Top 5 Lenses For Street Portraits: Prime Choices
May 20, 2025
One of the most exciting yet undeniably challenging aspects of being a photographer is the quest for a new lens. The sheer variety of lenses available, from diverse brands and focal lengths to varying levels of quality, leaves photographers spoiled for choice.
However, these amazing pieces of gear often come with hefty price tags. Investing in a lens requires careful consideration before hitting that purchase button, especially when the lens's cost can surpass that of the camera body itself!
Well, if you're a street portrait photographer in the market for your next lens, you've come to the right place. We're going to run through our top 10 lenses for street portraits, available right now, so you can confidently make your purchase. Let's get started!
The Best Street Portrait Photography Lenses
Best Street Portrait Lenses for Mirrorless Cameras
Sony FE: Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II
Fujifilm X: Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR
Canon RF: Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM
Nikon Z: Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S
L-mount: Panasonic LUMIX S 85mm f/1.8
Best Street Portrait Lenses for DSLR Cameras
Canon EF: Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
Nikon F-mount: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G
Sigma (Canon EF/Nikon F): Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
Zeiss (Canon EF/Nikon F): Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4 ZF.2/ZE
Pentax K-mount: Pentax HD FA 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW
Top 5 Street Portrait Lenses for Mirrorless Cameras
1. Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II
What You Need To Know:
Focal Length: 85mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Weight: Approx. 516g
Price: Around $1800
This masterpiece of a camera lens is widely celebrated for its advanced optics, delivering exceptional sharpness and clarity across the frame. Its wide f/1.4 aperture excels in low-light situations, making it ideal for street portrait photographers who enjoy both day and night environments. The lens features a fast and quiet autofocus system, ensuring that you can capture fleeting moments with precision. Its compact and lightweight design makes it a joy to use for extended street photography sessions and holding those awkward positions photographers sometimes find themselves in while lining up the perfect shot.
Pros | Cons |
Incredible image quality. | High price. |
Beautiful bokeh. | 85mm can be tight in crowded areas and narrow streets. |
Fast and quiet autofocus. | |
Powerful in low-light. | |
Relatively lightweight. |
Less Time Editing, More Time Creating
Try Now2. Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR
What You Need To Know:
Focal Length: 56mm (84mm equivalent)
Aperture: f/1.2
Weight: Approx. 445g
Price: Around $1000
This classic portrait lens offers improved optics with a fast f/1.2 aperture, enabling stunning subject isolation and exceptional low-light performance. The lens's optical design is engineered to minimize aberrations and deliver sharp, detailed images. The weather-resistant construction adds a layer of versatility, allowing street portrait photographers to confidently shoot in various environmental conditions, including dramatic rainy street portraits.
Pros | Cons |
Exceptional sharpness. | Autofocus can be slower. |
Beautiful bokeh. | |
Weather-resistant. | |
Excellent in low light. |
3. Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM
What You Need To Know:
Focal Length: 50mm
Aperture: f/1.2
Weight: Approx. 950g
Price: Around $2200
A flagship lens hailed for its unparalleled image quality. Its ultra-fast f/1.2 aperture provides exceptional performance in low-light conditions and allows for high-quality subject isolation, creating a beautiful shallow depth of field. The 50mm focal length offers a versatile perspective, suitable for both close-up portraits and wider environmental shots, making it a valuable tool for street portrait photographers.
Pros | Cons |
Exceptional image quality. | Heavy and bulky. |
Stunning shallow depth of field. | Very high price tag. |
Fast autofocus. |
4. Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S
What You Need To Know:
Focal Length: 35mm
Aperture: f/1.8
Weight: Approx. 370g
Price: Around $700
For those who want to capture environmental portraits with added versatility, this lens is an excellent choice. The 35mm focal length allows you to include more of the surrounding environment in your shots, providing context and depth to your portraits. The lens also offers a good balance of subject isolation and depth of field, making it suitable for a wide range of street photography scenarios.
Pros | Cons |
Excellent quality. | Some distortion. |
Compact and lightweight. | Lower build quality. |
Fast autofocus. | |
Versatile. | |
More affordable. |
5. Panasonic LUMIX S 85mm f/1.8
What You Need To Know:
Focal Length: 85mm
Aperture: f/1.8
Weight: Approx. 355g
Price: Around $400
This 85mm lens offers excellent value for its price. With its affordable price tag, you'll achieve great image quality paired with a lightweight and compact design. The 85mm focal length is ideal for isolating your subject and creating a pleasing background blur. The lens's weather-sealed construction adds a layer of durability, making it suitable for outdoor shooting whatever the weather.
Pros | Cons |
Lightweight and compact. | Autofocus can be slower. |
Weather sealed. | 85mm can be tight in crowded areas and narrow streets. |
Excellent quality. | |
Great price. |
Top 5 Street Portrait Lenses for DSLR Cameras
1. Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
What You Need To Know:
Focal Length: 85mm
Aperture: f/1.2
Weight: Approx. 1025g
Price: Around $830
This particular lens is hailed for the performance it delivers in portraits in particular. This iconic portrait lens is renowned for its ability to render subjects with exceptional clarity and a distinct quality. The ultra-wide f/1.2 aperture not only excels in low-light conditions but also provides a remarkable ability to isolate subjects with a very shallow depth of field and satisfying bokeh.
Pros | Cons |
Outstanding image quality. | Heavy and bulky. |
Exceptional colour rendition for skin tones. | Slower autofocus than other cameras at this price point. |
85mm offers a flattering perspective for portraits. | |
Creamy bokeh. |
2. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G
What You Need To Know:
Focal Length: 85mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Weight: Approx. 595g
Price: $1200
A high-quality portrait lens boasting superb sharpness and bokeh. It even includes a Nano Crystal Coat that reduces lens flare and ghosting, improving image clarity and contrast. The 85mm focal length is ideal for capturing flattering portraits with a shallow depth of field.
Pros | Cons |
Excellent sharpness. | High price. |
Beautiful bokeh. | |
Nano Crystal Coat to reduce lens flare. |
3. Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
What You Need To Know:
Focal Length: 50mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Weight: Approx. 815g
Price: $900
This Art series lens offers high-quality sharpness for your street portraits. With its f/1.4 aperture, it offers fast performance that will excel in low-light situations. The 50mm focal length provides a versatile perspective, suitable for a wide range of street photography scenarios.
Pros | Cons |
Excellent sharpness. | Heavy. |
Beautiful bokeh. | Autofocus can be inconsistent. |
High-quality build as part of the Art series. |
4. Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4 ZF.2/ZE
What You Need To Know:
Focal Length: 50mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Weight: Approx. 926g (ZF.2) / 942g (ZE)
Price: Around $1000
This meticulously crafted lens is renowned for its exceptional build quality and its ability to capture images with extraordinary sharpness and clarity. The Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4 excels in rendering subtle tonal gradations and delivering rich, accurate colours, making it a preferred choice for portrait photographers aiming to capture precise tones in their subject’s skin and outfit.
Automatic Skin Smoothing & Detail Enhancement
Try NowPros | Cons |
Outstanding image quality and sharpness. | Manual focus only, which may present a challenge for some photographers. |
Excellent contrast and colour rendition. | Heavy. |
Robust and durable build. | High price point. |
Smooth and precise manual focus. |
5. Pentax HD FA 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW
What You Need To Know:
Focal Length: 50mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Weight: Approx. 910g
Price: Around $1000
This high-performance lens is designed to deliver exceptional image quality in a wide range of shooting conditions. Its advanced optical design, combined with Pentax's HD coating, minimizes flare and ghosting, resulting in images with remarkable clarity and vibrant colours. The weather-sealed construction ensures reliable performance in challenging environments, making it a versatile tool for street portrait photographers.
Pros | Cons |
Exceptional image quality and sharpness. | Heavy. |
f/1.4 aperture affords excellent low-light performance. | The SDM autofocus may not be as fast as some competitors. |
Weather-sealed build. | High price point. |
Robust and durable. | |
Smooth and quiet SDM autofocus. |
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, by now, you’ve been able to find a lens that stands out and suits your need for street portrait photography. Be sure to do further research on the lens before hitting that purchase button by reading user and photography magazine reviews. You can also take a look at YouTube videos that give in-depth information about the lens and put it through its paces to see how it delivers. Finally, if you’re still needing that last bit of confirmation before investing, perhaps you can post on photography message boards or Reddit to glean any vital information that can help sway your decision. Other than that, enjoy your new lens and have lots of fun shooting stunning street portraits. We are super excited for you!
