What's Your Favorite Street Photography Camera?

[JADoss23]

Was curious what everyone favorite cameras are for street photography? Don't get to shoot street photos too often where I live but love my Olympus XA2.

 

[Pieter12]

Hasselblad SWC, Fuji X100 & XPro2.

 

[etn]

Indeed the SWC is the best point 'n shoot ever! It is fast, unobtrusive, and its "autofocus" is the quickest on the planet!
Perfect for street and candids. I should use mine more.

 

[blockend]

Was curious what everyone favorite cameras are for street photography?

Every camera type up to and including 5 x 4 has been used for street photography. There was even an American photographer (whose named escapes me) who used an ultra large format (Gandolfi?) camera. Camera choice is the easiest part of SP. Personally, I prefer a camera I can control shutter, aperture and focus manually for candid work.

 

[MattKing]

Koni-Omega.

Who is going to argue with you when you have one of those at hand?​

The fact that the film advance sounds like a pump shotgun is a bit of a disadvantage though.

 

[Paul Howell]

For night work I like a point and shot with fixed 38 to 45mm 2.8 with Tmax 3200, I develop as a +1 push. For daylight, zoom point and shoot with Tmax 400.

 

[abruzzi]

Hasselblad SWC, Fuji X100 & XPro2.

not really for street photography, more for wide boulevard photography.

 

[Pieter12]

not really for street photography, more for wide boulevard photography.

Actually, more for narrow alley photography!

 

[Black Dog]

Was curious what everyone favorite cameras are for street photography? Don't get to shoot street photos too often where I live but love my Olympus XA2.

Me too-I also love my Trip (simple and bombproof).

 

[guangong]

My definition of “street photography” refers to unposed pictures of people and objects. Much of my “street photography” is taken indoors..people in .bars, restaurants, stores...but also interesting buildings or architectural details...Street photography can be done anywhere.
I have no favorite camera, but prefer something small or at least not taken seriously, such as a screw mount Leica, folding Contessa, Rollei 35 or Olympus XA. I normally always carry a subminiature Minox or Minolta 16.
Except for documentary purposes I see no benefit it street photography of the down and out.
While not owning one, I can see the practicality of a Hassy SW for street photography. Quiet and look obsolete enough not to be taken seriously by any onlookers.

 

[alentine]

Nikon or Leica mechanical cameras.

 

[flatulent1]

Canon EOS R, Fujifilm GF670, Fujifilm TX-2, Fujifilm X-Pro 2, YashicaMat 124G.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

i have a MP which works great but only provides a 35mm negative so some days I like to go out with a Pentax 645 with AF.

 

[narsuitus]

Was curious what everyone favorite cameras are for street photography?

Film: Leica M6 with 35mm f/1.4 lens

Digital: Fuji X-Pro2 set to electronic shutter and a 23mm f/1.4 lens


Leica M6 by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[radiant]

Samsung ECX 1 - really. Check my street work done with ECX 1:







(more on IG)

 

[Magnus919]

Hear me out here. Try not to laugh.

Just about any TLR can work well for street photography.

The problem with rangefinders and SLR's and almost anything else (and I do use them all) is that your subjects respond differently when they feel that a camera is pointing at them. You may see them looking right into the lens, building tension. So then you end up with a lot of intense looking photos where the subject is looking into the camera. Do you then take photos of people from behind? From far away? Just to get that candid moment.

With the TLR, navel-gazing into the chimney viewfinder from above, it's not so threatening to subjects. You don't look like you're about to take a photograph, and most folks will tend to just go about their business.

I took this with a Mamiya C330. But really any TLR with a chimney viewfinder should work fine. I'd love to get into a Rolleiflex someday.

 

[Alentejo]

My X100f and Contax TVS.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

Hear me out here. Try not to laugh.

Just about any TLR can work well for street photography.

The problem with rangefinders and SLR's and almost anything else (and I do use them all) is that your subjects respond differently when they feel that a camera is pointing at them. You may see them looking right into the lens, building tension. So then you end up with a lot of intense looking photos where the subject is looking into the camera. Do you then take photos of people from behind? From far away? Just to get that candid moment.

With the TLR, navel-gazing into the chimney viewfinder from above, it's not so threatening to subjects. You don't look like you're about to take a photograph, and most folks will tend to just go about their business.

I took this with a Mamiya C330. But really any TLR with a chimney viewfinder should work fine. I'd love to get into a Rolleiflex someday.

You make some great points, plus end up with a more workable negative.

 

[jim10219]

Hear me out here. Try not to laugh.

Just about any TLR can work well for street photography.

The problem with rangefinders and SLR's and almost anything else (and I do use them all) is that your subjects respond differently when they feel that a camera is pointing at them. You may see them looking right into the lens, building tension. So then you end up with a lot of intense looking photos where the subject is looking into the camera. Do you then take photos of people from behind? From far away? Just to get that candid moment.

With the TLR, navel-gazing into the chimney viewfinder from above, it's not so threatening to subjects. You don't look like you're about to take a photograph, and most folks will tend to just go about their business.

I took this with a Mamiya C330. But really any TLR with a chimney viewfinder should work fine. I'd love to get into a Rolleiflex someday.

Agreed. A TLR or maybe an SLR without a pentaprism, where you have to look down into the camera to take the shot instead of putting your eye up to the back, tends to put people more at ease. I don't know if it's because you're not facing them while taking the shot, or you're using a unusual looking camera that doesn't immediately trigger fears of intrusion, but it goes a long way towards keeping people calm and accepting of your work.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, an SLR with a long lens is about the worst thing you could use, as far as people's reactions to your presence is concerned.

 

[Colin Corneau]

not really for street photography, more for wide boulevard photography.

You wouldn't say that if you saw a few books or images by Shinya Arimoto...well worth going out of your way for. Absolutely stunning.

 

[Huss]

Samsung ECX 1 - really. Check my street work done with ECX 1:







(more on IG)

I bought a new one from Chestnut photo in San Fran this July. Just because they were selling new ones! It is a very weird interesting camera, but the only issue I have with it is locating the vf when I bring the camera to eye!
It takes a while..

 

[Huss]

My pick is the Lomo LC-A 120. 21mm equivalent lens (in 35mm terms), zone focus, AE, very small, super handy, excellent and very characterful results.
Or a Nikonos V. Super lens, crazy solid tough kamera, silent, AE, easy zone focus with excellent DOF scales. MASSIVE viewfinder.

 

[Pieter12]

For street photography, I want a camera that is easy and fast to use. I most often use a wide lens, prefocus and set exposure, then point and shoot--many times barely lifting the camera to my eye (and sometimes just from chest level) as I pass the subject.
https://pdekoninck.cargo.site/Street

 

[Luckless]

On the opposite end of the spectrum, an SLR with a long lens is about the worst thing you could use, as far as people's reactions to your presence is concerned.

One of my friends gets away with using an SLR with telephoto by just cradling it in their arms, and shooting off to the side either using a waist level finder, or a flip out screen if they're working digital. They'll look up often, and pretend to be taking photos of fire escapes or building tops and the like, and people quickly dismiss a photographer who isn't interested in them.

 

[Pentode]

I’ll use just about anything I have film in for street photography but I do have some favorites: For years I was very fond of a Petri Color Corrected Super 1.9 (a late-fifties Japanese fixed-lens RF) as my main street shooter. Then I used a Kiev 4a for a while. Then a Nikon S3 became the favorite. A recently acquired Leica M3 might dethrone the Nikon, but we’ll have to see.

For SLRs, I’m fond of the small and quiet Minolta XD-11, East German Pentacon F and Praktina FX and, as Magnus919 mentioned, any TLR is good, too.

All subject to change based upon whim, what I had for breakfast, what’s on top of the pile, etc....