17-40 for street shooting, am I crazy?

Yes I know you can use anything for street shooting, I used to use a 70-200 2.8 but I'm feeling my age and want to go wide and loose some weight off the camera.

I've a IDMKIII and have been considering a Leica M Monochrome but 1- horribly expensive, 2- if you ever saw complaints about different lenses or bodies here or on the Nikon forum, go to the Leica forum, talk about iffy. Plus I am unsure I really want to go all manual with the exposures, I'm good at that, even guessing but I'm so used to the speed of operation with my Cannon that I just might miss too much.

So what I've been doing is using my IDMKIII (I don't want to leave the pro bodies and love the micro adjust amongst other things) with my 24-70 set around 28mm (35mm equivalent on the Leica M)/f5.6 and focused usually at 5' with the intention of getting that close when shooting, and it happens so fast that the camera is up, fired then down. I tend to shoot fast and love the ID metering system, I also think the AF system is mind boggling but in this case I'll probably stick with manual presetting the focus. My other most used lens is the also heavy 85 1.2 but for street shooting I do use the AF.

So to loose at least a pound off of the camera, I've been looking at Cannon lenses in the 28mm range, they've got a new one with IS, what for, I'd just have to wait for it to stabilize and don't see the point at that focal length. I've had the 35L 1.4 and loved it but rarely used it with the 1.3 crop.

So this morning I got to thinking about the 17-40, everyone I've known who had one loved it. I had the 16-35 II and never thought it was satisfactory wider then 24 (and yes I had Cannon work on it) and the only other one which I used on a job looked just as meh!

The 17-40 would take a pound off compared to the 24-70, is smaller, I could expect to continue to shoot at around f 5.6 with this style of shooting but I've never been much of a fan of shooting wide and trying to get bokeh, I'm finishing in black and white and have no hesitation shooting with the IDMKIII up to 3200 ISO but generally with our overcast skies (most of this is outdoor shooting) 800-1,000 ISO is plenty to get a fast enough shutter speed.

I'm finishing in Lightroom and considering getting Silver EFX Pro.

Does anyone have any input regarding this. I really wanted a smaller camera like the Leica, also because I've always wanted a Leica since the 70's and loved the B&W images my friends would get with them but studying about them has me feeling it's a crap shoot to get the best combination unless you go with the crazy expensive lenses. I do shoot all manual sometimes with my Cannon, I'm just thinking this through. Street shooting is not the only thing I do but it's my new interest and the IDMKIII body is so comfortable to use, it's the weight of the lenses I have which seems to make it more clumsy and noticeable to the public, my hands seem to cover most of the camera body when shooting.

What about the 40mm f/2.8 pancake just for fun? Cheap and hella light.

I just got the 17-40, so can't comment much yet but so far so good. Any concerns about distortion at the wide end if you shoot too fast to really level it out before taking a shot?

Forgot to add: am yearning for gun-and-go fun shots aka street shooting as well. Austin's got a lot of rich subject matter. Got the Voigtlander 40mm to make me work for it, and with MUCH less weight.

I was looking seriously at the 40 pancake which is tighter than I'd prefer but I though it might be worth getting used to but then I read SLRGear's write up on the lens and when it came to using it with the IDMKIII, they didn't give it a positive twist. I almost bought the 40 pancake last night until I read that.

No, I rarely go wider than 24mm anyway and shoot my 24-70 using this method, set around 28-30mm. I'm mostly interested in the lens because it's a good lens, good in that focal range and lighter weight.

There would be nothing wrong with using a 17-40. It's relatively small, light, and it gives you the wide angle and aperture you want.

I used to use the 17-40 on my 5D's for street and urban stuff, it's a well caperble lens, of late though I've gone to using the 24-105 with a b&w nd06 filter on the 5D2's, I just find it better using IS for handheld work, f4 to F8 walking about the 17-40 always gave very sharp images, I love that wide fella so it will be stored away and never sold, but it is a great street/travel lens, you would get some great results using it.

17-40 should do you proud.

If it is the lack of length which concerns you, some of the finest street shots I have ever seen were from an old chap who came to speak at a local club. He had specialised in street for over forty years and only ever used a 28mm lens on a 35mm film camera.

He reckoned getting up close and personal was a definite benefit in that he was able to interact with his subjects. Nothing of his work I saw refuted that view.

The 17-40 is a great lens, but as far as use is concerned it is my least used. I find with a FF 24 is wide enough for street stuff, but with a 1.3 crop it nearly puts you in that range anyway. I always say the 17-40 is one of the best IQ vs. $$ L lens out there. What other lens can you buy with a red ring that gives such great images for such a low price? Go for it, you'll love it and in the f/8 to f/11 range it is as sharp as a tack.

Hey, Jannie! Haven't seen you here for a while.
You should have no problem with 17_40 as long as it is not very dark and probably after, if you boost ISO and convert it to black and white. Technically - it is no problem, convenient lens for the street.
I used to use my 17_40 and 5Dc on the streets a lot.
It is very easy with 17_40. Set it to 24mm or 35mm, pre-focus at f8, set to AV and point and shot.
But after sometime, then I learned how to get to people very close for the shot, I realized they notice the DSLR and lens after some time or right away. Shooting from the hip is not solution always, then I need good looking candid.
Making long story short, here is the reason why Leica is used for street photography and where is reason why FujiFilm digital RF style cameras have huge success.
If you not using long lens for the street, the size and appearance of the camera starting to play more significant role.
On the street with close range, like 17_40 gives, the less camera looks like DSLR the better.

I am not into street photography but I have had a go with my 17-40 a few times. It's quite good on my 1D4 but it really comes into life on my 5Dc. On the 5Dc I tried it at 17mm, manually focused at about 10 yards (infinity) had the aperture at F8 and just walked around Cardiff bay taking shots without raising the camera to my eye. Nobody even knew I was using my camera so shots were natural, as I said I am not into this sort of thing but it gave me some fun images!

maybe "retro" is a better description . at one point the 17-40L was the walkaround to own.

http://www.pbase.com/m​aciekda/stungmeanchey2​005

I liked the 17-40mm for the brief time that I had it. I sold it simply because I don't shoot wide that often.

If you're going to preset the focus, manual focus lenses are easier to do that with since they'll have a much easier to use distance scale and generally better focus ring operation. Both the Voigtlander 20mm and 40mm are great for that. Of course the wider the better as f8 on a 20mm will include a much broader range in focus vs. f8 on a 40mm. If you'd be interested in buying a Voigtlander, shoot me a PM as I listed my 20mm on ebay tonight and am considering selling the 40mm as well. I'm trying to downsize my gear. I do like the 40mm simply because wide is just not my thing, but I don't think I use either lens enough.

I use my 16-35L II (on FF!) all the time for it...nothing wrong with the FL...though I'm not a fan of the 17-40L for other reasons.

Instead of just losing weight from the lens, why not lose it on the body as well?
The 6D 24-105L combo will probably serve you even better than the 1DIII- 17-40L combo. You gain IS, better range and you can go sky high with the ISO...
Just an alternative thought to consider...