[WTD] Beginner looking to get into street photography

Hi does anyone have or suggest a good budget camera to start with to get into some street photography.
I wold prefer 2nd hand as the new ones out there are way out of my budget.
£200 budget.
Thanks

JMS

 

By coincidence, Fujifilm have a new article about street photography this week:

Something small and unobtrusive, quiet shutter, wide-angle lens. Advice in the article above is to look like a tourist. I got good results from my Canon powershot.

Both WEX (above) and MPB (below) have provided good used gear for me in the past:
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/category/... Camera&filterQuery[productPrice]=10000-20000

 

ok thanks, just looking around I saw a Sony A6000 with a lens for £250 and Sony RX100 v3 for similar price.

 

I don't think you'd go wrong with the Sony I use an A7IV and either a 24-70mm 2.8 or an 85mm 1.8 for street photography and I'm very happy with it.

 

The two are very different cameras, I would try both in a store to see which topology suits you best.

Things to consider:
Framing - I am unable to make good use of the LCD screen and absolutely need a (large) viewfinder.
Body - I like a comfortable grip, a small, light body, interchangeable lenses.
Ergonomics - I prefer old-style dials and knobs over buttons and wheels.
Lens type - give me a small fixed focal ~40mm over a zoom.
Focusing - auto or manual?
Low-light - I don't think I have much use for image stabilisation but good high-ISO quality is a must.
Settings - I use manual mode, auto ISO, often spot-metering.
Other - responsiveness, battery life, user interface.

 

If you are mentioning £250 now, for street photography have a look at a used Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon 40mm STM F/2.8 lens.

Light, a large choice of kit if you decide to explore other themes, sharp images, unobtrusive.
Ok, bigger than a compact, but worth a look.

 

That would be awesome, but it could be a challenge getting it for that price. You’d have to take your chances on an ebay auction, which can be a lottery. The lens alone typically goes for £100.

 

It can be done, and you’ll look like a seasoned pro with a worn 5D2!

 

Those look much better than what I could find on ebay for the same price. If it was me I would probably spend £100 more and get one with lower milage.

 

I bought my as-new 40mm from MPB recently and I can’t fault the buying experience. I rarely buy equipment, I prefer to just get on with using it, so a hassle-free and honest deal was very much appreciated.

I’ve a 5D3, but on a budget and for street snapping, a 5D2 should be pretty damned good.

 

Having recently tried to return to FF DSLR (Canon 6D) I have found the format too bulky for street photography.
I find an APS-C or mirrorless with a small pancake is more adequate. Both the Fujifilm X-T1 and the Olympus E-M5 II have large viewfinders in small-sized bodies, as does the Sony A7 II but the latter has a larger sensor/lenses.

 

And therein lies the choice: the smaller bodies feel far too small in my hands, I really don’t like them. I’ve tried the early Canon R models, and yep, they’re too small as well. I’d probably end up fitting a battery grip to one!

It’s just a case of trying them out and seeing what you prefer, and as the OP has noted, these things can sometimes fetch more on eBay than well regarded shops sell them for, so money to be made if you don’t like the set up for some reason.

 

Back in the film days I'd walk around with a Contax RX in my hand plus 2.8/35 all the time, so I when I first tried the X-T1 and then the E-M5 II I decided to get the add-on grips. But later I ended up getting used to holding the camera by the lens and underside and got rid of the grip.

Nowadays I use only a wide-normal fixed focal pancake, although I still have a couple of lenses from my Contax system available.

I can perfectly understand that if you have large hands (which I don't) and/or use heavy zooms then it's important to have a good chunky grip to rely on.

I definitely agree that it's worth trying out as many bodies as possible.
When I finally moved to digital I went from a Pentax k-5 IIs to a 7D, an X-T1, then a E-M5 II, next came a 6D and finally a Ricoh GR III, only to settle with the X-T2. They all have their pros and cons.

Having also owned a Konica Hexar AF and a Ricoh GR1v in the past I am now sure that I definitely prefer through-the-lens, knobs and dials, and surprisingly EVF over OVF.

 

@andrewd I bought a new Canon 40mm from HDEW CAMERAS for £129 in 2020. Might be worth cheking them out.

 

Thats a good deal. I already bought a used one graded 9 from Wex. It essentially looked like a new one. I think I paid £100. It’s a great lens! I also have the 24mm EFS twin of this lens for use on a Canon 40D that I got for a song from @canonman. I haven’t used that yet since I am mostly shooting film now.

 

I went OM20 to OM40, added the winder 2 (?) then went OM-1n, with the winder. Then EOS30 before going digital with 20D to 40D to 5D3. All with grips. My hands are quite large even for a 6ft 4in bloke, so after giving the lovely little OMs a go for years, I know what suits me

Nice to have the choice.

 

Too bulky in the sense that you feel conspicuous? I've personally shot lots of street photography with such cameras, but mainly with Hasselblads/Rolleis, and they work really well in that context. I think the main trick is to behave in such a way that you disappear as far as the rest of the scene is concerned, then the size of the camera becomes less relevant

 

Waist-level finders might actually work well for street & travel (think Max Pam), I've sometimes used the rear LCD tilted upwards 90º, but I don't fid it as interesting/engaging.
I only shoot street photography and used a Contax RX for about a decade, it's about as big as a Canon 5d or Nikon D600 but not as tall or deep. I find a camera like the Fuji X-T1 a lot quick-easy to handle and yes less conspicuous, and silent.
Ultimately it's all down to personal preference, what fits you hand and style.

 

street photography is a challenging genre that not many people can pull off IMO. The shots taken where discretion is attempted rarely work well, since there is no connection with the subject. I like the work of Gary Winogrand where his approach was to walk up to interesting characters on the street with a 28mm right in their face. He never asked permission, and avoided potential conflict with a smile.

 

I find him extremely intrusive, even rude and his genre more street portraits than street photography.