Fast-working camera for Street Photography

[Obsidian492]

Hi! I'm hoping somebody could give me some advice. I've been getting into Street Photography, and my current camera doesn't really perform as fast as I'd like it to. It's sluggish, and I always seem to miss the great moments as a result. Thanks in advance!

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera?
US$800 possibly up to $900

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
My main focus is street photography, so a camera that's not going to kill me when I'm carrying it all day would be good, but size isn't a huge priority.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
More than 7.

* What optical zoom will you need?
No zoom is fine, but it'd be nice to have a little.

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
6

Do you care for manual controls?
Yeah, they're nice. My main priority is that the camera focuses fast, has a low shutter lag, and can generally get a shot as quickly as possible.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Street Photography. I tend to work a medium distance from people, and my main priority is to not miss moments because of a camera with slow auto focus, shutter lag etc.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
No. A few prints occasionally, but nothing huge.

* Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Not often. Shooting outside tends to be my preference.

* Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
People move pretty fast. I'd say yes.

Miscellaneous

* Are there particular brands you like or hate?
I'm currently using an Olympus 550UZ, and it wasn't at all what I thought it would be when I got it. I'm sort of iffy about Olympus as a brand because I was disappointed with the UZ. Honestly though, I don't mind a lot.

* Are there particular models you already have in mind?
I've heard lovely things about the Canon 20D from a friend, so I was considering getting one second hand. But that's just a passing thought.

NOTE: I don't care if the camera is new, or if I track one down second-hand. I just want a camera I can use on the Street that isn't as sluggish as my current one, and I don't lose moments with.

[AndyfromVA]

The Sony W120 is a small, relatively inexpensive camera, but it's fast focusing with very little shutter lag. It also has good picture quality. Sony makes more expensive cameras in the W series, but they are not all that different from the W120.

[jekostas]

If you're willing to spend the money, I think you'll find it a revelation to move from an ultrazoom to a dSLR in terms of composition, start-up speed and shot-to-shot speed.

The smallest dSLR body on the market right now is the Olympus E-420, and the 25mm "pancake" lens that you can get in the kit would give you about the smallest, most portable dSLR system around. Despite your reservations about the Olympus UZ, their dSLRs tend to be rated consistently very highly.

Otherwise, if you want go for the Canon 20d, go for it - it's an excellent camera, and you should be able to find one with a lens well within your budget (you might even be able to pick up a 30d, I've seen decent kits for sale used under $850), but be warned, they may be a little bit large for desire of staying on the smaller end of the spectrum.

[raven15]

I agree with Jekostas. Your $900 budget and your desire to have fast camera reflexes indicate a DSLR. Which opens up a whole new can of worms, because in your case in particular the right lens seems fairly important, which would mean looking at lenses from a variety of manufacturer's. I don't know what "medium distance" means exactly, can you give a focal length or range of focal lengths?

[lukeap69]

Get XTi and 50 1.8 or 30 1.4

[Obsidian492]

I agree with Jekostas. Your $900 budget and your desire to have fast camera reflexes indicate a DSLR. Which opens up a whole new can of worms, because in your case in particular the right lens seems fairly important, which would mean looking at lenses from a variety of manufacturer's. I don't know what "medium distance" means exactly, can you give a focal length or range of focal lengths?

I was sort of vague when I said 'medium distance'. I'd say around 40 - 70mm roughly. Thanks for your help!

[jekostas]

I was sort of vague when I said 'medium distance'. I'd say around 40 - 70mm roughly. Thanks for your help!

Okay, just about every zoom kit lens for an entry-level or medium-level SLR will do you fine.
Next step would be go down to a good camera store with knowledgeable salespeople and start picking up and using different cameras. You should get a little better understanding of what feels better for you. In terms of IS, Sony, Pentax and Olympus all have Image Stabilization built in to the body of their entry-level cameras, while Canon and Nikon have it in the lenses.

In terms of lenses, I wouldn't suggest getting the Sony cameras with the kit lens (it would be exactly the wrong type to get for the type of photography you're doing), but the lenses that come with the other manufacturers cameras will do you fine, at least until you've decided on exactly what your needs are.

[bascom]

What will you do with street photos of people? If selling or publishing their photo, you need to get releases.

[Obsidian492]

What will you do with street photos of people? If selling or publishing their photo, you need to get releases.

For now it's just a hobby, and I'm certainly not selling them. Also, my understanding of Australian law in regards to street photography is that I don't actually need releases. But yeah - it's not an issue at the moment because I've not taken anything worth selling or publishing.

[KCook]

Nowhere nearly so impressive as a DSLR. But for sneaking guerrilla street shots I would use something like the Olympus Stylus 850 SW. Now you see it - now you don't.

Kelly Cook