Street photography is a beloved but challenging genre for many photographers. Selecting the right lens is crucial, as it can significantly impact the style and quality of the images captured as well as how you go about taking them.
Coming to you from Pat Kay, this helpful video discusses choosing lenses for street photography and the factors that influence this choice. Kay breaks down the selection process into four key areas: focal length, aperture, choosing between zoom and prime lenses, and personal lens recommendations. Understanding focal length is essential in street photography, as it determines the composition and perspective of the image, and it also determines how close you need to be to your subjects. Wide angle lenses, for example, are great for capturing expansive street scenes, while telephoto lenses are better for detailed, close-up shots. This choice often depends on the photographer's style, whether they prefer candid shots, street portraits, or other approaches. The aperture is another critical factor, influencing depth of field and the amount of light entering the lens. A wide aperture (like f/1.4) can create a shallow depth of field, which is excellent for isolating subjects from busy backgrounds.
The video also discusses the merits of zoom versus prime lenses. Zoom lenses offer versatility, allowing photographers to experiment with different focal lengths without changing lenses or react to quickly changing scenes. However, prime lenses are typically lighter and less conspicuous, making them ideal for the extensive walking and unobtrusive nature of street photography. There is a lot of helpful info, so be sure to check out the video above for the full rundown from Kay.
I chose 40mm. Not from extensive testing and working out my 'true focal length' but because, at the time I bought my camera, I was going to purchase a Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 until I read about quality of that lens compared to the Voightlander 40mm f1.2. The quality of my 40mm is outstanding. Modern rendering but still with character and not at all clinical. I have also now got to grips with how this lens can work for me and I wouldn't want to use another focal length.