
Street photography is an exciting genre that allows photographers to capture candid moments of everyday life in public spaces. To capture these moments, choosing the right lens is crucial. A good street photography lens should be lightweight, versatile, and have excellent sharpness and bokeh. With so many options available, it can be challenging to choose the right lens. That’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on the Best Lenses for Street Photography in 2023: Sharpness, Bokeh, and More. Whether you shoot with Canon, Nikon, Sony, or Fujifilm, whether you prefer primes or zooms, whether you shoot full-frame or crop sensor, we have got you covered. In this guide, we will take a closer look at the top lenses for street photography and help you find the perfect lens for your needs.
- 1. Best lenses for street photography – Canon
- 2. Best lenses for street photography – Nikon
- 3. Best Nikon Z lens for street photography
- 4. Best lenses for street photography – Sony
- 5. Best lens for street photography Sony a7III
- 6. Best lens for street photography Sony a6000
- 7. Best lens for street photography Sony a6400
- 8. Best Sony lens for night street photography
- 9. Best Sony full-frame lens for street photography
- 10. Best lens for street photography APS-C
- 11. Best lens for street photography crop sensor
- 12. Best lens for street photography Fujifilm
- 13. Wide angle lens for street photography
- 14. Best zoom lens for street photography
1. Best lenses for street photography – Canon
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens is a perfect choice for street photography with a Canon camera. It’s a fast prime lens that produces sharp images with beautiful bokeh, making it ideal for capturing portraits and street scenes. The lens has a wide aperture that enables you to shoot in low-light conditions without having to use flash, which is ideal for candid street photography. Additionally, the lens is lightweight and compact, which makes it easy to carry around while shooting on the streets. With its affordable price and exceptional image quality, this Canon lens is a must-have for any Canon street photographer.
2. Best lenses for street photography – Nikon
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Lens
The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Lens is a perfect lens for street photographers who use Nikon cameras. It’s a fast prime lens that produces sharp images with excellent bokeh, making it ideal for capturing street scenes and portraits. The lens has a wide aperture that enables you to shoot in low-light conditions without having to use a flash, which is perfect for candid street photography. The lens is lightweight and compact, making it easy to carry around while shooting on the streets. With its affordable price and exceptional image quality, this Nikon lens is a must-have for any Nikon street photographer.
3. Best Nikon Z lens for street photography
NIKON NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S Wide Angle Fast Prime Lens for Nikon Z Mirrorless Cameras
The Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S lens is an ideal choice for street photographers who use the Nikon Z series cameras. The lens is lightweight and compact, making it easy to carry around while shooting on the streets. With its wide aperture of f/1.8, this lens allows you to shoot in low-light conditions, making it perfect for capturing candid street moments. The lens has a fast and accurate autofocus system that ensures you don’t miss any critical shots while on the street. With its excellent image quality and sharpness, this lens is perfect for street photography, whether you’re shooting portraits, landscapes, or street scenes.
4. Best lenses for street photography – Sony
Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 Prime Lens
The Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 Prime Lens is a must-have for any Sony street photographer. This lens produces sharp images with excellent bokeh, making it ideal for capturing street scenes and portraits. The lens has a wide aperture of f/1.8, which allows you to shoot in low-light conditions without having to use flash. The lens is lightweight and compact, making it easy to carry around while shooting on the streets. With its fast and accurate autofocus system, this lens ensures you don’t miss any critical shots while on the street. With its exceptional image quality and affordability, this lens is perfect for any Sony street photographer.
5. Best lens for street photography Sony a7III
Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 Standard Lens
The Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 Standard Lens is a versatile prime lens that is perfect for street photography with Sony a7III. With a wide aperture of f/1.8, this lens allows you to capture stunning images in low light situations, while the 50mm focal length provides a natural perspective similar to the human eye. The lens is also lightweight and compact, making it easy to carry around for long photo walks. It is a must-have lens for any street photographer using Sony a7III looking for high-quality images with great bokeh.
6. Best lens for street photography Sony a6000
Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Alpha E-Mount Retractable Zoom Lens
The Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Alpha E-Mount Retractable Zoom Lens is an ideal lens for street photography with Sony a6000. The lens features Optical SteadyShot (OSS) image stabilization, which minimizes blur caused by camera shake, making it easier to capture sharp, clear images on the go. It has a retractable design that makes it compact and easy to carry around. The 16-50mm focal range provides a wide range of shooting options, from wide-angle shots to close-ups, and is suitable for a variety of street photography situations.
7. Best lens for street photography Sony a6400
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
The Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS is a versatile all-in-one zoom lens for street photography with Sony a6400. The lens offers a wide focal range from 18mm to 135mm, making it ideal for capturing everything from wide-angle cityscapes to portraits of people. It has Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, which makes it easier to capture sharp, clear images even in low light situations. The lens also has a compact and lightweight design, making it perfect for street photographers who are always on the move.
8. Best Sony lens for night street photography
Sony FE 28mm f/2-22
The Sony FE 28mm f/2-22 lens is perfect for night street photography with Sony cameras. With a wide aperture of f/2, this lens allows more light to enter the camera, making it easier to capture stunning photos in low light situations. The lens is also lightweight and compact, making it easy to carry around for long photo walks. It features a dust and moisture-resistant design, which makes it suitable for outdoor photography. The 28mm focal length is ideal for capturing wide-angle cityscapes and street scenes, making it a great lens for night street photography.
9. Best Sony full-frame lens for street photography
Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA
The Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA lens is the perfect lens for street photography, providing excellent image quality and versatile shooting capabilities. The lens has a bright f/1.4 maximum aperture, which allows for shooting in low light conditions and enables photographers to create images with a shallow depth of field and beautiful bokeh. The lens also has a fast and accurate autofocus system that makes it easy to capture sharp images of moving subjects. With a focal length of 35mm, this lens is suitable for a wide range of subjects, including street scenes, portraits, and landscapes. Its compact and lightweight design makes it easy to carry around for extended periods, making it the ideal lens for photographers who want to capture the perfect shot on the go.
10. Best lens for street photography APS-C
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens
The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens is the best lens for street photography on APS-C cameras due to its fast maximum aperture, sharpness, and affordable price. The lens provides a 45mm equivalent focal length, making it a great all-around lens for capturing street scenes, portraits, and more. Its fast f/1.4 aperture allows for low-light shooting and beautiful bokeh, while the lens is designed with a high-quality optical construction that ensures sharp and clear images. The lens also features a compact and lightweight design, making it easy to carry around all day for street photography. Overall, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens is an excellent choice for APS-C camera users looking for a high-quality, versatile lens for their street photography.
11. Best lens for street photography crop sensor
Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens
The Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens is the best lens for street photography on crop sensor cameras due to its compact size, sharpness, and affordability. With a 38mm equivalent focal length, this lens provides a versatile option for capturing street scenes, portraits, and more. Its maximum aperture of f/2.8 allows for low-light shooting and beautiful bokeh, while the lens is designed with a high-quality optical construction that ensures sharp and clear images. The STM (Stepping Motor) autofocus system also ensures smooth and quiet focusing, which is important for street photography. The lens is also lightweight and compact, making it easy to carry around all day for street photography. Overall, the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens is an excellent choice for crop sensor camera users looking for a high-quality, versatile lens for their street photography.
12. Best lens for street photography Fujifilm
Fujifilm XF35mmF2 R WR
The Fujifilm XF35mmF2 R WR is an excellent choice for street photography on a Fujifilm camera. This lens is designed specifically for Fujifilm’s X series of cameras and features a fast f/2 aperture that allows for great low light performance and shallow depth of field for stunning bokeh effects. The lens is also weather-sealed, making it a great choice for street photographers who often find themselves shooting in unpredictable weather conditions. With a focal length equivalent to 50mm in full-frame terms, this lens provides a classic field of view that is ideal for street photography. Its compact size makes it easy to carry around, and its fast autofocus ensures that you never miss a shot.
13. Wide angle lens for street photography
Rokinon 12mm F2.0 NCS CS Ultra Wide Angle Lens
When it comes to street photography, sometimes you need to capture a wide angle view of your surroundings. The Rokinon 12mm F2.0 NCS CS Ultra Wide Angle Lens is a great option for this purpose, offering a 35mm equivalent focal length of 18mm on APS-C sensors. This lens is designed for mirrorless cameras and offers a bright f/2.0 aperture that is great for low light situations. The lens also features a Nano Coating System (NCS) that reduces flare and ghosting, allowing for clear and crisp images. Its lightweight and compact design make it easy to carry around all day, and its smooth manual focus allows for precise control over your shots.
14. Best zoom lens for street photography
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras
The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD Lens is a great option for those who want the flexibility of a zoom lens for street photography. This lens is designed specifically for Sony E mount cameras and offers a versatile zoom range of 28-75mm, making it suitable for a wide range of situations. Its fast f/2.8 aperture allows for great low light performance and shallow depth of field effects, while the lens is also lightweight and compact, making it easy to carry around all day. The lens also features Tamron’s RXD (Rapid eXtra-silent stepping Drive) autofocus system, which is fast, precise, and virtually silent, allowing for easy and discreet shooting.

In conclusion, choosing the best lens for street photography can make a significant difference in the quality of your photos. The right lens can help you capture stunning images with sharpness, bokeh, and more. Whether you shoot with Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, or another camera brand, there is a lens on this list that will suit your needs. From the affordable and versatile Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens to the high-end Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA, we’ve covered a range of options for different budgets and preferences. With the right lens, you’ll be able to capture the essence of the streets and tell compelling visual stories. We hope this guide on the best lenses for street photography has been helpful to you. Happy shooting!
