90mm for Street Photgraphy?

[Ianf]

Im currently using a 35mm on a Bessa R2, has anyone tried 90mm for street work? Too tight ?
Ian

[Sjak]

I tried 85mm and 90mm on my Leica, but in narrow streets I found it pretty difficult for non-stationary subjects. However, it can work nicely if you have more open area's.

[kypfer]

An 85mm f/2 can be useful for isolating subjects in a crowd or selecting details in an otherwise empty environment.

The Jupiter 9 is widely available at a reasonable price, so might be worth a try. If you don't like it, no great loss or sell it on, if you do like it, use it until you can afford something even better

[Sjak]

Kypfer, funny, I was indeed referring to the Jupiter-9 (and the Summicron-M 90 pre-APO) and it is an excellent lens for sure. For the situations you mention, 85-90 can be great, but I found it uncomfortable as a single walkaround lens. As an addition to a 35 or 50, that is a totally different matter of course

[aidaho]

I've used 100mm, and it's not an impossible focal length for street.
Won't lend you that "up close and personal" look if you are focused on candids though.

Canon FDn 100mm F2.8


Showing off the goods by Curry Hexagon






Boredom by Curry Hexagon












As soon as you leave an open street though, it immediately gets awfully tight:

[Ianf]

Tu for sharing the images and advice, it’s appreciated.
I’m now considering my options:-)

[cooltouch]

If I were to consider 90mm as being in the middle of this general focal range, say from 80mm to 105mm, there are several good lenses I can think of that will work well.

Canon FD 85mm f/1.8
Canon FD 85mm f/1.2 L or Aspherical
Canon 100mm f/2.8
Nikon 85mm f/1.4, f/1.8 and f/2
Nikon 105mm f/2.5
Samyang 85mm f/1.4

And, of course, whenever I think 90mm, I think Tamron SP 90mm f/2.5 macro -- a remarkable lens.

[aidaho]

[tb_a]

I didn't use my Bessa R2 lately but I wouldn't recommend to use non-coupled SLR lenses on that camera; particularly not in this focal length.

My compatible 90mm RF lenses for the Bessa are tested here: http://forum.mflenses.com/90mm-rf-lens-comparison-leitz-topcon-voigtlander-t80008.html
I think all existing 90mm RF lenses would be more than good enough.

However, I'm not a typical street shooter but I have my doubt's if 90mm is a good idea on a manual focus RF camera due to the rather shallow depth of field which requires very accurate focusing.

[cooltouch]

[fiftyonepointsix]

[spleenone]

[papasito]

I use generally a 35/1,4 GM and 135/1,8 GM lenses for street pics.

Very happy with both.

[Sciolist]

I used a 50mm, but I know Saul Leiter was fond of a 150mm, among others, for street work. You can see how the compression allowed him to mimic his painting.

[martinsmith99]

It depends on how crowed & close I get to my subjects, but I will use anything from 17-200mm on an SLR, or 24-135mm on a RF. For some reason I prefer 35mm or below on an RF when shooting street scenes..

[pendennis]

A number of years ago, in the early 70's, I was a stringer for a metro newspaper. I had a Nikkormat FT, and I asked one of the regular photogs what lens would be good for everyday shooting. He advised that I get the Nikkor 105mm f/2.5. His reasoning was that it allowed you to "get up close and personal" without having to get up close and personal. Coupled with Tri-X, pushed 1-2 stops, I always got great results with it, and one remains one of my "go to" lenses for my F3, and F2 cameras for "walk around" photography.

I also used it for posed portraits for head and shoulder shots on a more informal setting.