Sony Sony NEX 5N does street

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hello kitty by norman j shearer2010, on Flickr

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street pastel by norman j shearer2010, on Flickr

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Untitled by norman j shearer2010, on Flickr

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Untitled by norman j shearer2010, on Flickr

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Untitled by norman j shearer2010, on Flickr

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Untitled by norman j shearer2010, on Flickr

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Untitled by norman j shearer2010, on Flickr

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Untitled by norman j shearer2010, on Flickr

Finally I have found a lens small enough and sharp enough to zone focus and shoot street with the Sony 5N - the Carl Zeiss Biogon 28mm F2.8 contax G mount. I have been considering getting the Sigma 19mm so I have autofocus but from my struggles shooting street with a GF3 and 20mm panasonic I'm not sure autofocus lenses really lend themselves to shooting from the hip. If only the Sony 5N would let you shoot via the touchscreen then autofocus would be more viable. Until then, zone focusing it is..
 
Up to your typical high standards Norman. I used a Nex 5 for a lot of street work for a few months last year and liked it pretty well (the flip up screen was the revelation for me), but I was using it almost exclusively with the 16mm pancake and getting by with AF. I greatly prefer zone focus, though so now I'm mostly using the EM5 with the 12mm, which has that great MF ring that is better than the Ricohs for "snap" focus. If legacy glass is your best way to get there on the Nex, good on you. But I think your work is going to look like your work regardless. These do have a cleaner look than yor GRD work for sure though.

-Ray
 
Gloomy forecast is my absolute favourite, along with the plump lass with the grumpy face. I love your street stuff, Norman. Makes me want to try, too.

Thanks Sue. You should give it a go - once you've had a few successes you'll quickly find this genre very addictive.

Up to your typical high standards Norman. I used a Nex 5 for a lot of street work for a few months last year and liked it pretty well (the flip up screen was the revelation for me), but I was using it almost exclusively with the 16mm pancake and getting by with AF. I greatly prefer zone focus, though so now I'm mostly using the EM5 with the 12mm, which has that great MF ring that is better than the Ricohs for "snap" focus. If legacy glass is your best way to get there on the Nex, good on you. But I think your work is going to look like your work regardless. These do have a cleaner look than yor GRD work for sure though.

-Ray

I like the flip screen too Ray - so much so I don't think I'll ever get a VF for this camera. I still find I'm too obvious shooting street in that way though. I'm fine with public events where people expect cameras but for normal everyday street, people round here view cameras with suspicion. That EM5 with the 12mm sounds like the perfect street camera. I'll be monitoring prices of that camera soon though I expect it could be some time before there is a significant drop in price.

Yes, they are cleaner than the GRD and there is quite a bit more scope for cropping with the Sony sensor. There will always be a place for the GRD though..
 
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