Street Photography - My camera settings on LEICA Q2

#streetphotography #leicaq2
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As I get many questions regarding my street photography settings and as I am stuck at home in quarantine for the moment I decided to finally to this video. Let me know if it's helpful or if you have any other questons? I am not sure I have covered all your questions but will gladly answer them in the comment sections.
Where do I get my music from ? soundstripe.com?fpr=octavian - :) Sound Stripe (use the coupon code "STREET10" for 10% off a yearly or monthly subscription!) *
*The track here is from KZbin Audio Library.

[@alexandruflorea8772]

Simple and on point, as it should be. Well done. Glad you are well and good luck with the test.

[@OctavianCarare]

Thanks a lot Alexandru ! Multa santate si tie ! :)

[@kangkenty6442]

love the metering and recompose of your photos. Thanks for so much helpful infomation

[@OctavianCarare]

Glad it was helpful Kang and thanks for watching the video !

[@johncolquhoun6416]

Always good to see how other people work. Hope you are doing ok👌 and keep the great content coming.

[@OctavianCarare]

Thank you John ! I am doing great, just need to get out of the house and take some pictures :)

[@RobinH8869]

Nice one, Thanks for this - definitely appreciate the chest mounted go pro - it allows up to see the process. Hope you're keeping safe. Spring is coming and soon we will all be able to get out and take pictures

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi Robin ! Thanks, I am doing great :) Can't wait to go out and shoot again and to see the sun from time to time :)

[@hishamkhonji]

Thank you for this video, very helpful :)

[@OctavianCarare]

Glad to hear that Hisham 😊🌟

[@technoalah]

Awesome, also coffee looks good✌🏻

[@OctavianCarare]

Best coffee so far ! :) thanks mate !

[@thephotolifestyleblog]

Great video again buddy ☺️👏👏👏

[@OctavianCarare]

Thank you so much 😀

[@marvinlee5926]

Hi Octavian... Very informative video on Leica Q2 and enjoyed watching it... I have a question for you... I just bought a Leica Q2 and It seems like I'm having an issue using it.. basically my setting are iso on auto with and minimum of 200 and not above 3200. The shutter speed and aperture are manual. I've set the back dial to exposure compensation... The problem is if i dialed the back dial for under exposed or over exposed i can't really see the live view for exposure composition on the back screen and l'm only able to see the outcome of the composition if i press half shutter button. It's quite annoying because each time i wanna check the right composition i have to press half shutter button. Is there anyway we can see the live view exposure composition without pressing the half shutter button. Thanks in advance

[@joshgunsuleymanov4794]

Thank you so much.Great Video.. ♥️

[@OctavianCarare]

Thank you for watching ! :)

[@maxenceverbrugghe3879]

Hi octavian ! Thx for this vidéo of u'r settings, your pictures is very nice ! I don't know the concept of " focusing and re-compose " but i think it's a good idea. Wait a video of your lightroom settings , i think it's a good subject 😄

[@OctavianCarare]

Thanks a lot Maxence ! Well basically for focus and recompose: you focus by pressing the shutter button halfway, then you move your camera by keeping your subject in the frame and the shutter button pressed. Once your framing is done, you fully press the shutter speed :). New video coming in couple of hours, hope you will like it :)

[@maxenceverbrugghe3879]

Thx for your reply , i have my q2 next week , im going to test this focus technique 😁

[@OctavianCarare]

Glad to hear that! Welcome aboard 😁. Use whatever works better for you, i just got used to this from my DSLRs

[@jumbodog5955]

Just got Q2, thank you for sharing the way you use it … very helpful … regarding focus recompose - when shooting wide open / close ups / portraits - do you still focus and recompose ? Or how do you go about it then ?

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi mate ! Thanks for watching the video. If I am shooting portraits wide open it's either focus and recompose or just using the joystick to change the focus point. I don't use face detection (as it tends to focus on the nose and not eyes, especially if you should wide open). I have been using focus and recompose for 10 years now :D

[@soongjie]

Thanks for sharing! Just wanna find out what you think of zone focusing in street photography?

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi Soon and thanks for watching ! Zone focusing is a techinque that takes some practice and experience and works wonderful if you are the 'fishing' guy type of street photography. You really need to see what works out best for you but photographing daily and a lot will define your style and your approach :)

[@marco_aest9934]

Hey, great video! For some reason I can only set the maximum shutter speed in the ISO settings but not the minimum. Where did you find that? Thanks 😊

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi there Marco ! Thanks a lot. If you go into Auto Iso Settings you can choose the shutter speed (minimum) or simply use the dail on the top of the camera if you want :) . Hope it helps !

[@dafnasonnenthal7370]

Hello! I just got my Leica Q2 a couple of days ago and I'm trying to learn the ins and outs of the camera. I have a photo shoot at the beach coming up which will be around the 'golden hour'. Do you recommend that I use autofocus for this shoot? I will be photographing a couple. Thank you so much!

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi Dafna ! Nice ! Enjoy your Q2, I am sure you will love it. Sure, you can use the autofocus, it's pretty precise and fast. However, if you shoot against the sun it's a good idea to use the manual focus, otherwise the autofocus will struggle a bit. The manual focus is great as you get the magnification and the focus peaking. Let me know how it goes :) Enjoy the Q2 :)

[@imAnsar]

Nice intro. Hopefully the weather gets better as you complete your quarantine

[@OctavianCarare]

Thanks ! I hope so too ! How are you enjoying your Q2 so far ?

[@imAnsar]

@@OctavianCarare just a couple of shoots so far. need to get out more and shoot, coming from the fuji camera - i feel the AF is a big struggle - but i can live with it as the IQ at the end of the day is just top notch. the BNW HC straight out of the camera is so cool. i feel it kind of slows me down in a good way. rest , i hope to learn more as i shoot

[@OctavianCarare]

@@imAnsar I find the AF pretty accurate and reliable to be honest. I don't have a solid experience with the fuji cameras. You find that the fujis are faster and more accurate ? Thanks for sharing your thoughts !

[@imAnsar]

@@OctavianCarare it's not that AF is not fast. I meant the continuous AF-c is a bit better probably due to phase detect AF system as well as contrast detect AF. I feel the write speeds with a UHS - ii card are slow. But it's a higher MP camera, so I expected that. I like the fact it's slowing me down - mainly in a good way. 👍🏻

[@user-ez6qf3mf9c]

太棒了👏👍，非常感谢🙏！！！

[@OctavianCarare]

Thank you ! :)

[@charanteja1944]

May I know what is the metering mode that you use for the day photography to get those deep blacks

[@lowkeykid]

LOOKS LIKE HE WAS AT -(MINUS)1. 2/3 STOP

[@TheI1i1i1i1i1]

great intro, octavian. very nice of you to share your settings. in these things the important thing is for each of us to discover how we have become one (us and the camera). aperture, speed, iso, viewfinder, lcd is all about experience, learning. trial and error, I would say. but I reinforce the idea that I think it's really cool of you to share the settings. greetings

[@OctavianCarare]

Thanks a lot Isaque ! Appreciate your comments and your kind words ! Let's hope we can meet soon and shoot some street in Portugal :)

[@TheI1i1i1i1i1]

@@OctavianCarare portugal awaits you, and your creativity, but don't bring the canon 200mm 2.0 with you, eh eh eh. it will be a great pleasure to photograph with you if you come here.

[@pengchhy-Trip]

This camera in my dream 💭

[@OctavianCarare]

Mine too :)

[@GregJorgo]

Hey something I noticed with my Q2 is that at the widest angle, the lens hood, puts a triangle in each of the 4 corners? What am I doing wrong here do you think?

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi Greg! I am not sure I fully get it. Is it on the file? On the screen? Feel free to send me a print screen/photo on instagram @octaviancarare

[@laurentmoies2714]

Merci mec !

[@OctavianCarare]

Avec plaisir Laurent :)

[@HelmutMinten]

Hi Octavian! Thank you for your Video. First of all I am sad, that your Channel has not that much Followers, that it should have to have. I personally like your Work, see the Things, that you take in mind when struggling taking the Shot, that you want to take and really really like the Results! So, do not let you bring down by nasty Comments or something, that People write, who sit alone in their Apartments and do not know, what it means to show their passion and personal Work on YT. You make a good Job!!! So, go for it!!! - BUT! Perhaps I expected too much, but I as a Q2-Owner hoped to get more information about the settings, which could be helpful for Streetphotography, also you said, that is the way YOU do it! So, what would you "recommend" as Settings, that could be helpful, when it comes to Settings regarding Streetphotography with a Leica Q2?! Cheers and keep up the good work!!!

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi Helmut ! Thank you for watching :). Ah no worries for the subscribers, I am enjoying doing these videos and it takes time to grow a youtube channel :). Thanks for your kind words :). Well I don't think there is ONE way of setting your camera for street photos. I just share my settings as I use it. For exemple not lots of people use the technique focuse and recompose, there are other techniques that work best for other individuals. At the end of the day, going out and photographing a lot you will develop your optimal settings :)

[@yhp143feelingshot]

Nice

[@OctavianCarare]

Thank you Yehudi !

[@Rawa2ful]

Thanks for the helpful video. I have two question s🙋🏻‍♂️ about the camera sittings for the Q2. I am trying a combination for street photography. It is aperture priority with an limited Auto ISO that has minimum shutter speed of 1/250. My questions are : 1- If I put my shutter speed dial on Auto with the combination I mentioned above , the shutter speed keeps going slower than the minimum shutter speed I set with the Auto ISO . Do you have a solution for that ? I mean I want Auto shutter speed and Auto ISO but it is not working with me. 2- What is the best exposure preview for such combination? I mean I cannot have a real time exposure preview with that combination. I read the manual and it is not working. In many cases I under exposed my pictures because of that . It is so frustrating . It would be great if you could help me . Thanks 🙏

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi man ! Did you try simply to change the shutter dial to 1/250 or 1/500? Then select auto ISO and just play with the aperture ? If you select your shutter dial on 1/250 it will stay locked on 1/250 (shutter priority mode) . Hope it helps :)

[@andy.schwartz]

Nice video. Did you explain what your night mode settings were?

[@OctavianCarare]

Thanks Andy :) Well my night mode settings are ISO AUTO - MAXIMUM 6400 , SHUTTER SPEED AUTO - MINIMUM 1/125, CENTER-WEIGHT METERING and normally the APERTURE is somwhere between f 1.7 and 4 (depends on light). Nothing fancy :)

[@edgarsanuybarahona7656]

Hi Octavian, from Hong Kong! I am following your videos lately and learning a lot about my Q2. However I'm having a situation now which I don't understand. I wanted to try shooting one day with your settings. ISO automatic with a maximum of 3200 and shutter speed also automatic with a minimum of 1/250 to freeze the images. Then go shooting in aperture mode. But here comes the problem: In low light situations, if I set my aperture to f4 or f5, the camera will follow my ISO setting and don't get over 3200, but regarding the SS, the camera would go below 1/250, sometimes to 1/8. This is really incoventient because I like to shoot street photography using only the viewfinder, with no indications on it, and after shooting I realise the camera is changing the shutter speed below my expectations, adding blurry motion to all my shoots. I understand sometimes my pictures will be under very underexposed If the camera sticks to aperture mode with 3200ISO and ss1/250, but maybe that is what I want, and the camera won't let me unless I am on Manual mode. Am I doing something wrong? Thank you!!

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi there Sai ! I am sorry but I probably didn't explain very well in the video (I am not a good talker to be honest :D). For my day settings I use ISO AUTO 3200 max and normally I shoot at f 5.6 - 9 and the shutter speed minimum 1/250 - and as outside it's pretty bright my shutter speed is always pretty fast and my ISO goes up to max 1600 if I find my self places that are not well lit. But if needed I open the aperture at f 5.6 or f 4 or even f 2.8. For the night settings MY ISO is set to MAXIMUM 6400 and my shutter speed 1/125 and I shoot at f 2.8 or f 2 or even f 1.7 (depends on subject and scene). I generally under expose my shots 1/3 or even one stop so I gain more flexibility regarding the ISO and the shutter speed. IF you are using the camera in PASM mode then put your SHUTTER SPEED DIAL on 1/250 - (then it will lock the shutter speed!), ISO in AUTO MODE with maximum values that you want and for the aperture it is up to you. -> this should work :) . Let me know :) If not, maybe when you are photographing in low light situations try to put the minimum shutter speed at 1/125. Try to go to a wider aperture or try changing the metering exposure settings. Hope it helps !

[@edgarsanuybarahona7656]

@@OctavianCarare You are just too nice! You explain yourself perfectly and I do agree with your last message, best would be to just set a specific shutter speed at lets say 250 or 125, and leave only the ISO on automatic. Looking forward to more content! thanks again

[@OctavianCarare]

Thanks a lot !

[@JJ_Photo]

Thank you Octavian! Great music btw ;) Have you tried back button focusing? It works so nice with "focus and re-compose". Then you don't have refocus if you want to take more shots in the same scene. The back button on the Q is a bit small. I have put some Sugru on it, and now it is easy to find and press - even with the Thumbs Up mounted. Take care.

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi Jan ! To be honest I haven't tried using the back button focusing but I will give it a try. You are right, it seems more easy this way and somehow more logical :). Glad you finally liked the music :))

[@JJ_Photo]

@@OctavianCarare haha, yes I am easy to satisfy in that regard ;)

[@anamariasavuta2455]

N. Am intrebari, mi. A placut ca ai impartasit cateva din secretele tale cu noi. 😁💕 Imi place melodia, imi aduce aminte de vara si terasele din Bucuresti.

[@OctavianCarare]

Ma bucur ca ti-a placut si ca iti aduce aminte de terasele din Bucuresti si de vara :)

[@liviubistricianu5767]

Nice! Octav, dar pentru cei care facem poze cu un telefon, ne poti da niste tips and tricks?

[@OctavianCarare]

Salut Liviu ! Uite ca e o idee buna pentru un viitor video :) Multumesc de pont :)

[@ronald7482]

Which Exposure metering do you use?

[@OctavianCarare]

Hello Ronald. I'm using spot

[@ronald7482]

@@OctavianCarare thank you for your message

[@lavisin]

Nice intro, could you share your night shot settings?

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi Lavisin ! ISO auto - 200 to 6400, spot metering, shutter speed auto minimum 1/125 (if don't want to go for long exposure) and to freeze my subjects I shoot at f2 or even wide open (at iso 3200 and f2 normally I get fast shutter speed). Also I underexpose a bit my shots. Hope it helps.

[@lavisin]

@@OctavianCarare Thanks for the info, really appreciate it.

[@drgashi]

@@OctavianCarare Hi Octavian, so the Day to night setting difference is on Field vs spot metering, and shutter speed of 250 vs 120th of the second , correct?

[@paultaylorphotography9499]

hey mate nice vid. I just picked up a Q2 after decades of not really needing but absolutely wanting a Leica. on shot it once straight out of the shop. I've never used auto iso but tried it on this first go. almost every shot was at 3200 the noise surprised me it wasn't a good surprise either. now spending time looking through the camera before I use it next. My carry cams have been x100f love it, and the X-pro2 again love that camera. I used it on the day I bought the Q2 while the battery was charging I went and covered a protest in town kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJe5p3mqZqqBnKM I was more than happy with the Xpro, but I wish the Q2 had been ready to use. First thing I noticed was the build quality of the Leica solid construction feels like it could take some hammer as I'm far from careful with my kit this is one reason I chose to upgrade. New sub for ya mate go steady cheers

[@OctavianCarare]

Hi Paul ! Thank you :) hehe I like the not really needing but absolutely wanting a Leica :) . You can set a limit to your ISO, how high you want it on AUTO MODE. Mine is set to 3200 as well if I am not wrong but never goes there. Thanks for subscribing and I am sure you gonna love your Q2, it's brilliant and the image quality is very good :). Love the black and white high contrast images from Mahsa Amini | Documentary Photography.

[@paultaylorphotography9499]

@@OctavianCarare cheers mate, wants outweigh needs these crazy daze. I've been trying 3200 a bit this week, seems ok dont know what went wrong with the first pix, but the more I use it the more I love it. Thanks for checking out that vid mate XXX

[@Nigula-16]

Я думал, что ты снимаешь на ручном фокусе с диафрагмой 8 или 11. Предварительно выставив гиперфокальное расстояние на объективе.

[@OctavianCarare]

I shoot in 'aperture priorty' f 8 or 11, if sunny at f 16 as well :)

[@Nigula-16]

@@OctavianCarare thank you.