[DeadJohn]

Thank you all for the replies. There's probably no single lens that can perfectly do everything I want. I'm learning a lot in the process.

Where's my $500 high-IQ pancake f1.4 18-300 zoom?

[RBellavance]

Here's another vote for a fast 35: FA35/2, DA-L35/2.4, or DA35/2.8Ltd.

[CWyatt]

Here's another vote for a fast 35: FA35/2, DA-L35/2.4, or DA35/2.8Ltd.

They aren't fast by prime standards, as such. There are many things to take into account. The 35 macro for instance has a huge focus throw to wheel around. Not a great street tool for candids if you use AF.

[RioRico]

There's probably no single lens that can perfectly do everything I want.

And that's the point. 'Street' has too many variables. My daytime 'street' lens might be a Tam 10-24, or Zenitar 16/2.8, or DA18-250, or Tokina 21/3.8, or CZJ 50/2.8 (12 iris blades), or MacTak 50/4 (1X), or Meyer Trioplan 100/2.8, or TeleTak 200/5.6. My nighttime 'street' lens might be the Vivitar-Komine 24/2, or a SuperTak or FA or C/Y 50/1.4, or the Nikkor 85/2. or the Tak-B 135/2.5 -- or maybe just my Sony DSC-V1 in NightShot mode.

Streets come in various widths with various light. I won't use the same lens at night in downtown San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tucson, Bisbee, Xalapa, Tasco Guerrero, or Antigua Guatemala. I wouldn't use the same lens at night at St Marks Place, Times Square, Brooklyn Heights, Canarsie, Shinbone Alley, etc. One size does NOT fit all.

[CWyatt]

And that's the point. 'Street' has too many variables. My daytime 'street' lens might be a Tam 10-24, or Zenitar 16/2.8, or DA18-250, or Tokina 21/3.8, or CZJ 50/2.8 (12 iris blades), or MacTak 50/4 (1X), or Meyer Trioplan 100/2.8, or TeleTak 200/5.6. My nighttime 'street' lens might be the Vivitar-Komine 24/2, or a SuperTak or FA or C/Y 50/1.4, or the Nikkor 85/2. or the Tak-B 135/2.5 -- or maybe just my Sony DSC-V1 in NightShot mode.

Streets come in various widths with various light. I won't use the same lens at night in downtown San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tucson, Bisbee, Xalapa, Tasco Guerrero, or Antigua Guatemala. I wouldn't use the same lens at night at St Marks Place, Times Square, Brooklyn Heights, Canarsie, Shinbone Alley, etc. One size does NOT fit all.

It CAN. I contend you have too many lenses and they get in the way of good photographs.

[johnmflores]

I've been dabbling with street photography with my K-R. Using the 18-55 zoomed to 21mm and 40mm as a basis for comparison to Pentax' DA Limited pancakes, I find I prefer 40mm.

That's a great way to figure out what focal lengths you like. At the end of the day, the focal length that works for you depends on your own personal tastes as well as the streets that you shoot. I'm usually in the canyon-like confines of New York where the action of often pretty close at hand, so the DA21 works for me. You may want to conduct the same experiment at 35mm because the new DA35 2.4 may be a good, fast, inexpensive compromise.

A couple of things to consider:

- in good light you can set hyperfocal distance and shoot from your hip without focusing. It helps to have a lens with hyperfocal markings. The DA Limiteds don't which kind of sucks.

- The difference between F2.8 and F2.4 isn't a lot until it is.

- Faster lenses will help you in low light but you'll probably get a lot of OOF shots when you shoot from the hip wide open. Play with AF modes, experiment, and don't be afraid to hold that shutter button down!

Hope this helps.

[RioRico]

I contend you have too many lenses and they get in the way of good photographs.

And Mozart's music had too many notes. Why use an interchangeable-lens camera if you're not going to mount more than one lens? Why not just stick to a fixed-lens cam? Yeah, my dad shot for decades with Minolta Autocord with 75/3.5 glass, and got great shots. But there's an awful lot he *couldn't* shoot with only that. I have also shot for years with just a single fixed lens camera. It's pretty tight...

Using only a single fixed lens is great for imposing discipline on a shooter. It is also very limiting. Those two qualities are related. After learning from that discipline, loosen up. Use another lens. Then another. Maybe use just one lens per day or week. Many of us do so. I'll have my usual small carry-kit, plus a lens-of-the-day or two. Everything except the day's lens may stay in the bag -- or I'll pull out something specific (lens, filter, strap-on, whatever) for a specific shot. It all depends on just what picture I want to make.

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Last edited by RioRico; 01-13-2011 at 01:17 AM.

[Skullsroad]

- Faster lenses will help you in low light but you'll probably get a lot of OOF shots when you shoot from the hip wide open. Play with AF modes, experiment, and don't be afraid to hold that shutter button down!.

Agreed. I bought the DA* 55 1.4 and a K-x specifically for street photography at night. The shallow DOF and super slow focusing of the DA* was just too irritating. Someone would throw me a great smile and the DA* would spin, spin, spin, oops, moment is gone. The FA 50 1.4 gets there a little faster.

[CWyatt]

And Mozart's music had too many notes. Why use an interchangeable-lens camera if you're not going to mount more than one lens? Why not just stick to a fixed-lens cam? Yeah, my dad shot for decades with Minolta Autocord with 75/3.5 glass, and got great shots. But there's an awful lot he *couldn't* shoot with only that.

I shot for a couple years with my first digicam, a 1.1mpx Sony with a fixed 6mm (135 equivalent: 42mm) f/4.5 lens. You want that experience? Put a slow 28mm on a Kx and leave the ISO at 400. Now go take some good photos, eh? At night. From the hip. In Guatemala City.

Rather bizarre... who said use a random focal length lens all the time? Noone...

[jeztastic]

I find many of the lens suggestions a bit strange to be honest. It is, of course, each to their own, but there's a reason the 'greats' as it were used the classic 28mm, 35mm or 50mm (35mm film lengths of course). Different if you're doing something like street portraits, but for general street photography, I would find 40mm+ really much too narrow. I don't know any top street photographers who use or have used over 50mm (35mm equivalent) much.

I agree, CWyatt. Looking at some Don McCullan shots in 'Beirut', a friend lent it to me... There's one with two cars with a huge wall of rubble behind, and a tower block to the left. There's a guy walking into the shot from the left. There's so much narrative in this picture, a sense of doom and scale... If he'd been using a 60mm (40mm equiv), it would have been a picture of a car with some junk behind it... But then that's what I like about street photography, there's other ways of taking great pictures...

[DeadJohn]

... - in good light you can set hyperfocal distance and shoot from your hip without focusing. It helps to have a lens with hyperfocal markings. The DA Limiteds don't which kind of sucks. ...

These product images show what I believe are hyperfocal/zone marks on all DA Limiteds (except the 40):

Camera Lens - Official PENTAX Imaging Web Site

[sterretje]

I wouldn't call it 'hyperfocal/zone marks'; they are DOF markings For the DA15, the image shows that at f/22 anything will be 'in focus' between infinity (the left side) and approx. 0.3 meter (the right side). And you can see that the hyperfocal distance is around 0.5 meter.

[Clinton]

You want FA31

who doesn't?

Only Canikons that do not know the power of the dark side.

[johnmflores]

These product images show what I believe are hyperfocal/zone marks on all DA Limiteds (except the 40):

Camera Lens - Official PENTAX Imaging Web Site

Here's a good example of hyperfocal marks:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/52879-pentax-m...-markings.html

[pentup]

I don't know what they're selling for now, but I'm using a 20mm f2.8 Nikkor AIS, (no adapter required, and very light and compact) and I love the angle of view for walking around. If you don't mind stop down metering etc I would look for a good manual wide angle like that. I lot of people like the 21 ltd for street shooting, but it doesn't grab me.