Thanks for watching! 📸I hope the video was useful for you. What is your favourite lens? Please let me know in the comments below. Want more content like this? Don't forget to like 👍 this video and subscribe to help me reach the channel's next milestone... 20,000 subscribers! ✊Download your copy of my new eBook ➡ gallagher-photo.com/learn
I really enjoy your videos. Great to see the disclaimer at the start. Thanks. For the record, I’ve never warmed to the 35. I prefer the 50. That’s probably because it’s the only lens I had in the film days, so it’s the lens I’m most comfortable with. I also like to keep my distance.
Thanks for the thoughts, Tom. I have a 50 that I use from time to time, but it's a little tight for my tastes. But, go with what you are comfortable with 👍
You mirror my choice almost. 35mm absolutely mine is 1.8 S Nikon. Had 24-70 but replaced it with a 24-120 f4 S. One of these a body and a spare battery and I am away, Agree completely re the Zoom issues like more to think about and size but I still like the versatility. Not really needing longer certainly at the moment. Cheers, Will visit your site.
Another good set-up! Yes, I find the versatility of a zoom good for assignments, but sometimes I just like to carry one camera body, one lens and keep things really simple.
My favorite one-lens/one-body for photojournalism, documentary, street, travel, and vacation are: 35mm f/1.4 Nikkor on Nikon SLRs 35mm f/1.4 Zeiss ZM on Leica rangefinders 28-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor on Nikon SLRs
The RF 70-200 f4 is small and light. I preset my RF 24-70 to the mm I expect to use (e.g. 35 mm) and only change if really necessary. And if I changed it then I set it back to the preset.
I definitely gravitate towards a 35mm Prime. I have a Fuji XV100 (35mm equiv), a Canon M50 with a 22mm pancake (35mm equiv) and a few Canon Full-Frame with a 40mm f2.8. It means that I see the World in a 35mm frame so I know what the final composition will be before I raise the camera to my eye. I have the "Holy Trinity" of Canon Zooms but I reach for those when I have a bit more time to compose an image. None of them lend themselves to "running & gunning" in a street environment.
Sometimes i go out with preconceptions - i either know precisely the image i'm after or i'm going to enter an environment where only one or two focal lengths are ever going to be appropriate. Most of the time, however, i just go prepared for what the World might present, and while this may make for what some people would think was a heavy carry, it does allow me to respond appropriately to any situation i find myself in (and it helps me stay fit!). So the thinking that informs this practice is that i have no desire to impose my values on the World, preferring instead to have the World impress itself on me and being responsive to that. One outcome is that i don't tend to take 'other people's photos'... but very often i rather wish i had!
First of all great video, as the rest of your channel. It's nice to see a real photographer, and not a TH-cam one, share his knowledge. I have used Fujifilm X100F (35mm fixed) for quite some time. It was great and I learned a lot. At the moment however I am shooting with Fujifilm X-T4 with Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 (app. 27-75mm). A great combination for all kind of photography since it is very small and very capable. I do miss sometimes the simplicity of Fujifilm X100F but the current setup is extremely convenient.
I also moved from an x100 line camera to a Fuji w the 18-50 (and recently added 16 2.8 for when i need an even tinier setup). When he held up that 35 i was thinking my zoom lens is smaller than that 🤔
My kit consists of 3 Canon L series zooms. A 17-40mm, a 24-105mm, and a 70-200mm. I also have an assortment of non-L primes. A 20mm, 40mm, 50mm, and a 85mm. The primes are faster lenses, whereas the zooms are all f/4's. They were all bought in excellent used condition and in total cost less than a single new L series lens. I'd suggest checking out keh and mpb. They both offer 6 month warranties and superb customer service in my experience.
Very sensible buying used lenses if you can get them from a reliable dealer in good condition. I am familiar with MPB 🙂 www.mpb.com/en-us/content/interviews/interview-environmental-photographer-sean-gallagher
Thanks for this video! I'm a Nikon shooter and my favorite lenses are the nifty fifty, a vintage 28-90mm zoon lens , a DX 18-55mm kit lens and a DX 55-200mm kit lens, They're ALL useful!
Thank you. Like your choices. These days I swapped out my f/2.8 70-200L for a smaller lighter f/4 70-200. Mostly shoot Sony know and their relatively new FE 70-200/4 MACRO G OSS II is very small and flexible and it can take a teleconverter unlike Canon’s RF 70-200mm f/4L. I do also shoot Canon though. Take care.
I am a M4/3 shooter and almost always carry my 12-45 (24-90 equivalent) with me for street photos. It is probably the size of your 35mm. I need to work on my confidence with the prime lens in the streets as your images have such a feel to them of being right there. I see the benefits for sure. I also bought a used panasonic 35-100 f4-5.6 lens - it is literally a pocketable 70-200 equivalent. It's a cheap plastic build but the images are pretty decent for being able to put it in a pocket.
Interesting to hear your setup, Lyndsay. If you can, I would definitely recommend going out with a fixed focal length lens, like a 35mm, from time to time. It focuses the eye and mind! 📸
@@SeanGallagherPhotographer I found a used 20mm f1.4 (40mm FF equivalent) and have left it on my camera for the past couple of weeks. It’s been a valuable learning experience to zoom with my feet and recognize how close I need to be.
My most used lense was a 35mm on a canon crop, so it'd be a 56mm. Right now I'm trying to shoehorn using a 28mm fully manual lens (44mm eq) because I want to get used to a wider fov. I mostly only carry one lens at a time each time I'm out.
I have a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm but I opted for a 28mm and a 40mm instead of a 35mm and a 50mm. I bought the 40mm before the 28mm. I thought I'd was a good compromise between the 35mm and the 50mm. I shoot with the Nikon z system. The 40mm has a smaller profile than the 35mm or 50mm. I've been really impressed with the sharpness and micro contrast with that lens. And it's not an S line lens. I like the focal length of the 28mm for up close and personal.
Great video. I use 35mm (23 mm on my Fuji cameras) for street and travel. I use the 24-70 (18-55 on my Fuji xameras) for woodland and nature because I can't predict what I'll find.
I'm still learning the very fundamentals of photography in order to understand and use the principles of optics to my advantage so that I can combine that knowledge with composition, something you shared in your video on "5 Photography Composition Tips …". Thanks so much for making the video and allowing me insight into what professionals use and what the considerations for their choices of equipment are! Like you, I don't want to feel like a camel when traveling 😅
Another great video. I used a 24-70 / 70-200 and a 50mm as my main kit. However, when I want to travel light I find the 24-120mm F4 to be my lens of choice. :) I've never used a 35mm focal length. It is on my wishlist. :)
28mm on my APS sensor Canon (45mm full frame) and it does seem to do everything as long as I move around. I’ve tried 24mm to get the 35mm effect but find it a tad wide.
My favourite lens for street photography is a 14mm Panasonic pancake lens fitted to my Olympus E-M5ii. Very small but very capable combination and perfect for street because everyone ignores me. The camera and lens combination is virtually invisible to my subjects.
You make a big issue about size & weight of the zooms. So why use f2.8? Both of those lenses come in f4 versions which are both smaller and lighter. I’ve just come back from a trip abroad where I took a 20mm f1.8 prime, 24-120mm f/4 zoom and a 70-200mm f/4 zoom. For early mornings & evenings going out from the hotel, specifically to take photographs, I used all three. Going out for the day I only took the 24-120mm (except on a morning spent in caves where the 20mm made sense for both fast aperture and wide field of view). The result? 85% of images on 24-120mm, 10% on 20mm and only 5% on 70-200mm.
I wonder why you use large aperture lenses if you care about the sizes of the lenses. A 35mm F2 lens would be much smaller and just as good as F1.4 in terms of the image quality. (I've got a Voigtlander Ultron 35mm F1.7. Because it is a MF lens, it doesn't have in-lens AF motor or image stabilisation and hence it is small and light, although I don't think it is suitable for professional photographers.) I have been having a trouble finding a telephoto zoom lens that produces a good image quality but is small and lightweight (so I'm thinking to move to m4/3 in telephoto). I hope a person like you suggests the manufacturers to make a good 70-200mm F4.
If cost were not an object, this is what I would buy and use as a professional: Ulanzi Falcam TreeRoot Tripod Photojournalism Canon EOS R5 Mark II Canon RF 35MM f/1.4 L Canon RF 24mm-105mm f/2.8 L (has built-in stabilization) Street Leica M11-P (assuming good electronics and firmware) Sumilux-M 50 f/1.4 Sumilux-M 35 f/1.4
35mm is best natural field of view. Nothing compares it but any non pancake lens is not inconspicuous when mounted on big body dsrl. They are attention magnets
I NEVER use zoom lenses ! Just about any prime Lens can be used for street Photography, I have used 14, 21, 24, 35, 55, 60, 65, 85 and 135mm focal length Lenses, most often wide angle Lenses and the shortest tele Lenses 55/60/65mm, the last two year I most often use two full frame Cameras (which I sometimes use in APSC mode), one Camera with a wide angle Lens and an other with a short tele Lens, a great combo.
@@SeanGallagherPhotographer I think a very good combo for unknown places are the Zeiss Loxia Distagon 21mm 2.8 T* and the Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8 T* ZA
When you speak of 50mm or 85mm you’re referring to prime where Sean is speaking of 35mm WIDE ANGLE. They are like comparing apples with chestnuts. in addition, why is it necessary to be so rude in your comment?
Thanks for watching! 📸I hope the video was useful for you. What is your favourite lens? Please let me know in the comments below. Want more content like this? Don't forget to like 👍 this video and subscribe to help me reach the channel's next milestone... 20,000 subscribers! ✊Download your copy of my new eBook ➡ gallagher-photo.com/learn
I really enjoy your videos. Great to see the disclaimer at the start. Thanks.
For the record, I’ve never warmed to the 35. I prefer the 50. That’s probably because it’s the only lens I had in the film days, so it’s the lens I’m most comfortable with. I also like to keep my distance.
Thanks for the thoughts, Tom. I have a 50 that I use from time to time, but it's a little tight for my tastes. But, go with what you are comfortable with 👍
@@SeanGallagherPhotographer Then there's the 40....
You mirror my choice almost. 35mm absolutely mine is 1.8 S Nikon. Had 24-70 but replaced it with a 24-120 f4 S. One of these a body and a spare battery and I am away, Agree completely re the Zoom issues like more to think about and size but I still like the versatility. Not really needing longer certainly at the moment. Cheers, Will visit your site.
Another good set-up! Yes, I find the versatility of a zoom good for assignments, but sometimes I just like to carry one camera body, one lens and keep things really simple.
My favorite one-lens/one-body for photojournalism, documentary, street, travel, and vacation are:
35mm f/1.4 Nikkor on Nikon SLRs
35mm f/1.4 Zeiss ZM on Leica rangefinders
28-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor on Nikon SLRs
35 ✊😉
I agree with what you are saying. I would say either 35mm or 50mm would be my favourite.
Both great 👍
The RF 70-200 f4 is small and light.
I preset my RF 24-70 to the mm I expect to use (e.g. 35 mm) and only change if really necessary. And if I changed it then I set it back to the preset.
Good idea. Thanks for sharing your setup 👍
I definitely gravitate towards a 35mm Prime. I have a Fuji XV100 (35mm equiv), a Canon M50 with a 22mm pancake (35mm equiv) and a few Canon Full-Frame with a 40mm f2.8.
It means that I see the World in a 35mm frame so I know what the final composition will be before I raise the camera to my eye.
I have the "Holy Trinity" of Canon Zooms but I reach for those when I have a bit more time to compose an image. None of them lend themselves to "running & gunning" in a street environment.
Sounds like you have a good setup. Thanks for sharing 👍
Sometimes i go out with preconceptions - i either know precisely the image i'm after or i'm going to enter an environment where only one or two focal lengths are ever going to be appropriate. Most of the time, however, i just go prepared for what the World might present, and while this may make for what some people would think was a heavy carry, it does allow me to respond appropriately to any situation i find myself in (and it helps me stay fit!). So the thinking that informs this practice is that i have no desire to impose my values on the World, preferring instead to have the World impress itself on me and being responsive to that. One outcome is that i don't tend to take 'other people's photos'... but very often i rather wish i had!
Everyone has their own approach. That's the beauty of photography 👍
First of all great video, as the rest of your channel. It's nice to see a real photographer, and not a TH-cam one, share his knowledge. I have used Fujifilm X100F (35mm fixed) for quite some time. It was great and I learned a lot. At the moment however I am shooting with Fujifilm X-T4 with Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 (app. 27-75mm). A great combination for all kind of photography since it is very small and very capable. I do miss sometimes the simplicity of Fujifilm X100F but the current setup is extremely convenient.
Thanks for following the channel, George ✊ Sounds like you have a good setup there. Good luck with your shooting 📸
I also moved from an x100 line camera to a Fuji w the 18-50 (and recently added 16 2.8 for when i need an even tinier setup). When he held up that 35 i was thinking my zoom lens is smaller than that 🤔
Thank you Sean, good perspective of each lens.
Thanks for watching and commenting, Mario 👍
My kit consists of 3 Canon L series zooms. A 17-40mm, a 24-105mm, and a 70-200mm. I also have an assortment of non-L primes. A 20mm, 40mm, 50mm, and a 85mm. The primes are faster lenses, whereas the zooms are all f/4's. They were all bought in excellent used condition and in total cost less than a single new L series lens. I'd suggest checking out keh and mpb. They both offer 6 month warranties and superb customer service in my experience.
Very sensible buying used lenses if you can get them from a reliable dealer in good condition. I am familiar with MPB 🙂 www.mpb.com/en-us/content/interviews/interview-environmental-photographer-sean-gallagher
The 24-105 F4 is a great all-purpose lens, for photojournalism especially.
@@philcupper Agreed 👍
Thanks for this video! I'm a Nikon shooter and my favorite lenses are the nifty fifty, a vintage 28-90mm zoon lens , a DX 18-55mm kit lens and a DX 55-200mm kit lens, They're ALL useful!
Good setup! Thanks for sharing 📸
While travelling i find my nikon 35mm and a sigma 17-50 are great for most situations and as you say not too conspicuous.
Good set-up! 👍
These are beautiful pictures! I’m using mainly a 35mm wide angle lens myself… a Canon FD lens. 🎉
Thanks, Silvester ✊ 35mm 👍
Great lecture thank you, one more subby, Roland from good old Germany
Awesome, thank you!
Thank you. Like your choices. These days I swapped out my f/2.8 70-200L for a smaller lighter f/4 70-200. Mostly shoot Sony know and their relatively new FE 70-200/4 MACRO G OSS II is very small and flexible and it can take a teleconverter unlike Canon’s RF 70-200mm f/4L. I do also shoot Canon though. Take care.
Thanks for commenting, Steven and sharing with us your set-up 📸
I am a M4/3 shooter and almost always carry my 12-45 (24-90 equivalent) with me for street photos. It is probably the size of your 35mm. I need to work on my confidence with the prime lens in the streets as your images have such a feel to them of being right there. I see the benefits for sure. I also bought a used panasonic 35-100 f4-5.6 lens - it is literally a pocketable 70-200 equivalent. It's a cheap plastic build but the images are pretty decent for being able to put it in a pocket.
Interesting to hear your setup, Lyndsay. If you can, I would definitely recommend going out with a fixed focal length lens, like a 35mm, from time to time. It focuses the eye and mind! 📸
@@SeanGallagherPhotographer I found a used 20mm f1.4 (40mm FF equivalent) and have left it on my camera for the past couple of weeks. It’s been a valuable learning experience to zoom with my feet and recognize how close I need to be.
My most used lense was a 35mm on a canon crop, so it'd be a 56mm. Right now I'm trying to shoehorn using a 28mm fully manual lens (44mm eq) because I want to get used to a wider fov. I mostly only carry one lens at a time each time I'm out.
I also like just going out with one camera and one lens! 👍
I have a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm but I opted for a 28mm and a 40mm instead of a 35mm and a 50mm. I bought the 40mm before the 28mm. I thought I'd was a good compromise between the 35mm and the 50mm. I shoot with the Nikon z system. The 40mm has a smaller profile than the 35mm or 50mm. I've been really impressed with the sharpness and micro contrast with that lens. And it's not an S line lens. I like the focal length of the 28mm for up close and personal.
Interesting to hear your thoughts, Carl. Thanks for sharing 👍
Great video. I use 35mm (23 mm on my Fuji cameras) for street and travel. I use the 24-70 (18-55 on my Fuji xameras) for woodland and nature because I can't predict what I'll find.
Nice combination. Thanks for sharing, Lawrence.
I'm still learning the very fundamentals of photography in order to understand and use the principles of optics to my advantage so that I can combine that knowledge with composition, something you shared in your video on "5 Photography Composition Tips …". Thanks so much for making the video and allowing me insight into what professionals use and what the considerations for their choices of equipment are! Like you, I don't want to feel like a camel when traveling 😅
Glad the video was useful, Detlev. Yes, keep the equipment light and focus on the images! 👍
Another great video. I used a 24-70 / 70-200 and a 50mm as my main kit. However, when I want to travel light I find the 24-120mm F4 to be my lens of choice. :) I've never used a 35mm focal length. It is on my wishlist. :)
Good set-up 👍
28mm on my APS sensor Canon (45mm full frame) and it does seem to do everything as long as I move around. I’ve tried 24mm to get the 35mm effect but find it a tad wide.
Thanks for sharing your set-up 👍
My favourite lens for street photography is a 14mm Panasonic pancake lens fitted to my Olympus E-M5ii. Very small but very capable combination and perfect for street because everyone ignores me. The camera and lens combination is virtually invisible to my subjects.
Yes, discrete lenses are the best. I also have a small pancake lens which I like to use 👍
You make a big issue about size & weight of the zooms. So why use f2.8? Both of those lenses come in f4 versions which are both smaller and lighter.
I’ve just come back from a trip abroad where I took a 20mm f1.8 prime, 24-120mm f/4 zoom and a 70-200mm f/4 zoom. For early mornings & evenings going out from the hotel, specifically to take photographs, I used all three. Going out for the day I only took the 24-120mm (except on a morning spent in caves where the 20mm made sense for both fast aperture and wide field of view). The result? 85% of images on 24-120mm, 10% on 20mm and only 5% on 70-200mm.
I’d describe what I did as “travel” not “street” and certainly not “photojournalism”.
I wonder why you use large aperture lenses if you care about the sizes of the lenses. A 35mm F2 lens would be much smaller and just as good as F1.4 in terms of the image quality. (I've got a Voigtlander Ultron 35mm F1.7. Because it is a MF lens, it doesn't have in-lens AF motor or image stabilisation and hence it is small and light, although I don't think it is suitable for professional photographers.)
I have been having a trouble finding a telephoto zoom lens that produces a good image quality but is small and lightweight (so I'm thinking to move to m4/3 in telephoto). I hope a person like you suggests the manufacturers to make a good 70-200mm F4.
Sounds like you have a good set-up 👍
If cost were not an object, this is what I would buy and use as a professional:
Ulanzi Falcam TreeRoot Tripod
Photojournalism
Canon EOS R5 Mark II
Canon RF 35MM f/1.4 L
Canon RF 24mm-105mm f/2.8 L (has built-in stabilization)
Street
Leica M11-P (assuming good electronics and firmware)
Sumilux-M 50 f/1.4
Sumilux-M 35 f/1.4
Thanks for sharing your kit choice!
I'm using Sigma 1.8 35mm.
Sigma makes some great lenses.
Used to be a Canon user, but I love it when people describe the Canon 35mm as small and discreet. Great lens but it isn’t exactly small or compact. 😂
Fair point. Depends what you are comparing it to though! 🙂
Definitely the 24-105 is the one I use more.
Good choice!
I prefer the 35 and the 24-70 I rarely use a longer lens and the 50mm just doesn't give me the extra space I like.
Me too. I prefer a wider view ✊
I have yongnuo35mm...28 80 Canon...and 80 200 tamron
👍📸
I've tried several different lenses for street photography (24mm, 28mm, 40mm, 50mm) but I feel most comfortable with the 28mm...
Go with what feels most comfortable for you 👍
For me, it's the 50mm F/1:2.
👍
I'm surprised not seeing a pancake lens or a semi compact enthusiast high zoom lens camera.
I do have a pancake lens too...maybe for another video 😆
25/70. 👌
👍
Someone said:
“The best lens for you is one that feels that matches your personality.”
What’s your thought on this statement? 😅
Sounds like how your horoscope supposedly "matches" your personality! Just go with which you enjoy using the most 📸
35mm is best natural field of view. Nothing compares it but any non pancake lens is not inconspicuous when mounted on big body dsrl. They are attention magnets
I agree on 35mm 🙂 Small primes are best for DSLRs if out doing street photography.
I NEVER use zoom lenses ! Just about any prime Lens can be used for street Photography, I have used 14, 21, 24, 35, 55, 60, 65, 85 and 135mm focal length Lenses, most often wide angle Lenses and the shortest tele Lenses 55/60/65mm, the last two year I most often use two full frame Cameras (which I sometimes use in APSC mode), one Camera with a wide angle Lens and an other with a short tele Lens, a great combo.
Sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing 🙂 Nice to have options though.
@@SeanGallagherPhotographer I think a very good combo for unknown places are the Zeiss Loxia Distagon 21mm 2.8 T* and the Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8 T* ZA
I have 28 mm , 300 mm , 24-70 mm
Thanks for sharing your set-up 👍
35mm for me is just useless focal length. never been a fan of wide angle lenses. 50mm and 85mm for me
Everyone has different preferences! 🙂 Thanks for sharing yours.
When you speak of 50mm or 85mm you’re referring to prime where Sean is speaking of 35mm WIDE ANGLE. They are like comparing apples with chestnuts. in addition, why is it necessary to be so rude in your comment?
It use to be 50 mm for me…now it’s either the 28 or the 35
Thanks for sharing 👍
24 1.4, 50 1.2, 135 2.0. That's all.
😆👍
No.
?
This video has been done 200,000 times smh
I guess this is 200,001 ? 😆 Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoy the other videos on my channel.
Then don’t watch. Cheers.
I tried to join via WhatsApp and put in Sean Gallagher under Search, but it says ’No Results’. 😅
You need to scan the QR code at the end of my eBook to connect with me first. I can then add you.
@@SeanGallagherPhotographer How do I get to your eBook? What’s eBook?
@@silvestersze9968 Here's the link ➡ gallagher-photo.com/learn