Is an f3.5 aperture big enough? For street photography, I say it’s plenty! I often crank my Leica M8’s ISO to 1250, which gives a cool, film-like grain. Sometimes I shoot at f3.5, sometimes even smaller. On bright daytime streets, f3.5 handles any light just fine.
What’s that? Background blur? Okay, the Leica Elmar 50mm isn’t exactly a bokeh champ at f3.5, but hold up—can you say it lacks depth? That lens has a killer sense of space, something even f2 or f1.2 lenses from other brands can’t always nail for that street vibe. Maybe the Elmar was born for the streets!