The debate on the best lenses for street photography will never end. Different photographers have different tastes and preferences. The key is to identify the lens that serves your needs and shooting preferences.

Street photography is one of the most difficult genres to shoot. People are constantly moving, and there’s no perfect shooting situation.

It’s easy to feel like you’re just capturing someone else’s reality as opposed to your own. Learn what is the best lens for street photography and other tips on how you could improve your skills.

Street photography is all about capturing human nature in real-time within real places. While 35 mm lenses are great for this, they do pose a problem: wide angles distort the subject.

This can be used as a creative tool, but it’s best to have a lens for street photography that was originally designed for it. There are a few lenses that were designed specifically for street photography and are the best lenses for shooting people.

If you like or want to get into street photography and want to buy a new lens then read on.

We reviewed the 5 best lenses for food photography in our previous discussion of food photography.

The 8 Best Lenses for Street Photography

A street photography lens should not be complicated. The lens should allow you to be reactive and fast to capture the events as they unfold.

You can sort through the best street photography cameras to find the best camera to pair with these lenses.

A small lens is best for street photography. Walking around with a huge lens will attract unnecessary attention. The weight of the lens might be too much to bear when walking around.

The lens should be wide but not too wide. A 35mm lens offers these two qualities nicely. It is for this reason that most street photographers will swear by the 35mm prime lens.

Best Overall lens for street photography – Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM A

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What is the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM A lens?

The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 A is a great lens for street photography. It is bright, sharp, and fast enough to be used in all lighting conditions. The lens is good for portraits but has a strong distortion at the edges that can make photos look odd when shooting people.

Sigma makes some of the best lenses when it comes to their technical quality. The images are crisp and with the large aperture of f/1.4, the images have a creamy background.

This lens is sharp and contrasty, which makes it a good choice for street photography.

Features of the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM A lens

The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 is a great example of what makes a good street photography lens. This lens is bright, fast, and sharp. The build quality is great, and the images are consistent for a prime lens.

Its maximum aperture of f/1.4 makes it possible to get the bokeh effect in any light condition without flash or filters. It uses an aspherical glass element which helps in reducing chromatic aberration and ghosting to improve the image quality.

The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 A lens is one of the best lenses for street photography. It allows you to capture the scene in front of you with a large aperture while not distorting the subject. What’s more, there are many resources on how to look after it properly once you buy it too!

This is a great lens for street photography, especially narrow apertures. However, the distortion at the edges means some people might not like shooting with this lens and instead opt for one with less distortion. This means that wide-angle lenses are the way to go.

The lens is very sharp, and it is an all-around great lens for street photography. It can be used to take portraits as well.

If you are looking for one of the best lenses for street photography then you should consider purchasing the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM A lens.

Why do I recommend the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM A lens for street photography?

It is a great option for street photography due to its price and versatility. Is one of the best lenses for street photography.

You will be able to capture the people within real-life environments, without chromatic aberration or distortion. The lens is fast enough to shoot in low-light situations.

This lens can be used for other types of photography too, eg landscapes, portraits, etc. It is a great addition to your camera equipment as it can be used under any shooting condition and also due to its wide aperture.

I would recommend this lens to anyone looking for one of the best lenses for street photography due to its versatility. It is a great lens that will last you for years.

Best Budget Lens for Street Photography – Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM

What is the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM lens?

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM is a great lens for street photography. The bokeh that it produces at f/1.8 is creamy and quite pleasing to look at.

Its small focal length easily allows you to get in close. There will be less distortion when shooting with wide apertures such as f/1.8. This means that you can get close to the subject while keeping some distance from it.

It is not as sharp as some other lenses in the same category. However, it is still a great option and one that can be used in a variety of situations from portraits to street photography.

Features of the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM lens

The 35mm lens is a great focal length to use for street photography. This focal length is not too wide, but it also isn’t too tight. For most street photographers, this is a perfect balance.

The lens provides excellent control over how the image looks when you are shooting.

You can shoot with flash as well and still achieve the creamy background look that you desire from your images. The aperture of f/1.8 can also stop down quite a bit, which is good for those who are looking to blur the background of their photos.

The image quality is great, but there are some instances where the images are not as sharp as what other lenses can produce.

This can be frustrating if you’re looking for a sharp lens. It’s not the end of the world either if you need to use some post-processing software to sharpen your images.

The lens was sharp, but there were some instances in which the edges did not look as sharp as they should be. This can happen with the prime lenses, and this one is no different. However, most photographers do not notice it when viewing their images at 100%.

Why do I recommend the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM lens for street photography?

I recommend this lens to anyone looking for a budget lens for street photography. The image quality is great, and you will be able to produce some amazing images with it.

If you’re looking for a prime lens that is able to produce sharp images while still having a wide aperture such as f/1.8, this is one of the best choices for you.

The only downside is that there are times when the edges of the images will not look too sharp. This can be frustrating as sharpness is something that most photographers look for in a prime lens, but it’s not a deal-breaker for me either.

I’d go ahead and get this lens for your kit and start shooting the streets with it. You will be impressed by its ability to produce consistently great images.

Its 35mm focal length is a great focal length for street photography, as it will not distort your subject too much and cause you to get in too close. The focal length is also wide enough that you can still get right in the middle of everything.

This lens looks great and feels solid, making it a great choice for street photographers who like to use prime lenses.

The image quality provided by this lens is excellent. It will give you sharp images with vibrant colors that are pleasing to look at for most photographers.

Best lens for street photography using a Mirrorless camera – Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S

What is the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S lens?

The Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S is a good lens for street photography, even if the camera is a mirrorless camera.

Mirrorless cameras are getting better and better each year, and this lens will be able to take advantage of the abilities that the Z mount has to offer.

The Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S lens is a great alternative to using full-frame lenses or crop-sensor lenses for your street photography.

You can use this lens along with a touchscreen when taking shots, which is great for ensuring that the focus is on the subject of your photo and not on the background.

Features of the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S lens

The lens is small and compact, making it easy to carry around in your bag or jacket pockets.

The focal length is great for street photography when you’re not too close, and still wide enough to blur the background of your images well. This lens is weather-sealed, so if you’re looking for a lens that can be used outdoors under different weather conditions, this one will do the job well.

You can use the 35mm focal length for street photography or portraits. This lens is also bright, so it will give you the option to shoot in low light without having to worry about image quality.

The sharpness of images that this lens can produce is great, which will allow you to get closer to your subjects when shooting them in street photography.

The bokeh that this lens produces is great as well and will add a nice touch to your images.

This lens has a 35mm focal length, which is great for street photography. You don’t have to get too close as the lens will not distort your subject as much as some other lenses when you are shooting at a wide aperture.

Why do I recommend the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S lens for street photography?

I recommend this lens to anyone who wants the ability to blur out their background at a wide aperture such as f/1.8 while still having the option of using autofocus with their camera, which will minimize the chances of blurry shots.

If you’re looking for a prime lens that is able to produce sharp images while still having a wide aperture such as f/1.8, this is one of the best choices for you.

The Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S will allow you to get in close and blur out the background of your images without worrying about them looking blurred due to distortion.

I’d go ahead and get this lens for your kit and start shooting the streets with it. You will be impressed by its ability to produce consistently great images.

The 35mm focal length is a great focal length for street photography, as it will not distort your subject too much and cause you to get in too close. This focal length is also wide enough that you can still get right in the middle of everything.

If you want to venture into wedding photography, we have reviewed the must-have lenses for wedding photography.

Honorable mention lens for street photography – Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM

What is the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM lens?

The Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM lens is another great prime lens for street photography.

The prime lenses can be easier to handle and carry around in your bag than a zoom lens. Primes also tend to give you a nicer depth-of-field and faster shutter speeds, which will help you with your overall low-light photography.

Even though this lens is a crop sensor lens, it will still produce images that are sharp and colorful if you use it right.

The image quality that this lens produces is great. You will get sharp images with vibrant colors that will look wonderful when you’re framing your shots with this lens.

The color can be affected by the installation of a lens filter, which is great for the types of street photography you’re looking at doing.

Being a full-frame lens does its job well and can capture more details of your subject that are in focus, even if it is a crop sensor lens.

Features of the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM lens

The focal length is great for street photography, as you can get in close to your subjects without having to move too much or have the subject be distorted.

This lens produces beautiful images with a wide aperture, which will blur out your background nicely. The sharpness of the images produced by this lens is great, and the colors that it produces are accurate.

You will see that you are getting better quality photos than from a cropped sensor lens.

The first thing you will notice when you look through the viewfinder of the lens is that it looks like a futuristic camera from the future, which is great for street photography.

The barrel of this lens feels solid and will feel nice and sturdy in your hands.

It focuses quickly and accurately. However, it takes some time to lock focus on your subject once you have it focused. Once again, this is not a major problem because the images that this lens produces are great.

From this lens, you will get great image quality. The sharpness of your images will be on point, and the colors will be vibrant and accurate.

Images produced by this lens are smooth without any noticeable flaws whatsoever.

The bokeh that this lens produces is great as well and will add a nice touch to your images.

Why do I recommend the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM lens for street photography?

The Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM lens is a great prime lens for street photography. With this lens, you will be able to get in close, control your depth of field, and produce beautiful images with vibrant colors that are of professional quality.

If you’re looking to get into street photography but have a hard time finding lenses that are wide enough for the types of images that you want to take, then getting this lens will allow you to get in close without worrying about making your subject blurry.

The 35mm focal length is a great focal length for street photography, as it will not distort your subject too much and cause you to get in too close. The focal length is also wide enough that you can still get right in the middle of everything.

While this lens isn’t a replacement for your telephoto zoom lens, it will provide you with a nice, clean look that you will enjoy when doing street photography.

The image quality that this lens produces is great because of its wide aperture and great bokeh that is smooth and has a great texture to it, as well as beautiful colors. The sharpness of the images will also be impressive, which will help you add an excellent touch to your street photography.

Best premium lens for street photography – Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM

What is the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM lens?

The Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM is a great lens for street photography, as it will allow you to get up close to your subjects without having to worry about getting distorted images and having too shallow of a depth of field to use.

The sharpness of the images that this lens produces is outstanding, and the bokeh that it produces is smooth as well. You will see that the colors in your photos are vibrant and accurate.

The lens produces beautiful images and is very versatile because of the wide aperture. This will allows you to blur out your background for more pleasing images.

You will find that the quality of your photos will be improved over cropped sensor lenses due to the wider focal length.

Features of the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM lens

This lens is perfect for street photographers looking for an upgrade from their cropped sensor lenses but do not want to go with a zoom lens.

The lens is also great for experienced photographers who are looking to upgrade their gear. It will help them create better-quality photos with more depth and detail in them.

You will find that this lens creates images that are very sharp and crisp due to the high-quality build and the fact that it uses the highest quality materials. You will be able to see details in your images that you might not have seen before.

This lens also creates some nice bokeh in your images, which will allow you to add a nice touch to the shots that you take.

The contrast of the photos will also be good. This will allow you to get a nice dark background without having to use an aperture that is too wide. It can be helpful in street photography, as it can draw attention away from your subject and onto your background.

Why do I recommend the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM lens for street photography?

While the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM lens might be a bit pricey for some, it will produce images that you will be proud of.

You will see that the quality of your photos is great and will have great detail to them. You can also blur out your background in order to get a more pleasing look in your photos thanks to the wide aperture.

The bokeh that this lens produces is smooth and dreamy. The bokeh will make you enjoy working with it every time you take photos with it. The lens also produces sharp images, which will allow you to get shots that are crisp and everything is in focus.

This lens also produces beautiful colors, which will make your pictures more accurate and vibrant overall.

You will love the small size of this lens, as it allows you to travel with it easily without having too much bulk on your camera.

The autofocus that this lens has is also very fast and precise, making it a great choice for street photography.

Most affordable lens for street photography – Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G

What is the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens?

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8G lens is a great choice for street photographers who are just looking to get out and take their camera with them without having to worry about the price of their gear.

The sharpness this lens produces is outstanding. It also has a wide aperture that allows you to get a better depth of field. It produces images that are more forgiving of the mistakes that you might make.

You will love being able to use the autofocus with this lens, as it can help you capture photos much faster than you could otherwise. You will also be able to get your photos in focus more often with less effort.

You will love that this lens is so lightweight and easy to carry around. Kit lenses can get rather bulky, and this lens is a lot smaller. This makes it a lot easier for you to take out on the streets with you in your camera bag.

Features of the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens

The features of this lens are made to make your life a little bit easier.

The fact that it’s lightweight means that you can take it with you everywhere without feeling weighed down.

You also will be able to capture images more quickly with this lens, as the autofocus is very easy to use. The lens will allow you to get your shots much faster than other lenses.

You will have more time to sit back and enjoy the moment instead of worrying about getting your shot in focus.

One of the things that you will be able to enjoy with this lens is the ability to take photos in low-light conditions. You might have a hard time getting great focus on your subject when there is no light.

However, the fact that this lens has good contrast and saturation helps it get a lot better in less-than-ideal lighting situations.

You will love the colors that this lens produces. It gives you very accurate as well as vibrant colors overall.

Why do I recommend the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens for street photography?

This is a perfect lens for someone who is just getting started with street photography.

If you are interested in the hobby or want to take a break from portrait photography and get out and take some photos on the streets with your camera, this lens is perfect for you. It’s lightweight so you will be able to carry it around easily.

This lens also allows you to capture photos that are in focus thanks to the autofocus. Autofocusing might be hard to do when taking photos on the streets.

It is also a great choice for street photography thanks to the wide aperture. Its wide aperture will produce a nice blur of your background and an overall shallow depth of field.

This lens is also very affordable, so it will allow you to continue taking photographs without having to worry about the price of your gear.

Overall, this is a very affordable lens that is ideal for taking out with you on the streets. You can capture some beautiful photos with this lens that are exactly what you are going for when capturing scenes in everyday life.

Interested in product photography? Check out the best lens for product photography.

Zoom lens for street photography – Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D

What is the Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D lens?

It’s a great lens for those who want to be able to get close-up shots of their subject while still having the option of zoom capabilities.

The fixed f/2.8 aperture it has will allow you to capture sharp images in low light and give you a shallow depth of field. This is hard to achieve with other lenses that have more of a narrow aperture.

You will be able to capture photos quickly and accurately thanks to the autofocus on this lens.

Features of the Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D lens

It also has a macro mode and an anti-red eye feature. The macro mode will make your life as a street photographer easier.

You can take photos that are in focus, thanks to the focusing system that is built into this lens.

It has an image stabilization motor built into it that will allow you to take sharper images in low-light situations.

You will be able to get great photos of things such as people and animals with this lens due to its ability to focus quickly. It also produces vivid colors and good exposure, which will help you to get better-quality photos that express what you are seeing in the scene.

The autofocus works quickly and accurately, which is perfect for street photography.

You will be able to capture faster photos with this lens thanks to the macro feature on it as well as the image stabilization motor.

Why do I recommend the Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D lens for street photography?

This is a good lens if you are on a budget and want to be able to capture photos in low light as well as at night and during the day.
This lens will let you get some good photos in all kinds of situations. This makes your time out on the streets better overall.

It’s also a sharp lens with a wide field of view, which will help you to capture some great-looking pictures when you are out taking your photos on the streets.

How do you use this lens? Opportunities are endless for this lens. If you plan on traveling or want a versatile zoom lens, Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4D is perfect for your needs.

Worthy mention lens for street photography – Sony 35mm f/2.8 Sonnar T FE ZA

What is the Sony 35mm f/2.8 Sonnar T FE ZA lens?

It’s a great, lightweight lens that won’t weigh you down when you are out taking photos on the streets. It’s also a sharp lens that will allow you to capture photos quickly and accurately.

This is a great lens for those who are interested in taking photos while out on the streets without having to worry about the cost of their gear.

If you want to be able to save money by purchasing a good, all-around lens, this is one of the best choices on this list. This lens will give you a wide field of view. This will allow you to capture more of your scene and get better photos overall.

It’s also fairly inexpensive, which makes it a good choice for those who are just getting started out with street photography.

Features of the Sony 35mm f/2.8 Sonnar T FE ZA lens?

This lens has a macro mode and an anti-red eye function, which will make your life as a street photographer easier. The lens has a good image stabilization feature built into it. It will help you to get sharper photos in low-light situations.

It’s fairly lightweight, which makes it easy to carry around if you are out on the streets. The lens has tight focusing capabilities. This makes it easier for you to capture accurate images of your subjects in the scene.

It has a wide field of view on it, which will allow you to capture more of the environment in your photos. This is a sharp lens, on the whole. So your photos will appear crisp and clear when you are taking them.

You can take pictures that are sharp using this lens due to the autofocus feature that is built into it. It’s also easy to use. Therefore, you won’t have any problems when it comes to trying to capture your scenes quickly.

It also has a quick-focus motor built into it, which will allow you to capture photos that are in focus.

Why do I recommend the Sony 35mm f/2.8 Sonnar T FE ZA lens for street photography?

The Sony 35mm f/2.8 Sonnar T FE ZA is a great lens for those who want an all-around, lightweight lens without having to spend an arm and a leg on the purchase price of the gear.

It’s a sharp lens that will allow you to get more accurate photos when you are on the streets. The lens is fairly affordable. This makes it one of the best choices for those who want to get started out with street photography without spending much money.

It’s lightweight, so you won’t have to carry around an extra bit of gear when you’re out shooting photos on the streets. The autofocus motor built into it is fast enough that you will be able to capture pictures quickly and accurately.

Final thoughts on the best lenses for street photography

There are a lot of great lenses for street photography on the market today. There are even more choices to choose from when you start looking at all of the options available.

There are some important features that each of these lenses has in common. They’re all sharp and have wide fields of view on them. This will allow you to capture more of your environment in your photos.

They’re also affordable, which makes them a good option for people who are just starting out with street photography.

In the end, it’s up to you to determine what features are most important to you when you are choosing a new lens. If cost is an issue, there are definitely lenses on this list that will allow you to save money without sacrificing the quality of your photos.

If you want to have more control over your lens, there are also choices that should give you more flexibility in terms of the aperture that you are working with.

Be sure to consider all of these features when you are making your way through this list and settling on a new lens for your street photography needs.

Take some time to read through the reviews. Then decide whether or not the lenses on this list are a good fit for your needs.

If you do that, you should be able to choose a lens that will help you to create the right images for your photography.

Don’t forget to check our review of the best night photography lenses.

Happy shooting!