Not sure if this works or if it's another craptastic mess... I loved the looks on the kids' faces as they watched the street dancers strut their stuff, but I just don't know if you can really get a sense of what they are watching...
this was shot in really low light - hence the high iso and the resulting graininess...
I bought a 50mm prime lens yesterday and I think i'm going to have a love/hate relationship with it...
i love that it's light, produces crisp images and has an awesome f/1.8...
however, i do not like being limited to 50mm... in street photography i am not generally afraid to get up close... but often i want to shoot wide, to get a good sense of the context for a shot... and also, i find it tricky to get just the right pov - good light and avoiding ugly obstacles - and sometimes to get the right pov i need to shoot wider or tighter than 50...
walked around a street fair in my neighbourhood tonight to practice with the thing and i'm afraid i am far from convinced...
Oh wow sounds hard to use. Pardon my ignorance but why is having a fixed lens (dont know the correct term) supposed to be a good thing? Why would I want that? Or is it too early to ask you?
I bought a 50mm too. I love mine, but maybe it's not the best for street photography, although it does take great portraits and I love that it goes down to 1.4. It's great for holiday use too as it is very light!
Love the action in this - and the kids' expressions are priceless.
I think on a crop sensor, a 50mm can be a bit tight. I find the 35mm is much closer to my natural field of view. Still love the 50mm though - it's a seriously fun lens. :)
@monika64 Well - im prolly not the best person to ask... Jase used to kid me because I was often using borderline telephoto for street (my kit is a 17 to 85 zoom) and kept trying to convince me to try out a fixed 50... I've been very reluctant for reasons noted above.... But my neck and back are killing me and it doesn't help that I'm lugging around my t2i w old style (glass = heavy) kit zoom lens.. I won't go back to p&s, and I'm not sure about the micro 4 thirds ( which can get quite pricey) so thought I'd try the cheap (by comparison) 50mm... It does make my camera a heckuva lot lighter and smaller!
children of the damned! their creeping me out! i love my 50mm prime much. no nonsense tactile crisp and awesum dof at 1.8. hope u get used to it. their fun :)
I like it. It gives the feeling of being right there, in it. It's a great perspective. As for the 50mm lens I think that's how it it. The f/1.8 is fab, the quality good but it's a bit long for many street shots. On a full frame or 35mm film camera 50mm gave a natural perspective and when I first got an SLR 50mm was the standard lens (I still have my 42 year old f/1.4) And getting in close with a 35mm lens was quite common for street and other shots. I prefer prime lenses to zooms: they are much lighter, less obtrusive for street and capable of better quality. They also impose a discipline if you have a few and want to remain light - which one to use today!
I love that you can't immediately recognize what the kids are looking at. Great work.
As for the 50mm, I agree that it would put you uncomfortably close for street photos. I have one, but it's manual focus and that just doesn't work well for me.
@yrhenwr@pschtyckque if i'm understanding you guys correctly, it sounds like David, you think you can't get close enough to a street shot with a 50mm and Chris, you think it forces you in too close?
if i've got this right, it's kind of interesting to see those two varied perspectives :) i like the option of both... being able to shoot from really close up, and also from further away... often because i CAN'T get close from the right angle (eg: would have to stand in the middle of the street), or there are things in front of the main subject that i want to include in the frame... anyway - i'll try it out at least a couple days this week (when i can wonder around downtown near my office) and see how it goes before i decide it is for special use only :)
@northy It depends what you want Northy. For a wide street shot with plenty of information I want a wider lens. For a detailed, more candid street shot, I would want a longer lens. If i want close ups of faces and so on I'm not comfortable getting in too close. But you have done a great job with this shot. The lens has enabled you to get in into the action, feel the crowd etc but it's not personal, so it works for that. Carry on!!
@northy the lens doesn't force you in too close as a viewer. But I'm hesitant as the photographer to get that close. I wish I had the comfort level to get up to the shot like that.
For what its worth I have a micro 4/3 slr (panasonic) for precisely that reason, I wanted a compact slr. Michelle recently bought the newer panasonic and it cost $450 (it would have been even cheaper with the fixed 50mm) I am happy with the panasonics and the micro 4/3 system although I can see where its limitations are now. I'm sure you'll learn to love yours :)
@monika64 Monika, does your 4/3 have a viewfinder? or do you have to compose on a LED screen? it seems most don't have viewfinders... i can't compose on a screen (especially when shooting towards the sun - which i often do), and doubt i'd be able to hold it steady in low light... so i expect i'd be frustrated with the 4/3 as well!
I love my 50 / 1.8, but I'm still pointing my camera at my kids all the time so I'm a bit of a portrait junkie. When I out and about and think I need more flexibility, I switch to my 18-200mm, which is heavy and of course doesn't let in as much light through the aperture, which has a more limited range.
I like the shot, the blur is cool. I will take your 50mm ha ha. Too bad you have cannon, I would trade you my 35mm 1.8. I think 50mm are more ideal for portraiture, kids and the like. I have a baby shoot today and I wish I had one. I don't want to buy too many more lenses for my camera because I want to upgrade to full frame and most of my lenses won't work. Anyhow, you will have to keep trying it out maybe step out of your street comfort and snap a few portraits ha ha.
Street dancing??? At first I thought hyou had taken a photo of somebody having a seizure! No, but seriously, this is fab, love the expressions of the people in the background
September 25th, 2012
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I think on a crop sensor, a 50mm can be a bit tight. I find the 35mm is much closer to my natural field of view. Still love the 50mm though - it's a seriously fun lens. :)
As for the 50mm, I agree that it would put you uncomfortably close for street photos. I have one, but it's manual focus and that just doesn't work well for me.
if i've got this right, it's kind of interesting to see those two varied perspectives :) i like the option of both... being able to shoot from really close up, and also from further away... often because i CAN'T get close from the right angle (eg: would have to stand in the middle of the street), or there are things in front of the main subject that i want to include in the frame... anyway - i'll try it out at least a couple days this week (when i can wonder around downtown near my office) and see how it goes before i decide it is for special use only :)
But your shot definitely works!
Its even adjustable to suit my shortsighted eyes