On The Streets With Nikon Z7
First Published April 18,2019
It's been a minute since I've last hit the streets to flex my street photography muscle. Let me tell you right now, that muscle is feeling a bit like a noodle, but it's a half-decent start for the 2019 year.
I am back on the scene in Toronto with some new ideas and new gear. The last time I consistently went shooting on the streets was in Tokyo, and let me tell you that city thoroughly spoils you with how many images you can make. Much like New York City, everything is aesthetically pleasing. It's like someone enters a cheat code into your camera and every shot is a hitter. This year I am trying to get used to the 35mm focal length. I've they say that you either love it or hate, so we'll have to wait and see. For years I've been using 18mm (equivalent to 28mm). I like to get up close!
Using the Nikon Z7 for street photography feels a bit foreign coming from my Fuji X-T2. Although it's been a good 7 month since I've purchased this camera, it still feels like there is still a significant adjustment period ahead of me. Some of the immediate differences I noticed.
The Z7 Feels more like a studio camera. I was missing a few shots here and there. I felt the focus was a tad slower than what I previously had on the Fuji. With the camera on continuous focus, my hit rate was around 60% for my run and gun style.
I played around with the electronic viewfinder settings more than a dozen times, but I still couldn't see what I was doing, I was essentially shooting blind and reviewing my shots in an indoor location every 20minutes. Everything looked washed out through the EVF, and it was difficult to tell if getting the look I wanted.
Which leads me to the next BIG difference between the Nikon and Fuji systems, the colour profiles! Can I please have my Provia, Classic Chrome and Eterna back. I am a photographer who loves his colours. You'll need to spend more time in Lightroom to get some of these Nikon files the way you want them.
Just for a bit of detail with what a typical day shooting is like for me.
I wanted to get some of the intensity of the downtown rush hour, so I hit the streets around 3 PM and roughly spent 3-4 hours making photos. I took 133 pictures, only felt 8 were worth sharing (16.5% hit ratio), nothing portfolio worthy.
I didn't feel strongly about these photos because it was pretty much a free for all and I was spraying and praying. Next time I'll give myself more structure in terms of what I am looking for on the street, i.e. (shapes, colours, composition)
