Best lens for street photography in 2023

Claire Gillo and the AP team take aim to find the best lens for street photography, in our guide with options for all major brands and mounts.

In this guide, we’ve aimed to put together a helpful list of the best lenses for street photography. Now, there are absolutely loads of candidates out there – people are no doubt going to have many, many strong opinions on the fantastic lenses we’ve missed out. However, balancing different needs, different systems and different budgets, we’ve distilled it down to just twelve candidates and come up with a list that offers something for everyone.

Because every photographer is different, every camera is different, and a good street lens for one person might not work for another. Street photography is the art of candid shooting in public spaces (that’s a reductive definition, but it gets the basics down), and that’s a genre with a lot of flexibility. For example, some photographers may prefer a wider focal length to get in more of a scene, while others may choose a narrower one to hone in on detail. And that’s just one variable! So there are a lot of bases we need to cover here.

As you can see, there’s a lot to say about street photography, so you can read our beginner’s guide to street photography and list of the best street photography cameras if you need a primer on the basics. In addition, lot of street photographers also like to shoot in black & white, so don’t miss our guide to black & white street photography. For now, let’s get straight on to what makes for a good lens for street photography.

How to choose a lens for street photography

So what are the main criteria for a street photography lens? The key things to focus on are: focal length, aperture range, aperture blades and physical size and weight. Below we’ve put together some more information on what you might want from a street lens.

Prime vs zoom: There are two main types of lenses on the market. A prime lens, which has a fixed focal length (for example 50mm), and a zoom lens, which has a variable focal range (for example 24-70mm). A zoom lens provides more versatility, but will tend to be heavier, longer, pricier (if high quality) and less discreet. In our guide we therefore stick to prime lenses, as these are generally lighter, smaller, and are able to open to much wider aperture settings (without having to break the bank). For more on prime vs zoom, have a look at our guide to prime vs zoom lenses.

Pancake lenses: If having a small lightweight lens is at the top of your list, then you may want to consider a pancake lens. A pancake lens essentially just means a lens that is almost flat – like a pancake! This means they’re naturally light and portable; the disadvantage is they often don’t offer as bright an aperture as a standard prime lens (a pancake lens is more likely to be f/2.8 than a larger lens of equivalent focal length, which may be an f/1.8 or f/1.4), and often the image quality is not as good compared with a larger lens.

Focal length: The next aspect you want to consider is the focal length of your lens. Ideally, in street photography, you want your lens to capture as much of the scene as possible, without going so wide that it distorts. For this reason, a 35mm lens is a popular choice (on full frame – on crop sensor APS-C cameras, a 23/24mm will equate to the same). However, there are times where a wider 24mm view or a narrower 50mm view can be desirable, and some manufacturers also offer 40mm lenses. Your own personal preferences will be important here.

Aperture: The aperture range of your lens is key for street photography. Ideally, the brighter your lens can go, the better, and as the very minimum you want your lens to open up to at least f/2.8. If producing beautiful bokeh in shallow depth of field is high on your priority list, also look at the aperture blade construction. Generally speaking, the more aperture blades a lens has, the better the bokeh circle, but pay attention to whether the lens mentions a circular or rounded aperture blade in the specifications.

DSLR or mirrorless: Many photographers have switched to a mirrorless camera system now, but it’s useful to note that many DSLR lenses can be used on a mirrorless system with the right adapter. However, it doesn’t work the other way round – i.e. you can’t use a mirrorless lens on a DSLR. If you’re wanting to know more on DSLR vs Mirrorless have a look at our guide to DSLR vs Mirrorless cameras.

Does it fit? Finally, you need to make sure the lens you are buying has the correct mount for your camera. There are many different types of cameras out there – DSLRs, mirrorless, full frame, crop sensor, all of them have different requirements. Many full-frame lenses can also be used on the crop sensor cameras but check before you buy. Also remember that third party lens companies produce lenses for cameras across the industry so make sure you double check that it fits your camera before you buy!

Top tip! Save some money by buying second hand. If you buy second hand from a trusted dealer the lenses have been checked and often come with a warranty.

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In a rush? Here’s the quick list of our picks, with links to the best prices:

• Best street photography lens for Nikon Z: Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S – check best price
• Best street photography lens for Sony FE: Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM – check best price
• Best street photography lens for Canon RF: Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM – check best price
• Best street photography lens for APS-C sensors: Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN – check best price
• Best street photography lens for Fujifilm X: Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR – check best price
• Best street photography lens for Micro Four Thirds: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO – check best price
• Best budget street lens for Micro Four Thirds: Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 Asph – check best price
• Best budget street lens for Sony FE: Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 ZA – check best price
• Best street photography lens for Nikon F-mount: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4E ED – check best price
• Best street photography lens for DSLRs: Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art – check best price
• Best street photography lens for L-mount: Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN Art – check best price
• Best street photography lens for Sony E: Tamron 20-40mm F/2.8 Di III VXD – check best price

Read our for a detailed breakdown of all these lenses, including the impressions of our review team, as we count off the best lenses for street photography…

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Best street photography lens for Nikon Z

1. Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S

At a glance:

• Lens mount: Nikon Z
• Aperture blades: 9
• Filter thread: 62mm
• Weight: 370g
• Price: $846 / £899

For mirrorless Nikon shooters, the Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S is an excellent choice. Despite having a semi-wide 35mm view, this lens provides excellent sharpness across the whole frame. The AF motor is also worth a mention, as not only is it smooth and fast to focus, it’s also practically silent. This means you can shoot discreetly, which for street photography is an absolute bonus!

The knurled control ring is also useful. In the AF mode you can assign it to adjust the exposure compensation setting, or in the manual mode it becomes a focusing ring as standard. The focus also shifts according to how fast or slow you turn the ring.

Finally the large f/1.8 aperture setting, teamed with a 9-rounded-blade aperture ring, will deliver that sought-after beautiful bokeh for those who enjoy capturing dreamy results.

Pros:

• Superb image quality
• Wide max aperture
• Perfect focal length

Cons:

• On the heavy side (for a 35mm lens)

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Best street photography lens for Sony FE

2. Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM

At a glance:

• Lens mount: Sony FE
• Aperture blades: 11
• Filter thread: 67mm
• Weight: 445g
• Price: $1,398 / £1,300

When your lens can open up to f/1.4, you know you’re going to have great flexibility in all types of shooting conditions, particularly low-light! The Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM is by no means a budget lens; however, for $1,400 / £1,300 you get a premium lens that is capable of delivering spectacular results.

The 11-blade circular aperture ring is also worthy of a mention, and with a minimum focusing distance of 0.24m, you can have a play around producing wide-angle bokeh shots. If used on an APS-C camera, then this lens gives a 36mm equivalent, but might feel a bit unbalanced with Sony’s A6000 series.

The Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM features two XA (extreme aspherical) elements that produce pin-sharp results and three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements that help suppress chromatic aberration. Thanks to Sony’s advances in technology, they have made a great lens that offers high quality while being relatively light and compact, making it ideal for the street genre.

Pros:

• 11-blade aperture
• Pin-sharp image quality
• Not too heavy (for a 24mm wide-angle lens)

Cons:

• Quite pricey

Take a look at our Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM sample images.

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Best street photography lens for Canon RF

3. Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM

At a glance

• Lens Mount: Canon RF-mount
• Aperture blades: 7
• Filter diameter: 43mm
• Weight: 160g
• Price: $159 / £199

When it comes to street photography, many photographers like to shoot wide. However, a nifty fifty is a great choice for those who like to stand back from the action yet not appear too far away from their subject.

The Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM lens is an affordable, reliable choice for Canon mirrorless shooters, and in our review we found this particular lens to produce excellent image quality for a lens at this price point, while also adding little weight to our EOS R camera body – it weighs a miniscule 160g! Ideal for street photography.

Pros:

• Very affordable
• Naturalistic perspective
• Incredibly light

Cons:

• Soft corners at large apertures

Read our Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM review.

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Best street photography lens for APS-C sensors

4. Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN

At a glance:

• Lens mount: Sony E, Canon EF-M, L-Mount, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds
• Aperture blades: 9
• Filter diameter: 52mm
• Weight: 265g
• Price: $264 / £289

The Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN is a worthy contender for street photographers who use APS-C mirrorless and Micro Four Thirds cameras and are on a budget. In our review we found it to be of reasonable size and weight, produce excellent image quality (going as bright as f/1.4), have superior build quality and all at an affordable price point.

Used on an MFT camera, it has a 60mm equivalent field of view, and around a 45mm equivalent on a Sony E-mount, Fujifilm X-Mount, or L-Mount camera with an APS-C-sized sensor, and 48mm on Canon’s EF-M cameras.

With a retail price of around £300 / $300 / £300, it is hard to really fault this lens. Sharp images at f/1.4 and edge-to-edge sharpness when stopped down make this lens very appealing, and a useful addition for any street photographer on a budget.

Pros:

• Very good value for money
• Sharp even wide open
• Available for lots of mounts

Cons:

• A little narrow for street on MFT

Read our Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary review.

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Best street photography lens for Fujifilm X

5. Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR

At a glance:

• Lens Mount: Fujifilm X
• Aperture blades: 7
• Filter diameter: 39mm
• Weight: 84g
• Price: $519 / £399

Made for the the best Fujifilm X-series mirrorless cameras, the Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 lens has been designed to be small, light and discreet. Weighing in at a mere 84g, this lens is by far the lightest in our round-up, making it a strong contender for those who prioritise keeping weight and size to a minimum.

For traditionalists who like the old-school method of adjusting the aperture on the lens, the Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR has a nicely implemented aperture ring. Another handy feature is its weather-resistant construction, which gives you peace of mind when out on the streets, whatever the weather.

This lens is equivalent to a 40mm view on a full-frame camera.

Pros:

• Lovely aperture ring
• Weatherproof
• Amazingly light

Cons:

• Other X-mount lenses offer better quality

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Best street photography lens for Micro Four Thirds

6. Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO

At a glance:

• Lens mount: Micro Four Thirds
• Filter diameter: 62mm
• Aperture blades: 9
• Weight: 410g
• Price: $1,399 / £1,199

We couldn’t possibly have a top ten street lens list without mentioning the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO! In our 5-star review, we found the top-end 25mm lens to be built to the highest standard of quality; it survived our rigorous testing that included a heavy autumnal rain shower.

It’s worth noting that the focus mechanism isn’t completely silent. However, the noise only really become noticeable in a quiet room, so you should be fine out in the street. The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO is fast and accurate to focus under many different shooting conditions.

Where this lens comes into its own, though, is at its largest aperture. Out of all our lenses on our list, this one goes the brightest to f/1.2. Although MFT might not seem like the obvious choice for producing beautiful bokeh and background blur, this lens does just that.

Pros:

• Hardily weather-sealed
• Large f/1.2 aperture
• Fast, accurate focusing

Cons:

• Focusing not completely silent

Read our Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO review.

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Best budget street lens for Micro Four Thirds

7. Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 Asph

At a glance:

• Mount: Micro Four Thirds
• Diaphragm blades: 7
• Filter size: 46mm
• Weight: 125g
• Price: $147 / £149

Fair enough, not everyone can stretch to the kind of budget required for the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm F1.2 PRO. If you’re a Micro Four Thirds user looking for a similar lens that’s a bit more affordable, we can happily recommend the superb little Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 Asph. An accomplished lens that focuses nice and quickly on any MFT body – we tested it on both Panasonic and Olympus cameras with no problems.

In terms of image quality, the Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 Asph hugely impresses for the price. For sharpest results you’re best off around f/4-f/5.6, though it’ll only be a concern for real pixel-peepers – wide-open f/1.7 results are more than acceptable. Be aware when shooting straight into the light though, as we did encounter strong veiling flare covering the frame in these situations. Not unusual for fast primes, but worth knowing.

Shot wide open at f/1.7, this 25mm lens can give some nicely blurred backgrounds. Photo credit: Andy Westlake.

Street photographers will appreciate the unobtrusive dimensions of this tiny lens, as well as its silent focusing. You can get better optical quality if you spend more, naturally. But this lens is an absolute diamond for its price, and what’s more, if you buy used you might be able to knock around £50/$50 off the ticket price. At that, it’s frankly an absolute steal.

Pros:

• Incredible value for money
• Tiny and unobtrusive
• Fast, silent focusing

Cons:

• Pronounced flare when shooting into the light
• Raw image quality inevitably lags behind expensive peers

Read our Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 Asph review.

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Best budget street lens for Sony FE

8. Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 ZA

At a glance:

• Mount: Sony E (FE)
• Diaphragm blades: 7
• Filter size: 49mm
• Weight: 120g
• Price: $598 / £600

The Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 ZA lens has been made with the street photographer in mind, and comes with many appealing features such as a 120g lightweight design and anti-reflective coating that minimises unwanted lens flare. It almost qualifies as a pancake lens as it is so small!

The lens is fast to react and accurate to focus, which is ideal when shooting any type of street scene. Although compared to others on the list the 7-blade aperture construction is slightly disappointing, however this is to be expected as you don’t get a lens this small and light without some compromise.

The 35mm view on a full-frame camera will appeal to traditional street photographers. Also, for those with an E-mount APS-C mirrorless camera, the lens provides an equivalent 52.5mm view, which is equally as good for many street photographers.

Pros:

• Great value
• 120g weight
• Anti-reflective coatings

Cons:

• Only 7-blade aperture

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Best street photography lens for Nikon F-mount

9. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4E ED

At a glance:

• Lens mount: Nikon FX, DX
• Aperture blades: 9
• Filter thread: 77mm
• Weight: 645g
• Price: $1,996 / £1,999

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4E ED is a wonderful lens that produces incredible results and even has pinpoint accuracy at f/1.4. We admit this lens is not as discreet compared with others on our list, and is rather heavy (645g is not lightweight), however it’s still worth considering if you value image quality above size and weight.

With the move of many photographers to mirrorless cameras, lenses like this are coming up more and more on the second-hand market. If you shop around you can pick up one for just over £1000, which, while still not cheap, is far more affordable than the full retail price. You get plenty of good quality glass for your money.

Pros:

• Gorgeous image quality
• Excellent at f/1.4

Cons:

• Heavy
• Expensive

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Best street photography lens for DSLRs

10. Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art

At a glance:

• Lens mount: Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, L-mount
• Aperture blades: 9
• Filter thread: 82mm
• Weight: 1,200g
• Price: $799 / £629

While this is one of our favourite DSLR lenses, also making an appearance in our guide to the best Canon EF lenses, it’s available for E-mount and L-mount mirrorless systems too. As one of Sigma’s ‘Art’ lenses, its pitch is peerless optical quality, with top-notch distortion control. It’s designed to be a match for high-resolution sensors like that of the Canon EOS 5DS R, or more recently the Sony A7R V, where the pixels really matter. And it passes that test with flying colours.

The 40mm focal length is something of an unsung hero in street photography – you don’t always see it talked about, and lenses hitting this length are rarer. But it provides a more naturalistic view than 35mm while putting a little more of the scene in play than 50mm, so there’s plenty to recommend it. While you’ll need to keep both hands on the setup when using this lens, as its weight exceeds 1.2kg, if you’re up for a little hefting, the quality and responsiveness are first-rate.

The price has come down too. On release this lens had a four-figure price tag, but these days it can be picked up new for around £629 / $799, and used for even less than that.

Pros:

• Price has come down nicely
• Street-friendly focal length
• Optical quality meets demands of high-res sensors

Cons:

• Big and hefty

Read our Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art review.

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Best street photography lens for L-mount

11. Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN Art

At a glance:

• Lens mount: L-Mount, Sony E
• Aperture blades: 11
• Filter diameter: 67mm
• Weight: 645g (L-Mount) 640g (E-Mount)
• Price: $799 / £749

And finally the Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN Art lens makes it onto our list. This lens is comfortably a 5 star product (you really can’t go wrong with a Sigma Art lens) and produces amazing bokeh thanks to its smooth 11 aperture blade ring.

We found in our review that although it’s a wide angle lens, the large aperture settings enable subjects to be easily separated from the background by selective focusing which is great for street photography. The out of focus areas look nice and smooth and there are no obvious aberrations.

We are aware that this 645g lens, along with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4E ED, is among the heaviest on our list however the outstanding quality it produces far outweighs its weight issue! Shop around second-hand and you can get this lens for under $600 / £500, which is a great deal.

Read our Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN Art review.

For DSLR shooters, the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art is the best equivalent.

Pros:

• 11-blade aperture
• Handy f/1.4
• Attractive-looking bokeh

Cons:

• Another hefty lens

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Now you’ve found the perfect lens for you, have a look at the complete beginners guide to street photography. Or if you need help finding the right camera for you, have a look at our guide to the best camera brands for JPEGs. For more lenses have a look at the latest lens reviews.

Related articles:

• Best camera for street photography
• Using smartphones for street photography
• Best budget portrait lenses in 2023

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