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Anonymous
Hey /p/, new to the photo scene but I thought I would get an opinion from the group that seems to know some shit.

I want to start taking city/street pictures of people, but I have no idea where to start. I'm not expecting to run out and take awesome pictures off the bat, but what are the best aperture/shutter settings you guys could suggest for a place like Manhattan or Chicago where there's little light, a lot of movement, and a wide array of contrasting tones?

Maybe a lens opinion or two would help. I have a 50 1.4, a 70-300 4-5.6 and a K10D kit lens. I know the 50 is a great portrait lens but I don't know if there is another that's even better.

tl;dr: pentaxfag with new K10D wants to know how to shoot street/urban life

pic of a shot I took a little while ago
EXIF data available. Clickhereto show/hide.
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>> Anonymous
>>118120
Study the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson, David Alan Harvey, Garry Winogrand, Robert Frank, and other photographers and visual artists in general.

For the moment, use the kit lens, but when you can get one, buy a normal prime, one in the range of 28mm-35mm. A normal prime approximates the human field of vision, so it's easier to learn composition with. Primes also force one to put work into composing the scene, because one can't simply zoom in and out.

Cartier-Bresson's work was done almost exclusivley with a normal prime. Others prefer slightly wider (Harvey, for instance) or much wider (Winogrand, for instance). Get a sense of what works for you while using the kit lens, and consider maybe getting that instead of a normal prime if it isn't one of those.

Google "hyperfocal distance" and set it if you can. Stop down to at least f/8 if at all possible.

Shutter speeds... try to keep faster than 1/125th, but motion blur isn't some horrible crime. One of the great advantages I've found of shooting with stabilization (which your K10D has on everything) is that it lets one drop the shutter speed while keeping the camera steady: motion blur can be used, but all the stationary things are still sharp. Experiment, play around.

But basically, shoot and study other visual art.
>> Anonymous
I'm not familiar with the Pentax, but the 50mm sounds ok. It would be better if you can get something wider (but still fast). Ditch the telephotos unless you want to look like a perv out there.
>> Anonymous
>>118121
Thanks so much for the info. I've been looking for some reference work but you pointed me in the best direction. And another thanks for the prime lengths to use. I'll be looking in to getting some other lenses as soon as I can. Sadly most of Pentax's lenses are either old or few, but I know they've got to have some decent primes in there.

>>118122
Oh yeah, wasn't going to go in to the streets with a 70-300, especially if I want those low level, 'artsy' shots. The damn thing's heavy enough without my hands being cuffed.
>> Anonymous
>>118129
Also consider looking at third-party lenses, like the Sigma 28/1.8 and 30/1.4. Both are very good. The main differences are that the 28mm lens focuses much closer and the 30mm lens will work in less light and is smaller.

Go on some website like Flickr and type in their names, look at the photographs offered, and buy the one that you subjectively like the look of the best, unless you really need to focus really cloesly or a lens that will work with almost no light.
>> Anonymous
>>118155
And do this with all your lenses, including the Pentax ones you are looking at. (Re: the search thing.)
>> Anonymous
>>118155
I was wondering about the Sigma lenses. I couldn't find the 24mm pentax anywhere, which is the best for normal primes apparently, so I was thinking about whether or not the Sigmas would suffice.
>> Anonymous
>>118165
24mm is a little wider than normal. For 35mm film, "normal" is anything between 40 and 60mm. Divide those by your camera's crop factor (1.53) to get what would be normal for the K10D. If you want to go a little wide, that's perfectly fine, though.

Getting the right lens isn't so much about technical quality as it is the subjective aesthetic qualities of the lens. Pretty much every lens on the market today- even a famously mediocre lens like the Canon kit lens- is good enough for whatever anyone would want to do with it except masturbate over its test results. On the other hand, relatively low technical quality lenses from more than a half century ago are lusted over in some circles because of the subjective properties of the image they form.

That's why it's important to look at samples and, if possible, hold a lens in your hand before you buy. Find a list K-mount lenses at the length you want(there should be tons of them) and get googling and searching Flickr for samples.
>> Anonymous
If you're looking at Pentax primes with a normal FOV there's the 35/2 and the 40/2.8 Pancake.

http://pentaxforums.com/ has alot of Pentax information and lens reviews.
>> Anonymous
>>118175
Now I'm stuck between the 40 and the 35 since they're just about the same price and both seem like awesome lenses :( oh and the website you suggested is awesome, thanks for the link

>>118166
the hardest part is just finding the right lens. I think I am getting the addiction though.
>> Anonymous
>>118205
40mm is pretty long on a crop sensor; it'll give the same field of view as a 61.2mm on 35mm film. That's really pushing the line between normal and medium telephoto. I'd go with the 35mm lens.
>> Anonymous
>>118241
OP here. Was thinking of a 21/3.2, 43/1.9, 70/2.4 kind of set going for the street shots. Anyone have any suggestions with this or any improvements that could be made to lighten the budget-rape?
>> Anonymous
>>118578
70mm is too long on a crop sensor to be good for street photography, although it'd make a great portrait lens.

43mm falls into that awkward zone between normal and medium telephoto. Too long to be normal, too short to have the things people move up to a longer focal length for.

I'd get the 21 and a 28 or 35, and that should do you.
>> Anonymous
For now, use the 50mm. If you're not used to doing street yet, it's a good idea to do it from a distance until you're confident (and knowledgeable) enough to go in close. This will also give you some time to save up for a wider lens.
>> Anonymous
>>118600
No, learning by learning bad habits is not a good idea.
>> Anonymous
>>118608
Yes, because beginners who get too close and don't know what to do when people start throwing a fit (or worse, get physical) would probably never go back to street photography.

The 50mm 1.4 can be versatile and adept in many situations. Besides that, OP has expressed that he's not that willing yet to shell out much cash for a new lens.
>> Anonymous
>>118610
I actually just don't have the cash on hand at the moment to shell. still in college and I don't plan on (but I really should) getting a credit card soon. I wouldn't be that distraught regarding being hassled for taking photos, as I work in retail so it's not a big deal and can be fairly commonplace given the day. >_>

I guess I'll go with the 21 and 28 or 35... seeing which is avail when I have the cash.
>> Anonymous
>>118610
I shoot street and the worst reaction I've ever had was a one-off thing where some immigrant from some Asian place held up his camera phone at me and yelled what sounded like a curse in his native language, and later I was sitting on a bench, he was walking past, and he saw me and held up his camera phone and me and yelled "HEY! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!" continuously until he could no longer see me.

I was four or five meters away from him when I took it. Distance is no guarantee against people having a bad reaction. If they notice you, they will know you're taking their picture.

And other than that, the worst response I've had is, while waiting for a bus, some guy I had shot in passing track me down in the station and ask what I was taking them for.

In crowded public areas, most people won't have the balls to say anything, even if displeased. And it's very rare for anyone to "get physical." I've never heard of that happening. Just smile, nod, connect with the person. Move on.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>118653In crowded public areas, most people won't have the balls to say anything

Because in a crowded area, the radius of a person's "personal space" also shrinks, so it's a bit easier.

ITT, street photos

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>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
Here's a trick I've used once or twice:

Point your camera at someone, get the shot. If they notice you, keep holding your camera steady in the same direction until a little bit after they move away. They'll think that you were trying to get a shot of something behind them.
>> Anonymous
>>118653
I normally ask the person after I take the shot if it's alright for me to use their image. It makes them feel better and I've never had anyone (yet) tell me no. Albeit if I can't find them afterwards or they walked away too fast then I just assume they were alright with it.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Just to make your choice tougher for you, Pentax will be making a 35/? and 55/1.4 with SDM and weather sealing. There is no release date on them yet, so you could be waiting for awhile...

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>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>118868
Well sure, if you want to be all ethical about it. Weirdo.
>> Anonymous
>>118902
OP here, and what the hell :( looks like after I buy that 28 or 35 I'll have to sell it when the SDM comes out... rains quite a bit here so the weatherproofing on the lenses will be nice.
>> Anonymous
If you're new to it all I wouldn't get too hung up on buying new lenses. Just stick the 50 or kit lens on there and go and shoot stuff.