WHAT'S THE BEST LENS FOR STREET PHOTOGRAPHY?

Lens criteria

1. Excellent image quality
2. Prime, not zoom
3. Appropriate focal length
4. Minimal weight
5. Not prone to flare
6. Reasonably wide aperture
7. Pleasing bokeh

1. Excellent image quality

I put this at the top of the list because image quality is something you can improve only slightly in processing, for example by increasing contrast or sharpening. Even then your adjustments may be noticeable -- and not in a good way.

2. Prime, not zoom

A prime lens gives you the best quality for the lowest weight, thereby fulfilling two of the other four criteria. It also removes a major source of anxiety in street photography, namely deciding which focal length to use on a zoom.

3. Appropriate focal length

On the street it's best to keep within the range of 24mm to 70mm, with the most popular choices being 28mm, 35mm and 50mm. That said, you can get intimate shots with 85mm on full frame, as shown below ("Slurp").

4. Minimal weight

The weight of the lens will be dictated by the format of your camera, whether it's DSLR or mirrorless, and by other factors such as speed, focal length, and plastic or metal construction. Fortunately, we don't need to worry about zooms or telephoto lenses, many of which can be heavier than the camera.

5. Not prone to flare

When you buy a lens, check the reviews for information about flare. It's an annoying characteristic when you shoot against the light, as is often necessary on the street. My 40mm (above) flared badly until I added a recessed, screw-in sunshield to it.

6. Reasonably wide aperture

Faster lenses give you an extra stop (or two or three) which can make all the difference to your image. They enable you to keep the ISO down, thus avoiding noise. However, really fast lenses are usually heavy, so anything faster than f/1.4 tends to be unsuitable.

7. Pleasing bokeh

Given that parts of the image are likely to be out of focus in either the foreground or the background, pleasing bokeh is a must. It's mainly a function of the number of aperture blades, the more the better. Pay extra for good bokeh -- you won't regret it.

8. Physical dimensions

A bulky lens can unbalance a camera, making it less pleasing to handle. But it's not a major concern with most wide angle and standard lenses.

9. Weather sealing

Most street photography is done outside, so weather sealing is a useful addition, especially if you like to try your hand at wet weather shooting.

10. Image stabilisation

IS can provide valuable extra stops in street photography, but again, do you really need it with a fast, wide angle lens?

11. Price

Yes, it's a factor, and the "law of diminishing returns" applies when you buy expensive equipment. Spend enough to match camera quality.

Essential info:

* standard lens terminology refers to full (35mm) frame
* to find equivalent focal length on APS-C multiply by 1.5
* e.g. 50mm on APS-C sensor = 75mm equivalence
* exceptions include: Canon APS-C (x 1.6)
* x 1.5 and x 1.6 are called "crop factors"
* for cameras with 4/3 sensors, crop factor = x 2

28mm:

Use 18mm with APS-C sensor.

This is as wide as you can go without running into some problems with distortion.

It's the choice of some of the best street photographers, including Daido Moriyama. Get close to your subject, otherwise you'll include too much background and too little action. But you'll get dramatic pictures.

35mm:

Use 24mm for APS-C to get the equivalent focal length of approx. 35mm.

Here you have the classic focal length, used at one time or another by nearly every experienced street photographer. That's a good thing, but the drawback is finding your photos look horribly similar to what's gone before, unless they're outstanding in other ways.

50mm:

Use 35mm with APS-C sensors for approx. 56mm equivalence.

Giving you a little bit more reach, 50mm is an excellent choice, not least because it's a focal length which is usually cost-effective to manufacture to a very high quality. Famously used by Henri Cartier-Bresson on his Leica, a full frame 35mm film camera.

Sony FE 28mm f/2:

* 200 g
* "The image quality is WOW!!!" (stevehuffphoto.com)

Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA:

* 120 g
* "Pretty impressive little lens" (DPReview.com)

Sony FE 50mm F1.8:

* 186 g
* "Stopped-down somewhat, this lens produces very sharp images." (the-digital-picture.com)

Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA:

* 281 g
* "Superbly sharp, but prone to chromatic aberration" (johnlewellphotography.com)

Nikon AF Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 D:

* 270 g
* "Compact and light-weight" (photozone.de)

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM ART:

* 435 g
* "High-quality sharpness throughout" (fstoppers.com)

Nikon AF Nikkor 35mm f/2 D:

* 205 g
* "Shooting directly into the light is not a problem" (photolisticlife.com)

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G:

* 185 g
* "Stopped down...it offers very sharp, contrasty images with little chromatic aberration" (imaging-resource.com)

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM:

* 260 g
* "Superb image quality and performance." (DPReview.com)

Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM:

* 130 g
* "Extremely sharp and lightweight." (johnlewellphotography.com)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM:

* 159 g
* "Truly superb results at f/8." (DPReview.com)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM:

* 290 g
* "Superb sharpness right across the frame." (DPReview.com)

Fujinon XF 23mm f1.4 R:

* 35mm equivalence
* 300 g
* "Excellent. Sharp from edge to edge at f/1.4;" but "not weather sealed, like Fujifilm's less expensive, smaller f2 version." (uk.pcmag.com)

Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 R WR:

* 35mm equivalence
* 180 g
* "Quicker, quieter and closer focusing" than the f/1.4 R lens." (cameralabs.com)

Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R:

* 52.5mm equivalence
* 184g
* "A modern classic." (admiringlight.com)

Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR:

* 52.5mm equivalence
* 164g
* Does "90% of what the XF 35mm f/1.4 can deliver optically " for "two-thirds the price." (fujivsfuji.com)

M.Zuiko 12mm f/2 Digital ED:

* 130 g
* 24mm equivalence
* "A particularly high-quality micro 4/3 lens." (dxomark.com)

M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 Digital:

* 120 g
* 35mm equivalence
* "This...Olympus lens is a beauty." (stevehuffphoto.com)

M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 Digital ED:

* 136g
* 50mm equivalence
* "Good image quality on the edge of the frame" (lenstip.com)

M.Zuiko Digital ED 30mm f/3.5 Macro:

* 128 g
* 60mm equivalence
* "Edges are...impressively sharp wide open." (photographyblog.com)

24 lenses

In this article I've listed a couple of dozen lenses, four of them with rather nice cameras attached to them, but I haven't said -- as yet -- which is the best lens for street photography.

Alas, just as there is no "ideal" camera there's no ideal lens either. You must choose the best of the bunch, based on how you prioritise the criteria listed above and on the camera you intend to use.

The terrible trade-off

For street photography, two of the key criteria are image quality and weight. Unfortunately these are often at odds with each other, with better quality lenses tending to be heavier.

There's no easy answer to this trade-off between quality and weight. We just have to accept a compromise and be thankful that the really heavy glass is for other photographers who use long telephoto or zoom lenses.

Focal length is a personal choice

The choice of an appropriate focal length is entirely personal and usually determined by the style of street photography you wish to do. I would advise beginners to start with 50mm, then move to something wider as confidence grows.

Today's high-res cameras allow you to crop the image generously. Using the Leica Q2 with its 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens you can crop to 35mm, 50mm, or even 75mm and still obtain a very detailed image.

Mobile phones

I've not mentioned mobile phones because they're unsuited to serious street photography, which is not to say you won't occasionally get a great street photo with one of them.

For serious street, you need more options: viewfinder, larger sensor, more pixels, buttons for making quick adjustments, and the option to use it one-handed if necessary. Learning how it all works really is worthwhile, if the lens is up to it.