Kit guide
A street photography kit
A small prime with a natural view keeps the camera light and quick to raise. Here is the lightest f/2.8 or brighter prime framing like 28–50 mm for each system, and how to focus it fast.
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Canon RF
495 g ready to shoot
Canon EOS R50 + Canon RF28mm F2.8 STM
frames like 45 mm at f/2.8 · 495 g with the camera · 55 mm filter
Sony E
472 g ready to shoot
frames like 30 mm at f/2.8 · 472 g with the camera · 49 mm filter
Nikon Z
638–650 g ready to shoot
Nikon Z50II + TTArtisan AF 27mm F2.8
frames like 41 mm at f/2.8 · 638–650 g with the camera · 39 mm filter
Fujifilm X
522 g ready to shoot
Fujifilm X-T50 + Fujifilm XF27mmF2.8 R WR
frames like 41 mm at f/2.8 · 522 g with the camera · 39 mm filter
Why a small prime
Framing like 28 to 50 mm, these lenses see roughly what you notice in front of you: a doorway with the person in it, a table across a café. Each pick is the lightest such prime on its mount that opens to f/2.8 or brighter:
- Canon EOS R50 with the RF28mm F2.8 STM: 45 mm equivalent, a scene 2.4 m wide from 3 m; 495 g with the camera, the lens 25 mm long; at f/8, focus at 5.5 m and everything from 2.8 m to the horizon is sharp
- Sony a6400 with the E 20mm F2.8: 30 mm equivalent, a scene 3.5 m wide from 3 m; 472 g with the camera, the lens 20 mm long; at f/8, focus at 2.7 m and everything from 1.3 m to the horizon is sharp
- Nikon Z50II with the AF 27mm F2.8: 41 mm equivalent, a scene 2.6 m wide from 3 m; 638–650 g with the camera, the lens 29 mm long; at f/8, focus at 4.9 m and everything from 2.4 m to the horizon is sharp
- Fujifilm X-T50 with the XF27mmF2.8 R WR: 41 mm equivalent, a scene 2.6 m wide from 3 m; 522 g with the camera, the lens 23 mm long; at f/8, focus at 4.9 m and everything from 2.4 m to the horizon is sharp
Focus before you raise the camera
The end of each line is zone focusing: set f/8, focus manually at the distance it gives, and anything from half of it to the far distance is acceptably sharp, so you can shoot the moment you raise the camera, or from the hip. It also works with the camera held low, when you cannot see the screen.
After dark
At f/2.8 a night street needs a high ISO. For more light, the low-light kit picks an f/1.4 prime with a similar view, at more weight.
Build your own kit · Lenses by subject
Facts from the makers' specification pages. How we check