Street Photography in San Francisco..please help me choose from this bunch of glass

bluefox9er

bluefox9er

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Hi guys..It's been a while since I picked up a camera, but I am planning a trip to san Francisco for some street photography.

I want to also do some work in low light conditions.

I'll be taking a Canon EOS 1d MKIII and I need your help to pick which lenses to take as I don't want to be carrying too much weight as I'll be on foot.

1. 35 mm f1.4/L

2. 135 mm f2/L

3. 24-70 mm f2.8/L

4. 24-105 mm f4 IS/L

5. 70-200 mm F2,8 IS/L

6. 17-40 mm F4/L

7. 85 mm F 1.8

Whilst there's no doubt SF has awesome landscapes, I am not planning on taking a tripod as I don't want to be bogged down with too much gear..perhaps by a super cheap one there?


Hope you guys can help.
 
I have checked the photos of my trip to San Francisco most were with a 24-105 and most of these were below 70mm. So either the 24-70 or the 24-105 should suit you perfectly. Given the possibility of low light photography I would plump for the 24-70 but I was also take the 70-200. Gives you the best of both worlds and that extra reach where you need it.

Great place. I would love to go back one day.

Have a great time.
 
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Your #3 & #5 are the tools (Nikon that is!) I use with great pleasure!
 
Depends what you want to lug around. Probably no need to mention the weight to you with 24/70 70/200 but it's a consideration when you're having your holiday stroll. For that reason I often go for a lighter prime and wish I had brought my 24/70 haha
 
was thinking of taking the 35mm for low light and with the 1dmkIII crop it's just under 50 mm
 
I'd vote for something wide. I'm a fan of a 35mm lens for that type of photography. You may be rather conspicuous if you're walking around with a paparazzi style camera and zoom lens though!
 
minnnt said:
35/85. Lightweight, nice range, great IQ. Can't imagine shooting street photography with a massive WHITE 70-200.
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He's using a 1D so I'm not sure that matters :D

I used a 5D with 35-70/3.4 Zeiss lens in San Francisco. Was approached by weirdos a couple of times, one of which I needed the bulk of the 5D to fend off! Would take a smaller camera next time to remain discreet ;)
 
manualfocus-g said:
He's using a 1D so I'm not sure that matters :D

I used a 5D with 35-70/3.4 Zeiss lens in San Francisco. Was approached by weirdos a couple of times, one of which I needed the bulk of the 5D to fend off! Would take a smaller camera next time to remain discreet ;)
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Exactly, he doesn't need a white lens making it worse for himself!
 
Depends entirely on how you like to shoot.

Personally I would just take a 35mm, but that'd be a bit long on a 1D, so maybe 24-70 if I could be arsed.

When I went to San Francisco, I took a 5D and 24-70 (didn't own a 35mm at the time). Worked fine, but would've preferred something smaller.

Of course street photography is the same anywhere. It's how you want to shoot that matters. Not like you need a 35mm to shoot in San Francisco, and a 50mm to shoot in New York...
 
The 35/1.4 is the obvious choice on a 1.3x crop body as it will give 45mm equivalent - 35mm is probably the most popular focal length for street so the 35 might be on the long side, but generally 28/35/50 equivalent is probably the "sweet spot" for street.
 
1 & 3 for me,maybe 5,but i have taken an Nikon 70-200 F2.8 out to do street,and found i didn't use it and the weight :eek:
 
boliston said:
The 35/1.4 is the obvious choice on a 1.3x crop body as it will give 45mm equivalent - 35mm is probably the most popular focal length for street so the 35 might be on the long side, but generally 28/35/50 equivalent is probably the "sweet spot" for street.
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For Street I quite like the 14mm on a full frame, manual focus set to about 4 feet , F8, gives you a focal distance of 2 feet to 85 feet so everything in focus :) Use the custom features menu to set all screens, beeps, noises off and a minimum shutter speed of 1/125th. Then just shoot close up, sometimes from the hip with the camera slung so your unobtrusive.

If your photos are no good then you're not close enough :D
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Photopaque said:
Just pick up a used x100 for under £300 and leave your big kit at home. You will have a more relaxed time on holiday that way !
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100% agree
Using the 1d3 as a street camera is crazy imo, I get that you might be 'stuck' with that cam since its the one you own, but it's really unsuitable, I'd also recommend a smaller and more discrete camera
 
Camera phone with a selfie stick seemed to be all the rage, or an ipad. However we're taking San Francisco, a tourist destination. Plenty of people around with cameras of all sizes when I went in September and I didn't have an issue walking around with my 5d mk3. Sometimes it's better taking a camera you know well.
There's plenty of characters around
 

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For me it would be the 35 1.4L on the 1.3x Crop 1D III if I had to choose from the equipment above. Id also take the 24-70mm but it probably wouldn't leave my bag.
 
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