed by some of the gear people in this thread have used on the street), but the eccentric WTF-factor is probably high enough that I reckon I could get away with using my Zeiss Ikon Nettar folder. Must give it a go.

 

[Felinik]

Most often one of two Chinon K-mount bodies with my Voigtlander 40mm f/2 lens. In the same drawer the alternatives are my Contax g1 with 45mm or 28mm, or Konica fs-1 with 40mm f/1.8.

Often the Contax or Konica goes for color emulsions, while the normal state of the Chinon/Voigtlander is 400 iso fomapan @320.

The Chinon only says "klong" when shooting, very discrete, while the other two are by far more noisy having electronical film transport etc.

 

[polyglot]

More recent silliness: street with an RZ67, fisheye and 70mm film.

No, I was not unnoticed I asked permission for this one as the lens was about 2 feet from her knee and I'm pretty sure from the expression that she didn't expect me to get that close!

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I think the point that some people are making is that threads like this one are rather pointless. They don't care what camera people use nor should anyone else. It is the photograph itself that matters not the device that made it. I might add that threads that ask "What is your favorite ..." are also pretty stupid.

I too prefer a S&W 38.

 

[polyglot]

I think the point that some people are making is that threads like this one are rather pointless. They don't care what camera people use nor should anyone else. It is the photograph itself that matters not the device that made it. I might add that threads that ask "What is your favorite ..." are also pretty stupid.

I too prefer a S&W 38.

Hear hear. Ya takes ya camera, ya composes yer scene, ya has yer photo. Some are easier for some purposes but you should be able to take (most) photos with any camera.

Gonna disagree with you on the .38 though

 

[marciofs]

Nikon F3.
Nikon 50mm 1.8
Nikon 80mm 1.8
HP5.

 

[ambaker]

Yashica Mat
Mamiya 645 Super
Yashica Electro 35 GTN

.454 super mag


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[h.v.]

Konica Hexar AF & Yashica-A, mostly. Occasionally I use SLRs.

 

[jvo]

Curiously, I have found that using a big camera on a tripod makes me "invisible" when doing street photography. I'm "part of the furniture" rather than an annoying pest that buzzes after people with a camera fixed to my face.
...

while not in the 8x10 range, i do use mamiya 645's...

i agree with maris, quiet and small isn't mandatory in much street photography. people have noticed me taking their picture. once in awhile i got snarl, but it really wasn't in anger - more a formality at having their picture taken. most often once they notice - they smile and pose and i have to pretend to shot and wait till the "magic moment" returns. often i'm interacting with the subject whose pleased, but shy.

small and unobtrusive is necessary in some circumstances... often though, it is the photographer who thinks those times are more numerous than there really are.

imho...

 

[marciofs]

Curiously, I have found that using a big camera on a tripod makes me "invisible" when doing street photography. I'm "part of the furniture" rather than an annoying pest that buzzes after people with a camera fixed to my face.

I set up by prefocussing and framing on an promising spot, shop window, ticket booth, fountain, and the like, where interesting looking people may do quirky things. I watch the unfolding scene attentively but casually and I never look at anyone through the camera. Sometimes the reflection in the lens filter tells me my "target" is in the right spot. Because I fuss with the camera controls, make meter readings, occasionally press the cable release, wind the film while standing in front of the camera, no one is certain when I have made an exposure or who has been photographed; not even the small, easily bored, transient crowd that gathers to watch what I do!

My most "conspicuous" camera is the Mamiya RB 67, a TLR is even less visible, and the 8x10 view camera may as well not be there at all. I guess the "street" psychology is that when the camera does not "chase" it's not a predator in pursuit of prey

Shooting with tripod seems to catch less attention than handheld. I think it is because handheld you can point fast at anybody and shoot. With tripod they know they will not be in the picture if they don't stand in front of it. (even though sometimes I use wade angle lenses and they think they are not in the shot but they are).

What really makes people stop and stand still looking at me is when I bring my pinhole camera to streets. People always ask what I am doing.

 

[lensworker]

what do seasoned street shooters use for making photographs? What's your primary street-shooting system?

Primary system: Leica M

My go-to street photography kit: Leica M4-P body with my Summicron 28mm f/2 ASPH lens and my Sekonic L-508 meter.

Film: Kodak Tri-X or Fuji Pro 400H if I want to work in color, both of which I develop at home.