street lens?

[TeeZeeMee]

I shoot a D90 and am trying to get better and better at street shooting. What would be one of the best street lenses to use? also, I've been really tempted to get the 17-55 dx lens and wonder if its worth it as a walk around for daily use?

on the move!!!!!!

 

[orb9220]

Can save your dough and go for the Tamron 17-50 f2.8. Which is what many choose for a third of the price and close to Image IQ of the Nikon. And then if after a year more insight to knowing if the Nikon is worth the investment.

Or just bit the bullet if you have the monies and don't plan to go Fx anytime soon.

But the Tammy has served me well last 3 years of use.
.

 

[Patriot]

What about a prime lens that could get you better uses for night shots?

 

[StandingBear1983]

for street the 35mm DX 1.8G is ideal. 50mm (35mm film FX range) is a classic street focal range. the primes are very good and relatively cheap, also much better for low light situations.

 

[sleist]

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DX is also quite nice. I prefer it to the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G.

I love the Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 DX. Whether it's worth it is up to you.

 

[TeeZeeMee]

thanks everyone!
i have the 35mm 1.8 and i do love the lens and i have been into primes for a while now, was wondering if that really the way to go though through your suggestions.
the 17-55 just amazes me with the build quality and every now and then i would like to have a bit of distance from subjects to not disturb them when i take a shot... some great moments ive seen were kinda ruined by my big black camera, and i dont wanna be super sneaky....just feels wrong sometimes

 

[Derrel]

Can save your dough and go for the Tamron 17-50 f2.8. Which is what many choose for a third of the price and close to Image IQ of the Nikon. And then if after a year more insight to knowing if the Nikon is worth the investment.

Or just bit the bullet if you have the monies and don't plan to go Fx anytime soon.

But the Tammy has served me well last 3 years of use.
.

Check out orb's on-line portfolio...dude knows how to get results with minimal equipment... Flickr: Orbmiser's Photostream

 

[sleist]

thanks everyone!
i have the 35mm 1.8 and i do love the lens and i have been into primes for a while now, was wondering if that really the way to go though through your suggestions.
the 17-55 just amazes me with the build quality and every now and then i would like to have a bit of distance from subjects to not disturb them when i take a shot... some great moments ive seen were kinda ruined by my big black camera, and i dont wanna be super sneaky....just feels wrong sometimes

You're not going to get a lot of reach with the 17-55 - and the hood make a large lens even larger. This lens is prone to flare so shooting without a hood is not always an option.
You might want to check out one of the 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6 lenses if you don't want to get close. The new 85 f/1.8 G would be a nice choice too and would pair well with the 35 as a 3 lens street kit. I go out with the 30mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 all the time.

Nikon 70-300mm @200mm

Nikon 85mm f/1.4 D at f/4

 

[TeeZeeMee]

You're not going to get a lot of reach with the 17-55 - and the hood make a large lens even larger. This lens is prone to flare so shooting without a hood is not always an option.
You might want to check out one of the 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6 lenses if you don't want to get close. The new 85 f/1.8 G would be a nice choice too and would pair well with the 35 as a 3 lens street kit. I go out with the 30mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 all the time.

Nikon 70-300mm @200mm

Nikon 85mm f/1.4 D at f/4

Ill look into that 85!

on the move!!!!!!

 

[sleist]

You're not going to get a lot of reach with the 17-55 - and the hood make a large lens even larger. This lens is prone to flare so shooting without a hood is not always an option.
You might want to check out one of the 70-300mm 1:4.5-5.6 lenses if you don't want to get close. The new 85 f/1.8 G would be a nice choice too and would pair well with the 35 as a 3 lens street kit. I go out with the 30mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 all the time.

Nikon 70-300mm @200mm

Nikon 85mm f/1.4 D at f/4

Ill look into that 85!

on the move!!!!!!

Just to be clear, the sample I posted was to give an example of 85mm on a D90. The lens I used was the 85mm f/1.4 D. The lens I suggested was the 85 f/1.8 G.
You may have realized that, but I wanted to be clear.

 

[TeeZeeMee]

yea i noticed that haha.
i saw this too
AF Zoom-NIKKOR 24-85mm f/2.8-4D IF from Nikon
idk if it would be worth while? or if i should just stick to my 35 and get a 85 prime

i dont like switching lenses a lot :/

 

[TeeZeeMee]

AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR from Nikon
or this one?

im really just lost because so many people say to use a prime over a zoom, faster speeds, better builds; but it gets cumbersome switching out lenses on the street. I like using my feet though to make the shot and zooms can be tricky standing there to get the right stuff in frame. Think maybe i just need to get really used to the distance for a single focal length?

 

[StandingBear1983]

AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR from Nikon
or this one?

im really just lost because so many people say to use a prime over a zoom, faster speeds, better builds; but it gets cumbersome switching out lenses on the street. I like using my feet though to make the shot and zooms can be tricky standing there to get the right stuff in frame. Think maybe i just need to get really used to the distance for a single focal length?

I shot exclusively for 1 year on my D5100 with the 35mm, you have to have more time in general, its a different pace of photography, to reach your target and when you reach your target you think about the angle and frame you want...it takes more time to shoot like that but it makes it a better experience somehow, for me at least, the 'problem' in the street is that not all the time you can reach targets, or have hostile people on your ass not wanting you to shoot them - also with a zoom its easier for you to make snapshots because its more convenient, but with primes you got to think, so it takes more time and effort. but usually you get better results in the end.

So decide between easier comfier shooting (lazy shooting ) and elbow grease shooting lol - ideally, i would use a zoom only for targets its impossible for me to reach, like sports photography and bear\lion wildlife.

 

[Derrel]

Prime lenses FORCE you into working within their angle of view. When you have a 20mm mounted, you have a 20mm, and you have to look for "20 millimeter pictures". That means that the foreground objects need to be close, and that objects in the background will appear PHYSICALLY SMALL in the final image...that is the way a wide-angle lens renders its scenes...if the location and shooting situation is good for using a 20mm, then that's great. Buuuuuut, if the situation calls for shooting across the street, to the sidewalk on the other side of the street, a 20mm sucks.

After using the same focal length for a while, your mind can get used to the angle of view quite well, and you can develop a mental idea of the way that focal length renders spatial relationships between the foreground, mid-ground, and the deep background in the pictures made with that length of lens.

Using a prime lens is like trying to fit the world into a pre-conceived manner of seeing...and when looking at a lot of photos shot with a prime lens, there often gets to be a sameness to the images. It's like eating cornflakes and skim milk every single day for breakfast, for 365 days in a row. YUCK! I find street shots that are ALL done with 35mm (FX format digital) and a 20 or 21 or 24 or 35 or 50, shot after shot after shot, to be exceedingly tedious when seen in a collected form. Part of it is laziness I think on the part of photographers who rely on one trick, and their pony,and just mash the button over and over. Same old chit, frame after frame? Ehhhh...not for me.

I grew up shooting primes, with a kit of 24,28,35,50,85,105,135,200. AN FE-2 and FM or an F3 and FE-2, all in a shoulder bag, motor drives with 8-AA cells per camera, 18 lbs on the scale. A royal PITA. Give me a 35-105 zoom lens or a 28-105 any day.

 

[StandingBear1983]

You have a point there Derrel, you are less limited by zoom lenses, thats for sure, the 'secret' is looking at the scene and not shooting like a mad man just because you can, both with a prime and a zoom.

there are certain things primes can't do, and there are things that zoom's (avrage zooms, not top of the line 2.8) can't do, if you want 'the best' street lens, in my opinion its a short zoom, which is the 24-70 2.8. that a killer lens for street photography, but also the price is .