Street Photography with a Pentax

[night86mare]

I'm wondering whether to invest in a 28mm or 40mm Limited - or to just bite the bullet and get something like a 18-50 f/2.8 zoom or 17-50 f/2.8 zoom from Sigma/Tamron.

I like the versatility of the latter, but I am quickly realising that size does matter - the smaller the better in this case. Anyone has any suggestions? I see a 28mm going in B&S :devil: .. And of course the 40mm is one of the cheaper Limiteds; but I'm wondering if 40mm is a tad too tight.

Any suggestions and your experience will be appreciated, thanks!

 

[scorpioh]

The 40mm is in fact very suitable for street. I used mine alot during my trip to Japan. It gets abit too tite indoor thou. I saw it going for as low as $250 in B&S.

 

[night86mare]

The 40mm is in fact very suitable for street. I used mine alot during my trip to Japan. It gets abit too tite indoor thou. I saw it going for as low as $250 in B&S.

:sweat: it's 234 pounds here, i think i'll wait until summer.

nah, i don't think i'll use it indoors.. do you have any photographs to show, so that i can gain a rough idea of the perspective?

thanks so much for your reply!

 

[scorpioh]

wow, thats exorbitant. Sure, I'll upload some pics tonight.

 

[billitone]

I love 43ltd for street photo...small. I can live with the noise it makes when focusing though.

...but kit lens will do too.

 

[billitone]

one more with 43ltd

 

[creampuff]

Welcome back bro.
I feel the DA 21mm makes a great lens for street shooting. The FA 28mm that is on B&S is also a good focal length to use. Both lenses are pretty compact and allow you to shoot up-close ala journalistic style.

With Pentax you got so many primes that's good for street to choose from:
DA 21mm Ltd
FA*24mm
FA 28mm
FA 31mm Ltd
FA 35mm
DA* 35mm macro
DA 40mm Ltd
FA 43mm Ltd
FA 50mm
... really it all depends on your choice of focal length that you're comfortable and familiar with.

 

[night86mare]

thanks for all your replies..

43mm looks like quite a cool range, but i worry it is too tight. i am actually thinking of the 28mm f/2.8 which is on B&S but i'm not going to be back for quite a while!

it is hard to find indeed, the 28mm f/2.8 with af.. :/

 

[Gengh]

You have the FA 50mm no? The 40mm and 43mm is still kinda close to that. For variety I'd say go for the 21-35mm range. You're great at handling wider fields of view anyway.

Just for reference, these are with a Sigma 30mm. Not suggesting the lens to you since it's not small.

 

[flowerpot]

u looking for 1 lens solution ??

the 28mm f2.8 is pretty good and cheap... maybe u can ask the seller to keep for u till u are back... might work

else 35mm f2 lor... also good and decent price but hard to find here though...

actually what u have is ok liao... sigma + kit lens + 50mm...

 

[fengwei]

Your kit lens covers the focal range from 18mm to 55mm already, and it's pretty small especially if you don't put the hood on

But if you really want a faster prime lens for street photography, I think any of these will do: DA21, FA28, FA31, FA35, DA35, DA40, FA43 or even your FA50.

 

[hjbyeo]

28mm is a good choice. When I am using my 20-35, I find myself using that focal length a lot.

 

[seafone]

personally, I will go with DA21 as my street walk around lens. The close focusing down to 20cm is really cool as you can easily do a close-up when you want. Yet its not tight like the 40to50mm range. 21 give you the general wide to at least cover the street, walkway, cover, etc.

Its small and light, and easily taken in and out of my bag during street walk.

Another reason why I always has my DA21 on is because the focusing on this little limited is faster than my other FA lenses/zoom.

cheerss..

 

[night86mare]

Your kit lens covers the focal range from 18mm to 55mm already, and it's pretty small especially if you don't put the hood on

But if you really want a faster prime lens for street photography, I think any of these will do: DA21, FA28, FA31, FA35, DA35, DA40, FA43 or even your FA50.

yes, i think that's why i end up using it for street most of the time, the maximum aperture is a tad limiting but maybe should just shoot only when the light is right. more shadows to play with as well.

these days london is poorly lit, overcast.. etc.. maybe that's why i'm toying with faster lenses.. :bsmilie:

i'll think about it - i was going through some of my streets and i realise that i use 28mm a lot actually. pretty bored and free around this time so the bbb (bored buy buy) syndrome possibly.

gengh - thanks for the pictures, i was looking at the 30mm until i saw the size :sweatsm:

 

[fengwei]

I myself have used lenses from zooms, 21, 31, 43, 50, 135, 200 or even 300mm prime lenses for street photos. It all depends on your preference and the stuff you like to capture.

Some street candid shots by a FA43:
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243267

Some street people shots by K135/2.5 (yes, a manual lens):
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302445 (some of those were taken by FA31)

Travel street candid shots by Sigam DC1770:
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=273964

I myself like people shots, that's why I prefer slightly longer lens for tighter shots. If I were capture street scenes, I'd go w/ DA21

 

[hamustar]

Sorry guys, I have a different view. I'd support the Tamron 17-50mm since it can cover all your street ranges as a walkabout lens. I still think wide-angles do have a place in street photog. With this lens, I think it may also replace your kit lens.
You can hit 24,28,35,40mm f/2.8 all from a single lens w/o needing to change.

40mm on a APS-C sensor is quite tight in my opinion, for street.

 

[creampuff]

thanks for all your replies..

43mm looks like quite a cool range, but i worry it is too tight. i am actually thinking of the 28mm f/2.8 which is on B&S but i'm not going to be back for quite a while!

it is hard to find indeed, the 28mm f/2.8 with af.. :/

I can vouch it is a very nice lens. You should grab it if you can find it as it is pretty hard to come by. Took me more than 6 months to hunt down one.

 

[istDeS]

I use the 40/50mm mainly i'll shoot more people shots in street and I can maintain a friendly distance with them. If you shoot more of street scenes, probably you want to go wider.

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

I had the DA21 for a while, but eventually decided to go with a 17-50 instead. Not as compact as the primes, but infinitely more versatile for my uses.

 

[Ben Loke]

thanks for all your replies..

43mm looks like quite a cool range, but i worry it is too tight. i am actually thinking of the 28mm f/2.8 which is on B&S but i'm not going to be back for quite a while!

it is hard to find indeed, the 28mm f/2.8 with af.. :/

I have a SMC-FA 28mm f/2.8 which I hardly use. Can loan it to you for test shots if you like.

I took some pics with DA 14mm f/2.8

The sky wavy tectures are results of image compression.