9 Best Lenses for Street Photography in 2023

This is a guide covering the best lenses for street photography.

Street photography has become popular over the last decades. From fixed lens rangefinders to DSLRs, street photography has produced raw photos of people in places doing their usual mundane routines.

Street photography brings in an element of storytelling that can only be captured using the right camera and lens.

So what is a good lens for street photography?

Different photographers have different preferences when it comes to the camera that they are using.

This is why we’ve come up with 9 of the best lenses for street photography from Sony, Nikon, and Canon.

In a hurry? Here’s the quick rundown:

• 📷 Best Canon Lenses for Street Photography
  • Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L
  • Canon EF 50mm f/1.4

• 📷 Best Sony Lenses for Street Photography
  • Sony – FE 50mm F1.8
  • Sony Distagon 35mm f/1.4

• 📷 Best Nikon Lenses for Street Photography
  • Nikon 35mm f/1.8G
  • Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G

How to Choose the Best Lens for Street Photography?

Wide angle: Street photography often involves capturing a scene in its entirety, so a wide angle lens can be very useful. A lens with a focal length of 24mm or 35mm is a good choice for this type of photography.

Aperture: A lens with a wide maximum aperture (such as f/1.4 or f/1.8) will allow you to shoot in low light conditions and create shallow depth of field, which can be desirable for street photography.

Lightweight and compact: Street photography often involves a lot of walking, so it’s important to choose a lens that is lightweight and easy to carry around.

Flexibility: While a prime lens is a good option, a zoom lens with a moderate range is also a good choice for its flexibility.

Brand and model: Consider the brand and model of the camera that you will be using, because the lens mount should be compatible with your camera.

9 Best Lenses for Street Photography

1. Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L

Lens Specifications:

• Lens type: Prime lens
• Max Format: size 35mm FF
• Focal length: 35 mm
• Image stabilization: No
• Lens mount: Canon EF
• Maximum aperture: F1.4
• Minimum aperture: F22
• Weight: 580 g (1.28 lb)
• Diameter: 79 mm (3.11″)
• Length: 86 mm (3.39″)
• Sealing: No

The best Canon lens for street photography is the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L.

If you feel that you want a wider aperture for your 35mm lens, might as well go for the Canon EF 35mm F1.4L II USM Lens.

With well-constructed optics that can give you sharp photos and lively colors, this has become a favorite by those who love street photography.

It is one of the best lenses for street photography given its versatility. You get to enjoy a beautiful bokeh as you get to focus on a subject’s face.

However, unlike the 50mm portrait lenses that are solely focused on a person’s face, you can still compose with a background.

It made use of Subwavelength Coating that can help to significantly reduce lens ghosting and flare.

This also has a stepping motor that is known for its fast and quiet performance. Using it in broad daylight or even at night isn’t a problem.

Though it has a large aperture, there are some things that can still be improved by Canon.

What you might not like about this lens is its vignetting and not to mention you need steady hands because it has no stabilization feature.

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2. Sony – FE 50mm F1.8

Lens Specifications:

• Lens type: Prime lens
• Max Format: size 35mm FF
• Focal length: 50 mm
• Image stabilization: No
• Lens mount: Sony FE
• Maximum aperture: F1.8
• Minimum aperture: F22
• Weight: 186 g (0.41 lb)
• Diameter: 69 mm (2.72″)
• Length: 60 mm (2.36″)
• Sealing: No

The best Sony lens for street photography is the Sony – FE 50mm F1.8.

There is no denying that you can’t have a list of the best lenses for street photography without including a standard 50mm prime lens.

We’ve decided to have the Sony FE 50mm F1.8 Standard Lens simply because it is a highly versatile option. It is the right lens for those who love to shoot portraits on the street.

And on top of that, 50mm also doesn’t fail when it comes to shooting cityscapes. The Sony FE 50mm Standard Lens is designed for those who don’t have the budget to spend to invest a lot into a lens.

For not much money, you get something reliable for many situations. It is also compact plus it has a double-gauss configuration that is known to minimize field curvature and distortion.

So what’s not to like about the Sony FE 50mm Standard Lens? Though it is definitely one of the best lenses for street photography, autofocus isn’t its best ability.

It made use of a DC motor which is known for a lot of pulsing before it gets to focus on the right subject.

But other than that, it’s a good option for everyone who loves to do street photography.

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3. Nikon 35mm f/1.8G

Lens Specifications:

• Lens type: Prime lens
• Max Format size: APS-C / DX
• Focal length: 35 mm
• Image stabilization: No
• Lens mount: Nikon F (DX)
• Maximum aperture: F1.8
• Minimum aperture: F22
• Weight: 210 g (0.46 lb)
• Diameter: 70 mm (2.76″)
• Length: 53 mm (2.07″)

The best Nikon lens for street photography is the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G.

If you think that a small budget won’t get you a good lens, think again. The Nikon 35mm f1.8 AF-S DX Lens is the perfect example of the best lenses for street photography that don’t have to cost an arm and leg.

Wide aperture gives you the ability to create beautiful bokeh on your shots.

And since it is a wide-angle lens, you get to compose the portraits better and even opt to include the background even more.

It is a good street photography lens simply because it offers a wide aperture and a wider perspective than your average 50mm lens.

And to top it off, you don’t need to spend a lot of money.

It has been designed to minimize lens aberration and improve the overall quality of its shots.

What’s not to like with this lens?

It has no image stabilization feature which might affect the shots of those who tend to not have steady hands.

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4. Canon EF 35mm f/2

Lens Specifications:

• Lens type: Prime lens
• Max Format size: 35mm FF
• Focal length: 35 mm
• Image stabilization: Yes (4 stops)
• Lens mount: Canon EF
• Maximum aperture: F2
• Minimum aperture: F22
• Weight: 335 g (0.74 lb)
• Diameter: 78 mm (3.07″)
• Length: 63 mm (2.48″)
• Sealing: No

If you ask pros about their preferred street photography best lenses, they’d most likely describe something close to the Canon EF 35mm f2 USM wide-angle lens.

Though it doesn’t have an aperture as wide as a F1.4 or even an F1.8 version in the market, this can get the job done in most situations for many reasons.

For one, many are doing street photography in broad daylight and you can survive even at just f/5.6.Next, the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM wide-angle lens provides a quiet stepping motor that can focus on your subject without fast allowing you to not miss out on moments.

You can also switch easily to MF by just using the switch by the side of the lens. The images produced by the lens are considered superb.

You might not want this lens if you’re only a starting street photographer.

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5. Canon EF 50mm f/1.4

Lens Specifications:

• Lens type: Prime lens
• Max Format size: 35mm FF
• Focal length: 50 mm
• Image stabilization: No
• Lens mount: Canon EF
• Maximum aperture: F1.4
• Minimum aperture: F22
• Weight: 290 g (0.64 lb)
• Diameter: 74 mm (2.91″)
• Length: 51 mm (1.99″)
• Sealing: No

The third Canon lens in our list is the Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM lens.

Why do we consider this as part of the best lenses for street photography when 50mm feels a bit limited when it comes to composing wide-angle shots?

For starters, 50mm is the closest focal length to the human eye.

With the right amount of practice, it is possible to create stunning street photography shots.

You can even use this to shoot regular portraits if you find some interesting subjects on the street.

It has a stepping motor that focuses accurately and quietly perfect for shooting discreetly.

For other photographers, the Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM lens is at the top of the best lenses for street photography if you account for all of its features.

However, it is still not a perfect lens. There are some things that you might not like.

For starters, it might look a bit soft at the center.

And you might notice that it doesn’t accurately focus if you open the aperture at 1.4.

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6. Sony 16-50mm

Lens Specifications:

• Lens type: Zoom lens
• Max Format size: APS-C / DX
• Focal length: 16–50 mm
• Image stabilization: Yes (OSS)
• Lens mount: Sony E
• Maximum aperture: F3.5–5.6
• Minimum aperture: F22–36
• Weight: 116 g (0.26 lb)
• Diameter: 65 mm (2.56″)
• Length: 30 mm (1.18″)
• Sealing: No

Street photographers love carrying two cameras. The usual set up is to have one camera equipped with a 35mm prime lens and another camera with a 50mm prime lens.

This can be a bit heavy especially if you are shooting the entire day. The Sony SELP1650 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens is a good option for those who tend to love both 50mm prime lenses and 35mm prime lenses.

You get to choose the right focal length for your shot. And on top of that, you can even go wider than 35mm and choose down to 16mm.

Many consider this as a good option especially if you opt to shoot in broad daylight.

However, because it doesn’t have a wide aperture, you will have to deal with its limited functionality once it gets dark or when you are shooting indoors.

It has fast and accurate autofocus making it ideal even for photographers who like capturing raw emotions of people as their subject.

It also has an image stabilization feature that can minimize blurry shots.

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7. Sony Distagon 35mm f/1.4

Lens Specifications:

• Lens type: Prime lens
• Max Format size: 35mm FF
• Focal length: 35 mm
• Image stabilization: No
• Lens mount: Sony FE
• Maximum aperture: F1.4
• Minimum aperture: F16
• Weight: 630 g (1.39 lb)
• Diameter: 79 mm (3.09″)
• Length: 112 mm (4.41″)
• Sealing: Yes

The Sony SEL35F14Z Distagon T FE 35mm f1.4 ZA Standard Prime Lens is an E-mount lens.

Having a wide aperture 35mm lens attached to your camera gives you the freedom to shoot beautiful portraits while still being able to compose wide-angle shots.

The Zeiss quality lens offers great contrast and resolution which is something that makes this a favorite lens even by pros.

And if you opt to shoot in harsh conditions, you also won’t find any trouble with this lens given its dust and moisture resistant design.

It also has a direct drive SSM that offers quick and precise focusing.

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8. Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G

Lens Specifications:

• Lens type: Zoom lens
• Max Format size: 35mm FF
• Focal length: 28–300 mm
• Image stabilization: Yes (VR II, 4 stops claimed)
• Lens mount: Nikon F (FX)
• Maximum aperture: F3.5–5.6
• Minimum aperture: F22–38
• Weight:800 g (1.76 lb)
• Diameter: 83 mm (3.27″)
• Length: 115 mm (4.51″)
• Sealing: No

If there’s a single lens that fits all your needs, that would be the Nikon AF-S FX Nikkor 28-300mm F3.5-5.6G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens.

This lens is easily one of the best lenses for street photography given its ability to zoom close to your subject or provide you with wide shots.

Though it doesn’t have a wide aperture and is most likely only useful during broad daylight, it is still something that you should consider if you are a Nikon user.

This lens has vibration reduction capability allowing users to have fewer wasted shots.

It is also known for having high-quality images perfect for pros.

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9. Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G

Lens Specifications:

• Lens type: Prime lens
• Max Format size: 35mm FF
• Focal length: 50 mm
• Image stabilization: No
• Lens mount: Nikon F (FX)
• Maximum aperture: F1.4
• Minimum aperture: F16
• Weight: 290 g (0.64 lb)
• Diameter: 74 mm (2.89″)
• Length: 54 mm (2.13″)
• Sealing: No

The list of best lenses for street photography won’t be complete without a Nikon 50mm prime lens that comes with an F1.4 aperture.

The Nikon AF-S FX Nikkor 50mm F1.4G lens is a good option if you wish to take portraits, shoot landscapes, or even do macro photography.

It is an all-around lens that is perfect even for street photography. Though it doesn’t allow you to have a wide shot, you simply can’t go wrong with a 50mm lens.

It has an ultrasonic AF motor that can minimize the time needed to focus on the subject.

And when you prefer to take full control, you can easily switch to manual focusing immediately.

It also gives you great colors for the images thanks to its superior quality optics.

And though it does offer a wide aperture, a lot of photographers prefer the 50mm F1.8.

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FAQ

Concluding Remarks

Hope you enjoyed this buyer’s guide on the best lenses for street photography.

Also hope that you find the perfect lens for you and your photography style!

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