Best Street Photography Focal Lengths - 28mm vs 35mm vs 50mm

What is the best lens or focal length for street photography? Obviously, there are no right or wrong answers here, you just have to find the right lens that fits your style. But what if you don't know what your style is? This video might be a good place to start.

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[yomotii]

The key word here is: start. Start shooting is all we need. Great video.

[ramatgan]

I love how calm, non-pretentious and straight to business you are.
A refreshing change from all the prima donna's the photography world is full of.

[scott-ish]

As street photography has been my passion for a decade and a half, and I have even used a (believe me) 400mm telephoto for street photography back in the noughties, as I was coming from a Red Bull aviation event (cannot recall its official name) in the London Docklands and, on our way to central London, as soons as we got to Trafalgar Square, me and a friend got separated among the huge crowd in a harekrishna festival and he had my bag with the other smaller focal lenghts!

Given that, I'm glad that even for you being such a young fellow, you still came up with such sobriety and credibility in this vid that you really took no sides and incurred in senselles fanboyism - and that only contributes to SP as a hobbie and passion, as you make no one feel any guilty about owning (or not) this or that piece of gear. Congrats!

[AlliandWill]

Really great tips man! Lots of information and a solid breakdown of general guides people can follow to capture some great shots to eventually figure out their style

[KimchiAndBeansVideos]

Can't believe we missed this. I like adding context to my images, but it's really hard to make it all look focused and interesting at the same time. It often looks flat. Would love to experiment with these lenses. Great tips, Ralph.

[xainvanvooren]

Thank you! I have a 50mm, and I've been wondering about 35, and 85! Very informative, thank you again!

[georgewashington]

My brother I loved the video and the fact that you added photos as an example for us to visually see was the icing on the cake. I think I am going to go with the 35mm or the 50mm. To me they both provided something I'm looking for that the 28 doesn't. Thanks again for this wonderful content!

[pacific-midwest]

Great video. It really depends on the environment and the comfort level of the photographer. IMHO, a wider focal length can work wonders for densely packed city streets, it is also handy for photographers who prefer to work in close. A narrower focal length is great when there is more space and emphasis/subject matter is needed. A narrower focal length is also great for photographers that like to work from a distance and not disrupt the scene.

I love using the XF18 (28mm equivalent) because it's compact, provides a subtle distortion (but not too much), and it feels much more natural in use. In low light, I love using the XF56 f1.2(approx. 85mm equivalent).

[RudyVisuals]

Very detailed and useful dude! We're trying to branch out and do more street photography so this was really helpful. We really like 35mm for street, Aaron and I find 50 is sometimes a bit too narrow but 35 is a nice sweet spot.

[FoodandFootprints]

Informative video with great examples as usual. Really like your street shots!

[aklivn]

I like all three. You should never get stuck on one focal length. Like the other comments. APS-C is a little tricky. Like a 35mm is a 52mm on a APS-C, etc. But nothing to worry about, just get out in shoot, and have fun. Great video btw.

[nickandhelmi]

I enjoy variety of wide and zoom lenses - diff way of painting a story agree

[salty_commuter]

Thank you for the detailed info. I've just gotten a new FF-camera and am trying to make sense of what focal length to get next to my 85mm f1.8 for streetphotography and -portraits. This really helps!!

[lovemycity]

Went out last night with the RF 35mm & my EF nifty Fifty! I enjoyed just having 2 small lenses and the 1.8 aperture came in handy! I’m starting to like primes more than zooms

[photobyjewell]

Thanks for the tips & advice on photography lenses in street photography

[TheHungryBlackPanda]

I started off photography using the 50mm.. Tho the crop made it hard for me ..i was used to it.. 3 great all around lenses made for different scenarios

[JohnnymaCZEk]

I'm using 28 & 50 mm prime & 35-80mm zoom lens on 35mm camera (SRT101), on medium format 65 & 80 mm prime (Kiev 88 & Meopta Flexaret)

[MichaelRusso]

24~50 zoom or wide prime (24 to 35mm prime) or a 200mm are my favorite lenses for street. I usually bring one at a time. Also, I do film, usually 100ASA and push it to at least 200-250ASA

[ferdiyansurya]

I usually shoot at 35mm focal length until I bought a used x70 almost a year ago. Since the x70 is always with me, I’ve gotten to get used to the 28mm focal length. It’s quite challenging since it can get too busy. But once you get used to 28mm, using 35 or even 50mm is just a walk in the park

[colmranger]

Lovely video as always, my favourite focal length is 35mm