Going Old School - Purposefully Working In Manual Focus Lenses

Nikon Df / Nikon 20mm f/3.5 AIS
1/320, f/8, ISO 800

I've done a lot of soul searching over the last 31 days.  Starting Oct 1, 2018 I purposefully disconnected myself from social media sites, forums and a bulk of the internet for 31 days.

I kept my business posts going by using schedulers and had all that I wanted to publish ready to go.

Over that 31 days, I've learned a lot about myself, where I want to go and who I want to be going into the future.

Let me start of by prefacing this with one thing.   I'm so sick and tired of the know it all pundits, click bait articles and YouTube videos.   I've not missed the online forum arguments where the trolls come out and pick fights or those that don't have a clue claim to be experts.

I'm one person with an opinion sometimes.   Opinions are good as they give you perspective into the way that others think.  Opinions about anything can be done respectfully or they can be represented in absolute douche-baggery.   Not going to lie, I've fallen into all those traps before - either victim to them or perpetrated them myself.

Those days are over, my friends!   After the last 31 days, I know that I am going to divest my life from the noise and find that awesome, low level under current of fellowship and knowledge.   I'm going to seek that out and offer it up.

Olympus EM5 Mark II / ZhongYi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/125, f/1.2, ISO 500

With that being said, the title may have you wondering.  No, I'm not going to tell you that working with manual focus lenses is the "only way to learn" or that "doing everything manually" is "true photography".   Too many judgments are associated with those kinds of thinking.   I'm going to share with you my journeys and experiences and allow you to glean from them what you will.

Also, along the way, we may not always agree.  I make this pledge that even if we disagree, that I will disagree respectfully.  We can have debates and disagreements - but we should never let anything that we disagree upon put us in a position that we cannot have a civil discourse about it.  This is, after all about photography.  It is about an art form that can be at times very scientific in how it is approached (objective) and at the very same time very subjective and up to the likes, dislikes or biases of the viewer.

Nikon Df / Nikon 105mm f/2.5 AIS
1/125, f/8, ISO 2000

Alrighty...soul bearing stuff out of the way, lets talk about manual focus lenses.   Yes, you've read it right - I purposefully decided to work one full day making images with only manual focus lenses and prime lenses at that as well.

I'll get into more of that detail later.  This article is also going to discuss manual focus photography in general.

Olympus PEN-F / Nikon 55mm f/3.5 Macro
1/320, f/4, ISO 200

Starting off, the WHY.

OK, why??   Why not!

Let's look at price.  I've had the good fortune of having 2 very well respected camera stores near me.  they have great selections in vintage SLR lenses.   Having Nikon f-mount cameras and adapters for our Micro Four Thirds cameras, I can take advantage of some great values.

My most expensive purchase on a manual focus lens so far has been $270 on a Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS lens.   My least expensive lens has been $30 for the Nikon 55mm f/3.5 macro lens.

Olympus PEN-F / Mitakon Creator 85mm f/2
1/500, f/4, ISO 200

Even for pixel peepers, the Nikon 180mm and 55mm macro are superbly sharp and worth the money even looking at them against modern lens designs.  If you are shooting macro or portrait, you can often get great images without the need of auto focus.

Now, let's get into desire.  Why would I want to work in this way.  Honestly, for me it is another way of approaching photography.   We already have so much automation, of which I am very thankful for, that sometimes I find the whole process very sterile.  Camera picks the exposure, you place the AF point over the subject and click the shutter.  Lather, rinse, repeat.   Did that sound like I was complaining?   On the contrary!!   Again, perspective.  If I am working a shoot for a client, I may only have a certain amount of time to work and the automation helps keep things moving along.   It makes getting the images that make me money easier to get.

Olympus PEN-F / Nikon 55mm f/3.5 Macro
1/400, f/5.6, ISO 200

Thinking different sparks imagination.  It makes you solve problems in other ways beside what you are normal.  All these things cause you to grow as a person and a photographer.  Growth is life, stagnation - death.

Image quality and rendering are another aspect we can look into.   I find that there is just something about the rendering of images from these lenses.  Could be the older coatings on the glass elements or the lack of coatings that make a difference.   Optical design is another consideration we do not want to leave out of the equation.   Some lenses just have a certain look to them, and if you find them appealing it is usually much easier to get what you want at the time of capture than trying to reproduce it in Lightroom or your post processing programs of choice.

Olympus PEN-F / Mitakon Creator 85mm f/2
1/500, f/4, ISO 200

If adapting these lenses to Micro Four Thirds systems, you also get the benefit of being able to use the in body image stabilization!

Now, let's get into the HOW.

Working in manual focus makes you think differently, we've established that previously.   No longer are you always placing the AF point on a subject, letting the camera track it and pressing the shutter with 99% success rates.

You need to pre-plan how you are going to capture the focus. Sometimes you can capture right on the subject, if they are not moving too fast for you to keep up.  Other times, you'll want to try and find a place in the area you want to capture the subject, pre-focus there and when they come into that area or zone, you actuate the shutter.  What also helps in this is using a sufficiently deep depth of field, so that there is a good size area for the subject.  Razor thin depth of field makes this technique a challenge.

Olympus PEN-F / Nikon 55mm f/3.5 Macro
1/100, f/3.5, ISO 1000

Manual focus assist systems are also another thing to consider.    Back when the norm was manual focus, camera makers would make the focusing screens/ground glass in such a way that helped you know when something was in focus.   With the advent of auto focus and it being the dominant method of focusing, less expense and time is placed on these focusing screens in SLR/DSLR cameras.

What you do have is auto focus confirmation systems that assist you.  Like on the Nikon DSLRs, there is a yellow dot in the viewfinder display that tells you when it thinks the image is in focus based on where the current focus square is located in the viewfinder.   If you have a higher end camera, you also get some assist arrows that let you know which way you should be turning the focus ring to get to proper focus.

Olympus PEN-F / ZhongYi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/8000, f/0.95, ISO 200

Using these lenses on adapted cameras, like Fujifilm, Sony or Micro Four Thirds, you get even more options.  You can surely try and eye ball the focus on the EVF.  However, knowing that the mirrorless cameras would be popular choices for adapting older manual focus lenses, there are other options.  The most popular are focus peaking and punch in zoom.

Focus peaking allows you to pick a color and when that color outlines items on your EVF, those are the sections that will be in focus.

Punch in zoom gives you the ability to select a section of the scene and zoom in, allowing you to see exactly what is in focus.  Some cameras have more than those and others allow multiple varieties at the same time.  For example Micro Four Thirds cameras allow for focus peaking and zoom in punch together.

Olympus PEN-F / ZhongYi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/6400, f/1.2, ISO 200

Finals Thoughts.

Not only do you get to try out many different kinds of legacy lenses and see what they are capable of...you also get to try something different.  There is something very satisfying to me about being able to use a lens made in Japan by Nikon from 1977 and dazzle people with the image.  Unbeknownst to them that the lens used may be older than they are!!

Personally, I like the workflow.    For me, photography is about the image...surely....but I often tell people that the journey we take is often just as, if not more so, important than the destination.  I enjoy the entire photographic process.  From selecting lenses, checking the cameras exposure and making subtle tweaks to editing selections and post processing.

Manual focus cameras and lenses are just another way to go about something.  Doesn't make it right or wrong.  It is just different.

Olympus PEN-F / ZhongYi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/800, f/4, ISO 200

Olympus PEN-F / Zhongyi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/2000, f/1.4, ISO 200

Olympus PEN-F / Zhongyi Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95
1/100, f/1.2, ISO 640

Olympus PEN-F / Laowa 7.5mm f/2
1/100, f/2, ISO 5000

Olympus PEN-F / Laowa 7.5mm f/2
1/1250, f/4, ISO 200

Olympus EM5 Mark II / Laowa 7.5mm f/2
1/200, f/4, ISO 200

Olympus PEN-F / Laowa 7.5mm f/2
1/100, f/4, ISO 1000

Olympus PEN-F / Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS
1/400, f/4, ISO 200

Nikon Df / Nikon 20mm f/3.5 AIS
1/500, f/5.6, ISO 100

Nikon Df / Nikon 20mm f/3.5 AIS
1/60, f/8, ISO 5000

Nikon Df / Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS
1/250, f/4, ISO 160

Nikon Df / Nikon 135mm f/3.5
1/500, f/3.5, ISO 100

Nikon Df / Nikon 200mm f/4 QC
1/500, f/8, ISO 4500

Nikon Df / Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS
1/800, f/4, ISO 100

"Rules" To Shooting?

Rules in photography are nice, I guess.  They can help rein things in and keep them on target.  Given boundaries, you often get a relatively structured, predictable result.

Nothing wrong with that.  If you are doing work for people, they are often wanting something they know, have seen before or is predictable.  There are those that love to define things, and definitions are good for when you are trying to describe or explain a concept to someone.  We as humans love things in orderly fashion and like to know that things fit in somewhere.

I'd like to concentrate on what most people classify as "street" photography.  Can we really classify what the definition of street photography might be?

While this can make things quite easy as a conversation piece, they sometimes can give people the impression that only those things that fit into those strict definitions are "street".  What makes this even more of a complex issue is that no one can agree on what the definition of street photography might be.  Not only can we not agree on what the definition of street photography should be, there are those out there that try and use different terms for the same damn thing!  Rebranding and rebadging things for the blog clicks or trying to redefine something old as something new to get more followers.

I've seen that done many times in my IT career, where system development life cycle (SDLC) processes and internal process get renamed by consulting companies.  They sell the same thing with a different name and get big money for it.

My thoughts are this.  It is an age old practice for people to find photographers and their work that they like and try to emulate it.  They do their best to understand how to replicate a style.  This is good, it is a learning experience.  We should, though, once you have gotten sufficient skill in the one you are emulating, turn to finding ways of enhancing/improving on what you have learned.  It is the never ending journey of finding your own unique style.

Along with the emulation period, there are also all those rules out there that like composition rules, exposure rules.  If you've read one of my previous posts that deals with ways of improving your photography - I don't like "rules", I much prefer "guidelines".  Use the guidelines to help you, but they are not something that cannot be broken when the subject suits.  Just so you don't think that I'm being a hypocrite, I'm not saying we should rename rules to guidelines.  I'm saying to take the defined "rules" and use them as guidelines.  Throw them out when they do not work for what you are doing.  Don't confine yourself to that arbitrary box.

I say to hell with all those people that tell you that the best lens to shoot street photography are either a 35mm or 50mm lens/field of view.  Why, because HCB did it that way?  Who gives a hoot what they shot with, especially if that focal length doesn't suit your aesthetic or your vision for the final image you see.
There is no best camera, only the one that works for you.   There is no best lens, only the one that works for you.  Some people will be all about telling you that the best street camera is the smallest one that no one knows you are using, others will tell you that a DSLR is the best, or a Leica.  I think you get the point.  What one person considers a favorite, someone else might find it unusable.

I hear photographers all the time complaining that they are tired of seeing the same old shots in B&W and it's too contrasty...yet these are the same people that put these "rules" on what street photography should be.  Talk about sending out mixed signals!

If you want street photography, or any genre for that matter to expand to more/different/better than its current state, the rules or barriers must be expanded/broken down.

At the end of the day, you just need to make sure that you are shooting to the end game of what you are wanting.  Sometimes the gamble pays off, sometimes it doesn't....but you have to decide if you want to be an innovator or just someone who takes pictures.  Either way, have fun doing what you love.  Not everyone has to be an innovator, while others can't stand to be just another person in the crowd.

Primes vs Zooms and Why I Use Both

As with most things on the internet, there is a cyclical buzz that runs round and round about prime lenses vs zoom lenses.   Everyone seems to want to discuss which one is better.  If you know me at all you know that I do not subscribe to which one is better overall, but to which one is the best tool for the current job at hand.

I do realize that not everyone has the luxury of being able to own full compliments of both types of lenses.  You may need to make a choice between the 2 or have a combination of both types.

Let’s look at the characteristics of each lens and why you may find one type an advantage over the other. These are not meant to be all inclusive or an end all be all. The examples are used to make a point and not be comprehensive.

Primes

Speed

With few exceptions, primes have the benefit of having fast apertures.  The potential benefit to you is that you have a larger degree of subject isolation from the background as well as the ability to get faster shutter speeds or use lower ISO values.  This is good news if you are shooting in poor light and need to keep your shutter speeds high for hand holding or capturing fast moving action.  These apertures commonly run between f/0.85 and f/2.8.

Handheld, no image stabilization
ISO 800, 1/50, f/2

Image Quality
Historically, primes have had an image quality advantage.  This is because they tend to be less complex to build.  Also, compromises don’t need to be made for the glass elements to cover a range of focal lengths - they just need to be good at one focal length.

sharp, clean for portraits and shallow depth of field
ISO 200, 1/125, f/2.8

Physical Size

Without the complexity of zoom rings and additional glass elements to cover multiple focal lengths, the size of the lenses can be downright small.  All this is really dependent on the max aperture size and the size of the sensor that needs to be covered.  Even with that, primes still have the potential to be small and light.

Convenience

The big negative to primes, in my opinion - and it is not THAT big, is the fact that if you need another focal lengths, you need to change lenses.  This can provides a bigger risk of introducing dirt on the sensor and the possibility of a missed shot while changing lenses.

It can also be a struggle for those not used to using them to remember to “zoom with their feet” and not rely on the zoom ring of a zoom lens.

Price

Prices can range from bargain basement sub $100 to $10,000 for some prime lenses, depending on focal length and maker.  The more common focal lengths tend to be less expensive, while the more exotic or specialized focal lengths go to the expensive side.  The big thing to remember here is that since the prime lenses can be less expensive and very sharp, which you don’t always find in a bargain prices zoom lens.

Zooms

Speed

The majority of fast zoom lenses run with a fixed aperture in the f/2.8 range.  There are some that have variable apertures like f/2.8-4.  There are some zoom lenses that have faster aperture ranges, but those are not common.  For most people’s shooting needs, they could comfortably use an f/2.8 lens and get the exposure and isolation that they need.  The only times that a faster aperture would be more beneficial is extreme low light and when you need a faster shutter speed to freeze action and f/2.8 isn’t going to cut it with an acceptable ISO value.

Image Quality

Long gone are the days when primes were far superior to zoom lenses.  Technology and experience have shown that many professionals have entrusted their businesses to zoom lenses.  Unless you are looking at 100% crops, pixel peeping you are not really going to see a difference.

Image quality also tends to suffer somewhat on zooms teh wider range of focal lengths it has - again, more compromises to cover the various focal ranges can cause compromised IQ.  It can come in the form of overall sharpness, edge sharpness pincushion or barrel distortion.

Physical Size

Zooms can tend to be quite bigger, and depending on their construction, may increase in length as they are zoomed out to longer focal lengths.  The front element needs to be big enough to cover the widest and longest lengths - and the faster the aperture, the bigger the glass needs to be.
This image below shows the difference in lenses. The one to the left is a variable aperture f/4-5.6 and the one to the right is a constant f/2.8.

©CameraSize.com

Convenience

Here is the real benefit of a zoom.  Have a 24-70mm and need 24mm, you got it.  Need to get to 50mm, just twist the zoom ring and you are there.  Have to shoot in dusty or wet conditions?  Danger to dirt or water getting to the sensor is greatly reduced because you don’t need to swap out lenses.

The convenience of the zoom takes us from the image immediately below and then to the second one after that with the twist of the wrist. Could have missed shot 2 if I had to swap from a wide to telephoto prime.

ISO 200, 1/200, F/2.8 @ 86mm

ISO 200, 1/320, f/2.8 @ 200mm

Price

Just like primes, the prices can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars for all the same reasons.

©CameraSize.com
From Left To Right
12mm f/1.8, 45mm f/1.8, 12-40mm f/2.8

©CameraSize.com
2 primes and a pancake zoom(not extended)

My Bottom Line

Repeating my statement from the beginning of the article, use the right tool for the job.  Sometimes zooms are best, other times primes are….or perhaps there is a need for both.  The more experience you have shooting, cultivating a style and determining what you like to shoot and how you like to shoot it will help you get the to the right decision of which choice in lens is right for you.

I use both primes and zooms because I shoot a wide variety of subjects and need the versatility of both types of lenses.  It is really that plain and simple.  Nothing fancy or philosophical about the whole thing.

No magic bullet, review from another person should make the decision for you.  Reviews are helpful in giving you information about the things you might care about like focus speed, focus ring throw, and image rendering before a purchase is made.  The rest is up to your personal requirements.

Refreshed Post - Do I Really Need A New Camera?

This post was originally published almost 5 years ago.   Thought, it is relevant again today and could do with an update.

I get asked a lot about what camera bodies to buy or someone is wanting to upgrade their current camera or lenses and wants to know what model they should upgrade into. A lot of times this is unnecessary and people get caught up in the new model acquisition syndrome.

The following are a few things to think about before spending money on that new camera body/lens as the money might be spent better elsewhere or perhaps SAVED!

• Have I outgrown my current camera?
  This is the first thing that you should consider. What limitations does the current gear have? What is it not allowing me to do or how is it holding me back?
  
  First, do not get caught up in having the newest and best. I still shoot using a Nikon D300. Yes, it does have some limitations for my professional work(I'll get into those in a bit), but I have used this camera for so long I know what it is capable of and not.
  You must think, “What am I primarily going to shoot?” and “What is my budget?”
  This comes down to NEED versus WANT. We would all want the very best camera, but that must be tempered with the very best camera WE CAN AFFORD. We'd all love to have an exotic sports car, but that is not always the best choice monetarily, situationally.
  If you have kids, then what is required from your camera is not the same as one might need for doing landscapes and macro photography. There may even be some attributes of a lesser camera or lens that can not be found in a higher end model(such as a higher speed x-sync of the off camera flash – my old D50 has a max speed of 1/500, while my D300 has only 1/250).
  
  So, think hard, how is your camera body limiting you? Not good enough low light performance, not enough frames per second in burst mode? Slow focusing? Need an in camera focus motor(for you Nikonians out there)?  Are you looking to go smaller and lighter, a mirrorless camera may be a good fit for you.

• New body versus new lenses
  One of the major concerns is that a person needs better low light performance. This can be achieved in many different ways:
• Faster glass – get a prime or zoom lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or faster. While this will give you a lot more light coming into the sensor, it also gives you more creative freedom as well. Do you love those images where the subject is in focus, but the background is blurred? Larger apertures are in your future. The good thing is, this option can be as expensive or cheap as you are willing to pay. The big two(Nikon and Canon) offer 50mm f/1.8 primes for ~$100, and other options in the wide to medium prime range for ~$400 and under. Mirroless cameras from Olympus/Panasonic/Fuji also have great value/performance primes out there.  Getting into zooms will cost you a little more, but don't be afraid to explore the used market. If you find a quality seller, you can get a steal on a used lens for sometimes 30%-70% off the new price.
  
• Better ISO performance through post processing.
  Shooting at higher ISO causes digital noise to be introduced into the images you take. This is most prevalent with today's movern sensors at around ISO 3200 and above. However, all is not lost as there are a lot of noise reduction plug ins for Photoshop products(their full CS product as well as Elements). Even Lightroom can do a decent job at reducing noise.  These products have an almost magical behind-the-scenes algorithm that can help to reduce the sensor noise. I've been using Topaz Denoise for quite some time and absolutely love it. You can read about it here: http://www.topazlabs.com
  The cost of this plugin is under $100.
  
• STROBES! FLASHES! And LIGHTS! Oh my!!
  A lot of people are afraid of flash – because they don't understand it, which is human nature. However, there are a lot of great benefits to flash. I won't get into all that here, but you can learn more than most at just the following sites:
  http://www.strobist.com
  http://www.planetneil.com
  http://ww.joemcnally.com/blog
  
  Flash adds extra light to your scene and can also give you the added benefit of freezing motion! Generally, shooting the flash directly from the how shoe or camera at a subject does not give you a flattering light. The above links will explain that and how to get around all that.
  This option is getting into a lot more money, but the possibilities you'll have in image making have just ramped up. If you learn to use even a basic, off camera manual flash kit – the potential for your image quality to improve increases exponentially.
  
  Even spending ~$200 on a basic TTL hot shoe flash can make a huge difference.
  Going the off camera route can make a huge difference as well. To get started, check outhttp://www.mpex.com and go to their “Strobist” section. They have complete 1 and 2 light kits from ~$200 - $500.
  
• New body
  Ok, so none of the other options above interest you and you are feinding over a new camera. What to chose? Is the image quality hike on a more expensive camera worth it or will a newer entry level body be just as good? The best thing to do now is RESEARCH. Get out on Google, Yahoo!, Bing or whatever search engine you prefer and do comparisons of your camera versus what you want to upgrade.
  
  There is a lot of option out there between the 135 size sensors, APS-C and m43.  DSLR, mirrorless ILC and fixed lens ILC.
  
• Marketing Hype
  Try your best to steer away from the marketing hype about sensor sizes, megapixels, etc.  Make a list of the options you really need to have.  I've used just about every camera system out there and they are all very capable - so long as you do your part to make the most of the equipment and learn how to use it to it's maximum potential.

Things Change - There Are No Absolutes

A while back,  I wrote a about how we were going back to an all Nikon shop for work we shoot with our business.

As much as I like the Nikon gear,  how it performs and the quality it provides,  I did not take into account one small thing.   One's ability to actually use it.

Early November 2014, I had surgery to repair an injury to my arm.   After discussing the situation of work with my surgeon,  it would be quite a while before I would be able to use my right arm to hold a camera of the size and weight of the Nikon.

In theater,  the show must go on. .. and in business,  the clients that booked jobs with you don't just go away.

I needed to find a suitable kit to handle the workload I had before me, while still being able to do my photo shoots.

After much research,  the Olympus OMD serious cameras were employed to handle the work in place of the Nikon kit. The main reasons?   Image quality,  weight, handling and touch screen were at the top of the list. I mainly needed to support the gear with my left arm,  and then could use the touch screen to actuate the shutter with my right hand.

Since those early shoots,  I've found more and more reasons to use the Olympus gear. Will it completely replace my Nikon?   No,  as I find that they complement each other well and have very specific uses.

It was a bit short sighted of me to proclaim that I would shoot Nikon and Nikon only.   I forgot the true meaning of using the best tool for the job. That is not always one set of tools,  but could be more than one. There are many saws out there to cut wood and metal,  but as convenient as a circular saw might be,  it is not always the right saw.

So bottom line is this...I have to officially retract my statement of being a Nikon only shop and just go back to being a photo studio.   I have to remember that at the end of the day,  my clients don't care what gear I use,  so long as the images they receive are of the high quality they hired me for.

My Approach To Street Photography

Street photography is one of those genres that is highly debated.  Some want to put it up on a high pedestal and proclaim it restricted to a highly curated set of parameters, while others want it to be anything that is taken out in the streets.

Nikon D700, 1/125, f/7.1, ISO 320 @ 28mm

I, for one, am not a big fan of strict labels for this kind of thing.  For me, street photography is about capturing the essence of a place or location that tells a story and gets you to feel what it is like, or what the people there are like.

These are fleeting moments that could change in a matter of minutes or over years.

I'd like to share some of my thoughts about my approach to street photography.  We'll cover the other photographers that influence my perceptions, how I go about shooting subjects and we'll talk about how I shoot from gear to camera settings.

Nikon D700, 1/800, f/4.5, ISO 500 @ 28mm

Major Influences
I take a lot of influences for shooting from various photographers.   This list encompass the top three, but by no means are the only ones.

 One of my all time favorite photographers is Jay Maisel.  He is a commercial and street photographer based out of NYC.  I agree with a lot of his philosophies regarding shooting.   KelbyOne has a three video series that are actual walk along shooting sessions with Jay, 2 in NYC and one in the streets of Paris.  Well worth at least a monthly subscription.

Nikon Df, 1/500, f/4, ISO 100 @ 50mm

Fan Ho is a street photographer that shows a lot of work from Hong Kong.  The work I appreciate the most from him is his 1970's/1980's images.  His work shows what is possible if you learn the area you are shooting in and have patience to allow a scene to develop.  It is not all about run and gun.  Sometimes you have to wait for the scene to work itself out.  Just do a web search and there is a lot of his work out there for you to discover.

Nikon Df, 1/500, f/4, ISO 100 @ 50mm

Of course, if you said who is the most famous street photographer the majority of people are going to say Henri Cartier-Bresson.  I do in fact like his images and from his work, I appreciate the inclusion of environmental components long with the expressions of the people he captured.

Nikon D700, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 800 @ 260mm

Shooting Philosophy
What draws me to street photography is the "realness" of it.  By that, I mean that I like to capture the majority of my street photography images without the subject caring that I am there.   That is not the same as being covert about it.   I don't sneak or skulk about trying to get images of people or situations without them knowing about it.

Olympus EM5, 1/50, f/1.8, ISO 2000 @ 17mm

I always have my camera out in plain site on my Black Rapid strap.   I want everyone to know that I am out there taking pictures.  I feel this puts people at ease.  They are also more apt to tell you up front if they don't want to be photographed and you'll avoid some angry people later on down the road.  While we are on the subject of angry people, there is an old saying, "go out to make pictures, not friends".  While this might seem confrontational, it really is not.  What it means is go out and make pictures, do what you set out to do.  It's OK if you make friends along the way, but that should not be the goal.

Olympus EM5, 1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 200 @ 19mm

99% of the time, if people see you taking their picture, they are going to be indifferent about it.  There are those 1% that might be curious about what you are doing or are not happy about it.  There are very few situations where your personal safety or the safety of the group you are in is worth a confrontation.  If deleting the image, buying someone a beer or backing off will defuse the situation, it is best to do so.

As with most things in life, you want to be out shooting street photography with confidence.  Go out there and shoot like you have a purpose and a mission.  If it looks like you are there for a reason, most people will not question what you are doing.  If you show a hesitance or try and sneak pictures then people might get the perception that you are up to no good.  Don't give them a reason to doubt you or think that you have a nefarious agenda.

Fuji X-E1, 1/50, f/4, ISO 1600 @ 35mm

Subject matter is something very personal and different for a lot of people.  I like and practice a philosophy I heard articulated by Jay Maisel, which is "go out open and empty".  This means going out not necessarily with a subject or objective in mind.  Instead, I go out with a vision to find something that interests me and maybe I have not seen before I captured before.
I think that this type of philosophy also drives my gear requirements.   A lot of time, the shot I want coalesces in front of you and you have but seconds from the time you realize what is about to happen till the time to capture the image.

I don't stage shots either, I capture whatever happens.    Don't get me wrong, I'm not against setting up a shot - it is just not what I prefer to do.  I have been known to request portraits if I think a person is interesting and want to approach them.  Again, as above, ask politely and be honest about what you are wanting to do.  Most people would be happy to oblige you in your request, other times they will say no.  Remember to respect the person and their space.  You never know, you could run into that person in the future and they could grant you a portrait of them at that time.

Gear
Just about any camera can be used for street photography - but the caveat to that is this - it depends on how you shoot.
I'm going to speak only to how I shoot street and the capabilities that I require for me.  This is my personal preference and how I have the most success and pleasure.

Fuji X-E1, 1/50, f/2, ISO 800 @ 35mm

The most important factors for me in a street camera is fast operation and auto focus capability.
When talking about fast operation, I mean that the camera can be turned on or awoke from sleep mode and be ready to shoot by the time the camera gets from its resting position on the sling strap to my eye.  One of the things that turned me away from the Fuji X series of cameras was the amount of time it would take and reliability of turning on and waking from sleep those cameras.  I had an X-E1 and there was a lot to love about that camera.  Operation speed left me wanting and I lost quite a few opportunities for great shots because the camera took too long to either turn on or wake from sleep.

One question you might be thinking, why not leave the camera on all the time?  Short answer, battery life.  With the early Fuji X cameras, battery life as not stellar, so I thought that turning off during a shooting lull would help.  Not really.  Allowing the camera to go to sleep was almost worse sometimes as I often had situations where the camera would not wake on half press or would take up to 2 to 3 seconds at times to show an image in the viewfinder.

Olympus EM5, 1/100, f/5, ISO 2000 @ 100mm

Auto focus speed and accuracy is also another top requirement.  I am not one to zone focus and will only prefocus when I have to, and sometimes prefocusing is not an option.  This is another area where the Fuji X failed me on several occasions.  I had issues with the focus speed and at times the hunting from the CDAF system would not lock on fast enough.
I will say, though that the Fuji X cameras are improving every iteration and the X-E2, X-T1 cameras are leaps and bounds better than the X-E1.

I'm even experimenting with some zone focusing techniques with a Fuji X100.  You never know - I may be a convert some day.  :D

Nikon Df, 1/1600, f/4, ISO 400 @ 90mm

Right now, my weapons of choice for street shooting are 2 sets of kit.

The first being the Nikon Df with a set of three primes - Nikon 24/2.8, 50/1.8D, and a Tamron 90/2.8.
The Nikon Df is an extremely misunderstood camera and I invite anyone to really dig into getting to know it.  There is a lot there and a whole lot more to love than to hate once you give it a chance.  The Nikon Df is the smallest FX camera that Nikon makes.  Partnered with some good primes and you have yourself a really great street shooting rig.  The AF performance is great and you have a lot of control of DOF with the FX size sensor.  Not to mention that you have the dynamic range and picture controls of the flagship Nikon D4 on the inside and you can see the appeal.  Being a DSLR, the camera wakes from sleep or from powered off almost instantly.

Olympus EM5, 1/500, f/5.7, ISO 200 @ 156mm

The second kit was actually a surprise to me.  I went in to the camera store one day to look to possibly pick up a Fuji X-T1 or an X100s, but ended up walking out with an Olympus OMD EM5.   I, like a lot of people, was running on old information from the very first micro four thirds cameras.  Yes, the sensor is smaller and you have all the differences in the shooting experience that come with it.   However, Olympus has done something special with the OMD series.  The wake from sleep and power on times are greatly improved over what I saw from Fuji and my past experiences with the X-E1.  The AF performance is phenomenal as well, at least for the single servo AF.   It is as fast if not faster than some of the DSLRs out there.  I experience minimal hunting.  I partner this camera body with a killer set of fast prime lenses an you have a very capable kit.  My favorites are the Olympus 17/1.8 and 45/1.8

Settings
Settings are probably more of interest to people than my gear selection.  Let's talk about what settings I use and in which situations.  These discussions will not be specific to the gear I've listed above.  They are more to the situation you would be shooting in.

Focus mode is AF-S.  Single point, lock it in, get the shot.  Every now and again, I might throw it into continuous AF, but that is very rare.

Nikon D50, 1/80, f/5.6, ISO 200 @ 60mm

WB is set to auto, unless I know I am going into a situation where the color cast is something I know will be extreme, then I will set it manually.

RAW or JPG?  Majority of the time, I'm shooting JPG.  The JPG engines in modern cameras are actually pretty great, considering.  I will shift over to RAW if there is a scene that I know I will need to do some extensive post processing on.

Olympus EM5, 1/80, f/2.2, ISO 800

In normal, everyday "good" lighting I'm shooting in aperture priority mode.  I do this because I want to have control over the depth of field of the shot.  I then let the camera do the rest of the heavy lifting.  In order to do this, you'll need to be in sync with your cameras metering system and know how it will see a scene.  You might need to use exposure compensation or switch to manual if you run into a situation like extreme back lighting or the scenes dynamic range is more than your camera is capable of handling.
For ISO, I'm shooting in auto ISO, keeping the base as slow as possible (low being ISO 50 to 200, depending on your camera).  I keep the minimum shutter speed around 1/60 and the maximum ISO between 3200 and 6400 (again depending on gear).

Shooting during the day is a pretty standard affair, if you think about it, exposure wise, it is going to be a pretty decent light to run in.  The good thing about the auto ISO in this situation is going to be those times when you might step inside or need to shoot in the shadows, it can compensate for you without you needing to sacrifice your aperture setting.

Olympus EM5, 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 100

Where things can get interesting is when we are wanting to shoot either dusk/dawn times or at night.   Most metro areas are decently lit considering, but the light sources can trick even the best of metering systems sometimes.  You also have the fact that the metering systems want to go for an 18% gray as the normal exposure - this can make the scene more exposed than you probably want.

The best way, I have found for me, to control all of this is to shoot in manual.   I shoot with as wide an aperture as I possibly can and still have a sufficiently large DOF, keep the shutter speed fast enough that I can still hand hold the shot for a sharp image and a clean enough ISO for a pleasing exposure.   A lot of these exposures average out to be something along the lines of f/4, ISO 1600 and 1/60 shutter speed.

Olympus EM5, 1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 200 @ 150mm

For the setup, you can either put the camera in aperture priority mode and take some test shots, riding the exposure compensation until you see what you like - then set manual accordingly.  When doing this test, try and find a scene that looks like a typical one that yo will be shooting.  This will give you a good ballpark to run from.
If you have been shooting for a while, you might be able to get to where you need to be from manual from a few test shots.  However you do it is completely up to you and no way is wrong, just different.

Nikon D700, 1/250, f/4.5, ISO 400 @ 85mm

If you find that you need to shoot at slower shutter speeds (lets say less than 1/60), and don't want to bring a tripod along you have options.  Some cameras/lenses have image stabilization.  Don't be afraid to use it.  Just remember that image stabilizers help reduce camera shake from you holding the camera and it has no affect on freezing action.  Shutter speed will control that.
Another technique is to use poles or street signs to stabilize yourself.

I hope that you found this post helpful.  While I don't expect anyone to adopt what I do in total, there may be times when some of these techniques I use might come in handy or help someone get a step into doing street photography for themselves.