Comments on: Telephoto Street Photography: Pros and Cons

By: Alain Guillot

Alain Guillot — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 14:35:09 +0000

I was able to take this shot from very far away thanks to my telephoto lens.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e5a6fad735df47f6d85ac1065e3cff520b8c193ae5bd12dcc6ff75258c70d9db.jpg

By: Time Will Tell

Time Will Tell — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 16:14:46 +0000

In reply to Maria R.

So far, my Nikkor zoom 18-55 kit lens hasn’t disappointed me. I wish it were just a little faster, but for the most part, and for most street photos, I use the “A” aperture setting, and then fire away from a respectable and respectful distance. Great cropping — and it’s a little like having two or three primes in one lens. Sharp enough for me with the VR. Happy shooting!

By: Time Will Tell

Time Will Tell — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 15:59:37 +0000

In reply to Craig Boehman. I realize I'm late to the party here, but I have a Nikkor 18-55, 3.5, which seems to do quite nicely with my heavy D90. I used to use the Nikkor 18-105, which gave me some fantastic street shots when I was younger and could walk around a lot better. Now, I'll get what I get, and I get a lot of compliments on my shots. It's how you use it that counts, and my Lumix DX7 f1.4 is razor sharp even with heavy cropping. You have to have an "eye" for taking the right kind of shots, capturing just the right moment. I could wish for better bokeh with the 18-55 Nikkor, but I'm not a professional. Only someone who enjoys photo taking like crazy.

By: Time Will Tell

Time Will Tell — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 15:51:40 +0000

I use a heavy camera. Life’s circumstances do not allow me the luxury of spending lots of bucks on a newer, lighter? camera. So naturally, having wrist and shoulder problems, I’m going to go with a versatile lens that can do everything. That’s why I’m using a zoom lens. And before you start clutching your pearls with horrified wide eyes, remember that for some of us, it’s a matter of what works for us. So far, the Nikkor 18-55 f3.5 with VR has served me well. Yes, I would love a faster lens. I also have a Lumix DX7 f1.4 which serves that purpose. Both cameras can make great enlargements, and the clarity/resolution is razor sharp with both. However, the Lumix, while lacking a larger sensor sometimes skips over the details. The Nikon, while having a large sensor, is poor with the bokeh. We do what we do, and I get some pretty good results. Cheers!

By: randomflux

randomflux — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 09:45:45 +0000

There are many ways to do street photography, using different kinds of equipment. There is definitely no right or best lens or camera for it. That is like saying that there is only one kind of light for good photographs. It depends on what you are doing, what kinds of pictures you are taking, what the objective is. I increasingly engage with my subjects, talk to them before or after the shot and give them my card so that they can have free photos if they want. Cartier-Bresson used a beat-up Leica covered in black tape, with a 50mm lens, exclusively. That works if you can learn how to blend in. However, in my experience you can also go in exactly the opposite direction: It is sometimes equally effective to make yourself as conspicuous as possible, carry two cameras with large lenses and an equipment vest. Many people feel less concerned if they see you as a responsible pro, particularly if you talk to them and explain what you are doing in a friendly way. The only thing you really need to avoid, always, is coming across creepy — and that has more to do with your own attitude and the character you project while you are working.

By: Scott Carey

Scott Carey — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 01:25:00 +0000

In reply to James Brown.

Ha, ha. Loved the ‘same lady’ analogy.

But seriously, with a few exceptions, most who claim telephoto use for street photography as being a thing of heathen’s keep repeating themselves not only in terms of focal lenght (usually) but also their own photographs:

In their desperate purism most end up taking cliché photographs that are nothing but immitations of the ones the great masters used to take – just look at their instagram feeds!

By: Bernie

Bernie — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 22:11:00 +0000

When discussing the conspicuousness of a telephoto lens in street photography, it is important to differentiate between the size/ weight of say a 200mm full frame lens compared to one designed for a crop sensor and then again for smaller sensor cameras. It is the main thing that will have me upgrade to another Canon crop sensor eg 80D from my 550D instead of a full frame 5 or 6D.
A 200 or 300mm EF lens is substantially bigger, heavier, more expensive & more obvious than an EF-S lens.
Given I don’t shoot professionally, a few large prints for home each year, with most pics needing to be compressed for social media, the extra quality of full frame brings too many disadvantages for someone like me who carries their camera nearly every time they go out socially.

By: Andy Miller

Andy Miller — Sun, 09 Apr 2017 15:20:00 +0000

If you use telephoto lenses for street photography it avoids confrontation which I hate.

By: martha.hightower

martha.hightower — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 04:31:00 +0000

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By: Scott Carey

Scott Carey — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 10:45:00 +0000

Though the last two thirds of this article more than justify its title (i.e, the pros and cons of using a telephoto lens for this kind of subject), one thing that I find rather disconcerting in it, is that you only point out to shiness alone as the apparent sole reason why one would use telephotos for shooting street scenes, instead of saying, for instance, that it may as well be one’s own photographic style.

And it is thanks to the world “style” alone, that I beg to differ from your initial assessment, as I can certainly attest that, in my own case, and without abandoning shooting with wide angle lenses for good (therefore having no qualms or reservations about approaching people on the streets) that I choose using telephotos 9 out of 10 times during my trips downtown, as my own way of perhaps making my shots stand out from the crowd (the pun is unintended), developing therefore my very own style – perhaps even not out of shyness!