How and why I shoot STREET PHOTOGRAPHY with a 50mm lens

[@MatthewSeratti]

When I watch your videos, I feel like I am learning from a photographer rather than a KZbinr or an Instagrammer. That is very appreciated. Well done.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you. 🙏

[@harrymacdonald]

Well said.

[@edredBryan]

I echo this sentiment and just subscribed for that very reason. I’m actually learning vs someone just trying to gain a like, etc. Great tip at the end about manual focus. I have a vintage 50mm adapted to my 11-yr old Sony…it’s my favorite lens, but my primary concern was obtaining focus in time to not miss the shot. Peace.

[@paulgero]

Great tip about quick focusing using the hard stop of infinity...

[@WalkLikeAlice]

I learned that one from back in the days of trying to manually focus a bride walking down the aisle with a 50mm.

[@benbunch4159]

@@WalkLikeAlice yeah I saw that in a video from Kai W and it makes a lot of sense with a rangefinder especially.

[@Joanne_Mahlmeister]

That infinity focus tip is absolute gold. Thank you for sharing it, and as always, another wonderful video.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you. Glad it was useful. 🙏🙏

[@markhillyer6619]

Looking at a scene vs being part of a scene - I've never thought about it like that. I like it.

[@JeffreyHauser]

Nice tip on starting manual focus with lens set at infinity to quickly find focus. I recently purchased the Fuji 33mm f1.4 lens & it has become one of my favourites. Tack sharp, with nice contrast & it is quick to find focus.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Glad you found it useful

[@simon359]

I too love that Fuji 33 1.4, but I mostly use auto focus! The lens is fast enough, and I don’t need to worry about depth the field so much.

[@bernardlesperance742]

I love my manual focus Nikon 50mm f/1.2. Renders absolutely beautifully. Have taken many of my best (most beautiful) street images with it.

[@jimtrotter4800]

First time I’ve heard this hard stop focusing tip from infinity down. Outstanding insight.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you 🙏

[@cityslacker6221]

in the 90s, I worked for one of the biggest news magazines. two of our primary photographers never walked anywhere without at least one camera on them. they always kept 50mm lenses on those casual rigs that they just slung over their shoulder or around their neck.

[@stuartmills.size11photography]

Great tip on the manual focusing. I use a couple of vintage lenses a fair bit so will give this a try 👍

[@malcolmtaylor518]

You've made a good case for using a 50mm in street work. Food for thought.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

It’s not the easiest.

[@fergusfitzgerald977]

I totally agree with everything you have said - 50mm is a beautiful lens !!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you

[@martingreenberg870]

Thank you for this video. The choice of your lens is very personal. I see many KZbinrs using 28 and even 24mm. Too wide for me. Sometimes I use a two body and lens setup so the 2nd Les is 85mm. I go back & forth between 35 & 50mm. The difference between the two is a step or two. Foot focus. I usually frame my image with the EVF. When the scene is moving quickly I just point, shoot, and hope. The 35mm field of view is more forgiving. As you point out, the 50mm is about what I see so I have to be more precise. I don’t spray & pray but do take several shots when not using the EVF. I’m a digital shooter so there is no penalty for taking multiple images. I bet HCB would have appreciated having this option in his bag of tools. Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks? Normally I intend to produce tact sharp images. Recently I’ve been experimenting with intensional camera movement a la Ernst Haas. Last year I’d have said you blew the image at 4:53. Now I kind of like it. I know this has never happened to you. Occasionally I’ll make a mistake choosing a shutter speed such as when quickly taking the camera out of the bag (why was the camera in the bag?) to take the shot. Sometimes my setting get tossled when in the bag. I say a bad word or two but when I see the image I like it. I then tell my friends I intended to introduce the motion blur. So there I am. Sometimes I play at being HCB and other times EH. I can get medicine for this kind of thinking. Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

[@WalkLikeAlice]

We’ve all made the mistake of getting a camera out of the bag and hearing that slow shutter speed 😂

[@brianhinesley]

when i was shooting film with my pentaxk1000 i would constantly use sunny16 and set my manual lens to "zone focus" about 2-3 feet from my subject and it generally didn't let me down, of course i would minor tweak my focus

[@TheGoddon]

The mother and daughter cigarette photo is hilarious. Glad that’s been captured.

[@bentravis99]

I have only recently found your channel but love your videos, very inspirational thank you!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you. That’s very kind of you 🙏

[@bernym4047]

Worth watching for the speeding up manual focusing tip alone. Subscribed. Thank you.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks for watching.

[@husshardan3511]

The 'beware of zombies' pic? Outstanding!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you

[@numbersix8919]

Groovy riff on the 50mm world man. I'll be watching this video again. Thanks for reminding me that with a 50, my eye is the viewfinder. Also thanks for explaining why some of my lower-resolution sensors look sharper than the more pixel-packed ones. 12 and 16 MP can be stunning, and I've been wondering about this for quite a while.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

You are very welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@NeilSlater]

Found you via the podcast you did with Paul R. You already gave me a cool tip here about manual focussing. I just started picking up my old manual film kit again and so it's a really handy tip for me! I love what I've seen so far. Cheers, N

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you. Glad you found it useful.

[@Connor-kv5cm]

Great advice mate and beautiful photos. Subscribed!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you

[@WS-bk7uu]

Great tips. I've always favoured 50mm but started using the Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 on my Sony and find that focal length very versatile. This is my first manual focus lens, and although there are limitations it's really not that difficult and makes me a bit more deliberate.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

🙏🙏

[@Narsuitus]

Over the decades, I have used Nikon, Pentax, Fuji, and Miranda 50mm lenses on 35mm film SLR cameras. My personal favorite was the 8-element 50mm f/1.4 Takumar for the Pentax Spotmatic SLR. The 50mm focal length on a full-frame body was my favorite for shooting live theatre.

[@brianhinesley]

50mm has always been my go to, it allows me to get close enough to my subjects without having to walk into them like a 35 or wider and it allows me to get more of my subject without cropping off their body or standing a mile away "kidding" with a tele photo, i always hear street photographers bashing 50 but for me, unless i'm amongst crowds of people "which is not that common in chicago" then it's not really necessary for me to go wide. I have a 7artisan 12 t 2.9 lens(crop with fuji xt4) for such occasions but i will always love 50! (35f2 crop 1.4x)

[@kirksealls1912]

I’m the same way. I find getting interesting compositions with a 50 relatively easy, for exactly the reason described in the video: what your eye sees is what you get. You don’t have to reposition yourself to regain the composition you first imagined. I also just don’t enjoy getting right into the personal space of strangers with a camera and snapping a picture, which I feel like I have to do a lot with a wide angle lens to prevent extraneous details in the frame, thus ruining the composition and minimizing the subject. As it is, I keep 50s on all my cameras except my F3, which sports a 35. I use my F3 exclusively for closer shots of friends and family, where I’ve got enough trust built up that I don’t have any reservation about getting close (and where the fact that it’s shutter noise is about ten times that of my M6 TTL is not a problem, for the same reason)

[@billhancock2517]

Thanks for the tip on focusing starting at infinity, 99% of the time I shoot street at 28mm and zone focus but on other occasions shooting with the 50mm I have often pushed the focus tab the wrong way. Great content as always. 👍

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you

[@yonmusak]

I've gone from 28mm and 35mm and recently spent a bit of time with a 50. The initial experience was one of using a telephoto lens. Took a while to change my way of seeing things and framing.

[@diforbes]

Good video. I liked the infinity focus suggestion.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you

[@billgreen1140]

Excellent advise. Useful and helpful.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you for watching 🙏

[@xdmtrv]

Nice, comprehensive and nuanced summary on the 50mm focal length for street photography. I'd have said exactly all that in my same video on the 50 mm lens, if I made one. Also, I was a fan of 28 mm for a long time, thinking the 50 was too boring. But Cartier-Bresson's philosophy behind sticking to mostly 50 mm during all his career, and also his talented shots captured with this lens, made me rethink my views on this focal length. There is something great in the simplicity it provides, taking away all the 'special effects' of any optical distortion of wider lenses, only leaving you with your vision, talent and ability to capture interesting subjects as the only means to make a great photograph.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you. Yes the simplicity of the lens is one of its greatest strengths.

[@koobs4549]

OMG! Why did it take me this long to learn how to focus that way? It. Just. Makes. Sense. I was just telling my wife how I noticed today that the good majority of photos I’ve taken with a zoom lens, tend to land directly at 50mm. I’ve shot 50mm prime for so long that I must naturally gravitate to that focal length when I’m shooting with a zoom.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Glad you found it useful.

[@Stringbob]

Good tip on focusing, I use that technique myself.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

👍

[@Narsuitus]

A 50mm lens came with the first 35mm camera I purchased. I used it for about one year before I discovered that it was too “telephoto” for my taste. I replaced it with a 35mm f/2 and the 35mm became my favorite focal length for street photography, general subjects, and one-lens/one-camera situations. When I purchased my Leica M6 rangefinder, the 35mm f/1.4 was the first lens I purchased.

[@hurleygreen927]

Glad I discovered your video! I'm a long time nifty fifty lens shooter on a full-frame Nikon, and I love the NATURAL perspective although I also have a 24-70mm zoom lens: The 50mm lens ROCKS! :)

[@ccoppola82]

Collapsible Summicron is my BW lens of choice. The “Bresson” if you will. It really does have a unique blend of contrast and resolution.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Great lens

[@PadraigCroke-x2p]

everything I was looking for on this subject! Thanks mate.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks for watching 🙏🙏

[@FLMUSACanada]

I don't shoot 50mm that often, yet I've accumulated three of them: two Voigtlanders and a Helios 58/2. Stopped down a bit, the Helios is as sharp as the Voigtlander APO 50/2. But it's a lens that really shines when shot wide open.

[@bujins123]

Great idea with the manuel focus,just bought the konica hexagon 40mm sure this will help me focus quick always great videos coming from you thanks

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you

[@givara13]

your words are like poetry to me..thank you

[@WalkLikeAlice]

😊

[@mikedevlin2048]

Focusing any manual focus lens with a focus tab… learn and internalise the positions of the tab in the distances you use most often… 5, 3, and 2m for example. It takes time and patience but is extremely effective 👌🏻

[@WalkLikeAlice]

That’s ok if the lens has a focus tab. None of our 50s have them. Leica don’t tend to put them on longer larger lenses as it’s easy to use the focus ring. On the smaller lenses it becomes harder hence the focus tab.

[@kevincull1091]

Another great video Jeff!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks Kev

[@homecareful]

I liked this one a lot...went back for seconds. But, you already know this.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you

[@t.rich.pictures2197]

I've begun stepping outside of my comfort zone and using the 50mm on the street, and although it's still uncomfortable, I'm really liking the results!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

I found shooting on the street with it quite a challenge. Still do!!

[@Inkgnition]

Very well and insightful explained. Thank you!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

🙏

[@truthsayers8725]

for all of my PJ work in college and the local newspaper and then in the Air Force one body always had a 35mm f2. another most often had an 85 f1.8. i just picked up a vintage Canon Model P and a 50mm f1.4 and ive done a little playing with it. i LOVE it. its hard to 'go to infinity' because if i go past it, theres a locking detent (i presume for 'locking' the lens during mounting and dismounting. i dont know for sure. it uses the L39 screw mount) im hoping for some nice weather this weekend and week coming up. i want to go out and shoot another roll with it.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

I’m not familiar with the lens. So I don’t know why there’s a lock on it. But I’m glad you like it.

[@johnsmith1474]

First look at this channel. That was a really good presentation & advocacy for any "normal" focal length lens in any format. The detail on the handling and focusing the 50 was insightful, great advice for learners. Great advocacy of the Normal! Note that a fatter 50mm lens' longer focusing scale can be a plus, because it's easier to make a finer focus adjustment with more ring travel. Check out a Canon TS normal for the street, you can leave some rise locked in as you wander about, if you are into urban landscape.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks for the comments. For me, the payoff with a larger lens is speed of focus and if you are shooting at f8, any additional accuracy is negated by depth of field. I had a Canon TS-E 45mm for a while.

[@aarondougherty2574]

Wonderful video - thank you!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks for watching

[@devroombagchus7460]

Thanks. A very good video. 50mm is often too limiting for my type of street photography. I prefer 35. It’s what you look for as a good image. Then you decide which lens suits you best. The lens should come second.

[@rafabalaguergarcia690]

I'd be so glad if you made a video about your way of thinking when using a 50mm. Or maybe to analyze some of your 50mm photos. I love your work btw.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you. There are some 50mm videos in our Image of the week playlist. That might be worth a watch.

[@harrydeyong441]

I just found this channel, and subscribed before the video was finished. Good, useful information.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you so much 🙏🙏

[@sjuhav]

Nice tip with the infinity focus click preset

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Glad you found it useful

[@sevsuk2011]

Great vid. I love using my 50mm at f2.0 on my M10, love the ethereal feel the shallow depth of field creates. But focusing is a nightmare. That turn to infinity trick is genius Jeff. Will definitely use that next time I'm out.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you. It takes a little getting used to but it’s worth it in the end.

[@filterfreephotography]

The infiinty trick is great. I usually set to a focus range and go from there. I think I will try this and see how it goes. Thanks!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Cheers. Hope it works for you.

[@blakeleica]

Great video. 50mm is my Main Street lens as well. I have learned a certain distance and became out to shoot a summilux wide open with probably 80% success. I have also grow to now care as much about tack sharp images.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

That takes some skill. I can do it with a 35.

[@blakeleica]

@@WalkLikeAlice If I could do it with a .95 I would be very happy haha. Don't have one though so haven't tried. Everyone really appreciates the quality of your channel. Real Photographer Talk.

[@blakeleica]

@@WalkLikeAlice I really love the 50 APO with the M11M for street. A little easier wide open.

[@paultaylorphotography9499]

28mm (Q2) is my preference I like to get close. I have just picked up a canon L3 body only so looked up some lenses I found a canon 50 1.8 cheap, so yup got that lovely lens, then an Elmar 5cm came up, with an M adapter apparently jammed onto it, so the selling price was cheap I couldn't resist as it looks awesome, a couple of rubber bands and a nip with long nose pliers got the adapter off, looking forward to shooting this new to me kit. I like the infinity stop tip cheers

[@WalkLikeAlice]

🙏

[@catherinejoanpiazza420]

Great tips Jeff. I've always loved the 50mm and use it most often.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you 🙏

[@Gravitys-NOT-a-force]

Great advice! Thank you. I did not know that there is a "hard stop" at infinity on my Leica lenses.

[@xmanreturn]

Amazing stuff!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you

[@aobane841]

I shoot everything with a 50. Fashion, portrait, landscape, street.

[@DJ-yh8hm]

Me too but mostly because I've spent so much money on it so I can't afford any other lenses lol

[@NightSkyTower]

Watching from Tokyo..a beautiful morning... thank you

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you too 🙏

[@NeilCampbellRCM]

Lot's of great tips again. Thanks.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks for watching 🙏

[@garymc8956]

Focusing off the hard stop and reducing resolution settings on my M11 and Summicron without focus tab are great tips. And most importantly practice. It’s not a Q.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

👍🙏

[@peterhirzel]

Best 50mm reflection thoughts I have seen so far, thx!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks for watching.

[@gobgobcachoo]

After 15 years shooting only with a 35mm summicron. I've added a 50mm to my kit. And it's been a fun process.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

I was the other way round!!

[@DannerPlace]

The version 3 50mm Summicron-M has both the short focus throw of the version 5 you are using, but has a focusing tab, which makes 'learning' the focus distance considerably easier. Worth finding one for yourself, IMHO.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks, but I’m good. Quite happy with the lens I’ve already got. We’ve been on this earth together for 25 years. I know it inside out. 🙏

[@SebastianOakley]

Another brilliant video, I often use a 50mm for everything I shoot as I think it's so versatile, and only use my 21mm when I want to get close on the streets or my 135 for very certain shots. Will certainly try the from infinite to focus, not sure why I've never thought of that myself to be honest! I'm currently using the f/1.4 from TTA and I think it's great, but I do love the look of the Summarit-M f/2.4! - seen a few on eBay I like the look of, yes it not 1.4, but I shoot mainly at 5.6-8 anyway and they are so compact!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks Sebastian. Yeah that Summarit size is very appealing.

[@rafdominguez7627]

brilliant!!

[@izzyleicanut9190]

Thanks for the tip. I love my 50 summicron. I find my 50 noctilux heavy and unwieldy. Spends most of its time in the dry box. Haha. Thanks again

[@crispin8888]

Ditto. It produces amazing results, but is really better suited to short walks ...

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Yeah. It also blocks the viewfinder too much for street. You need a few seconds to check the framing all the time.

[@mikefoster6018]

I'm finding my 33mm Fuji lens (50mm equivalent) SO much more challenging than my old 16-55mm (24-84mm), while walking around London trying to take characterful vignettes of people living their lives. Like you say, it doesn't really do anything to the photos, and it can be hard to cut through the crowds when I have a fixed and slightly zoomy/tunnelvision focal length. I'm determined to crack it, though, as I want to maximise the role of my subjects and composition (not lens distortion, bokeh etc) in making my photos good. So I feel like I'm genuinely capturing life as it is.

[@donjagoe]

Great video!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you

[@berndbanken3256]

Since decades 28mm is my preferred lens. Having enough „flesh“ around my subject i found another very fast and practical reason: You see a good situation in front of you and you have to adjust the proper framing - just step a bit forward into the scene - it‘s much easier and not so dangerous than to jump backwards. No eyes in the back of your head… I used 50 mm when the light was dim as in bars or arcades where the corners of frame became too dark with the slower wide angle lenses and not so important.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

I don’t think I’ve ever jumped backwards on the street!!

[@delicatospagozo3781]

Not the first video of yours that I've watched, but this one made me subscribe. These pictures are absolutely in-cre-di-ble, Jeff. I'm currently looking into getting a 28mm for my M Typ240, but maybe I should stick with my 50mm. I bought my camera 6 years ago and felt I absolutely sucked at using a rangefinder so it's been collecting dust for the past 5 years. I recently decided to give it another go. 75% of the pictures I take are street photography. As I often venture out at dusk I tend to shoot with the lens wide open, often resulting in pictures that aren't the sharpest. I'll try to stop it down a tad and see where that takes me. Thanks for the tips!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you 🙏 Just keep at it. Rangefinder focusing takes some getting used to and a lot of practice. It’s worth it in the end.

[@delicatospagozo3781]

@@WalkLikeAlice Thanks for the encouraging words, Jeff!

[@PhilippHofmann28]

Beautiful account, love thinking out of the box. ❤

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you 🙏

[@carlmcneill1139]

I have a 50mm lens for my Canon T6s but that camera is a crop sensor. I don't have one for either of my Nikon cameras. I just bought a used Canon AE-1 at a flea market with the 50mm lens with it. The glass looks in great shape. I plan to use black and white film in that camera. That will be a challenge for street photography. I'll have to be more deliberate with my shots and make every one count.

[@harrymacdonald]

Literally percect help, thabks for your effort! 😊

[@WalkLikeAlice]

🙏🙏 Thanks for watching

[@hubertcole1645]

My nifty 50 on Fuji is 35f2. It takes me back to film days when the 50 was the most affordable on my Konica and Nikon cameras. 😅Your beloved cameras have always been out of reach for me but I do not feel I missed out.😎

[@WalkLikeAlice]

👍

[@bngr_bngr]

I use my Noctilux on a Canon R6II. I think the act of focusing is better than with a Leica body. I also have a focus tab ring on the lens that helps increase the rotation speed of the lens while focusing.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

You won’t block the viewfinder either!!

[@bngr_bngr]

@@WalkLikeAlice I always used a lens hood but it barely blocked the 50mm frame lines. The 35mm Summilux is almost as bad. Plus the weight balance with the Canon is much better.

[@ThePensionerAdventurer]

Hello Jeff, Super interesting video, thank you... I will explore the 50mm option myself. I am not sure I can express this correctly but I like the idea of more of the process being with me to try and compose/frame the photo... being a bit of a dinosaur I like to do the minimum of editing as I feel it changes a photograph to an image. I should say however if someone wants to take photo's or create images, I am fine with both, the most important thing is a pleasurable thing to look at. Many thanks for the video. Take care. Paul,,

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks Paul. Take care.

[@throughmyeyes9940]

good info, crystal clear, no BS, thanks

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks for watching

[@sharad1499]

Great Video - thanks for sharing your insights

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you for watching 🙏

[@ianforber]

I have the Summicron V too but haven’t been using it in a while in favour of a 35mm CV Nokton f1.5. I must get back out with it. Do you find it tricky to use cameras with and without lens tabs? I usually focus from the hard infinity stop but use the tab to know roughly where I am. Obviously Summicron doesn’t have a tab.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Not really. I’ve had the lenses for such a long time, it all seems second nature.

[@dakotaxu4792]

I have the 50mm 0.95 Noctilux on the 45mp Nikon Z9 and I’m completely new to street photography. I love this lens so much but it has been the most difficult lens I have ever used. I normally use 85mm for most of my photography (portrait work most of the time) and I have used an autofocus 50mm f1.2 in the past, but not for street photography. So the manual focus Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux has been very challenging to say the least. On my first day using it last week, of the 165 shots I took, only 5 were in focus. And those were lucky shots. The next day I took about 120 shots of which only 3 were in focus. Mind you, none of the photos were interesting in any way as I was just trying to get anything at all in focus if possible. It was then that I realized that trying to take photos of moving subjects at f1.2 or even f2.0 was impossible. I’ve watched quite a few videos of some very talented people who somehow are able to excel at this type of photography. So it’s a big learning process for me. On the third day walking around the city for over 4 hours with the lens set to f8 I was not able to take a single photo as I couldn’t find anything interesting no matter where I looked. Sometimes I just wonder if it is by chance that something out of the ordinary has to happen for an interesting photo to be taken. Walking around with a Noctilux on a Z9 means nothing if you can’t use it 😂😂😂 On the fourth day I was walking to a friend’s house and along the way I saw a motorcycle chained to a metal inside the fence of a property. It was the back of a small house that looked very old and the odd part was that the rear of the house faced the street. But the way that the motorcycle was positioned it looked as it was a dead end in front of the motorcycle. It would have been the coolest looking photo ever. But I didn’t have my camera with me! The next day I went looking for the street where the house was but couldn’t find it.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

50mm isn’t easy on the street. Especially a manual focus lens. It takes years of practice to become proficient with it. Just get out there and practice even if you don’t get anything meaningful, those hours will stack up and increase your understanding of the lens.

[@dakotaxu4792]

@@WalkLikeAlice with the manual focus 50mm Noctilux that I have do you recommend auto ISO, and what metering mode do you think is best? I like to shoot photos of people and currently I’m using the Matrix metering. Maybe I should switch to the Center Weighted or Spot Metering? I only use the camera outdoors during the day

[@WalkLikeAlice]

@@dakotaxu4792 With the Z9, you could happily leave it on auto ISO and matrix metering. Spot metering is the worst thing you can do.

[@mortenthesbl5535]

I'm so excited to see how the film photography is going - maybe I missed something?! anyway love your videos they are always great!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you. Check out the community post I made on film photography.

[@mortenthesbl5535]

@@WalkLikeAlice oh I see. Its too bad - hope you get to taking som rolls at some point though.

[@hoagyguitarmichael]

Great advice. I had the honor of meeting Ralph Gibson when I first started shooting seriously and he recommended I use exclusively a 50 mm for 2 years, which I pretty much did. On another note, I see guitars in the background (nice ones). As a guitarist myself (as is Gibson-that's how we met), I am amazed at how may photography KZbinrs have guitars in the background. Notable player/photographers include, Gibson, Andy Summers, and Alan Schaller. What do you think is the connection, if any?

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Coincidence. I think that we are attracted to things that are interesting to us so we notice them more. If someone put 1960s decorative glass in the background, Sarah would notice but I wouldn’t. My guitars are in my office so they are out of the way of the dog!! Otherwise they would be all over the house. Don’t forget Colin Greenwood, Bryan Adams, Jack White too.

[@hoagyguitarmichael]

@@WalkLikeAlice Good point. Love the vids

[@Tom_YouTube_stole_my_handle]

@@WalkLikeAlice Agreed. I like cycling and notice whenever a photographer has a bike in the background, which is more often than you might think.

[@donjagoe]

That was outstanding-and useful. Thx

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you for watching. Much appreciated.

[@DennisFreeland]

Thanks for the hard stop idea when using a 50mm. I find that I am checking too often that it is set to where I think it is and s/he who hestitates is lost so to speak. With the 35 and 28 I can usually set it and forget it.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Yeah the wides are easier. Thats for sure.

[@Lowdown13blues]

Excellent content ! Thank you

[@WalkLikeAlice]

🙏🙏🙏

[@williambolton5679]

I have sixty lenses and counting, mostly vintage primes, and most of those are 40, 50 and 55mm, i.e. "normal focal length". I just won an auction on eBay for an Auto Sears/Sekor SX 55mm f1.8 that some say was made by Tomioka. Maybe, maybe not, but it's an amazing lens. It produces wonderful colors and blur. It's supremely sharp and has the highly desirable characteristic of rendering volume, dimension, called 3D pop. The lens was poorly photographed by the seller, but it looked rough. When I got it, it looked worse, but it cleaned up really nicely. I also had to spend a few hours filing down the aperture ring (SX) so that it would mount flush with the camera. It was well worth it. Now, for $16.50 ($8.50 for the lens and $8 for shipping) I have a lens that would stand up to any.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

We would call that an addiction!! Great news on the lens. What are you mounting the lenses on?

[@williambolton5679]

@@WalkLikeAlice The vintage lenses are inexpensive. Most in very good condition probably cost me about $50 each and I've been collecting them since the seventies. Only a couple have cost me real money, an S-M-C Takumar 20mm f4.5 that I paid $230 for and a Minolta G 17-35mm f3.5 that I paid $400 for. Changing the lens on my camera keeps the photographic experience fresh. I'm always learning. I'm always challenged. The cameras I use are a Sony a7II and a Sony a850 DSLR, both of which I had to replace two years ago when they were stolen together with my most expensive Zeiss lenses which were not replaced, a 24mm f2 Distagon and a 16-80mm zoom. I really enjoy your content and your photographs are excellent. As others have mentioned, yours is a blog by a photographer for photographers. Thanks for your comment. As it happens I was just out with my new lens and took this photo that I think shows the lens' quality: [url=flic.kr/p/2pKdoYR][img]live.staticflickr.com/65535/53653926185_392a959b6b_b.jpg[/img][/url][url=flic.kr/p/2pKdoYR]The Troubadour[/url] by [url=www.flickr.com/photos/101244128@N07/]William Bolton[/url], on Flickr

[@awpqq]

I've always avoided watching this channel because of the name! Where did that come from? Now that I've watched and found the video interesting I have liked and subscribed! I'm a 'part of the scene' shooter' - now with a Leica Q3 which I love!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

The channel name is from a quote by the late, great, Tony Ray-Jones. 🙂

[@awpqq]

@@WalkLikeAlice ah - sorry to say I'd never heard of him! Every day a school day etc .. .. ..

[@awpqq]

"through a looking glass" -all makes sense now - very clever

[@jameshoward9700]

Mate, that was so helpful. I love the perspective of the 50mm (my view), but it's less forgiving of my framing/compositional blunders than a '35 n crop..!'

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you. Yes, you don’t get the same flexibility with the 50.

[@josebrivera1716]

Thanks for the video. I guess we come at street photography from the opposite end of things. You camera and style is a lot of work. I prefer continuous auto focus and a zoom lens. Though I will try my 50mm Sony Lens to try out your concepts. Thanks.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks for watching.

[@perishellas7228]

Your video is really informative. One thing that the 50mm became standard and famous when the first Leica prototype was attached with 42.5mm but wasn't sharp enough. So that's why they changed it to 50. In the early time the famous photographers haven't choosen the 50mm because of any magical frame. But because there weren't any other alternatives. Again I love the 50mm but I think sth between 40 to 45 would be better.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Something halfway between 35 & 50. It would sell. But when camera companies can sell you both lenses, I think something in between wouldn’t make a lot of sense for them.

[@dingbat19]

Nice video. The put your lens to the infinity hard stop is nice advice for those shooting fully manual focus lenses but most AF lenses will have a focus ring that turns infinitely even when the lens is set to MF of course. I personally have got back into 50mm shooting with the all manual Zeiss Loxia 50mm f2 on my Sony a9 and a7iii and enjoy it for portraits and street although my preference is probably for either 35mm or else 85mm I think overall. with 50mm as you say, there is no real room for artistic use of distortion so the content rules and you have to be disciplined about framing to get really good shots.

[@paulsehstedt6275]

Have you ever had a Summarit 50? If so, can you tell about it? I've the 90/2.5, which I bought second hand. Stunning results. Keep on rolling.

[@WalkLikeAlice]

I haven’t but I would be interested in one if I was buying again. The size alone would be appealing.

[@ivardahl-larsen]

I quite agree with everything being said here, being a photographer since 1969. But a small camera, a small unobtrusive zoom lens, with autofocus is also able to make you work quickly and get very good results. It is all up to the photographer and how the equipment is handled. 🤔 I know, I probably did it, right😂

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Absolutely correct!!

[@petera1033]

As usual - so spot on with everything you share. btw I noticed that you referenced using SilverFX for one of your shots. I have bought and enjoy using your monochrome presets. I think if you did a video on how you use SFX it would be worthwhile and interesting. atbPete

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Not sure where you think I mentioned SFX. I haven’t used that for years!! Everything is processed with my SilverChrome pack. 🙂

[@petera1033]

my mistake !@@WalkLikeAlice

[@marc6652]

For me, 50mm lens was the lens of maturity. 40 years ago, I was the happiest man in the world with my Minolta X500 and its 35-70 zoom lens. But after a long way with different brands and lenses, I currently shoot 95% of the time with a Lux 50 and a M10 monochrome or a M262. Nothing else. But it's only my pleasure and I understand that it can't suit everybody.

[@Nadtochy]

Thank you for the video!

[@WalkLikeAlice]

🙏🙏

[@ulfjonsson2122]

Another great video

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you 🙏

[@krolldavid]

Wow. Thank you for sharing

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you for watching

[@thierry1491]

Great video. Thank you 😊

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thanks for watching

[@adliberate]

Great photos fella

[@WalkLikeAlice]

Thank you!!