Topic: Best lens for street photography on a Pentax (Read 20365 times)

RMichael · « **on:** May 06, 2007, 06:33:03 am »

Hi

I use a Pentax K10 d and at the moment I only have the kit lens. I want to shoot candid people shots. What would be my best bet?

Thanks

Bobtrips · « **Reply #1 on:** May 06, 2007, 01:02:26 pm »

Quote

Hi

I use a Pentax K10 d and at the moment I only have the kit lens. I want to shoot candid people shots. What would be my best bet?
Thanks
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

There are somewhat two different schools of candid street shooting.

There are those who prefer a longer lens so that they can stand back from the scene and grab a frame-filling shot without disrupting the activity/candid nature of the shot. The Pentax 50-200 works pretty well for me, gives me an effective 300mm reach. More would be nicer.

Then there are those who prefer to fit a wide angle and get very close to their subjects. Your 18-55 gives you an effective 27mm wide end. One has to get fairly close to an individual to fill the frame with their face. If I want to use my Pentax 10-17 I'd pretty much have to get their nose oil on my front element.

Here's what I'd suggest. Go out and shoot.

Pay attention to how often you can't back up enough and can't walk close enough to get the shot you wanted. You might even carry a scrap of paper/pencil and tick off the number of times you didn't get a shot due to your lens being too short or too long.

Then download a copy of [a href=\"http://www.vandel.nl]Exposure Plot[/url]. Run your street photos and see if the photos tend to pile up at either end of the distribution. This will give you some idea of whether you would benefit from a longer/wider lens.

That analysis should give you a good idea of what you need. What other people find useful hardly fits your needs.

The next question is one of image quality/lens brightness.

martin.storz · « **Reply #2 on:** May 06, 2007, 04:09:46 pm »

Hi,

here is no answer for special camera brand.

In my opinion a 28mm lens is the best lens (with FF-sensor) for street photography.
At ap. 8.0 and a hyperfocal distance of 2m you can get sharp pictures in a range from 1.2m to 4m - ideal distance for a 28mm.

With APS-sensor, a 17mm lens, distance 2m at aperture 4.0 the range is from 1.2m to 6m.
(Therefore the Sigma DP-1 could be an interesting camera for street photographie)

You can look at some examples shot with the combination Canon 5D + EF 28mm 1.8 USM on:

http://thepubliceyeblog.blogspot.com/searc...%20photographie

Greetings

RMichael · « **Reply #3 on:** May 09, 2007, 03:10:02 pm »

Thank you for your answers.

Let's just say I want to be completely non-intrusive in street photography. I want to picture people with their environment and not alert them. I want to be able to take most of my shots from a vantage point and without being too conspicuous. In that case, what I understand, is that the 50-200 or 70- 300 mm will be a good idea?

Could you suggest some specific Pentax or a third party lens that'd give me tack sharp results and be good for not too good lighting either?

Regards

paulnorheim · « **Reply #4 on:** May 09, 2007, 05:15:19 pm »

As a street photographer, I think you have made a very good choice, since Pentax make a lot of very compact, very well built, high quality lenses. Personally I use a Canon Digital Rebel with a 24mm f/2.8 and a 50 mm f/.1.8. That`s a nice combo for my needs. But sometimes I wished I had a Pentax, because of their lenses.

You may take a look at the
SMC FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited

But Pentax seem to have more to offer for street shooters. My experience is that you are more inconspicious if you get really close. You could take a look at the tiny "Pancake" lenses:
Perhaps
SMC DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited
which gives you a field of view of ca 30 mm on your camera, and the
SMCP DA 70mm f/2.4

or perhaps the
50 mm f/1.4 (not pancake, but small)
The 50mm is not very expensive and will, together with the 21mm and/or 70mm give you a very compact combo.

(Pentax also has other pancake-size lenses, among them a 40mm, and they are soon releasing new ones)
As a start, you could go to this link:
feed://www.photozone.de/active/rss/rssPZNewsFeeder.jsp
with reviews, and also pictures of the lenses on the 10D.

However I agree with Bobtrips: spend a few days in a crowdy environment, try out your kit lens from wide angle to tele, and see what works best for you. (I did that for several weeks with a 18-55 mm kit lens, and realised that a moderate wide angle lens was perfect for me. Later I went to New York, bought the 24mm and spent a day in Harlem taking ca. 500 pictures. Only once someone realised what I was doing, and only a handful of times during 8 days in NY. Most of them smiled, and I never got into trouble.)

Good luck!

Paul

Bobtrips · « **Reply #5 on:** May 10, 2007, 12:25:56 am »

I'm reading some awfully good reviews on the new Tamron 18-250. It seems to do an excellent job of focusing (albeit a bit slow).

If you go out and find that your 'street' subjects tend to be both close and far away as mine do, then this might be a lens worth considering. It would give you a 27-375mm eq. reach.

Primes are (optically) great, but changing lenses can be a real pain when subject distance can and often does change from shot to shot.

And I'm not sure that I want to do candid street shooting with a short lens, zoom or prime, and dSLR. You're just going to get one shot before your subject/victim is made aware of your presence. Quieter cameras work much better when you're up close.

JMCP · « **Reply #6 on:** May 10, 2007, 02:52:56 am »

Hi,

I have a few Pentax lenses but, if I can only take 1 lense with me, it is the 40mm pancake lense, it makes my Samsung GX-1S (DS2 clone) pocketable in my jacket, a lightweight combination and it is decent in low light (2.8 aperture), it is also very unobtrusive and the cheapest of the pancake lenses.

Cheers John

Quote

Hi

I use a Pentax K10 d and at the moment I only have the kit lens. I want to shoot candid people shots. What would be my best bet?
Thanks
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=115935\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

RMichael · « **Reply #7 on:** May 10, 2007, 07:03:33 am »

Thank you so much for your answers.

As I understand my own perspective on this, I think I will need a 50-200 or 70-300. But I think I must go out and see for myself. I might surprise myself

I need help on deciding on a great-

1. Landscape wide angle lens

2. Portrait lens

3. Macro.

Do I need to start a new thread for these? Kindly let me know.

When you read specifications of a lens, what must one look for?

Many Thanks

JMCP · « **Reply #8 on:** May 10, 2007, 09:50:38 am »

If I was buying some new lenses based on your list I would buy the following

1) DA21 pancake (I have the DA14mm and I really enjoy it but you do get some image distortion from it due to it being soo wide, I think this could easily be sorted by someone who knew what they were doing with software like PTLens, unlike me who hasn't a foggiest what he's doing with it)

2) DA70 pancake or FA77 although the DA70 is not much more than half the price of the FA77, it is rated just as highly, if not even higher but, the FA77 would be suitable for a FF Pentax if that ever emerged

3) DA100 macro, never used it but seen some really nice images from it over on dpreview.com

A lense that you might also want to consider is the FA50 1.4, it is a reasonably inexpensive lense and is popular amongst a lot of Pentax users, to be honest, I don't use mines much at all.

Not sure if you already have the Pentax 50-200, if you have then this is a really nice lense for the low cost, if you haven't got it, then look around for the Schneider-Kreuznach D-Xenon version as it is just a rebadged Pentax but it is often available for half the price of the Pentax badged version.

Who all the above helps.

Cheers John

Quote

Thank you so much for your answers.

As I understand my own perspective on this, I think I will need a 50-200 or 70-300. But I think I must go out and see for myself. I might surprise myself

I need help on deciding on a great-

1. Landscape wide angle lens

2. Portrait lens

3. Macro.

Do I need to start a new thread for these? Kindly let me know.
When you read specifications of a lens, what must one look for?
Many Thanks
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=116749\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

RMichael · « **Reply #9 on:** May 10, 2007, 06:00:42 pm »

Thanks JMCP. I do not own the 50-200 as of now. For landscapes I was wondering if the
choice between the zoom and the fixed lenses is a matter of personal preference or does one have some advantage over the other?

I see that you have recommended all Pentax lenses. I do not doubt Pentax quality, but would there be better lenses in third party offerings? If you know of any such, please do let me know. I don't want to spend too much on experimenting. I'd rather just get the best in it's class whichever the brand.

I'd also want to buy an all round lens with a wide aperture for low light shots. Would the FA50mm f1.4 would be one such?

Many thanks. Your help is much appreciated.

Bobtrips · « **Reply #10 on:** May 10, 2007, 07:41:27 pm »

Quote

I'd also want to buy an all round lens with a wide aperture for low light shots. Would the FA50mm f1.4 would be one such?

Many thanks. Your help is much appreciated.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=116852\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Remember that a 50mm on your 1.5x camera is going to function like a 75mm on a 35mm film/ff camera. That might be long for indoor shots, where one frequently is shooting in low light. You might find the FOV a problem.

Additionally f1.4 gives you a pretty narrow DOF. You may find it more advantageous to use a smaller aperture and rely on higher ISOs and image stabilization.

paulnorheim · « **Reply #11 on:** May 10, 2007, 10:12:13 pm »

The Pentax 31 mm f/1.8 Limited, is better as a normal lens then the 50mm, but it`s expensive. You could try the Sigma 30mm 1.4. It is not "better" (qualitywise) then Pentax; most of the Pentax lenses mentioned above in this thread are among the best you could get in the DSLR world.
But if you get a good copy of the Sigma 30 1.4, it could be a good choice. I own it for my Canon camera, and I got a copy that I am very happy with. If you do that, try it before you by it. Some people have reported focusing problems, so you should check if it focus where you want it to, or if it is front- or back focusing.

Paul

John Camp · « **Reply #12 on:** May 10, 2007, 10:20:17 pm »

I have the K10 and three pancake lenses, and most often use the 40mm for street shooting. At 40mm, it's effectively just a hair longer than a 50 on a film camera, and I like that, because I can stand back a bit more. I really think that the most obtrusive thing about most cameras, for street shooting, is big glass. So even with a small camera, if you buy a big zoom, you're going to be noticable, and you're going to look like a PHOTOGRAPHER.

I also shoot an M8, and the K10 with a 40mm actually feels a bit smaller than the Leica with a 50 lux, though, depending on how you look at it, I suppose, it's actually a bit bigger. But not much. I really like Leicas -- but if a K10 owner were to make the argument that his camera, with a pancake, is as good or better than an M8 as a street shooter...it'd be a tough call. (The built-in anti-shake givs you another stop or, some say, two stops, which means those fast pancakes are pushing the Noctilux for speed, while holding a bit more depth of field.) You can also put two pancakes in your jacket pocket while mounting the third, and go without a bag...

JC

paulnorheim · « **Reply #13 on:** May 10, 2007, 11:15:13 pm »

I agree with John Camp.
I think it´s very much a cultural phenomenon, depending on experience and suspicion. There are no strict rules. However, I`ve observed that if you use a camera that is too small, like a mobile phone, people tend to get suspicious because of all the teenagers that have misused it. And if you use a big tele-zoom, some people may think you`re a bit creepy: "Why are you hiding in the background while you are taking pictures of us?"
It is all about a balance between the size and shape of your equipment (a rangefinder is something old and "charming" to a lot of people) and how you interact.
Too big lens & camera and too close, and people become intimidated or shy. The same equipment from a 30 feet distance, and they may think that you`ve something to hide. The balance is very subtle.
And if you`re afraid that people may think that you are doing something you shouldn´t do, they will sense your insecurity and get nervous. Natural confidence is part of the game.

If you want to try it out, the best way may be to go to an area with a lot of people, noise (from cars and people: then they will not hear the click of the shutter) and some tourists. If you also act like a tourist, everything will be OK. It´s an excellent camouflage, and such places should be easy to find during the months ahead.

BTW: acting like a tourist is quite funny. You smile a bit at yourself, instead of being a SERIOUS PHOTOGRAPHER, and the people surrounding you will feel that you`re harmless. Then you can do some work.

Paul

JMCP · « **Reply #14 on:** May 11, 2007, 02:41:07 am »

Hi,

I only commented/recommended the Pentax/Schneider lenses as that is all I have experience with and to be honest, they are not the most expensive lenses out there.

Prime lenses Vs Zooms, it can be a matter of personal preference in that some people like to have a multi purpose zoom lense to cover most situations like a 18 - 200 but, some people like to have prime lenses as they generally have a higher quality than the multi purpose zoom lenses. There are zoom lenses that are of a very high quality but these tend to be more in the way of a 2 - 3 times zoom (and pretty expensive) and not your 6 - 11 times zoom lenses.

As I mentioned earlier, my DA40mm pancake lense is probably my most used lense as I find it a very good all rounder for landscapes, indoor and outdoor people shots, it is also very very small and lightweight, my 2nd most used lense would be my 50-200 zoom lense, again it is still pretty small in size and is also very light.

Size and weight of lenses is pretty important to me as I tend to do a lot of cycle touring and I take my DSLR and a couple of lenses with me in my backpack. On my last trip I took the DA14 with me, never again, it weights a tonne compared to the little pancakes and the 50-200, it did let me get shots I would not normally get but, it also got me a lot of backache. The 21mm and 70mm pancakes will hopefully be added to my collection in the near future specifically for their size,weight, portability and hopefully quality.

Hope this all helps.

Cheers John

Quote

Thanks JMCP. I do not own the 50-200 as of now. For landscapes I was wondering if the
choice between the zoom and the fixed lenses is a matter of personal preference or does one have some advantage over the other?

I see that you have recommended all Pentax lenses. I do not doubt Pentax quality, but would there be better lenses in third party offerings? If you know of any such, please do let me know. I don't want to spend too much on experimenting. I'd rather just get the best in it's class whichever the brand.
I'd also want to buy an all round lens with a wide aperture for low light shots. Would the FA50mm f1.4 would be one such?

Many thanks. Your help is much appreciated.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=116852\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

RMichael · « **Reply #15 on:** May 11, 2007, 11:27:28 am »

Thanks JMCP. Yes it helps quite a bit.

Regards

RMichael · « **Reply #16 on:** May 15, 2007, 01:04:59 am »

Paulnorheim.........I'm so sorry, bizarrely, I completely missed reading your post....!! Those are some fantastic pointers and I absolutely agree. Thank you so much and please do not think I was rude not responding. Because to me it's really important.....if someone takes the time to answer something,it should be acknowledged. So thanks again.That is really some great practical info. Are you into street photography too?

Regards

paulnorheim · « **Reply #17 on:** May 15, 2007, 11:24:07 am »

You`re welcome!
I hope you`ll find the lenses that suit your needs.
Yes, I`m shooting some "street photography", but I live in a small town called Bergen, in the western part of a small country called Norway. Inconspicious shooting is a bit difficult here, but it`s great fun!

Paul

Author Topic: Best lens for street photography on a Pentax (Read 20365 times)