Photography Gear to Photograph a City

Photography gear – very dangerous topic. Stumbling block of almost any photography-related discussion. It has started many wars… 

Eye-catching exotic shop in Cesky Krumlov.⁣ Yes, those are two fingers sticking from the ground…
Lumix G9 + G Vario 12-60/3.5-5.6 @ 49mm ƒ/5.6 1/80s

Ok, just kidding. It is not that dangerous (at least where I have participated in those discussions).

I’ve decided to get it out of the way before digging deeper into the topic of city photography. And I don’t mean auxiliary gear, such as: photo bags, tripods, filters, lens cleaners, remote shutters, etc. etc. It is definitely useful, but not that interesting. Let’s talk about real meat: cameras and lenses!

So, my current camera is Panasonic Lumix G9. It is relatively new for me (using it just about 6 months now), and I can tell only good things about it – light, compact, sturdy, weather-sealed, and most importantly – has a flip screen (one of my most important criteria when selecting a new camera!). Minor drawbacks – not that huge dynamic range compared to my previous full-frame Sony, some noise at high ISO or when shooting very long exposure images. But those are easily fixed in post-processing, or using some fast lens in low light.

My lens collection is (relatively) short for now:

  • Kit lens Lumix G Vario 12-60/3.5-5.6 with polarizing filter
  • Lumix G 25mm F/1.7
  • Vintage manual Industar 50-2 F3.5 (Soviet copy of Carl Zeiss Tessar lens)

(Lumix cameras have a so-called micro-four-thirds sensor, which has a crop factor 2x, so if you compare these lenses with full-frame equivalents, you need to multiply focal length by 2. For example, Lumix 25mm lens has the same angle of view as full-frame 50mm lens).

My humble gear collection.

The most used lens is, of course, kit zoom 12-60. Zoom lenses are convenient, and allow easier creation of a composition – you do not need to move away from or closer to your subject, you can just turn that zoom ring. Focal length is very versatile from 24 to 120 mm (FF equivalent), i.e. from wide-angle to short tele-photo range. This lens is my first choice for any trips or visits to the new city districts – I never know which focal length I will need. There are rare situations, when 60 (120) mm is not enough. For example, when photographing cityscape details from some high-ground observation point, or nice building across a river. So I plan to expand my lens collection in the long direction next. Something like 35-100mm or even 100-300mm come to mind. 

Prime lenses are a different realm. There are people who mainly photograph with them. I, on the other hand, consider them as lenses for special occasions. It actually forces you to think about the composition more – you only have one focal length, and to compose a shot, you need to move closer or further from your subject.

 I use my 25mm lens when I need to:

  • photograph during the evening walks, when there is not enough light for my kit lens, and using a tripod is too cumbersome
  • take a picture with blurred background (occasional portrait, or some close-up of architectural detail with a bokeh).
  • take pictures inside (church or castle interior, museum etc.)

This lens is good enough for almost all situations where I need a prime lens. But, again, sometimes, it would be nice to have something wider for photographing in the narrow city streets or inside the buildings. So I also think to expand my prime lens collection by something like a 15 or 17mm lens. 

Manual Industar is even more special, because it is 1) fully manual; 2) is equivalent to 100mm prime lens on my camera. But since it is a vintage lens, it has its own so-called “character”, and in a good light it produces very pleasing images. So far, I have taken it to one introductory photowalk. And definitely, it was not the last one. 

Charles Bridge in the evening light.⁣
Lumix G9 + Industar 50-2 F/3.5 @ ƒ/3.5 1/1000s ISO 200

Please let me know in the comments, what camera / lens do you use to photograph a city?

How do you photograph a city?

There are many answers to the question. From simple “just press a shutter button” to the most vogue “it depends”.

Cozy corner of Tržiště street in Prague Old Town.
Nikon D5300 + Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 @ ƒ7.1 1/50s ISO 1400

But first, let’s answer another question – why are photos of cities so popular?

Currently, more than a half of the Earth’s population lives in the cities, towns or other urban settlements. And in the future, this number will only grow. No wonder cities are very popular objects for photographers. From vacation snapshots to abstract modern architecture. From glorious historic buildings to backdrop for street photos. Urban portraits, cityscapes, night street lights – cities provide enormous opportunities for photos.

Different civilizations and cultures built different cities. From medieval Japan to ancient cities of the Middle East.  From historic European towns to modern North American cities. A lot of options to choose from.

How do I photograph a city? My answer is “it depends”. For me, city photography has many layers to it. I can choose to photograph:

  • vast cityscapes
  • individual buildings or building complexes
  • architectural details
  • city during different times of the day (morning, evening, night) or in a different weather (overcast, sunny, rainy or snowy).

In the future posts I will discuss each of these options in a (bit) more details. Meanwhile, please write in the comments, how do YOU photograph a city?

First things first

Who am I

My name is Dmitry and I photograph for 28 years. Well, as they say, owing a camera doesn’t make you a photographer. So I am not a photographer. I just like to photograph. It has always been a hobby for me, a pleasant way to spend free time, unwind and relax. And of course, to create memories of some family events, places visited and sometimes just simple ordinary objects and moments. 

What I photograph

For a long time I didn’t have any particular theme in my photography. I snapped everything that was around me and was of some interest. Family events, trips, cities, buildings, some night photography and even periodic dips into candid street photography.

Eventually, my interests crystalized and narrowed down to cityscapes, architecture and occasional landscapes. Main influence on the direction of my photography in recent years was the fact that our family moved to one of the most beautiful and photogenic cities in the world – Prague. Entire city center is included in the list of UNESCO historical heritage. Prague is full of historic and modern architecture, old narrow cobblestoned streets and historic buildings. So one cannot simply live in Prague and not to photograph its beauty.

Prague Towers
Prague Towers.
Nikon D5300 + Tamron 70-300 f/4.0-5.6 @ 185mm 1/100s f/11 ISO100

My gear

Up until recently my main gear was Nikon D5300. Originally, it came with standard 18-55mm kit lens and Tamron 70-300mm telephoto lens. Tamron was replaced with Nikkor 70-300mm lens with image stabilization, which is rather a must for long lenses. Since I am majorly shooting outside, both lenses were equipped with polarizing filters. 

My third lens and a laters addition to my gear is a must have for anybody, despite their photography genre and camera body – classic 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. 

Besides this DSLR set up, occasionally I am using my iPhone to snap an image. Cameras on modern phones, paired with AI software, can perform miracles.

New direction

As you may have noticed, when describing my gear, I was using past tense. The reason is that recently I’ve stumbled upon a very irresistible deal on Sony a7ii with a 28-70 kit lens. I owe it for only several days now and have not taken it to some serious shooting outside yet. So more details on this new gear and some images from it are to come in later posts.