f8 and zone focused to 1.5 meters, minimum 1/500 shutter and auto ISO (max 50k). 50k sounds like a lot (and it is) but I'm using the Q2 Monochrom and the ISO/noise ratio is more forgiving than a colour equivalent. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the comment. I think it is important to set the right expectations, so you may not get pin sharp results but the images overall should be "acceptable". 28mm is my default for street photos, but I love 50mm for posed portraits.
One tip I like for zone focusing for lens that don't have the distance on the lens is to know the height of your body. Know how far your knees are and then waist and then chest and then neck and then head. Then you autofocus to the ground and then set your lens to what you want f8 or something. I'm six feet tall so I'll bring my camera up to me chest and autofocus straight down onto the sidewalk and then set my Fuji 27mm f2.8 lens to f8. All my photos I've taken this way have been in focus. I don't get super close to people but I get close to people. I would say I'm about five or so feet away from people.
I have a few different ways I do street photography depending on the setup I decide to take out. I did some street photography with my Olympus PEN E-PL1 and the kit lens I just set it on auto ISO and I think I used a shutter at 250th of a second. I only got one photo that was out of focus that kind of bummed me out. When I use my Fuji X-E1 and the 27mm f2.8 I believe they call this kind of motor a stepper motor it makes noise when you use auto focus. I just focus about five feet away and shoot at f8 and zone focus into manual focus. The other way I do street photography is with my super zoom lens my Panasonic 18-140 with my Panasonic Lumix GH2 and I just use single auto focus and photograph people far away. Some of these photo look like people are on a movie set. They have no idea I'm even taking their photos. Really don't have a favorite way of doing street photography I found all three ways to be fun.
Thanks for sharing. Your first method seems pretty close to the one I have described here and the second a little bit also. I tend not to go for long lenses and "secretly" photograph people, only because I prefer the look from close up, but I'm sure you can get some great photos that way.
Why not just use autofocus? I use zone focusing with my old rangefinder film cameras, but most modern cameras, even the 20 years old EOS 300X could instantly snap into focus. I know some Fujifilm, Panasonic, or Leica cameras could not do that, but what's the point of using something that is behind 2 decades and then suffer from not getting the shot?
Great question. Zone focusing is the method most street photographers use when they need to react quickly. Autofocus requires that you raise the camera to your eye and this takes a few seconds. With zone focusing I can take photos without looking through the viewfinder much faster. There are many videos explaining this but you can first look at my previous video where I show myself walking along the streets taking photos without looking and you can then understand better why this method is so effective: ruclips.net/video/wc-0bvSdgGQ/видео.htmlsi=QWfYJ9BEU2usWlum&t=179
Autofocus is still not fast enough for me and there's still the risk it's going to focus on the wrong subject. Zone focusing takes that focusing risk out of the equation altogether.
Let me know YOUR favorite settings for street photography and why!
f8 and zone focused to 1.5 meters, minimum 1/500 shutter and auto ISO (max 50k). 50k sounds like a lot (and it is) but I'm using the Q2 Monochrom and the ISO/noise ratio is more forgiving than a colour equivalent. Thanks for the video!
reasonable acceptable focus, I need to remember that term :) I was a 35mm and 50mm fan, but Recently I love to get close with 21 and 28mm.
Thanks for the comment. I think it is important to set the right expectations, so you may not get pin sharp results but the images overall should be "acceptable". 28mm is my default for street photos, but I love 50mm for posed portraits.
M4/3 stepping into this conversation. 😎 F2 normally since it’s equivalent to F4 full frame.
Thanks for stopping by
One tip I like for zone focusing for lens that don't have the distance on the lens is to know the height of your body. Know how far your knees are and then waist and then chest and then neck and then head. Then you autofocus to the ground and then set your lens to what you want f8 or something.
I'm six feet tall so I'll bring my camera up to me chest and autofocus straight down onto the sidewalk and then set my Fuji 27mm f2.8 lens to f8. All my photos I've taken this way have been in focus. I don't get super close to people but I get close to people. I would say I'm about five or so feet away from people.
Great tip. 5 feet works out to 1.5 meters which is the exact setting I have my camera lens set to as well!
👏👏👏👏👍👍
I have a few different ways I do street photography depending on the setup I decide to take out. I did some street photography with my Olympus PEN E-PL1 and the kit lens I just set it on auto ISO and I think I used a shutter at 250th of a second. I only got one photo that was out of focus that kind of bummed me out.
When I use my Fuji X-E1 and the 27mm f2.8 I believe they call this kind of motor a stepper motor it makes noise when you use auto focus. I just focus about five feet away and shoot at f8 and zone focus into manual focus.
The other way I do street photography is with my super zoom lens my Panasonic 18-140 with my Panasonic Lumix GH2 and I just use single auto focus and photograph people far away. Some of these photo look like people are on a movie set. They have no idea I'm even taking their photos.
Really don't have a favorite way of doing street photography I found all three ways to be fun.
Thanks for sharing. Your first method seems pretty close to the one I have described here and the second a little bit also. I tend not to go for long lenses and "secretly" photograph people, only because I prefer the look from close up, but I'm sure you can get some great photos that way.
Why not just use autofocus? I use zone focusing with my old rangefinder film cameras, but most modern cameras, even the 20 years old EOS 300X could instantly snap into focus. I know some Fujifilm, Panasonic, or Leica cameras could not do that, but what's the point of using something that is behind 2 decades and then suffer from not getting the shot?
Great question. Zone focusing is the method most street photographers use when they need to react quickly. Autofocus requires that you raise the camera to your eye and this takes a few seconds. With zone focusing I can take photos without looking through the viewfinder much faster. There are many videos explaining this but you can first look at my previous video where I show myself walking along the streets taking photos without looking and you can then understand better why this method is so effective:
ruclips.net/video/wc-0bvSdgGQ/видео.htmlsi=QWfYJ9BEU2usWlum&t=179
Autofocus is still not fast enough for me and there's still the risk it's going to focus on the wrong subject. Zone focusing takes that focusing risk out of the equation altogether.
@@takeytakeyphoties upgrade your camera seriously. If your camera can't focus instantly it needs to be replaced.
@@shang-hsienyang1284 I don't need to replace it, with zone focusing I get the shot in focus every time because it's already focused.