FILM Photography: Best camera for street photography?

Question

I really love photography, and there's something about film that makes it so...raw and open. I'd like to get a camera for street photography, and I'm wondering what brands/models I should look at?


OR if you're 100% against film, what's a good digital camera?

Answer 1

At my age, I've spent more years doing Analog photography than I have in digital. However I prefer digital for no other reason than film is a dead end. It isn't dead, it just isn't going anywhere that the world wants out of photography. Also, to my knowledge, there are no affordable film cameras still being made for 'serious' photography. You will likely have to buy something between 20 - 50 years old, and it will be either an over priced antique, or junk. Not many good "working" cameras left in that category You could try the lesser known rangefinder cameras such as the Konicas, Contaxes, etc. but finding affordable additional lenses for them will be difficult. Leica is always an option in rangefinder cameras and accessories are available, but you'll pay extra for the name.



In Digital, I'm very impressed by the Fujifilm X series cameras for street. The X20 seems like a good modestly priced candidate for a fixed zoom lens camera, so is the Fujifilm X-E2 (costly, but worth it.) Read up on the micro Four-Thirds cameras from Olympus and Panasonic, also excellent street cameras.



My Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7267302@N03/

Answer 2

People are become increasingly wary of photographers, inagining every frame they are in can be misused to their disadvantage. God help you if you point a camera near their children! I know that there is no restriction on street photography in most developed countries but the paranoia is still there and I feel it increasing. The truth is that a digital photo can be sent to the other side of the planet in less time than it takes for an unwitting subject to realise they've been photo'd. That has changed the game a bit because even the falsehood that one is in control has been swept aside. I use very elderly 35mm cameras on the streets. A 75 year old Kodak folding Retina or a Balda will fit into a shirt pocket and their Xenar lenses are very very capable. Their age disarms people and they are more likely to want to talk about the camera than take a poke at you! Also there are very nice small Olympus, Chinon, Ricoh, Minolta fixed lense rangefinder from the 60s and 70s that similarly are seen as curiosities today, not real cameras. Another advantage is that these things take a picture when you press the button, there is no delay for metering/focussing. You should miss nothing.

Answer 3

Best Camera For Street Photography

Answer 4

People are increasingly edgy about having their photo taken and God help you if there's a child on the street when you produce a camera. The fact that a digital photo can be on the other side of the planet, before the subject has had the chance to object, unnerves many. Using film avoids some of this sensitivity and the older the camera looks, the less people seem to be concerned. It is almost as though "moderns" don't see small elderly cameras as threatening or capable of real photos! On the street I use something that generates conversation not aggression if it is noticed at all. A pre-WW2 Kodak Retina with a Xenar lense looks great, folds into a shirt pocket and produces superb results. The same applies to the good looking Werra series from the late 50s and early 60s. A 16 on 127 folder is no larger than a 35mm, smaller than many and the larger negative can produce spectacular images. The early Zeiss models are rare now but one still sees many 127 Baldas in GWO on eBay. Getting 127 film is no longer easy though.

Answer 5

There are really great cameras out there. I think, if you feel your dipping your toe in the water, Olympus is a great place to start.

The Olympus XA series are great, except the XA1... which is OK-ish.

The first camera in the XA line, is the XA, is a rangefinder. If you've not used a rangefinder before, it's great for the experience. Of course all the big legends of street; Robert Frank, Gary Winogrand etc used a rangefinder. You'll find it fast and efficient to focus, or you can learn to zonefocus, like so many street photogs do. It's got a 35mm 2.8 lens that's fast, sharp and contrasty. I'd recommend it over almost any other film camera, especially if you are just feeling things out. You can pick it up on ebay for £30-ish if you are persistent... I've had loads and just bought one that's in excellent condition, and working straight out the box. as well as being cheap, it's a bona fide design classic, it's pocket sized, unobtrusive and almost silent. You also have to hold it to get just how small it is. Very satisfying to use too. The only downside is it only goes to 1/500.

The other XA's are great, but use a zone focus with slower lenses. That said, I use an XA2 a lot. The XA4 is rare, not worth the premium.



Next, look at a mju 2 (ii) weather sealed, auto focus, 2.8, great lens,what's not to like?



If you want a rangefinder, other than the Olympus, Yashica are good, the Lynx being particularly nice, but the electro 35 is plentiful and cheap. Canon Cannonets are good, but I've not shot with extensively. I'd avoid FSU cameras, too unreliable... But interesting and fun.



A serious camera, that can be had (sort of) affordably is the Ricoh GR1, it's a great street camera, the camera preferred by quite a few street shooters, most notably Daido Moriyama.



Others worth looking for, although for me the speed of auto focus makes them unworkable for street, but might suit your style: Konica Big Mini, Fuji Silvi/datezoom 2.8, Yashica (T2, T3, T4, T5)



If you want to feed your camera lust, check out tokyocamerastyle.com



A word on condition: Be wary of mint. If you buy a camera and it looks like it's done twenty years of regular use... there's a good chance it's got another 20 years in it. That bit of advice has served me well.



The end point is, the camera that's best for street is the one that works for you. So I wouldn't splash out too much until I had some idea of what worked for me. Have fun and keep that shutter clicking.

Answer 6

Ok, I love a couple of film cameras for Street with a passion. I carry at least one in my pocket all of the time.



My weapon of choice is..... the Olympus XA2. It's extremely small, 35 mm film, a clam shell lens cover, pretty (looks like a cute petite Lomo LC-A), 3- zone focus (portrait, street, landscape which always defaults to street if you close and open the clam shell, has a fast neat thumb wheel film winder (and quiet), unassuming looks, but with a sharp D Zuiko 35 mm f/2.8 lens.



Mine cost 50p (USD $0.80) at a car boot sale. It gets no cheaper. I bought a second one in a charity shop, for my young lady, with an A11 flash unit (screws onto the side of the camera) for GBP £5.00.



Photo attached of me using the XA2.



It's great because being small, quiet, zone focus, an with a very unassuming look, you can use it discreetly on the Street. No-one recognises how serious this camera actually is. The opposite of a big threatening clunky DSLR.



I alternatively use a similar Olympus Trip 35. I have a beautiful condition Trip 35 that I bought for GBP£17, and have replaced it's light seals. However, it's not quite as compact as the XA2. I prefer the Trip 35 for parties, sometimes with a hot-shoe flash unit. It's so pretty. Has the same (or similar) lens to the XA2, and does not require a battery - operates entirely electric free, with a selenium light meter built around the lens. It has four zones of focus, which can be a bit more confusing on the street.



I prefer zone focus over range finders for street. You don't have time to stand there and focus!



I much prefer good quality vintage 35 mm film compacts to toy or Lomography cameras. They have great lenses., and good quality build Just be prepared to replace light seals sometimes - but it's easy. I haven't bothered yet on my cheapskate XA2, but is still working fine with deteriorated light seals. An other alternative are the 35 mm autofocus compact cameras of the late 80s - 90s. Some have high quality lenses. Some Yashica autofocus compacts are fitted with Carl Zeiss glass. However - their electric film wind on can be noisy for discreet photography.



EDIT: Why film and not digital? Because its loads more fun! Recently I've moved to using more B&w film, and home developing. Result? Even more fun! I also LOVE medium format film, but my big chunky Bronica is a wee bit unsuitable for street. I'm 51 years old and spent most of my life using film, but I migrated to digital early. I have two DSLRs. However, I'm now having lots of fun learning more about film photography now, than I did when it was the only choice. Use it while it's there.



Link at bottom to my XA2 Flickr gallery.

Answer 7

I shoot street photography, both film & digital.



For film, there's a couple of schools of thought;

- use a smaller, more discreet 'rangefinder' camera - this allows you to get candid shots & move about more discreetly than waving around a (D)SLR camera

- use an SLR - some people just find the larger build steadier to hold



I've used both but I probably favour the SLR, just because I have had more experience using one.



Old film SLR's worth looking at are the Canon AE-1, the Nikon FM2, the Olympus OM2 or a Pentax.

Answer 8

I'm still young but I've learned allot of photography in both analog and digital. I love both but I'd prefer Digital just because the processing is so much easier, even though Analog come out much more crisp and cleaner I own a Canon 1DX and a Bronica SQ-AI, The Bronica is a medium format analog camera which in no way any full frame DSLR can match it's sharpness, its full manual, and you can buy the body and accessories on ebay and such. Idk what your budget is but if your planning to get a DSLR I'd recommend the Canon 6D you get the mos bang for your buck especially cause it's a full frame. But definitely get the Bronica SQ-AI if you want a good Film camera.



For some quality analog examples go to http://15by8.com/tagged/analog



Hope this helped

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Hasselblad 503 or hasselblad 500 if you only have a tight budget, one of the best medium format camera. the only reason i wont use a digital camera is because is too expensive too buy a digital back for the hasselblad v series, and also, there's something in the film that digital can never ever achieve, even it might have a higher resolution or sharper image. but still, there is something that i can't tell about film, especially the 120 medium format film. try with your hand, u might feel it too

Answer 11

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Answer 12

Leica M3 or M4