So I've been shooting street stuff for like a decade now mostly with an old Fuji setup but I finally bit the bullet and grabbed an a7iv because I needed the better autofocus for some side gigs. The thing is I'm finding the transition to full frame for street way harder than I thought it would be. I thought I'd just stick a prime on there and be good to go but everything feels so... big? And clinical? I took it out last weekend around the Loop in Chicago and I felt like a tourist with a giant cannon and people kept looking at me funny when I tried to get close for some candid shots. I'm used to being totally invisible but this new setup is honestly killing my flow and making me overthink every frame.
I've got about 900 bucks left in the gear budget before my trip to NYC next month and I'm torn between staying with the classic 35mm or maybe trying a 28mm or even a 50mm though that might be too tight for the narrow streets. The Sony 35mm f1.8 seems like the obvious choice because it's light and fast but then I see people raving about the tiny Zeiss 35mm f2.8 for the size even if it's a bit older now. Or maybe I should just go wide with a 24mm and crop in later? I do a lot of night stuff near the subway entrances so I need something that doesn't hunt in low light because the hit rate on my old manual lenses was starting to drive me crazy which is why I switched in the first place.
I'm really looking for that perfect balance of being low profile but still getting that rendering that doesn't feel like a cell phone photo. I've looked at the Samyang tiny series too but I'm worried about the build quality holding up in the rain. What are you guys actually using day to day on your FE mounts that doesnt make you stand out like a sore thumb but still gives you that creamy bokeh when you need it?
I saw this earlier and had to jump in. I actually disagree with the previous post about the Sony FE 35mm f1.8 because I think it is an amazing value! But if you want something that feels less plastic, the Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary is fantastic. Its all metal and looks super cool. The rendering is way more character-driven too, which solves that clinical problem you mentioned!
Honestly I had issues with those Samyang lenses too, they felt way too flimsy for actual street work. I was disappointed with the Zeiss f2.8 too because the autofocus is kinda dated for an a7iv.
- Try the Sony FE 40mm f2.5 G to stay low profile.
- Use the Sony FE 35mm f1.8 for better low light. The 40mm G is tiny and won't scare people off like a huge lens would.
I totally get that feeling of being too visible. I recently tried taking the Sony FE 35mm f1.8 out for some night shoots, and honestly, I was pretty disappointed with the rendering. It has this distracting purple fringing around high-contrast light sources that drove me nuts during post-processing. Even though the AF is snappy on the a7iv, the images felt flat and lacked the depth I expected after moving to full frame. I have run into issues with a few different lenses trying to find a balance:
- Sony FE 35mm f1.8: Fast AF, but the bokeh has visible onion rings and the build feels a bit plasticky for a $600 lens.
- Sony FE 24mm f1.4 GM: Incredible rendering and low light performance, but it is way too bulky for candid shots. I felt like people were staring at the glass rather than just ignoring me. I spent a week in Seattle trying to make that 35mm work, but the technical imperfections in the glass made me regret leaving my old setup behind. Sony glass is sharp, sure, but sometimes it feels like it lacks that organic texture... its just too clinical for street work sometimes.
Just found this thread today. Re: "I saw this earlier and had to jump..." - honestly, I have to vent about this whole situation because it is becoming a recurring nightmare. Been through a similar transition myself and unfortunately, the industry has shifted toward making everything feel like disposable tech rather than actual tools. It drives me crazy how much we are expected to pay for gear that feels like it will shatter if you look at it wrong. The reality is that three different setups failed me last year just from normal street use in slightly damp conditions. It is such a scam that we have to shell out nearly a thousand bucks for stuff that does not even have proper internals or seals. Honestly, companies just do not care about long-term reliability anymore once they have got your money. They focus on these clinical specs while the actual build quality has gone totally downhill. It has been a really disappointing journey trying to find gear that actually survives a month of real-world shooting without something rattling loose. Its just frustrating to see how much the standards have dropped.
