By-tor
Established
Love my Leica M10 & Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron II setup...
Archiver
Mentor
Yes, a M body with 28 is awesome. Mine would be the M9 with Elmarit 28 asph or Biogon 28. In fact, I was out with the M9 and Elmarit 28 a week or two ago, just cruising around on my way to get my hair cut. The colours and sharpness are otherworldly.
Another 28mm equivalent I have truly enjoyed is the original Sigma DP1. It is slow as molasses, isn't usable over ISO 400, but man are the colours, sharpness and rendering amazing in good light.
DP1 - Boardwalk by Archiver, on Flickr
DP1 - Shadows on the Pier by Archiver, on Flickr
DP1 - Dolls Point by Archiver, on Flickr
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By-tor
Established
The new Voigtlander 28/2.8 color-skopar lenses are getting some good reviews also..
Darthfeeble
But you can call me Steve
If you don't like the X100, the X-E4 or # is the same size, though the lenses tend to be bigger. I've used my M mount lenses on my E3 and I have trouble getting the focus tack sharp but I have 77 year old eyes too, several folks have been happy with it and the M lenses so it might just be me.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
In my old age - some would say "dotage" but I prefer to not go there - I've come to the conclusion that less, much less, is the way to go for me.
Nowadays from my arsenal of cameras I seem to be out and about most times with my minimalist kit - a Fuji XE2 with the 18/2.0 Fujinon. In my backpack I sometimes carry the 18-55 and now and then, if I plan to do a little panorama imagery, the stellar 14/2.8. At home I leave my 23/1.4, the second 18-55 (why I acquired two of the kit zoom lens, is a good question, still unanswered) and the 35/2.0, bought in a moment of madness at a shop sale about a year ago and not yet used.
The XE2/18 combo does 90% of what I want it to. As for the remaining 10%, well, who cares? I don't. The results I get from it are not quite as good as my Nikons give me, and with landscapes I find I'm up for a little too much post processing at home for my liking, tho' this is really a good excuse for me to take less pretty scenery images, something I've struggled with for most of my life, but never mind. So I make do. Fuji to me is a case of superb lenses but cameras I basically feel I'm incompatible with. I struggled with two XT1s (never mind why I bought two, it's what I do) and one XT2, all sold and not missed, before I lucked into an XE2 and found that this cheaper Fuji poor-man's camera is more to my liking. Obviously, with cameras as in life generally, we live, we spend, and we learn.
Now and then an evil thought pops into my mind that I should clear the decks of my Fuji kit while the resale prices of secondhand Fuji gear are still good, unlike Nikon in Australia which seem to clutter all the secondhand shop shelves with very few buyers in sight, and return to Nikon, if only to make more use of my collection of superb Nikon D lenses (in the range of 20-300). I'm painfully aware that carrying all those lenses as good as they are, especially the 180 and 300 which seem to get heavier as I get older, is an issue.
To stay on the topic of Nikon, if I do decide to downsize from four Nikons to one, I would most likely go for either the Zfc with a zoom or the Z5 and one lens, the 28/2.8. The Z5 is my preferred choice even if the Zfc is cheaper. Also an adapter for D lenses. Focusing by eye I can live with as I tend to shoot mostly at f/8-f/11 and usually set my lenses on hyperfocal distance.
So far I've hesitated to sell up and buy again for two reasons, (1) in today's depressed digital Nikon market in Australia I won't get much for my secondhand Nikons, even the D800s which are still wonderful cameras with fantastic definition, and (2) the $$ I will have to spend as Nikon prices for the Z range are through the ceiling in Australia. I balk at spending $2000+ even with trading in a lot of my gear,.
Heaps of compromises here. I ponder all this a lot but am slowly coming to the conclusion that I will likely never resolve it.
To sum up all this, for me the Nikon Z5 is the way to go. But then my camera dealer has a lovely Z6 on their secondhand shelf and the price is right so I have to say I'm tempted. Here we go again...
Nowadays from my arsenal of cameras I seem to be out and about most times with my minimalist kit - a Fuji XE2 with the 18/2.0 Fujinon. In my backpack I sometimes carry the 18-55 and now and then, if I plan to do a little panorama imagery, the stellar 14/2.8. At home I leave my 23/1.4, the second 18-55 (why I acquired two of the kit zoom lens, is a good question, still unanswered) and the 35/2.0, bought in a moment of madness at a shop sale about a year ago and not yet used.
The XE2/18 combo does 90% of what I want it to. As for the remaining 10%, well, who cares? I don't. The results I get from it are not quite as good as my Nikons give me, and with landscapes I find I'm up for a little too much post processing at home for my liking, tho' this is really a good excuse for me to take less pretty scenery images, something I've struggled with for most of my life, but never mind. So I make do. Fuji to me is a case of superb lenses but cameras I basically feel I'm incompatible with. I struggled with two XT1s (never mind why I bought two, it's what I do) and one XT2, all sold and not missed, before I lucked into an XE2 and found that this cheaper Fuji poor-man's camera is more to my liking. Obviously, with cameras as in life generally, we live, we spend, and we learn.
Now and then an evil thought pops into my mind that I should clear the decks of my Fuji kit while the resale prices of secondhand Fuji gear are still good, unlike Nikon in Australia which seem to clutter all the secondhand shop shelves with very few buyers in sight, and return to Nikon, if only to make more use of my collection of superb Nikon D lenses (in the range of 20-300). I'm painfully aware that carrying all those lenses as good as they are, especially the 180 and 300 which seem to get heavier as I get older, is an issue.
To stay on the topic of Nikon, if I do decide to downsize from four Nikons to one, I would most likely go for either the Zfc with a zoom or the Z5 and one lens, the 28/2.8. The Z5 is my preferred choice even if the Zfc is cheaper. Also an adapter for D lenses. Focusing by eye I can live with as I tend to shoot mostly at f/8-f/11 and usually set my lenses on hyperfocal distance.
So far I've hesitated to sell up and buy again for two reasons, (1) in today's depressed digital Nikon market in Australia I won't get much for my secondhand Nikons, even the D800s which are still wonderful cameras with fantastic definition, and (2) the $$ I will have to spend as Nikon prices for the Z range are through the ceiling in Australia. I balk at spending $2000+ even with trading in a lot of my gear,.
Heaps of compromises here. I ponder all this a lot but am slowly coming to the conclusion that I will likely never resolve it.
To sum up all this, for me the Nikon Z5 is the way to go. But then my camera dealer has a lovely Z6 on their secondhand shelf and the price is right so I have to say I'm tempted. Here we go again...
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wlewisiii
Just another hotel clerk
Well, my M 240 and Kobalux 28/3.5 make a glorious combo but for the OP's needs a Z-5 is still a far better choice I'd say. I'd personally do the 3 prime kit - with it if I didn't have such a pile of vintage glass - the 28/2.8, 50/1.8 & 85/1.8 and I could be a very happy camper but that's just my tastes. YM, as they say, MV.
Archiver
Mentor
In another thread, I commented that documentary photographer Patrick Brown shot a huge project with two Nikon FM2 bodies, along with a Nikkor 28mm f2.8 and 35mm f1.4 AI-s. 28/2.8 is a very versatile focal length and aperture.
Dogman
Mentor
The X-Pro2 with Fuji 18/2 is a very good combination. It's small but not too small, it's quiet or completely silent as you choose, it's reliable and has excellent quality. Some disparage the old 18mm but I came to love it despite not being a fan of the 28mm focal length. AF is good but not lightning fast like newer lenses. On the XP2 speed is much improved over the XP1. The 18/2 has a bit of "old school" look to it, not as sharp around the edges but excellent in the center--I like that look a lot. I've often used the XP2/18 combination to wander around and see what comes along and it has almost made me a 28mm fan. I've never used the other choices mentioned so I'm no help there. One of the best things about the XP2/18 is that it gets you into the Fuji Universe. They were one of the first companies to really take the APS-C format seriously and produce a great range of lenses for their cameras. And they have the hybrid viewfinder so old guys like me can use framelines in an OVF.
santino
FSU gear head
I‘m surprised to see so much love for the 28mm focal length here. I met (online and in real life) a lot of people who didn’t like 28mm and 135mm lenses with the argument that they are easy to design. Who cares? I like the perspective of 28mm on full frame, it’s almost a natural wide angle, 24mm seems to be pretty wide.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
28mm has always seemed a bit wide for general use for me, where when I actually want wide I usually reach for something nearer 20 mm. But it's all a matter of what you're used to and what your personal perspective is.
Lately, I'm more inclined to walk about with a normal or short tele, but I know that which lenses appeal to me this way are a day by day preference.
Lately, I'm more inclined to walk about with a normal or short tele, but I know that which lenses appeal to me this way are a day by day preference.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
If you like just copy&paste then you need something which is close to your film kit. As possible.
Be careful, EVF is nowhere near OVF for the street.
With street and your demand for less size, weight and not unlimited budget (Q/M):
I quit from street on film with Leica M4-2 via bunch of Nikon SLRs. Large and tiny ones.
I do have digital M with 28mm, but it doesn't seems to be robust enough as Canon DSLRs, not to mention Pentax K series which are build for all weather, year around street and else if you are not typical stroller from one cafe to another one.
I had compact (for FF) Canon RP with small lenses and it was just meh on the street. EVF, it eats battery very fast...
The real digital tool for me on the street are Ricoh GRD series. Not GR, but GRD. Small, CCD sensors. It was made to be joy, not typical a typical tool. Yet it has all of real camera settings, plus you will never miss focus with snapshot focus mode. All is in focus all the time
I was also in fear not to have OVF on it. But with GRD I realized what OVF is often the limit.
I was also skeptical of GR/GRD been MiC. But they are build with real metal. Even Fuji doesn't give this feel, IMO.
Also, after more than one decade on streets with all kind of cameras... You will get best results with one camera, one lens. Because it takes time to warm up and tune in. Switching between two cameras just ruins this fragile feeling of suddenly appearing mojo and all of the scenes coming at you.
The freedom GR/GRD gives you on the street is only surpassed by iPhones, but operating phone in the camera comes with a lot of limits in ergonomics and hobbyist needs of buttons and menus, wheels and clicks.
Be careful, EVF is nowhere near OVF for the street.
With street and your demand for less size, weight and not unlimited budget (Q/M):
Those ones are not small or light either. Nor they will do much special on the street. Those are just generic cameras (except old Fuji which looks good, but not for everyone and it just as bulky as else. Personally, I was never impressed by its OVF optics.)
I quit from street on film with Leica M4-2 via bunch of Nikon SLRs. Large and tiny ones.
I do have digital M with 28mm, but it doesn't seems to be robust enough as Canon DSLRs, not to mention Pentax K series which are build for all weather, year around street and else if you are not typical stroller from one cafe to another one.
I had compact (for FF) Canon RP with small lenses and it was just meh on the street. EVF, it eats battery very fast...
The real digital tool for me on the street are Ricoh GRD series. Not GR, but GRD. Small, CCD sensors. It was made to be joy, not typical a typical tool. Yet it has all of real camera settings, plus you will never miss focus with snapshot focus mode. All is in focus all the time
I was also in fear not to have OVF on it. But with GRD I realized what OVF is often the limit.
I was also skeptical of GR/GRD been MiC. But they are build with real metal. Even Fuji doesn't give this feel, IMO.
Also, after more than one decade on streets with all kind of cameras... You will get best results with one camera, one lens. Because it takes time to warm up and tune in. Switching between two cameras just ruins this fragile feeling of suddenly appearing mojo and all of the scenes coming at you.
The freedom GR/GRD gives you on the street is only surpassed by iPhones, but operating phone in the camera comes with a lot of limits in ergonomics and hobbyist needs of buttons and menus, wheels and clicks.
zane0777
Established
Micro 4/3 body (one with an optional grip, if you want better control) and Panasonic 14mm/2.5 lens. Cheap, available, and good. I like Olympus' jpg rendering, so I use Oly bodies but Panasonic is fine too.
BernardL
Well-known
Nikon Coolpîx A with OVF.
wlewisiii
Just another hotel clerk
My preference is a three prime kit - 28, 50 & a longer lens. Which depends on the system but has been an 85(Kiev), 90(Leica), 105(Nikon) & 135(M42).
I find it harder to use a 35 than any other focal length - it's neither fish or fowl to me. Not quite a wide and not quite a normal. Hence a 28 turned into my usual wide angle lens once I discovered it.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
For a compact, I'm happy with my Fuji X20. The zoom goes to a 28mm equivalent at the wide end. And the sensor is bigger than most of the little compact digitals.
gzisis69
Established
Many great and different from each other suggestions. All that made me think that almost every suggested combination would make great fotos on the right hands. I think ill sleep over all the options and decide soon one of the systems and then go out and try to make good photos. Thank you all for the precious time and suggestions
Archiver
Mentor
Maybe you haven't met the right 35.
I never truly enjoyed 35mm until I got the Zeiss Distagon 35, and two years later, I still can barely take it off my M9. Prior to that, my most used focal lengths were 28 and 50, and I used my Biogon 25 all the time until the dreaded Zeiss wobble claimed it.Some of my greatest fun has been with the Ricoh GRD III with Voigtlander 28/25 compact VF, which I've also used to satisfying effect with the Sigma DP1. The experience was like a film camera, with a bright viewfinder, noisy operation and gorgeous files. The original aps-c GR was also fantastic with the Voigtlander VF, too.The real digital tool for me on the street are Ricoh GRD series. Not GR, but GRD. Small, CCD sensors. It was made to be joy, not typical a typical tool. Yet it has all of real camera settings, plus you will never miss focus with snapshot focus mode. All is in focus all the time
I was also in fear not to have OVF on it. But with GRD I realized what OVF is often the limit.
I was also skeptical of GR/GRD been MiC. But they are build with real metal. Even Fuji doesn't give this feel, IMO.
@gzisis69
For a wide angle walkaround camera, I mostly use the Sony RX0 with 24mm, Panasonic LX10 at 24mm, or the GX85 with Olympus 17/1.8 or Panasonic 9/1.7. For more dedicated wide angle shooting occasions, I'll use the M9 with Elmarit 28 or Biogon 21, or the Panasonic S5 (full frame) with the surprisingly good Yashica ML 28mm f2.8. This vintage lens renders beautifully, has excellent sharpness and 3D pop, and didn't cost too much. Other good legacy 28s are the Minolta MD 28mm f2.8 and Pentax M SMC 28mm f2.8. The latter can be a bit soft in the periphery, but the overall look is attractive.
Speaking of the Panasonic S5, they are available secondhand for very good prices now, but there is no compact native 28mm with AF. The closest lenses are the Sigma 24mm f3.5 and 35mm f2, but nothing inbetween as yet. There is a plethora of legacy 28 glass which can be adapted to the S5, but that's up to you.
Archiver
Mentor
I still regret not getting one of those. They are so hard to come by now, and Nikon discontinued them many years ago.
agentlossing
Well-known
The 14mm f2.5 is a really excellent lens, provided you get a good one - most all of them are good. A few of the older ones were decentered, including the one I got years ago with a used GF3. I had the chance to use another, somewhat newer one recently and it was fantastic. I consider the 14mm and a GX85 to be a killer combo, from looks and ergonomics through to results. 16MP sensors are limited, but the one in the GX85 is one of the very best for output.
I don't quite agree on the G7, as it's the older Panasonic shutter which is more prone to shutter shock, doesn't have IBIS, and doesn't have the better color science which Panasonic implemented with the GX85. The G85 is the next model and is like a GX85 internally with a G7 external. It's a great option.
Archiver
Mentor
I looove my GX85, and will probably get a spare when one appears for a good price. I'm also considering a GX9 for the 20mp sensor, like the one in the G9. I highly recommend the metal grip from JJC for the GX85/GX9, it makes the camera handle much better.
The 14/2.5 was one of the first lenses I bought for m43 in 2012, and it was on my Olympus EM5 most of the time, making a very compact setup. On the GM1 it was even smaller, but I began to compare the output to other lenses and I found it lacking that biting sharpness of lenses like the Panasonic 12-35 f2.8. Now that I know that this may be an issue of sample variation, I'll be on the lookout for a better one, or just get a 15/1.7 and be done with it.