NYC walk around lens
Sep 13, 2021 11:44:34 #
Hip Coyote wrote:
17-35 and keep the prime in your pocket for inside shots
Sep 13, 2021 12:05:42 #
xt2
Loc: British Columbia, Canada
Take your smallest camera and lens if you wish to be more readily “accepted” by those you shoot…Cheers!
Sep 13, 2021 17:49:40 #
Sep 13, 2021 18:08:24 #
smsilverman
Loc: NYC
I live in NYC and it is my favorite photographic subject. My go to lens is a Sigma 18-300, especially for street shooting. It'll handle anything I throw at it from landscapes to architecture to street candids and anything in between. However it is not a particularly fast lens so it's not great for night shots. For that I have a couple of primes I prefer. I have a 30 mm Sigma Art series F1.4 and a normal 50 mm F1.4.
Sep 13, 2021 18:46:45 #
I agree with everyone who has said to use the 18-300mm lens. You are supposed to be enjoying yourself as a tourist. With a single lens like the 18-300mm you don't have to worry about and waste time changing lenses. No stopping to wonder which lens you should use. No juggling of equipment on a busy sidewalk while you try to change lenses. You'll have a much more enjoyable experience of sightseeing, get to see more, be less tired, have more time to look for shots and ultimately get better pictures and have a better time if you only have the one lens to deal with.
Sep 13, 2021 19:06:03 #
I would take a single pet prime. Possibly a second in a sling case.
I use a Nikon 18-300 extensively for work to document technical scenes. It is invaluable for that purpose, mainly because I don't have to worry about opening up the camera in a hostile environment or haul two kit lenses around. But personally I don't find anything beautiful about the photos. It just sucks the life out of them and I don't apparently have the skill or inspiration to change that.
I'd say that it depends on your purpose and who you are with. If you have a family in tow and want to document a vacation then the 18-300. If you are traveling light, maybe with a friend, and can zoom with your feet and want to capture something unique and artistic then a fast prime.
I use a Nikon 18-300 extensively for work to document technical scenes. It is invaluable for that purpose, mainly because I don't have to worry about opening up the camera in a hostile environment or haul two kit lenses around. But personally I don't find anything beautiful about the photos. It just sucks the life out of them and I don't apparently have the skill or inspiration to change that.
I'd say that it depends on your purpose and who you are with. If you have a family in tow and want to document a vacation then the 18-300. If you are traveling light, maybe with a friend, and can zoom with your feet and want to capture something unique and artistic then a fast prime.
Sep 13, 2021 19:26:31 #
I like my old Olympus P-5 with removable eye-level EVF and hinged LCD— and my current version is a Canon M5, again with hinged LCD, for belt-level shooting, or while resting on a table, against a street lamp post, etc. The Oly's IBIS made the slow Oly 12-50 (with macro at 43) and FF= at 2x, useful in good to moderate light; add the 17mm f1.7 for poor light. The Canon's is a 28mm Macro (1.6x for FF= becomes 44mm). I have used Tamron's 18-270 and 28-300 on aps-c and FF Canon's, but really don't like the bulk and conspicuous nature of mirrored cameras in today's self-righteous and aggressive society. Some professional did say that candid photography of human behavior begins at 300mm, and there is a truth in that.
Sep 13, 2021 19:50:55 #
A treatment for street photos 'without life in them,' try this: While you are shooting keep a notebook/pad of post-its, and write a caption for each picture. Do the newspaper thing: who, what, why, when, where. Write at least 3 sentences. After a while this thinking will become your approach to your subjects. The images will have a reason for being. Forget "art," think photography— the specifics of life at a real moment.
If the 'without life' is the other kind of deadness— some cameras with some editors— produce images that just lack luster: try the 'automatic improvement' setting to reveal what the programmers thought was good. If you don't like, then move on to another brand, perhaps even another camera, or particularly, another lens. (Look at, for example, what owners say about the 16-50 lens on Sony a6000 bodies— nothing likable; then about Zeiss or Leica lenses— many very likable.)
Another observation: if you don't like your images, get closer. (This also means, get involved.)
If the 'without life' is the other kind of deadness— some cameras with some editors— produce images that just lack luster: try the 'automatic improvement' setting to reveal what the programmers thought was good. If you don't like, then move on to another brand, perhaps even another camera, or particularly, another lens. (Look at, for example, what owners say about the 16-50 lens on Sony a6000 bodies— nothing likable; then about Zeiss or Leica lenses— many very likable.)
Another observation: if you don't like your images, get closer. (This also means, get involved.)
Sep 14, 2021 00:28:02 #
>I use the Tamron 18-400 on my D500. Wonderful lens. Inexpensive.
Sounds like a winner to me. Maybe I'll try one. Harry PS Widest I now own is a 20, longest is
a 300 so it should work pretty well for me. I like hearing "wonderful lens" and "inexpensive"! Hard
to beat those two.
Sounds like a winner to me. Maybe I'll try one. Harry PS Widest I now own is a 20, longest is
a 300 so it should work pretty well for me. I like hearing "wonderful lens" and "inexpensive"! Hard
to beat those two.
Sep 14, 2021 05:07:08 #
On an APS-C body, I use a 24mm f2.8 pancake for a 40mm FF Equiv. wide-normal look. And keep my Sigma 17-70 on a lens pouch for those few images that are more demanding. I never got the practicality of those long multi zooms. For street photography, blending in is what it is about. It is harder to frame and shoot than a normal focal length.
Carrying a 8-12 inch lens make one look like a "Private Eye." That's not a desired look relating to the photog's personal safety in most places in NYC. With so many people is such confined spaces--like the sidewalk, there are a certain few, who aren't where (or with whom) they're "supposed" to be at any given moment. A photographic record being made of the occasion may not be appreciated. Your chances are much better with a small rig.
C
I'm a native who did such work as a hobbyist in the 1960's.
Carrying a 8-12 inch lens make one look like a "Private Eye." That's not a desired look relating to the photog's personal safety in most places in NYC. With so many people is such confined spaces--like the sidewalk, there are a certain few, who aren't where (or with whom) they're "supposed" to be at any given moment. A photographic record being made of the occasion may not be appreciated. Your chances are much better with a small rig.
C
I'm a native who did such work as a hobbyist in the 1960's.
Sep 14, 2021 15:47:56 #
I used my Nikon 35mm f2.8 on my 800 in NYC. I won first place in a local photo contest when I returned!
Sep 14, 2021 16:32:46 #
I have to say, my go to walk around lens for FF Nikons is the 24-70G f4 VR! That said, I also have other lenses for special shots, but this lens is light, agile, and sharp. It just has the right feel for me with Nikon FF bodies (D4, 800, 810, 850, etc.). When it feels right, I shoot better.
Sep 14, 2021 17:13:31 #
woodyH wrote:
A treatment for street photos 'without life in the... (show quote)
Having live in New York City (Brooklyn & The Bronx) for 13 years. What you are asking people to do are not very safe things to be doing on the street.
Sep 14, 2021 20:20:22 #
Bill 45 wrote:
Having live in New York City (Brooklyn & The Bronx) for 13 years. What you are asking people to do are not very safe things to be doing on the street.
Can you suggest a better place to do street photography than in the streets of a big city? For 20+ years I worked as an insurance adjuster and then fraud investigator. If you shy away from people and appear threatened, you might be. If you approach people, look them square in the eye, and speak respectfully, you shouldn't have a problem. If you are in an area with a lot of homeless, spread a few bucks and ask them to watch your back. You'd be surprised how many friends you have.
Just remain alert!
---
Sep 14, 2021 21:28:40 #
Bill 45 wrote:
Having live in New York City (Brooklyn & The Bronx) for 13 years. What you are asking people to do are not very safe things to be doing on the street.
I have visited the city many times and shot a lot of street scenes. There are more tourists on the streets than workers and so many have cameras there is seldom a problem taking street scenes as long as you don't look like you are targeting someone. In 25 years of going to the city I had one bad experience. As I was walking from the photo show at the Javits Center to the Port Authority some guys were unloading a box truck of beer. They were using one of the elevators that open on the sidewalk and carry product to the basement. I thought it was an interesting shot but one of the guys yelled at me and began walking quickly toward me. The Port Authority with it's police office was just around the corner and when I ducked into the bus terminal the guy went back to his unloading. All I can figure is that he was unloading contraband beer (beer that had been purchased out of state to avoid NYC taxes) and didn't want evidence of that.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.