Why You Shouldn't Use a Portrait Lens For Street Photography

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#photography #camera #streetphotography

[davidwoods]

...says we shouldn't use a portrait lens for street. Proceeds to shoot fabulous street images with portrait lens.

[jeffp]

One of the best things about street photography is that there are no rules. Do what suits you and your style. If you want to shoot with an 85mm or a 200mm, do what works best for you! Have fun with it and get out there and shoot!

[shmuelaryehkoltov]

You can absolutely shoot street photography with a "portrait" lens, as you also gave us a lot of examples of. The key is not to use the "correct" lens but to understand the lens and knowing what you want with it.

You mentioned the small streets. Here it would perfect with a short telephoto lens to really emphasize the small streets by having the images compressed, strengthening the feeling of how small the streets are.

[rumrill]

Saul Leiter used telephoto focal lengths up to 150mm. After shooting mainly primes, I’ve found the APS-C 18-50 zoom to be nearly perfect.

[TryingtoLearntheuke]

Always so excited when I get a notification that you have released a video. Love your work.

[martingreenberg]

Thank you for this video Frederick.

I have mixed feelings about your thesis. I live in the 35-50mm field of view for my street photography. Of course, these are two of the most popular street photography fields of view. Recently I have been experimenting using the 85mm lens for street photography.

As you point out, each focal length has different characteristics that produce a different look. By and large I will stick to the 35 & 50mm lenses. This is the way I see the world. I don’t like wide angle lenses because I have to get too close to my subject for them to stand out in the frame. I also have to be more aware of what is happening at the edge of the frame. I focus my attention on the subject and loose my focus on the edges. I do use the 28mm lenses when I go to parades.

The 85mm lens is excellent for isolation of my subject. This benefit is at the price of excluding the environment from the subject. It comes down to using the right tool for the right job. I have started doing candid portraits on the street. The 85mm lens is excellent for this purpose. This is a specialty lens. It forces me to see what is happening on the street in a particular way. I don’t see this lens becoming my primary street photography lens.

Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

[beholder]

As for daytime street photography: perhaps short zoom like 18-55mm would be a solution? You don't need 1, 2 for daytime — and having that range you could keep flexibility.

[Dumshine]

I personally shoot with a 50 mm with a focal length of 1.8, I think it's very versitle and I love the range of aperture that it provides.

[SivertAlmvik]

I disagree. I never shoot with telephoto lenses on the street because I don't like feeling so constrained, butI know several people that can make them work. There are too many "rules" in street photography. Try out several things and find your style that makes you happy. Don't listen to others (not even this comment)

[wearetrackclub]

Really nice shots, Frederik! Insightful stuff 🙌

[raisingbarssince]

Funny that you mention the problem with the xh2s, i have exactly the opposite problem, i love that you can flip out the screen completely because this allows me to shoot street portraits vertically from the hip, which i cannot do with a screen that only flips out into one direction.

[rsimko]

It is always fascinating how different people see the same scenes differently....I have just recently returned from Bangkok. Had a blast but came home with different photos. Great video, brings back good memories.

[tedphillips]

For photography the flip up screen is so much better than the articulated screen.

[_H_]

And Saul Leiter! 135mm and yes used in street photography. I supose your right the 28mm, 35mm, 50mm mostly used can give edgy images but if you look at Saul's images they are just as good they just have a different feel to them more laid back and almost like watching the world go by. Just a different perspective.

[LostNVegas]

In my experience, the concept of a 'portrait lens' is somewhat misleading, particularly in street photography. Whether shooting with a 50mm, 85mm, or 135mm lens, what truly matters is the photographer's ability to extract something extraordinary from the ordinary. It's about capturing compelling moments and narratives, regardless of the specific focal length. The lens may capture the image, but it's the photographer's eye that reveals the essence within."

[thebitterfig]

I think I probably shoot most with my 35/2, but I’ve got a darkhorse pick for a Fuji portrait lens: 60/2.4. If you think about it as a compact portrait lens, Fuji’s version of a Leica 90/4 on M mount, I think it makes a lot of sense. Enough subject separation for portrait when you need it, but the close focus allows lots of photography of fine details. Since I probably shoot a half dozen or dozen flowers for each portrait, it works out well for me. While the field of view is narrow, the 0.5x macro adds back a lot of versatility—there are shots this can get which a 50/2 or 56/1.2 or Viltrox 75/1.2 just can’t.

[tonypaulprince]

Interesting, because I see so many similarities with my experience. I do street photography in Hanoi with a Fuji xt5 (like you, I don’t like a fully articulating screen) and a 35mm and a 56mm lens. I do like the 56mm because I don’t have to get so close and it’s a faster lens, so a bit better at night, and I do a lot of night photography. But as you say, the 35mm is more of an all purpose lens. So I go back and forth all the time!
I also have the 18-55 kit lens, but that is for weekend hikes with friends in the countryside. I don’t want to mess with changing the focal length when I’m on the street. Too much else to think about!

[mikefoster]

Cool video. The photo at 5:23 is one that maybe benefits from the slight chaos of being a bit out of focus. Yet, interestingly, if you posted it in a forum people would usually just say "it's a shame it wasn't in focus". Box-ticking.

[PacoM.]

I find my self going back to 50mm in so many different situations for various reasons. Awesome vid man.

[JoseMariaOliveira]

I am dreaming about a Fujifilm X-t3 (like yours) with the "pancake" lens 27mm, which corresponds to about 40mm full-frame. Should that not be the perfect focal distance for street photography?
I am in love with the camera you are using in this video, but really don't know why. It might be a call from the universe.
Thank you for your videos.