What is the best street photography camera and lens?

The most important part of all photography is the 6 inches behind the camera, you are the biggest influence no matter what camera you use.  You can use almost any camera or smartphone to take street photographs. That said, different cameras are suited to different types of photography, in reality most street photographers use a certain range of cameras for good reason.

They all have one thing in common no matter which manufacturer it is, they are small and lightweight. All the cameras that I list here are also mirrorless, not to say you can't you DSLR cameras but they are bigger and heavier, essentially less practical.

In street photography having the ability to hold the camera and take photographs quickly and easily is essential. One of the other advantages of mirrorless cameras in general is they are packed with technology to enable very quick focusing in differing light conditions and can adapt almost instantly to what is going on in front of them.

This is not meant as a technical guide, there are many articles written about these cameras online. This article concentrates on the cameras that street photographers in the UK actually use and why they use them.

I will start with the most common camera that I have seen used in street photography in the UK, that is the Fujifilm X-T3. There are newer models available such as the X-T4 and X-T5, these are more expensive and are on the to 'buy list' for the street photographers I have met. The X-T3 is still more than capable of taking great shots and upgrading is far from essential. But if you have the budget then the X-T 5 is a very desirable option. The main draw of the X-T range is the cameras layout and size as well as the photographic quality.

Fuji XT-3 Camera Top

Simply put all the essential dials are at your fingertips, changing ISO, shutter speed and aperture take seconds and are on big and easy dials to read. Also if you look at the camera as a non photographer it looks old fashioned and you can easily look like an amateur photographer take holiday snaps on an old camera. Allowing you to appear more anonymous, which can be a big plus in street photography.

Another popular choice from the photographers I have met is the Sony A7iii, this is again small, lightweight and powerful it is also a full frame camera as opposed to the crop sensor used in the X-T3. The image quality is excellent and it has a huge ISO range compared to the X-T3. But there is no right or wrong between these two cameras it comes down to personal preference.

I have come across other cameras such as the Leica M8 which is a very high level of camera and are very expensive to buy, strictly for the high-end photographer. They offer fantastic image quality again on a small, lightweight camera body. 

Fuji 35mm Lens

As for lenses the most common fixed lens I have come across is the 35mm lens. Essentially it allows you to take photographs from a short distance away but not on top of the subject, the focal length allows for pin sharp images. Depth of field can easily be adjusted and filling the frame is not difficult at all.

50mm lens are also used for less intrusive photographs and allowing for more cropping space if necessary. I have also seen 28mm lenses in use but not many pictures were taken with this lens as it is hard to get the right conditions and composition for an effective image. 

As for settings the vast majority of photographers use manual settings or shutter priority, with the nature of street photography being a constantly changing environment the need for quick shutter speeds is essential whether in manual or not.

There is nothing to say zoom lenses can't be used I use one myself but in my experience compact mirrorless cameras and manual settings are by far the most commonly used.

All opinions expressed in this article are my own and are not endorsed by anyone.

You can find out more about me and what I do by following the links below the comments.

Have you had the same experiences when meeting other street photographers or have you seen something different?