Travel street photography - should I get a zoom or 50mm prime?

[fWord]

i 2nd your opinion, i had bystanders asking me things occasionally eg..
1. are you a reporter?
2. can you send me the pics?

more oftenly, you will see people stare at your lens combo :dunno: and some will comment on things like how come that guy use such a big lens etc :think:

Yup. If the only comments they made were those, it's not too bad. Usually they look at you as if you're psycho and start asking themselves, 'What is there to photograph here?'

Well, maybe they're right. :bsmilie:

Yesterday's experience at Jurong Bird Park was more humorous though. A bunch of tourists passed me and remarked heartily, 'Wow, that's a very nice camera!' And I told them 'It's just big, it's not that good!' And we had a laugh over it.

 

[hongjone]

I think that its more convenient to use a zoom for your purpose. Got $, get the 17-55mm... With your budget, I think I would go for the 18-70mm kit lens or the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8. Cheers!

 

[maggie]

I got a nikon 18-200mm VR cover almost every range and I am quite happy with it.

 

[Manda]

I vote for the 50 prime - the lens is quick, light and not imposing to others.

I've just come back from my travels too and found it easier to approach people and generate the senario I wanted with my prime. My colleagues, with their big zooms, had more difficulty.

See my gallery to view the types of piccies you can get with it! Enjoy your travels

 

[Stoned]

In the end, it depends on your preferences or shooting habits, but I tried doing street with an SLR system before and it almost always gets me noticed. A bigger lens will draw even more attention.

Generally this depends more on how obtrusive your shooting methods are. IMO, of course. I work almost solely with small primes though, maybe it helps.