[john5100]

It is common knowledge that for people living in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, carrying an umbrella is a sign of weakness. We assault the damp gloom of winter with no more than Gortex and a good hat/hood. We do a lot of standing in the rain.


Steve

Steve - That is so true. When we go hiking or walk the streets the only ones using umbrellas are tourists. The rest of us press on with Gortex boots and coats.

[Tan68]

Steve - That is so true. When we go hiking or walk the streets the only ones using umbrellas are tourists. The rest of us press on with Gortex boots and coats.

In some places, Gortex is a sign of weakness...! For intermittent and/or light rain.
I don't know exactly where the dividing line is.. not sure when raincoats are okay.
But raincoats in Scotland are often a sign of tourist.. where locals wouldn't have yet bothered. or are wearing some other not exactly waterproof cover.
I figure someone from our NW would fit in better in Inverness than someone from Tuba City.

---------- Post added 09-12-14 at 11:23 AM ----------

FWIW, one of the best street photographers that I know does not rely on stealth. In fact, he often actively engages with his subjects.*

I might add that some people like to see the picture that has been taken and like to hear what it is they did that made the picture nice. At least, I have felt that way when I told them. Maybe they just humor me... Maybe a better practice for the ones you are already chatting with and I would never hand a camera over to anyone so they can look.

I would add that holding an umbrella might complicate the shooting session a bit.

It does. But not too much, really, for tripod when that is appropriate... I have used one to keep snow from camera as well. Don't want that or water on the element. Didn't really end up with very interesting pictures but some where is nice to see snow swirl with slow shutter.

[whk1992]

When you mention London, I immediately think of rains already. Don't you want a weather-sealed camera instead of KS-1?

---------- Post added 09-15-14 at 03:38 AM ----------

In some places, Gortex is a sign of weakness...! For intermittent and/or light rain.
I don't know exactly where the dividing line is.. not sure when raincoats are okay.
But raincoats in Scotland are often a sign of tourist.. where locals wouldn't have yet bothered. or are wearing some other not exactly waterproof cover.
I figure someone from our NW would fit in better in Inverness than someone from Tuba City.

---------- Post added 09-12-14 at 11:23 AM ----------



I might add that some people like to see the picture that has been taken and like to hear what it is they did that made the picture nice. At least, I have felt that way when I told them. Maybe they just humor me... Maybe a better practice for the ones you are already chatting with and I would never hand a camera over to anyone so they can look.



It does. But not too much, really, for tripod when that is appropriate... I have used one to keep snow from camera as well. Don't want that or water on the element. Didn't really end up with very interesting pictures but some where is nice to see snow swirl with slow shutter.

Gore-tex (and other fabrics that "breathe" in similar way) is absolutely useless in hot, humid places...

[Joshua A]

First up, sorry for the late reply(s).

Time to answer some questions I've been asked!

Rather than a KS-1 why not a K-30/K-50? You get the WR, and same battery life and I am sure the KS-1 shutter will be louder than your K-3, similar to the K-30/50. OK maybe the lack of AA filter will be to your liking from the KS-1. My issue with the K-3 for street is it tends to get a little heavy after a while, I never noticed the weight with the K-5. Personally the DA21 limited is my favorite prime for street. Previously the FA35 f2 was my go-to street lens before I bought the 21. 50mm felt too tight. These days I take the Q or Q7 and 02 zoom at widest setting, it is compact and easy to maneuver. AF is not as quick though. All in all though I just use whatever is handy.

So crewl1, first of all, I'd like to say that the reason that I enjoy using the K-3 (which is technically my fathers) and the K-5 (mine) is the ergonomics. I that way, the K-30/50 are perfect as companion cameras for everyday shooting. The controls, all in all are pretty similar and are just a little dumber down, but you can still use almost all same features as on the high spec'd models, with a significant weight advantage (23% comparing the K-3 to the K-30 according to camerasize.com). unfortunately, the physical dimensions of the cameras, while a little smaller, are still relatively large (for Pentax), and are still 'professional looking', as my friends would say. This leads to camera that, while in Australia wouldn't be a problem for street photography, is a huge problem in London, where the people seem to have an aversion I haven't seen before to having their photos taken in public. In this way, I think that the KS-1 would be a huge help. It simply doesn't look intimidating, and that would help me immensely with my natural(candite?) street photography. Regarding the noise of the shutter mechanism, well, cities are large places and I find that even with my K1000, which has an extremely loud shutter sound, people hardly notice I'm taking photos until they see the camera. But yes, I do believe that the K-7 series bodies have extremely silent shutters, something that I am thankful for when in quite locales. Weight wise, I'm young and 18, so I tend not to feel the weight unless I have a heavier lens on the camera (like a Tokina 80-200 f2.8), but over time, I'm sure that will change unfortunately.

FWIW, one of the best street photographers that I know does not rely on stealth. In fact, he often actively engages with his subjects.* I dabble in street work when feeling brave and can make these generalities:Large camera = bad (intimidation factor) Large lenses = bad (see above) Vintage or rough-looking gear = good AF is not your friend, better to shoot the hyperfocal in manual focus Moderate wide-angle = good (35mm on FF or 24mm on APS-C) Shoot single shot = good (machine gunning makes the subjects feel like prey) Being intentional = good Command of the gear = good A ready and genuine smile = good. This point and the two preceding shout professionalism and respect and allows your subjects to feel flattered to be part of your photo. Don't steal the shot, the subjects are not prey Don't capitalize on poverty or disability. The human condition as a subject borders on the immoral. Hmmm...not a lot about gear in that list. What is my choice? My favorite is the FED-2 rangefinder (ca 1961) with a 35mm lens attached. Second choice is my 70s vintage Ricoh XR-2s SLR mated to the FA 35/2. As noted above, the K-3 works fine except that it is a bit heavy for the task. Steve * That would be Javier Guitterez, better known as jgredline or Street Vision LA.https://www.flickr.com/photos/jgredline/ Welcome to Street Vision Los Angeles 8~)

Steve (can I call you that, don't want to seem rude ), I completely agree with you. For the most part, people are willing to be photographed if you ask for their consent and don't look too intimidating. A smile goes a long way and can brighten up someone's day after all. But sometimes those magical photos are only there for a split second, and you just have to act, and I find that larger black box cameras (K-3, K-50 etc) are noticed almost immediately. I really enjoy that Ricoh can make relatively compact cameras with fully fledged features, but sometimes I wish for them to push it one step further (to like the K-01 level, with a viewfinder; EVF or OVF). The KS-1 seems perfect in that regard, and seems tick many boxes for me. I just wish that they went that extra step.

Why so worried about WR for street photos? There shouldn`t be much dust or dirty hands on the streets... Have you looked into the Ricoh GR? I think B&H or Adorama includes a hotshoe viewfinder for free

Are you planning to srand in the rain without even an umbrella taking pictures?I dont think its realistic to think of such situation as an argument for WR need. I am an outdoors man and rain is the least of the reasons I value WR. Also, my most used lenses arent WR but I dont pay much attention to that. Its fine dust, sand, greasy or dirty hands that one needs to be careful about. Water is easy, rasin cover, plastic basg, umbrella, towell, etc and you are done. But in street photo you shouldnt encvounter this problems. Whast is nice regasrding water is being able to wash the body with tap water.

carrlangas, in London it seems to rain a lot (I hope that doesn't sound to hostile), and I am also a firm believer that when other people pack up and stop shooting, they miss out on the most unique photos. I simply like embracing the elements and trying to make unique images out of bad circumstances! And, about the dust, I live in the desert outback, back in Australia, and if I was foolish enough to leave something out over night, Id wake up to find it with a fine layer of dust on it. In that way, the WR is a welcome addition to any camera in my opinion. Regarding the raincoat idea(s), when I shoot in heavy rain, I try to use something (usually a plastic bag wedged into the hood bayonet of the 16-50) to protect the camera. But this idea, at least to me, is a little annoying when you are trying to be inconspicuous and are trying to travel simply (I mean in amount of equipment carried, not the weight of the equipment). I also find umbrellas kinda scary. During a storm back home, my best mate had to go to the hospital after he got the spike of the umbrella stabbed into the thumb (the fatty muscular part on the palm, I can't think of the name off the top of my head). I know, probably a one in a million chance, but better safe than sorry.


Just a general question about my writing technique (as in how I reply). Have I come across as brash, and is it rude to not reply to every single poster individually? Also, should I write the name before I speak, or is it assumed that the quote-e know that it is a reply to their comment/message? Sorry if I did come off as rude guys!

[crewl1]

Quotes work fine, no rudeness detected.

[stevebrot]

Steve (can I call you that, don't want to seem rude )

Steve is my name! No offense taken.

Quotes work fine, no rudeness detected.

Yep!


Steve

[Joshua A]

Cool bananas guys, thanks!

[peterjcb]

...getting back to street camera & stealth....not much out there that beats the GR!

[stevebrot]

...getting back to street camera & stealth....not much out there that beats the GR!

Rense (PF member) shoots street with a Pentax 6x7. So much for stealth


Steve

[Joshua A]

I thought that I would do an interesting comparison between the KS-1 and various 'pro' level mirrorless cameras. The results were astounding, just look at how small Pentax can make a DSLR. I have no doubt that they could improve the grip and add a few more direct controls (second scroll wheel) without making the body of the camera that much larger.















Just looking at these comparisons, I could entirely see Ricoh releasing a pro grade variant of the KS-1, with WR, a better grip, mag alloy or aluminium shell and more. The even have wiggle room on the width department compared to these mirrorless cameras. Sure, I guess the XT-1 and A7 are quite a bit smaller, but they also do not have the ergonomics of the other mirrorless cameras that I chose to compare to, especially in the grip department. If Ricoh did this, they could have a pretty epic camera to compete with mirrorless, without losing the pentaprism!

[peterjcb]

Rense (PF member) shoots street with a Pentax 6x7. So much for stealth


Steve

I can definitely see that....the obvious is many times un-noticed & overlooked when it's right in front of you.....

[Fogel70]

I thought that I would do an interesting comparison between the KS-1 and various 'pro' level mirrorless cameras. The results were astounding, just look at how small Pentax can make a DSLR. I have no doubt that they could improve the grip and add a few more direct controls (second scroll wheel) without making the body of the camera that much larger.

I could entirely see Ricoh releasing a pro grade variant of the KS-1, with WR, a better grip, mag alloy or aluminium shell and more.

I don't see any reason for Ricoh making smaller advanced DSLR. The K3 is already a bit too small in some areas when it comes to ergonomics/handling.

It's not like the manufactures of mirrorless cameras try to make their advanced cameras with smallest possible size, they make them big enough to be comfortable to handle, and we will most likely see even bigger mirrorless cameras in the future.

[KramerTC]

No reports on the shutter loudness of the KS-1 yet...i think that is a somewhat important piece of information for people considering the KS-1 against the K30/K50.

[Joshua A]

Originally posted by Joshua A I thought that I would do an interesting comparison between the KS-1 and various 'pro' level mirrorless cameras. The results were astounding, just look at how small Pentax can make a DSLR. I have no doubt that they could improve the grip and add a few more direct controls (second scroll wheel) without making the body of the camera that much larger. I could entirely see Ricoh releasing a pro grade variant of the KS-1, with WR, a better grip, mag alloy or aluminium shell and more. I don't see any reason for Ricoh making smaller advanced DSLR. The K3 is already a bit too small in some areas when it comes to ergonomics/handling. It's not like the manufactures of mirrorless cameras try to make their advanced cameras with smallest possible size, they make them big enough to be comfortable to handle, and we will most likely see even bigger mirrorless cameras in the future.

I do agree with that for the most part, but I've used a EM-1 with larger 4/3 lenses before (my uncles), and even with the EM-1's smaller body they still valence pretty well. I find that the K-3 is probably the biggest APS-C camera I could tolerate, and the 7Ds an D7000s of the world are unnecessarily large considering that they have smaller grips than the K-3.

[john5100]

I think most any camera would work well. It seems like how the photographer conducts his/her self is more important. A rude person with an iPhone would be more intrusive then a decent person with a 5D3. Therefore a considerate person will always get a better shot.

Just my 2 cents