Street photography is all about getting the right shot at the right moment, decisively capturing that exact action before it disappears. Street photography is quick. It happens as it goes, and yes, we street photographers needed the right tool for job. But what precisely is the right tool? Well, today, compact system cameras and even point-and-shoot cameras have been rapidly improving over the years with it's quality up to the standards of those professional DSLRs. Some CSCs apparently have been dubbed by photo enthusiasts and prosumers alike as one of the best choices for street photography, so much so in fact that they are infatuated by it's sheer quality that is delivered from a small package. Now speaking of street photog's first choice in gear, the Leica M is without doubt the number one on that list. But in this post, I will be talking in a more general opinionated situation where money wouldn't be of a problem in purchasing one of these 5 cameras for street photography:
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1) Fuji X100s - King of the hill
The X100s might look the same as it's predecessor, but on the inside, one can't simply miss it's sheer quality that had much improved over the X100. On the S version, everything seems to be absolutely right; the AF speed is blindingly fast, lowlight performance is great, it's discreet, it's small and it packs the amazing 16.3 X-Trans sensor which delivers amazing files with rich color and definition. The lens on this camera is the same Fujinon 23mm f2 which had proven to be extremely sharp and handles details pretty well. Other than that, Fuji had hit the right spot in terms of specs and as I have said before, one could not simply go wrong with this camera. It is, at least in my opinion, one of the best choices for digital street photography.
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2) Sony RX1 - Full-frame ... what more can I say
Although at second place, the RX1 surely is no slouch in terms of performance. In fact, the RX1 performs just as good, or perhaps, even better than the Fuji X100s. Here, you've got pretty much everything a good camera should have; excellent low/highlight performance, brilliant Zeiss optics (Sonnar 35mm f2 T*), an astoundingly small body, and that unbeatable full-frame 24MP chip that had set new standards in digital imaging technology (even Nikon uses Sony branded sensors on their DSLRs!) But even so, the RX1 just doesn't quite cut it. The AF is a little disappointing when dealing with moving objects on the streets, and it does not have a built-in viewfinder! Yes, you can buy one separately, but it's just too darn expensive to acquire one and most people will just stick to the LVF anyways, and plus, the Fuji's hybrid finder is way better in terms of practicality. That said, the RX1 is a brilliant little camera - it's sensor is ranked/DxOmarked as one of the top three FF sensors you could get on any camera today, so if you have the cash, give the RX1 a go, because nothing really can be as good, yet as small as this camera.
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3) Olympus E- P5 - A premium tool
For the past year or so, Olympus had caught in the 'retro' hype alongside Fujifilm and Samsung. This hype had Olympus up on their feet by releasing the ever-so-popular OM-D. Recently, Olympus released the new E-P5, a new family member to the successful PEN line-up. This new marvel of a camera sports the same 'guts and gears' as the OM-D with the same 16MP sensor, but lacks the supposedly 'rumored' built-in viewfinder. It's predecessor, the E-P3 had done extremely well as a street camera, and this much improved E-P5 had done it even better. With the new 17mm f/1.8 premium kit lens, the E-P5 is an absolute no-brainer, or perhaps a yes-brainer as it outperforms most DSLRs at the same focal length (35mm) in terms of sharpness, contrast and color rendition. Like it's famous counterpart; the OM-D E-M5, the E-P5 has the great advantage of size. The E-P5 alongside the Leica M, the X-Pro 1 and even the smaller X-E1, seems tiny by comparison yet delivers on par quality to those mentioned cameras.
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4) Fujifilm X-Pro 1 - X marks the spot
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5) Leica X2 - Inevitable beauty
To many people, Leica is placed right on top of their wishing list. Myself included. It's renowned 'red-dot Leica' logo is instantly recognized as a trademark, an icon for trust and quality. The Leica X2 had been reputed as king of the streets as it is fast and easy to work with, yet discreet, and minimal on the features, congruent to it's much celebrated bauhaus design. The Elmarit 24/2.8 Aspherical lens performs quite brilliantly. The tones, color and the sharpness you get from this lens is simply unmatched, typical of the Leica lenses. By looking at the two (with the Sony RX1) side by side, yes, I agree that the full-frame sensor on the RX1 outperforms the Leica's, but the RX1 images seems to be flat and cold, sterile even. The Leica on the other hand produces great images with reputable character that is true to the company's very tradition of camera making.
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*5) Panasonic Lumix G6 - Practical in every way
How can I leave out our good ol' friend Panny? Well, here it is! I'll give Panasonic's new Lumix G6 camera a tie to the Leica because I feel it deserves it. It's just good in all ways. The camera is very practical, it's very snappy and fast, it's discreet and the image quality is second to none. Pairing it up with the Leica DG Summilux 25/1.4 ASPH. is one tough to beat combo that produces image quality on par with the 5 contestants above. The 25mm lens works out to be a 50 on FF format, great for candid shooting on the streets. The SLR-like layout of the G6 in a smaller M43 body complete with an EVF, a hotshoe and an articulating 3" LCD screen makes changing modes and shooting a pleasure. At $749, the G6 is a strong competition to the big brand like Canon and Nikon, especially the Canon's uber-small 100D (Rebel SL1), which again is on par with the G6 in terms of all 'round performance.
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