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The Best Prime Lens for Street Photography
The best prime lens for street photography from each of the 3 major camera brands are:
Nikon: AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G
Canon: Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Sony: Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM
Each of these 3 lenses are the best prime lens for street photography from the respective camera brand. If we had to choose one to be the best overall, the Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM would be our choice.
If you want to learn more about the best prime lenses for street photography or check out a few other options including the best budget lenses, read on!
Table of Contents
Best Prime Lens for Street Photography
Many photographers choose to use prime lenses for street photography for the following reasons:
- Generally speaking, prime lenses are extremely sharp and fast.
- Prime lenses tend to be lightweight and compact. This is great for street photography since you really don’t want to be walking around with a heavy and intrusive camera kit.
- Many street photographers say that using a prime lens forces them to be more creative. Without all of the options that a zoom lens offers, photographers are forced to see the streetscape through one focal length, making it easier for them to focus on potential subjects.
All of the reasons just listed show the importance of choosing the best prime lens for street photography for your specific needs. You’ll want a sharp, fast, and relatively lightweight lens to walk around with.
That’s why 35mm and 50mm prime lenses are so popular amongst street photographers. They are some of the best and smallest prime lenses on the market regardless of which brand you choose. They also are a great focal length for everything from streetscapes to street portraits.
With that in mind, here are our choices for the best prime lens for street photography.
Nikon Lenses
Best Overall: Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.4G
This Nikon 35mm F/1.4G is our choice for the best lens for street photography from Nikon. It’s relatively compact, very well built, and captures extremely sharp images.
It’s somewhat expensive when compared to other lenses on this list, but the overall optics from this lens are too great to pass up.
Pros:
- Great build quality
- Captures very sharp images
- Relatively small and lightweight
Cons:
- Images can be somewhat soft around the edges
- Somewhat expensive compared to other lenses on this list
Best Budget: Nikon AF-S 50mm F/1.4G
An easy choice for the best budget lens from Nikon, this 50mm F/1.4G is an extremely affordable option that can capture some stunning photos.
It’s also very small and lightweight, which are 2 really important qualities to think about then considering a lens for street photography.
Pros:
- Extremely small and lightweight
- Good auto-focusing
- Great build quality
- Very affordable
Cons:
- Some distortion at edges
- Images could be sharper
Best Mirrorless: Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S
Although this Nikon Z 35mm F/1.8 is a bit too large for our liking, it’s hard to overlook since it comes in at such an affordable price and produces some great photos.
If you don’t mind the slightly larger size and are looking for a Nikon mirrorless lens, this is the one for you.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Good build quality
- Produces very sharp images
Cons:
- Large for a 35mm lens
- Auto-focus could be faster
Canon Lenses
Best Overall: Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
The best overall lens for street photography from Canon, this 50mm F/1.2L USM is truly an excellent lens. It’s small, lightweight, and very high quality across the board.
While this lens is somewhat expensive for a 50mm, it’s such a capable lens that it can be used across a number of genres including portrait and product photography.
Pros:
- Excellent build quality
- Very compact and lightweight
- Produces extremely sharp images
- Best 50mm lens by Canon
Cons:
- Relatively expensive compared to other 50mm lenses
Best Budget: Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM
The smallest and lightest 35mm lens on this list, the Canon 35mm F/2 is an excellent lens for the price.
You’ll get quality photos and a nearly ideal lens for street photography. Although there is some loss of sharpness around the edges, we don’t think it’s a deal breaker at all.
Pros:
- Good optical stabilization
- Very compact and lightweight
- Extremely affordable
- Produces solidly sharp images
Cons:
- Loss of sharpness at edges sometimes
Best Mirrorless: Canon RF 50mm F/1.2 L USM
This Canon RF 50mm F/1.2 is possibly the sharpest lens on this list, but it’s also the most expensive. It’s also somewhat large when compared to the other 50mm lenses.
If you don’t mind the price and size and want a mirrorless Canon lens, this is an excellent option.
Pros:
- Good focal length
- Great build quality
- Produces extremely sharp photos
Cons:
- Large for a 50mm lens
- Most expensive on list
Sony Lenses
Best Overall: Sony FE 50mm F/1.2 GM
Our choice for the best lens for street photography overall, this Sony 50mm F/1.2 is a thing of beauty. Although it’s somewhat large for street photography, the overall optical quality more than makes up for it.
This is a great lens for several genres of photography, so you’ll absolutely be using this lens all of the time. It’s a very high quality lens when considering every metric and is an excellent choice for street photography.
Pros:
- Our choice for best overall lens for street photography
- Produces incredibly sharp images
- Excellent auto-focusing
- Extremely well built
Cons:
- Slightly large for a 50mm lens
- Somewhat expensive
Best Budget: Sony FE 35mm F/1.8
Coming it at a very attractive price point, this Sony 35mm F/1.8 is a general lens that does everything good but nothing great. Although it’s somewhat large, it’s not intrusively big and we don’t think this would be an issue.
Overall, it’s a great budget choice from Sony that is more than worthy of your consideration.
Pros:
- Decently good build quality
- Affordable
- Produces solidly sharp images
Cons:
- Slightly large for street photography
- Lacking in high end optical performance
Recommendations
As stated in the beginning of this article, our choices for the best prime lens for street photography from each of the 3 major camera brands are as follows:
Nikon: AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G
Canon: Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Sony: Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM
However, if you are looking for a budget option, all of the listed lenses in this article are going to be great for street photography. They are all, for the most part, lightweight, compact, and capture very sharp images.
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
What prime lens is best for street photography?
Overall, we think that the Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM is the best prime lens for street photography.
Are prime lenses good for street photography?
Yes, prime lenses can be great for street photography since they are usually compact, easy to use, and extremely sharp.
What focal length lens is best for street photography?
This is a matter of personal preference, but 35mm and 50mm lenses are very popular among street photographers.
Is a 50mm lens good for street photography?
Yes, 50mm lenses are among the most popular lenses used by street photographers.