settings for street photog.

[ramarren]

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appreciate the tip! coming from what i was used to shooting (a7rii 50mm 1.4 zeiss) and seeing how it would handle on the street, i think it's fair and not unwise to naturally compare. it is human nature, especially considering the cost of the item.  i dont want people to assume im comparing. im just CURIOUS about settings that have and have not worked for people, given that theyve tried this on the street.  When I purchased the Q, i automatically compared it to my rx1r, naturally. First impression was that the sony was more accurate and faster. But after sleeping with the Q for months, i began to understand the system and now I find it way more accurate, intuitive, and faster than the sony rx1r, plus the user experience is not compareable.  so with that said, i probably shouldve just figured this out myself, but was hoping the community would provide their practical experience, rather than "teaching me" on how to shoot.  I don't blame people though. it's the nature of blog/forums.

 

 

I didn't read that you were doing much comparison. It simply isn't sensible to expect all the diverse automation systems in modern cameras to always act in the same way. Each camera's automation has its particular nuances. Life was much simpler, and experience more common across the board, when most of what were good cameras had little or no automation, and all responded pretty much the same way. 

 

It's hard to explain a methodology without sounding like you're trying to teach a practice to someone else. Particularly when that someone else is trying to determine how to utilize a camera based on the context of knowledge about using another camera that you might or might not even be familiar with. 

 

Rather than ask a lot of people how they do something, I try various things and see what I get first. If I didn't what get what I wanted yet, I then articulate what I've done, what my goal was, and ask if anyone else has tried to get that. I try to avoid evaluative remarks in doing so (like saying "the lens focuses so slowly ...") as they confuse the issues. 

 

Whether the SL is the "best" tool to do a particular job or not is, to me, irrelevant. If it's the camera you have, and you want to do a job, the focus should be on "what do I need to do to get this job done." The SL is a very versatile camera and can do a lot of things. Street photography is a very broad paradigm of photographic effort and can be achieved in a wide variety of ways with almost any equipment at all. For me, most street work that appeals means relatively close in shooting with people, things and context. That means, contrary to what it seems to mean for some others, relatively short focal lengths for wide field of view and small apertures for large DoF; 50mm is on the outside end of how long I like to work with when doing street'. If your notion of "street" is longer distances, shallow DoF, longer lenses ... well, I'm interested to see what you're getting but my techniques of street photography aren't going to be particularly relevant. 

 

That doesn't mean I've never used a 50mm lens, or longer, for street work. It just means that it's not my usual thing. This photo was what I consider street work, even though the context is a bit lacking and it's more of a portrait:

 

 

The story of the photo is on the flickr page. 

 

(And, jeez, I remember that situation as if it were yesterday ... and it's been nearly 10 years since I made that photo! Ach, I'm getting old. ) 

 

onwards!

[mr_aznar]

I have used the SL with the Canon 50/1.2L with good results. It all depends on the subject matter of course. I use it more for situations where there is no movement and makes sense to isolate the subject, or situations where I have enough dof so that any movement parallel to the camera does not affect focus that much. I also try to prefocus on specific areas and take multiple shots if necessary to maximise the probability of success. And of course for street portraits.

love it. thx for the tip!!

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[mr_aznar]

 

 

I didn't read that you were doing much comparison. It simply isn't sensible to expect all the diverse automation systems in modern cameras to always act in the same way. Each camera's automation has its particular nuances. Life was much simpler, and experience more common across the board, when most of what were good cameras had little or no automation, and all responded pretty much the same way. 

 

It's hard to explain a methodology without sounding like you're trying to teach a practice to someone else. Particularly when that someone else is trying to determine how to utilize a camera based on the context of knowledge about using another camera that you might or might not even be familiar with. 

 

Rather than ask a lot of people how they do something, I try various things and see what I get first. If I didn't what get what I wanted yet, I then articulate what I've done, what my goal was, and ask if anyone else has tried to get that. I try to avoid evaluative remarks in doing so (like saying "the lens focuses so slowly ...") as they confuse the issues. 

 

Whether the SL is the "best" tool to do a particular job or not is, to me, irrelevant. If it's the camera you have, and you want to do a job, the focus should be on "what do I need to do to get this job done." The SL is a very versatile camera and can do a lot of things. Street photography is a very broad paradigm of photographic effort and can be achieved in a wide variety of ways with almost any equipment at all. For me, most street work that appeals means relatively close in shooting with people, things and context. That means, contrary to what it seems to mean for some others, relatively short focal lengths for wide field of view and small apertures for large DoF; 50mm is on the outside end of how long I like to work with when doing street'. If your notion of "street" is longer distances, shallow DoF, longer lenses ... well, I'm interested to see what you're getting but my techniques of street photography aren't going to be particularly relevant. 

 

That doesn't mean I've never used a 50mm lens, or longer, for street work. It just means that it's not my usual thing. This photo was what I consider street work, even though the context is a bit lacking and it's more of a portrait:

 

 

The story of the photo is on the flickr page. 

 

(And, jeez, I remember that situation as if it were yesterday ... and it's been nearly 10 years since I made that photo! Ach, I'm getting old. ) 

 

onwards!

Thanks again for your perspective. I actually just did a last minute campaign shoot for a brand Im working with and I think the the SL got faster lol. Basically, I've getting to know how the system working for my style of shooting.  The camera is symply a beast!! I feel like Leica is doing this on purpose, in that, it really wants to photographer to get to know the system first, rather than a quick fix that many camera company wants you to do. Kinda like watching Game of Thrones..was bored in the first few episodes, then made all sense at the end to give you that "wow" feeling lol.  I'm not a fan of long focal length when doing street.  I use to shoot 35 or 50mm, until my preview trip to Havana when I used the 28mm. From then on, I've never gone back. I feel the 28mm for me is the best for street, because of the gesture it captures, especially when you get it. I feel like the story and emotions gets better when getting intimate with people, and for the most, you end up striking a conversation with them.  Have I been told off for getting on their face? Absolutely, but doesnt bother me at all, as long as I get the story and emotion is brings.  Thx again, and love this street portrait!!

[mr_aznar]

Not quite street photography or with the 50mm but for fast events I use the 11-23 T with my SL, zone focus set at 1.5m to infinity via the OLED panel, auto ISO. Move in close or the mobile phones get in the way.

 

And I exposure compensate ahead of capture moment or with a bit of flash. In those moments, I rarely put the camera EVF to my eye but pivot to best position the camera. The SL is a blast to use in those conditions. Equalises with my DSLR for performance. And when I need those 24mp I just go back to the 24-90 which is still the lens for 90% of most event shooting which isn't really very fast moving.

thank you!

[mr_aznar]

SL is not a street camera. It does not mean, of course, that it cannot be used as such, but believe me, there are other things thatSL excels in, and they all not street photography

i think i just needed to get to know the camera with my own style. i shot more out on the street after this, and man, the SL is a beast!!  I should post some sample shots. im not particularly attracted to 50mm for street, as most of my work is done on 28mm, but man this camera can actually do some damage on street photog. portait..geez this is by far the best camera and lens i have ever used!! thx for your input!

[Daedalus2000]

ive tried the canon 85 f1.2 L on 5dSR and SL50 on the SL..the 85L with its death star sized glass focused faster on people in the street at dusk.

 

but whatever.. use the tools to get the best results one can.

 

Thanks for the info, unfortunately I do not have the 5DSR, nor the SL50.

 

Would you recommend the 5D IV or the 5dsr for someone who also wants to have a Canon body?

[mr_aznar]

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I didn't read that you were doing much comparison. It simply isn't sensible to expect all the diverse automation systems in modern cameras to always act in the same way. Each camera's automation has its particular nuances. Life was much simpler, and experience more common across the board, when most of what were good cameras had little or no automation, and all responded pretty much the same way. 

 

It's hard to explain a methodology without sounding like you're trying to teach a practice to someone else. Particularly when that someone else is trying to determine how to utilize a camera based on the context of knowledge about using another camera that you might or might not even be familiar with. 

 

Rather than ask a lot of people how they do something, I try various things and see what I get first. If I didn't what get what I wanted yet, I then articulate what I've done, what my goal was, and ask if anyone else has tried to get that. I try to avoid evaluative remarks in doing so (like saying "the lens focuses so slowly ...") as they confuse the issues. 

 

Whether the SL is the "best" tool to do a particular job or not is, to me, irrelevant. If it's the camera you have, and you want to do a job, the focus should be on "what do I need to do to get this job done." The SL is a very versatile camera and can do a lot of things. Street photography is a very broad paradigm of photographic effort and can be achieved in a wide variety of ways with almost any equipment at all. For me, most street work that appeals means relatively close in shooting with people, things and context. That means, contrary to what it seems to mean for some others, relatively short focal lengths for wide field of view and small apertures for large DoF; 50mm is on the outside end of how long I like to work with when doing street'. If your notion of "street" is longer distances, shallow DoF, longer lenses ... well, I'm interested to see what you're getting but my techniques of street photography aren't going to be particularly relevant. 

 

That doesn't mean I've never used a 50mm lens, or longer, for street work. It just means that it's not my usual thing. This photo was what I consider street work, even though the context is a bit lacking and it's more of a portrait:

 

 

The story of the photo is on the flickr page. 

 

(And, jeez, I remember that situation as if it were yesterday ... and it's been nearly 10 years since I made that photo! Ach, I'm getting old. ) 

 

onwards!

by the way, what size is best to share photos on here?

[frame-it]

a multi-purpose body > 5d mk4

 

for some specific uses the SR...though ive found i can use the Sr for almost everything..[i dont do video..for that i have a blackmagic camera.]

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info, unfortunately I do not have the 5DSR, nor the SL50.

 

Would you recommend the 5D IV or the 5dsr for someone who also wants to have a Canon body?

Edited September 10, 2017 by frame-it

[ramarren]

by the way, what size is best to share photos on here?

 

 

I post photos sized to between 1000 and 1400 pixels on the long edge for internet consumption, depending on the individual photo proportions and content. I upload my photos to Flickr.com and use it as a photo server, that way I can use the embedded image display commands on forums like this one to display the photos.