The Street Photography Match: Canon Rebel T3 + Canon EFS 24mm F2.8 Pancake Lens
Here I am again talking about my choice to use a DSLR for Street Photography.
If anyone thinks it's a crazy choice to use an old 10 year old DSLR, I'm here to prove it wrong. My choice is extremely conscious and meditated. It also has to do with a desire to demonstrate to all those who approach street photography that there are no good cameras for taking pictures on the street but that it essentially depends on us.
My choice is precise and also responds to certain marketing logics that I don't care about. What I am proposing as a blogger here is that you don’t need to spend a fortune on street photography and if you save on equipment you will find yourself more money to invest in other useful things, such as travel and books, maybe a good pair of shoes. To give you an idea:
I traded in a Pentax for this Canon Rebel, but if I had to pay for it it would have cost 120-130 US$. And I paid just 130 US$ for the lens. Just think about this. Of course you can obtain also cameras for a cheaper cost and it would be great too. But I hope the meaning of what I mean is clear: why buy the latest when you can get great results with cameras that allow you to do great photography? Even with a old DSLR!
OK, I am not saying this will work with anyone. If you want the new toy go with that, but i am just showing an alternative approach. And I am pretty sure that many readers will agree with me and will be happy to see the results. And here I am sharing with you my first official walk in downtown. The selection of these photos should clarify that is never the camera but the photographer.
Another thought, not less important: to carry with me this camera it doesn't make me think about the consequences if it were to break or if it were stolen from me. Obviously I would mind but it's not like carrying the Pro expensive camera that is 1000 US$ body only. And of course I consider the DSLR a combat camera that I can use in tough places.
An example: years ago I was never happy with the color and aesthetics of certain cameras. Today I am perhaps a better photographer, indeed no, certainly I am. And so I can say that I really like the look I can get.
As always what you see is what I get: I shoot JPG only, with a very small use of the post production. So, let’s start!
Although the management of the light in a tianguis covered by red tarpaulins is not ideal, I like how it comes out, even better than the fake Leica (I mean not the real Leica but the Japanese imitators) that costs money.
In portraits at a close distance, done quickly, without the subject noticing, I tried and I must say that it satisfies me. The distortion is also not evident and this makes it pleasant for me.
The day really started with this picture. Sometimes I like to photograph whatis happening inside arestaurant from a showcase like in this case. I shot this keeping the exposure in f8 1/500 like the street and I am happy how the camera read the situation. AUTO ISO went to 1600.
These are the shots I take when I lift the camera to the last and for me they are essential in a type of test like this to understand how much I can rely on this camera. I love the windows of that building which give me a Seventies flavor.
One thing I'm really enjoying is reading about the shadows of this old digital SLR. They are softer and give me images that remind me a lot of a certain film. Metering settings is weighted average here and I am using a particular customized receipt in PORTRAIT Photo Style. I tried also some shots of the same scene in Spot Metering but I was not satisfied.
I am also happy with the result of the reds in the image.
This is a special light situation. If you don't exhibit well in this scene you can find yourself completely wiped out of the cars parked above. Or having the underside too dark. As I said in the premise this is what I obtained when i pressed the shutter button of the camera. There is not an intervent in lightroom.
Some photographs are all born from the belly. Instinct leads me to shoot and I rely on my composition skills only by seeing the scene, without framing from the viewfinder. Moreover, this DSLR does not allow me to shoot with the Live View function that is and is present but tends to be enchanted and therefore the LCD constantly shows me the exposure data.
Keep in mind that we are talking about a jpg from 10 years ago. I am satisfied.
Probably this is the shot of the day. If a camera allows me to do this, we are already over the fence for me.
One of the biggest problems of shooting with a DSLR is the noise of the mirror, which certainly makes the camera less discreet and therefore revealing of its presence. I must say, however, that so far I have solved this problem enough and I have not run into any problems.
I try to be careful about photographing places where jewelry is sold, but for me the scene justified taking some risks.
One of the key things I require today is to achieve aesthetic consistency in my images. I believe this camera may be the right second camera for what I am trying to propose.
Shots like these I often do. I like to show a dynamism that exists by uniting, through the composition, people who have nothing to do with each other except the fact of sharing the public space at a given moment.
And this is probably the second good shot of the day. The close distance to the subject also makes you forget the fact that it is not completely in focus and the expression is interesting. There is a whole dynamics typically street-level that makes me love this shot.
The corners of the buildings are for me an old formula that I like to use. As in this case.
One of the biggest difficulties I am encountering with this lens is the angle of view which often makes me completely wrong shot.I think this is due to a slight difference in focal between the 7Artisans 25mm f1.8 that is a 37.5mm equivalent while this Canon EFS 24mm f2.8 is equivalent to 38.4mm. Of course in this case I worked well.
Those who are familiar with my photography know how reflections have always been part of my visual research.
And this is perhaps the third photograph that I like.
This is a location that always gives me interesting photos and I wanted to try it with the Canon Rebel. I switched to 1/1600 sec. and I kept in weighted average metering.
This is a scene that I found interesting. With this camera and lens I am constantly working in autofocus. I think it works better because the lens has not a distance scale. The photographer must be intelligent in using the tools depending on their construction and there must be no absolutism in this sense.
I am happy with this image. I think the hand is that detail that makes the photo good. Without that hand it would be a rather trivial photo. And by now I think you know how much a detail can make a difference when it comes to street photography.
The last image for this review features a normal shot, the kind that comes to you on the street as you walk. If I propose it, it is to show the evidence of being able to take the kind of shots on the fly that are so much part of my repertoire, also with this old digital camera.
Some notes at the end
I have confirmed in this first real hands on review, when I am already more familiar with this combo, that I made the right choice to purchase the lens and now I consider this Canon Rebel my second camera.
A DSLR that I decided to use for my commercial work with models for books and my art projects, but I will use it now also for street photography because I think the test is went very well.
Just two years ago if someone had told me I would go back to using a DSLR I would have laughed at them…today I'm here, on my blog, sharing an experience that is turning out to be really positive.
