[Leica] Cameras for street photography - waist level and otherwise

[Howard Cummer <cummer@netvigator.com>]

>Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 10:07:25 -0600
>From: George Lottermoser <imagist@concentric.net>
>Subject: RE: [Leica] Living with a D!X, picking pockets with an M
>References:
>bdcolen@earthlink.net (B. D. Colen)1/25/029:44 AM
> > Get
> > close to someone with an M with a 21, and if you have been
>hanging around
> > for a while, they will probably ignore you. Stick an F5 with a
>17-35 zoom in
> > their face and they CAN'T ignore you.
>There's also something to what is in front of the photographer's
>face. I totally agree that the M has a unabtrusive feel for the
>subject. And would add that, while larger, the Rollei TLR remains
>one of the least noticed cameras for true candid photography.
>With the camera at waist level the act of photography seems
>invisible to almost everyone, even working close.
>George
Hello Luggers,
In my experience if you want to shoot waist level using 35mm the only 
modern choice you have is Nikon F series cameras with removal prisms. Of 
the all the F models, F through F5, the best one in my opinion is the F4. 
With the earlier models you lose TTL metering when you take off the prism 
but with the F4 spot metering (and (slow) autofocussing) is retained when 
you install the waist level finder. And the F5 is just too damn big! I use 
my F4 (not S which is too big) with a standard 50mm lens for street 
pictures in Hong Kong and most people don't think you are taking a picture 
even when you are up close because you don't raise the camera to eye level. 
Same operation works for Rollei TLRs. To get back on topic a little bit, a 
fast street combination is the Tri Elmar coupled to a Hexar RF body. Having 
three focal lengths available at the twist of the wrist coupled with 
Aperture preferred automation and motor wind provides a wonderfully 
flexible package, even if you have to raise the camera to eye level to 
compose the picture. Perhaps Leica (or Mr. Kobayashi) will come out with 
some new waist level finders...
Cheers
Howard.

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