Street Photography - Best Lens

Dave24872450

Dave24872450

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Morning all, saw a street photography workshop on amazon local recently and duly booked for Nottingham in July which I'm really looking forward to. Thinking of hiring a lens for the day and just wandered what people would recommend? Got Nikon D200 so thinking a really good wide angle? Any other suggestions appreciated and at the moment I don't know how the day goes but thinking WA should cover most situations?? cheers. Dave
 
Tamron 17-50 f2.8. That gives you plenty of scope to reach people from a little further away but offers you enough WA to take in buildings and full street shots should you wish. Also offers you a wider aperture incase it's a dull day or you want to isolate a subject when up close.

What lenses do you already have?
 
It depends on your style, but the classic focal lengths for street on full frame are 35mm and 50mm primes so, taking into account the crop with your D200, you'd be looking at a 24mm or 35mm to get the equivalent angle of view.

Personally, I like primes so I can more easily pre-visualise what I'm going to see through the viewfinder even before I've lifted the camera to my eye. Zooms require too much fiddling about.
 
You'll find a wide range of answers across this forum and the internet in general... 35mm is the most common answer I see but in general its what fits your style - do you want to get up close and take shots or if you want distance then some kind of zoom lens... theres no right or wrong answer really :thumbs:
 
I have used either a 35mm or a 50mm on my D7000. Both worked perfectly for my needs in Malaysia, and I have found that in certain situations a wide angle can cause the subject matter to get a little lost...
 
I use my Zeiss 16-80mm - seems to work ok or a 70-200mm if discretion is required

Les ;)
 
Cheers chaps, taking in to account what people have said I'm thinking i've got it covered between my currnt lenses. My main lens is the Nikon 16-85mm, I've got the 35mm 1.8 prime and the 55-200 zoom - got it covered?
 
Dave24872450 said:
Cheers chaps, taking in to account what people have said I'm thinking i've got it covered between my currnt lenses. My main lens is the Nikon 16-85mm, I've got the 35mm 1.8 prime and the 55-200 zoom - got it covered?
Click to expand...

I would say so, 35mm for walking around shooting at the hip style, 200mm for sitting outside a cafe/bar snapping passers by
 
It does all depend on the way you see - or the way you've become accustomed to seeing. Any lens will do the job if that's the only one you have with you once you get used to its field of view. I'd stick either the 16-85 or the 35 on the camera and leave the rest at home. The less choices you have to make the more you can concentrate on seeing pictures.
 
The 35mm would be my ideal choice, I tried it with a 50mm before and it does have its advantages but the 35mm is a great all rounder. I don't think a zoom is worth it for street, too much messing around and careful framing without being able to pre-judge it very well. Plus you want something fairly discrete, a big zoom wont be at all.
 
Not that I do much, if any, street photography. But if I did, I'd probably plump for my Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 as it gives me the wide angle for close stuff and just a hint of zoom for the more distant stuff. Hope this helps? ;)
 
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