Prague photos

Photography Gear to Photograph a City

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

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).

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. 

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