What's Your Favorite Street Photography Camera?

[MattKing]

Back in my day, we'd use a TLR for that shot. Seriously.

+1
But not necessarily sideways.
In one hand, and scale focused.

 

[CMoore]

Donald, I have not tried, but an optical 35mm WLF will not only be super-mall to see through, but it also inverses the image, which makes it challenging to shoot quickly. Digital flip-screen in super-easy to see and people are not even aware you're taking photos. You look like someone tinkering with a camera, so I honestly do not know how to take a candid like shown below on film.

I think "Film" is meaningless.
Why would somebody "Stop to tinker with their camera" right in front of that guy.
That frame (from what we can see) is one guy, all by himself, sitting on a bench, with nobody else around.
Anybody stopping to take that shot with any cameras would be noticed.
You know how far away you will be. Pre-Focus for that distance, walk by with your Canon, Olympus, Minolta, Nikon 35mm SLR and just take the shot on film.

 

[Вormental_old]

@CMoore if you're willing to risk the shot and crop like crazy - sure. But to get the near-prefect framing you need to use a viewfinder. This is not about film, you're right, it's about the aid of an electronic viewfinder.

 

[MattKing]

But to get the near-prefect framing you need to use a viewfinder.

Which is not something that is particularly important to many of us.
In short, it is as much an issue of philosophy as technique and technology.

 

[flavio81]

I just picked up one of these. I think it is ideally suited for street photography/candids.
View attachment 242109

Hi Michael,

I could never get along with my Rollei 35 (made in Germany model). While i could tolerate the nasty ergonomics and the fact that the focus setting is disturbed whenever it goes again into the pocket, I could not tolerate the shutter button being rough. I prefer cameras that have a soft touch shutter action. A... Cool Touch if we can call it that way.

PD: You are a Canon FD fan and I want to PM you over some specific things I've found. PM'ing you soon.

 

[Leavesofglass]

Olympus xa2
Unfortunately they're almost all suffering from dead shutter buttons these days.

 

[David Reynolds]

Olympus xa2
Unfortunately they're almost all suffering from dead shutter buttons these days.

I have an Olympus XA and I admit the shutter button is difficult as it is a red flat button and you don't know if it has engaged when it is pressed but mine seems to work.

 

[Black Dog]

I have an Olympus XA and I admit the shutter button is difficult as it is a red flat button and you don't know if it has engaged when it is pressed but mine seems to work.

I know the feeling; checking the clamshell cover is fully open helps IME. Overall I love my XA2 and I'm going to look for some more XAs. My Trips seem to just keep going and going though!

 

[Arthurwg]

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

Great for crowded cities,

 

[Arthurwg]

graflex series D 4x5slr, penft +me super

I tried walking around in Central Park with my Super D (in it's collapsed form). People looked at me as if I was carrying a bomb.

 

[Tel]

I use my Rollei baby exclusively for street photography. Once or twice in, say, five years have people stopped to look at the camera. These days if you're looking down, they don't think you're taking a photo.
Baby Rollei by terry, on Flickr

 

[bluechromis]

One of my fav's is a Minolta XD-11 with Rokkor MD 28 mm f/2.8 lens. I will often zone focus and shoot from the hip. Its shutter is quieter than most SLR's. My other fav. is my Mamiya C330 TLR. Others have rightly said that TLR's in general are good. I will make a plug for the Mamiya especially because is one of the only TLR's that has a wide angle lens, apart from the insanely expensive Rolleiflex wide. The wide angle gives more DOF and you don't have to be as exact with framing shot. So I will zone focus and use the WLF just for rough framing of the shot, not fine focus which would slow things down, and fire away. In my experience people are more defensive any time you lift the camera to your eye, they act like your are aiming a rifle at them. So any time you hold the camera lower they will be less put off. The truth is that if you are a single male they are even more defensive. I will also find that with vintage cameras, and TLR's in particular, when people do notice them they are more apt to notice them in positive way and be curious than if you black autofocus SLR with a big zoom lens. I know somebody that uses a 4 x 5 Graflex SLR and is amazing the positive response he gets. I know that some use the sport finder on TLR's for street stuff, the Rollei sport finder is a class of its own. I think technically that could work, but psychologically there is the problem of lifting camera to eye and making subject anxious. I have actually used a Pentax 6x7 SLR for street work. It is anything but unobtrusive with it's thunderous shutter clap. In many situations, like photographing street performers it does better than one might think.

 

[bluechromis]

To look at this in a bigger perspective, in the area I live in people are exceedingly wary of strangers taking their picture. If you are a single male it's almost like the default assumption is "he's probably a predator." It's getting almost impossible to do street photography in the traditional sense. Many people I know of, including me, have been screamed at or threatened with getting beaten up for doing street photography--even by people that the camera was never aimed at. Many I know have given up doing street photography for this reason. This is the problem of problems with street photography. Maybe this is more so in my area, but suspect is similar in others areas. When people asked Gary Winogrand why he was taking their picture he would say, "It's for the papers" and they would be fine that. Those days are over. Some European countries have established laws that severely constrain street photography. Some of the traditional luminaries of street photography preached both that one should be in close to subjects, probably using a wide angle lens, and that one should not interact with subjects or influence them. One should act as though they are invisible. But the idea today the that you can be within ten feet of subjects and not have them notice you taking their picture is absurd. You also hear the idea that one should not be sneaky. Some of the luminaries of street photography were war photographers. So there is a bit of the macho thing of you need to put yourself on front lines and charge the enemy lines with your gun in hand and not shirk dangerous combat situation. But in today's world is it possible to not be stealthy and still get a spontaneous, candid image? It may be the best cameras for street photography are the most unobtrusive/stealthy regardless of anything else. I know of a photographer a number of years that used a autofocus point and shoot would shoot. He held at his side where felt people didn't notice it. Then there is the idea of standing way back and using a telephoto lens to be inconspicuous. The traditionalist view of street photography would say this is abomination, this sneaky and awful and voyeuristic. But the old rules just don't make sense anyone. We have to reevaluate what street photography is, can be, in the modern era and think about the best equipment for this contemporary context.

 

[flavio81]

Hi Michael,

I could never get along with my Rollei 35 (made in Germany model). While i could tolerate the nasty ergonomics and the fact that the focus setting is disturbed whenever it goes again into the pocket, I could not tolerate the shutter button being rough. I prefer cameras that have a soft touch shutter action. A... Cool Touch if we can call it that way.

I just bought a Rollei 35 today (singapore 1973 model) so i'll have to eat my words.

Was in too good shape to let it pass by. This one has a smoother shutter action. Still hard to push but smoother. Let's see what I can do with this little machine on the streets.

 

[flavio81]

One of my fav's is a Minolta XD-11 with Rokkor MD 28 mm f/2.8 lens. I will often zone focus and shoot from the hip. Its shutter is quieter than most SLR's. My other fav. is my Mamiya C330 TLR. Others have rightly said that TLR's in general are good. I will make a plug for the Mamiya especially because is one of the only TLR's that has a wide angle lens, apart from the insanely expensive Rolleiflex wide. The wide angle gives more DOF and you don't have to be as exact with framing shot.

I had a C330 with the 65/3.5 and the 55/4.5 wide angle lenses. I loved the 65mm lens, it was my favorite lens for the system.

 

[Pieter12]

To look at this in a bigger perspective, in the area I live in people are exceedingly wary of strangers taking their picture. If you are a single male it's almost like the default assumption is "he's probably a predator." It's getting almost impossible to do street photography in the traditional sense. Many people I know of, including me, have been screamed at or threatened with getting beaten up for doing street photography--even by people that the camera was never aimed at. Many I know have given up doing street photography for this reason. This is the problem of problems with street photography. Maybe this is more so in my area, but suspect is similar in others areas. When people asked Gary Winogrand why he was taking their picture he would say, "It's for the papers" and they would be fine that. Those days are over. Some European countries have established laws that severely constrain street photography. Some of the traditional luminaries of street photography preached both that one should be in close to subjects, probably using a wide angle lens, and that one should not interact with subjects or influence them. One should act as though they are invisible. But the idea today the that you can be within ten feet of subjects and not have them notice you taking their picture is absurd. You also hear the idea that one should not be sneaky. Some of the luminaries of street photography were war photographers. So there is a bit of the macho thing of you need to put yourself on front lines and charge the enemy lines with your gun in hand and not shirk dangerous combat situation. But in today's world is it possible to not be stealthy and still get a spontaneous, candid image? It may be the best cameras for street photography are the most unobtrusive/stealthy regardless of anything else. I know of a photographer a number of years that used a autofocus point and shoot would shoot. He held at his side where felt people didn't notice it. Then there is the idea of standing way back and using a telephoto lens to be inconspicuous. The traditionalist view of street photography would say this is abomination, this sneaky and awful and voyeuristic. But the old rules just don't make sense anyone. We have to reevaluate what street photography is, can be, in the modern era and think about the best equipment for this contemporary context.

Nonetheless, there is a ton of street photography being done constantly with smartphones.

 

[George Mann]

Nonetheless, there is a ton of street photography being done constantly with smartphones.

I would prefer to refer to this type of activity as snapshooting.

 

[Pieter12]

Why?

 

[Tom Taylor]

For me its the Nikon F6 w/Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8 AF-D. Fast and accurate focus and no need to change lenses when composition requires a FL of greater than 35.
For a larger negative its the Pentax 645NII w/Pentax AF f4.5 45-85mm. A little heavier, of course, but same advantages as above.

Thomas

 

[Craig75]

Olympus xa2
Unfortunately they're almost all suffering from dead shutter buttons these days

This is from memory as its a while since ive used one but there is a metal rocker switch or something under the shutter. Over time this bit of metal gets bent out of shape and the shutter gets soft and unresponsive. If you disassemble the shell (even a chimp like me has managed it) and bend that bit of metal back into shape the shutter button is back in the game and back to its hair trigger self.

 

[Craig75]

My two favs are those keyring digi cams and leica cl with a wide pancake on it. Autofocus compacts i find too laggy. Leica cl is bigger tho... its the age old battle - bigger 70s camera but with manual zone focus vs 90s age of minituarisation but more laggy.

Minolta 16 is def a good one too imo but i just scratched film too many times.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

Nikon F5 w/28-85 f3.5-4.5 and Eatman 5222. Stealth just isn't my thing. Well neither is street but I still do it occasionally.

 

[ProgramPlus]

Maybe it’s been mentioned but what about the 35mm Minox? Estimate distance, set the camera and shoot right? They’re small at least.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Maybe it’s been mentioned but what about the 35mm Minox? Estimate distance, set the camera and shoot right? They’re small at least.

If you can find one that works.

 

[Sirius Glass]

A Tessina in ones hands or mounted on a wrist strap, people will never see it.