Which Is the Best Lens for Street Photography: 35mm, 50mm or 85mm?

Street photography is one of the most dynamic styles of photography. It's as interesting as it is unpredictable, and it requires you to adapt to the scene in front of you. For the best street photography photos, you need to have the best possible lens. But the great debate is: What is the best lens for street photography?

To help you capture your best shots, we break down the three most popular street photography lenses, and share our top street photography tips.

Prime vs. zoom lens for street photography

The one thing most street photographers agree on is that prime lenses are the best lenses for street photographers. If you're fairly new to photography, prime lenses have a fixed focal length, which means they can't zoom. You'll need to physically move if you want to adjust your framing and composition, which can help you to get different perspectives on a street scene.

Along with boosting creativity, these are the main reasons for using prime lenses to snap street photos:

1. They have a bigger aperture size
   One of our street photography tips is to go for a lens with a large aperture. Prime lenses are fast and offer a much wider aperture, like f/1.4, f/1.8 or f/2. To compare, most zoom lenses are limited to f/2.8 or slower. This is a huge advantage, especially if you're working with low light — which many night street photographers do. A good prime lens will increase the effectiveness of your camera's autofocus so you end up with crisp photos.
2. They have excellent image quality
   Since prime lenses have a single focal length, there are fewer "moving parts." As a result, they're often known for producing sharp, high-quality images.
3. They're smaller and lighter
   While you can prepare for a shoot, you often never know where a scene will take you. Prime lenses tend to be less bulky than their zoom counterparts, so they're easier to carry around.
4. They can produce bokeh
   If you want to create that beautifully blurred effect called bokeh, a prime lens will help you to get there — and it's all thanks to the wide aperture (try for f/1.8 or lower to get extra blur).

To learn more about prime lenses and which one you should buy, check out our full guide on prime lenses.

Popular lenses for street photography

The most widely-used lenses for street photography are 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. These are the benefits of each.

The wide-angle lens: 35mm

Typically used for landscape photography, wide-angle lenses are great because they encourage you to get closer to the action in your street scenes. By capturing a wider scene, you'll be able to bring more context into the photo — which will help you to tell a story about the subject and their surroundings. You also have a better chance of interacting with your subject and even building a relationship with them, leading to incredibly candid and poignant street photos.

On a practical note, 35mm lenses are lightweight and compact, which makes them less conspicuous. If your photography style is discreet, they might be the best fit for you.

Ted's Top Picks of 35mm lenses for street photography:

The nifty fifty lens: 50mm

Dubbed the "nifty fifty," photographers love 50mm lenses and they are the perfect street photography lens. A 50mm lens gives you a field of view that's closest to what the human eye sees, so it easily balances out the subject and the street environment. It also helps you to capture accurate photos, without the distraction of a distorted lens.

A 50mm lens has a large aperture of f/1.8 or higher, which creates a shallow depth of field. This allows you to blur out the background and draw attention to the subject. As any street photographer knows, the subject is often the most fascinating part of the photo. They bring the street scene to life.

Thanks to this kind of aperture, a 50mm lens also works well in low light, making it a good option for night shoots.

Ted's Top Picks of 50mm lenses for street photography:

The moderate telephoto lens: 85mm

A go-to for portrait photographers, an 85mm lens also works well for unobtrusive street photographers. Unlike the 35mm and 50mm lens, the extra-long focal length lets you put some distance between you and the subject without sacrificing any of the context.

By standing far back from the scene, you might be able to snap natural, candid moments you may not have captured otherwise. With an 85mm lens for street photography, you can create a shallower depth of field, and focus on your subject's face or body language. A moderate telephoto lens also comes in handy when you're shooting from an elevated position, or from across the street.

Ted's Top Picks of 85mm lenses for street photography:

Tips on dealing with people who don't want to be photographed

While an 85mm lens suits shy street photographers who want to observe from a distance, just remember that not everyone wants their photo taken. If a stranger spots you snapping their photo and confronts you about it, here's what to do:

• Respect their request for space and privacy and stop shooting immediately.
• Offer to show them the photos you have already taken. They might change their tune if they see that you've captured a beautiful or candid image — or they might not, and that's okay too.

Find your favourite street photography lens

Every street photographer has a personal favourite lens. We hope these street photography tips and techniques help you decide which is the best lens for your street photography. If you're new to street photography or want to switch up your lenses, pop into your local Ted's Cameras store. Our expert team will help you to choose the lens that best suits your style.