so i just got an s5 but im totally lost. i want to do street photography but lenses are so pricey... i only have $300 left for my chicago trip. i was thinking about a small lens? i dont really get what l-mount is yet sorry if this is dumb i just dont want to buy the wrong thing...
Yo! Saw this earlier and had to jump in because I was literally in your shoes last year. Spent all my cash on the S5 and had basically nothing left for glass lol. Chicago is gonna be amazing for street photography tho! I ended up going the super budget route and it was actually a ton of fun. Here is how I stayed under budget:
- I grabbed a TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 L-mount Full Frame. It is dirt cheap and manual focus, but honestly it makes you feel like a pro once you nail the focus.
- Scour eBay for a used Panasonic Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens. People practically give them away and it is surprisingly good for wide city shots.
- Check out the 7Artisans 35mm f/5.6 Pancake L-mount if you want something tiny. Street photography is more about the vibe anyway! Just go out and shoot... you're gonna love it!
dont worry, l-mount just means the mount shared by panasonic and sigma. for $300 you have a couple solid options that wont weigh you down in chicago:
- Panasonic Lumix S 50mm f/1.8 is super light and sharp.
- Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary is tiny and perfect for street shots. you might need to look for used deals to hit that $300 mark exactly tho.
Can confirm this works. Did the same thing on mine and its been solid ever since.
> i dont really get what l-mount is yet sorry if this is dumb Dont worry about that at all, we all started somewhere. When I first jumped into this system, I spent weeks just staring at mount compatibility charts because I was terrified of wasting my limited savings on something that wouldnt fit my camera. I ended up finding a used piece of glass that felt sturdy and reliable enough for my first trip, which was a huge relief. Honestly, I spent way too much time obsessing over specs when I should have just been out walking. My current setup isnt perfect, but it hasnt failed me yet when the light gets weird in the city. Just make sure whatever you pick feels like it will survive a long day of walking around. The piece of glass I eventually settled on gave me some decent results, and knowing it wasnt going to break halfway through my trip was the most important thing for me.
