The 35mm and 50mm focal lengths are both classics — once considered standard and used for everything from everyday photography to professional work, before zoom lenses took over. While zoom lenses offer versatility, most photographers eventually add a prime lens to their kit for the sharpness, maximum aperture, and low-light performance they provide. Let's help you decide which Canon prime lens should be your first.
35mm — Just Wide Enough
35mm is a wide focal length, but not ultra-wide. You'll fit plenty of detail and context into your shots without constantly needing to step closer to your subject. Wide-angle lenses also produce a greater depth of field, meaning more of your scene will appear in focus — useful for travel, landscapes, and environmental portraits.
35mm lenses are a favourite for travel photography, street photography, and photojournalism, where capturing the scene around your subject is just as important as the subject itself.
Canon RF 35mm f1.8 Macro IS STM — Sample Image
For Canon EOS R users, the Canon RF 35mm f1.8 Macro IS STM is a compact, versatile option that also doubles as a macro lens — making it one of the most practical primes in the RF lineup. For those wanting a wider aperture, the Canon RF 35mm VCM is a newer addition worth considering.
50mm — The "Nifty Fifty"
Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM — Sample Image
The field of view of a 50mm lens is often described as "normal" — close to what the human eye naturally sees, which many beginners find makes composition more intuitive. The slightly longer focal length also makes it easier to produce a shallow depth of field, giving you that beautiful background blur (bokeh) that prime lenses are known for.
50mm lenses are a go-to for portrait photography, and their typically bright maximum apertures make them excellent for low-light and night-time shooting. Street photographers also appreciate the slightly tighter view, allowing them to maintain some distance from their subjects for a more candid result.
Canon offers two standout RF 50mm options: the ultra-compact and affordable Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM, and the premium Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM for those who want the very best in optical performance and maximum light gathering.
Add a Canon Prime Lens to Your Kit Today
The 35mm and 50mm focal lengths are classics for a reason, and Canon's RF lineup does both exceptionally well. You'll probably end up with both eventually — but hopefully this has made your first Canon prime lens decision a little easier.
Keep an eye on the Ted's Cameras blog for more lens recommendations, expert advice, and product roundups.
35mm vs 50mm for Street Photography
Street photography is one of the most common reasons photographers reach for a prime lens — and the debate between 35mm and 50mm is alive and well on every photography forum. Both focal lengths have a long and celebrated history on the streets, but they produce a noticeably different shooting experience.
The 35mm gives you a wider field of view, which means you can shoot closer to your subject while still capturing the surrounding environment — the shopfront, the crowd, the chaos. This makes it ideal for photographers who want to tell a story through context. You can shoot from the hip more confidently, and the wider angle is more forgiving when it comes to framing quickly-moving scenes. Photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson famously favoured wider perspectives for exactly this reason.
The 50mm, by contrast, isolates your subject more effectively. It compresses the scene ever so slightly, which can make street portraits feel more intimate and composed. If your street photography style leans toward candid portraits — someone reading at a café, a vendor calling out to passersby — the 50mm will serve you better. It also tends to draw less attention since it doesn't require you to be as physically close to your subject.
Our verdict for street photography: if you shoot wide, environmental scenes and like to be in the thick of it, go 35mm. If you prefer isolating individuals and shooting from a comfortable distance, the 50mm is your pick. For Canon EOS R shooters, both the Canon RF 35mm f1.8 Macro IS STM and the Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM are compact, lightweight primes that won't weigh you down on a long day of walking the streets.
Best Canon Lens for Street Photography: Prime vs Zoom
If you've been searching for the best lens for street photography and landed here, you're asking exactly the right question. Prime lenses — particularly the 35mm and 50mm — are widely regarded as the best lenses for street photography, and for good reason.
Street photography demands speed, discretion, and image quality in variable lighting conditions. Zoom lenses, while versatile, are typically larger, heavier, and slower (in terms of maximum aperture). A bulky zoom attracts attention and can make candid shooting harder. Prime lenses, on the other hand, are compact, light, and typically offer a wider maximum aperture — f1.8 or faster — which is critical when shooting in shade, at dusk, or inside markets and transit stations.
The wider the aperture (lower f-number), the more light your lens lets in, which means faster shutter speeds, less motion blur, and less reliance on high ISO settings that introduce noise. For street photography, this makes a significant practical difference.
Between the 35mm and 50mm specifically, both are considered the gold standard for street work. Canon's RF 35mm f1.8 Macro IS STM and RF 50mm f1.8 STM are two of the most affordable and optically impressive primes in the Canon RF lineup — both small enough to carry all day and sharp enough to produce professional-quality results. If you shoot on a Canon EOS R-series mirrorless camera, either of these primes will be a genuine upgrade over a kit zoom lens for street work. The 35mm gives you more scene; the 50mm gives you more subject. Both are excellent choices as your first prime.
35mm vs 50mm for Portrait Photography
Portrait photography introduces a different set of considerations when choosing between a 35mm and a 50mm lens. While neither is a traditional portrait focal length (that title usually goes to 85mm and beyond), both are widely used for environmental portraits, lifestyle shoots, and everyday people photography — and each produces a distinctly different result.
The 50mm is often called the closest focal length to natural human vision, which is part of why it works so well for portraits. It renders your subject's proportions accurately without the exaggeration you get from wider focal lengths. If you're photographing a person's face or upper body in close proximity, the 50mm produces flattering, natural-looking results. You'll also get a pleasing background blur (bokeh) at f1.8 that helps your subject stand out without going over the top.
The 35mm can also be used for portraits, but it works best when you want to show the subject in their environment — a chef in their kitchen, a musician on stage, a traveller in a foreign city. At very close distances, the 35mm will begin to introduce slight distortion that can exaggerate facial features, so it's generally better suited to three-quarter or full-body portraits rather than tight headshots.
For Canon shooters doing portrait work, the 50mm is the stronger choice if flattering, natural-looking images of people are your primary goal. The 35mm wins when storytelling and environmental context matter as much as the person themselves. If you're building out a Canon RF prime kit over time, many photographers find it worthwhile to own both — starting with the 50mm for portraits, then adding the 35mm as a wider, more documentary-style complement.