Lenses for Street Photography: Prime vs. Zoom
When it comes to street photography, few debates are as common as prime vs. zoom lenses. Each lens type has its strengths, and understanding them can completely change how you shoot the streets of Berlin, capture urban life, or create fine art minimal images. In this guide, you’ll learn how to choose the best lens setup for your style.
1. What is a Prime Lens?
A prime lens has a fixed focal length — like 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm. It doesn’t zoom in or out. You zoom with your feet.
Benefits of Prime Lenses:
Sharper Images: Fewer moving parts mean prime lenses often deliver superior image quality.
Faster Apertures: Wide maximum apertures (like f/1.4 or f/1.8) let you shoot better in low light and create creamy bokeh.
Lightweight and Discreet: Ideal for blending in during urban shoots.
Consistency: Forces you to compose more thoughtfully since you can't rely on zooming.
Creativity Boost: Using only one focal length — like committing to a 35mm for the day — challenges you to see differently, frame smarter, and improve your composition skills.
💡 Best Prime Focal Lengths for Street Photography:
35mm: A classic choice — captures context while still focusing on the subject.
50mm: Slightly tighter, great for portraits and isolating subjects.
85mm: Ideal for street portraits and capturing candid moments from a distance without being intrusive (perfect for the shy ones among us). The compression effect of 85mm also creates a beautiful separation between subject and background, adding a fine art quality to your urban photography. One of my favourites!
2. What is a Zoom Lens?
A zoom lens covers a range of focal lengths — for example, 24-70mm or 70-200mm — allowing you to adjust your framing without moving.
Benefits of Zoom Lenses:
Flexibility: Quickly adjust your composition without physically moving.
More Reach: Ideal for candid shots where getting close isn’t possible (or you don’t want to).
Efficiency: Great for fast-moving environments where moments happen quickly and your feet would be too slow.
💡 Best Zoom Ranges for Street Photography:
24-70mm: Covers everything from wide street scenes to closer portraits.
70-200mm: Useful if you want to stay distant and unnoticed, creating compressed, layered compositions.
⚠️ Consideration: Larger zoom lenses can often make you more noticeable on the street. A big lens setup may draw attention, make you seem more professional, and sometimes make candid moments harder to capture naturally.
3. Prime vs. Zoom: Which is Better for Street Photography?
It depends on your personal style:
Prime Lenses are better if you love minimalism, prefer lightweight setups, and want to develop a strong sense of composition. They push you to get closer to your subjects and be more intentional.
Zoom Lenses are better if you want to stay flexible, react quickly, or prefer a discreet, distant approach — ideal for shy or introverted photographers.
If you're working in a busy urban environment like Berlin, primes help you move lightly and naturally among the crowds. But if you prefer staying on the edge of the action and capturing moments from afar, a zoom might be your best ally.
4. Which Lens Suits Which Photographer?
Fine Art Street Photographers often prefer primes to create consistent visual stories, e.g. with a very wide focal length.
Documentary and Event Photographers might lean toward zooms for speed and flexibility.
Beginner Street Photographers may benefit from a zoom at first to find their preferred focal length — then switch to a prime later.
💡 Many photographers recommend starting with a 35mm prime to master framing and then branching out.
5. Other Factors to Consider
Size and Weight: A bulky lens might attract unwanted attention on the streets.
Budget: Primes are often more affordable for high-quality optics compared to zooms.
Shooting Style: Are you a patient "fisher" who waits for moments, or a dynamic "hunter" always moving?
Knowing your approach will help you pick the lens that supports your creativity.
Conclusion: Prime or Zoom?
Both primes and zooms have a place in street photography, especially when shooting vibrant urban scenes like those in Berlin. There’s no one right answer — only the lens that best matches your vision.
If you want to slow down, get closer, and focus on storytelling, a prime lens is your best bet. If you need flexibility, distance, and fast reactions, go for a zoom lens.
Whatever you choose, remember: it’s not about the gear — it’s about how you see the world.
Here you find The gear I use for a typical day of street photography and also a list of all the gear I use.
Stay tuned for more blog posts on this topic!
