Best Lens for Urban Photography
The best lens for urban photography is either a highly adaptable but large zoom lens or a small and sharp prime lens. If you want to photograph a wide range of urban subjects, the zoom lens is probably right for you. The best lens for urban photography thats a zoom lens is one or the following depending on which camera brand you use:
Nikon: Nikon 24-70mm F2.8G ED VR
Canon: Canon 24-70mm F2.8L II USM
Sony: Sony FE 24–105 mm F4 G OSS Lens
If it’s a prime lens that you’re looking for, the best lens for urban photography is going to be one of these 3:
Nikon: Nikon 85mm f/1.4G
Canon: Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
Sony: Sony FE 85mm f1.4 GM
If you want to read the reviews for the lenses above, see a few other options (including mirrorless lenses), or just learn more about what you should consider when purchasing a lens for urban photography, then read on!
Table of Contents
Best Lens for Urban Photography
The best lens for urban photography will depend on what you are planning to focus on while out photographing. If you know that you’ll want to capture a wide range of subjects stretching from buildings to street portraits, then you’ll want a zoom lens. This means you’ll be sacrificing size and weight, making it more difficult to carry around.
On the other hand, if you plan on focusing on one subject whole out photographing, then a prime lens can be an excellent choice. As long as you are content only using one focal length, prime lenses are smaller, lighter, and sometimes even produce sharper images.
While out walking around a city looking for great urban photography opportunities, it’s likely that you’ll want a light weight camera/lens combo. Not only will you need to carry around less weight, but less people will notice your camera, giving you great candid opportunities.
You’ll just have to decide which is more important to you and what you need out of a lens for urban photography. Personally, I like to use a zoom lens while out in a city because I enjoy photographing a lot of different subjects and love the versatility it offers me. It definitely gets heavy after a long day though.
The best lens for urban photography depends on what you want out of the lens, but the ones listed below are the best options overall.
Best Nikon Lenses
Nikon 24-70mm F2.8G ED VR
Featured in our article What Lens Should Every Photographer Have, this is easily one of Nikon’s best lenses available today. This lens is excellent for a lot of different types of photography.
It produces very high quality images across the board and is one of those lenses that you can purchase once and use for the next decade, regardless of what genre you photograph.
Pros:
- Premier Nikon lens
- Excellent build quality
- Very sharp
- Great bokeh
- Superb image quality
Cons:
- Slightly expensive
- Large and heavy
Nikon 50mm f/1.8G
The best affordable option from Nikon. This Nikon 50mm f1.8 will produce some sharp images, some really beautiful bokeh, and come in at a price that doesn’t break the bank.
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Sharp images
- Nice bokeh
- Very small & light weight
Cons:
- Lacking in build quality
- Limited to one focal length
Nikon 85mm f/1.4G
This 85mm f1.4 lens from Nikon is a favorite amongst portrait photographers and is one of Nikon’s best overall.
It’s ultra sharp, fast, and small enough to make an excellent urban photography lens.
Pros:
- Excellent image quality
- Very sharp
- Great bokeh
- Top build quality
- Small and light weight
Cons:
- Only one focal length
Best Nikon Mirrorless Lens
Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S
This mirrorless lens from Nikon is an excellent mix of zoom quality and weight.
At 24-70mm f4, this is a high quality lens that offers great focal lengths. It’s also quite small when compared to the other 24-70mm lenses on this list.
Pros:
- Great focal lengths
- Good image quality
- Small and light weight for focal lengths
Cons:
- Mirrorless Nikon’s only
- Could be better in low light
Best Canon Lenses
Canon 24-70mm F2.8L II USM
Featured in our article What Lens Should Every Photographer Have, this is one of the best Canon lenses on the market regardless of what genre you photograph.
It produces very high quality images across the board and is one of those lenses that you can purchase once and use for the next decade, regardless of what genre you photograph.
Pros:
- Premier Canon lens
- Extremely sharp photos
- Very versatile across genres
- Ideal focal lengths
Cons:
- Somewhat expensive
- Large
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
This 50mm f1.4 is probably the best affordable option from Canon. It’s a good option for those on a very tight budget.
Just like the Nikon 50mm lens listed above, this lens will get the job done and produce some nice images, but it lacks in overall quality.
Pros:
- Extremely affordable
- Very small and light weight
Cons:
- Lacking in build quality
- Only one focal length
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
A favorite amongst Canon shooters, especially those working with people as their subjects. This 85mm f1.2 is possibly the sharpest lens that Canon produces, although it is quite expensive.
If cost is no factor and you don’t mind working with a prime lens, this is possibly one of the best lenses out there, regardless of camera brand.
Pros:
- One of best lenses made
- Exceptional quality across the board image-wise
- Excellent build quality
- Small and light weight
Cons:
- Somewhat expensive
Best Canon Mirrorless Lens
Canon RF 24–105mm F4 L IS USM
This mirrorless Canon lens offers up perfect focal lengths for anyone that wants a zoom lens.
The 24-105mm focal lengths covers just out anything you could possible photograph in urban photography.
Pros:
- Perfect focal lengths
- Good image quality
Cons:
- Somewhat large
- Mirrorless Canon cameras only
Best Sony Lenses
Sony FE 24–105mm F4 G OSS Lens
One of the most versatile lenses that Sony produces, this 24-105mm f4 has the focal lengths to capture everything you could want in urban photography.
Pros:
- Versatile range of focal lengths
- Great image quality
- Strong build quality
Cons:
- Somewhat large
- Somewhat heavy
Sony FE 50mm f1.8
One of the top affordable options from Sony. It’s a good option for those on a very tight budget.
Just like the Nikon and Canon 50mm lenses listed above, this lens will get the job done and produce some nice images, but it lacks in overall quality.
Pros:
- Very affordable
- Solid image quality
- Small and light weight
Cons:
- Lacking in build quality
- Only one focal length
Sony FE 85mm f1.4 GM
A top lens from Sony, this 85mm f1.4 produces truly amazing images.
If you like the idea of using a prime lens, then this is the best choice for anyone that shoots with a Sony.
Pros:
- High quality images
- Great build quality
- Very sharp
- Relatively small
Cons:
- Only one focal length
Recommendations
Once you’ve decided on the zoom lens vs prime lens issue, the choice of which is the best lens for urban photography becomes a lot easier. I’m a Nikon shooter and I love walking around with the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8. Although it does get heavy after a few hours, I find that the photos are get are more than worth the slight discomfort.
Both the Canon 24-70mm F2.8L and the Sony 24-105mm f4 are excellent options as well. The Sony 24-105mm f4 is particularly appealing since it goes all the way to 105mm.
If you want to go the route of a prime lens, any of the 85mm lenses listed above will produce stunning photos. Using a prime lens for urban photography can help you focus a bit more since you need to narrow down your possible subjects. Additionally, they’re all extremely light weight.
Finally, check out our Gear page to read more articles just like this with up-to-date product reviews for gear across all photography genres.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 50mm lens good for street photography?
Yes, 50mm can be an excellent focal length for street photography.
Is an 85mm lens good for street photography?
Yes. 85mm is considered to be one of the best focal lengths for street photography.
Is prime lens good for street photography?
If you are content with limiting yourself to only one focal length then yes, prime lenses can absolutely make great lenses for street photography.