What Gear do You Need for Street Photography?

Reading time: 5 minutes

So you want to get into running (no you haven’t just clicked on the wrong blog by accident, bear with me on this) but you’ve never really run before, or maybe you have run a bit but you want to get serious about it, so what do you need to be able to run? Running shoes.

Easy right? You just pick up a pair of running shoes and then start running. But then you start looking at running shoes online and you think, oh but what kind of running am I going to do? Do I need a daily trainer? What abut a max-cushion shoe? Or one with a carbon plate? Ooo these are nice, what brand is that? Oh it’s Adidas, don’t really like them, how about Nike. Nah I don’t want Nike, too pricey, what about these specialist long distance running shoes…

Before you know it you’ve spent all day sifting through hundreds of pairs of shoes online and you didn’t even make it outside for a jog.

It’s the same with camera gear. It can be an absolute rabbit hole, and it can be very overwhelming, especially for beginners. Makes sense, gear is expensive, so you want to get it right. To be honest camera gear has become so advanced now, each new model and each brand offers something slightly different but they ultimately all do the same thing to the same level.

But photography gear is very personal and some people have very strong opinions about it (and that’s only talking about digital - I won’t even get into film here) but in this article I’ll do my best to succinctly advise, in my opinion of course, what gear you really need for street photography and if it even matters.

Use what you have already

To continue the running analogy for a little bit longer, running shoes can get very expensive very fast, and you’ll want a nice pair (or two, or three) if you’re going to take running seriously, however if you want to see if you even like running, you need to use whatever you have already and try it out. Just grab that old crappy pair of trainers you use for gardening and go for a jog - they’ll be fine for a slow 5k around the block.

Back to photography, what do you have already that is a camera? Most likely your phone. So if you’re a beginner, use your phone first. Just see if you like the process and if you become taken with it, then it’s time for an actual camera.

What camera?

If you want to do street photography it makes sense to have a smaller camera body, the smaller the body, the less noticeable you are. Something like the Ricoh GR range I hear are very good for out on the streets, they’re diminutive and you don’t need to worry so much about people noticing you. Fujifilm have just released the new X100VI, so if not having an interchangeable lens camera doesn’t bother you, that may be the way to go (it’s extremely pricey though).

If you want to do other kinds of photography work, like weddings or commercial photography, then you might want a bigger body with the bells and whistles. What brand? Doesn’t matter. I personally enjoy using Fujifilm and currently that’s all I use, I’m not precious though, so if something better comes along I might switch.

Whatever camera can help me capture the moments I want to capture is the only camera I need. Don’t think you have to buy new too, I buy used gear often, it holds its value if looked after well and you can save a lot of cash that way.

If you have an interchangeable lens camera or you’re looking to buy a fixed focal length point-and-shoot camera, then the main thing to work out is what focal length/s you want to use, so that’s what we’ll discuss next.

Lenses / focal lengths

I usually suggest for beginners to try out a standard kit zoom lens first, usually 18-55mm on a crop sensor or 24-70mm on full frame. This way you get to experiment with something that will make the most difference to your photos and style: focal length.

Once you’ve used a zoom lens for a while, you can look at your photos and see what focal length you use the most, or decide which you find most fun, and then invest in a fast prime (fixed focal length) lens. These are smaller, lighter, generally sharper than zoom lenses and the big plus is they are more restrictive, taking the indecision out of the situation - you can only zoom in and out by stepping forward or back.

Choosing which focal length you use will have the most impact on your photos. I used to shoot most with a 50mm (full frame equivalent lens) but decided I wanted to change my style, shoot a bit wider and closer to include more in my frame, so I switched to 35mm (full fame equivalent).

If you live in a big city and want to include a lot in your photos filling them with action then 28mm is the way to go. Or if you want to stand from further away, isolate details or textures then maybe try shooting with a longer lens such as a 90mm. The choice is yours.

I generally recommend when you pick up a prime to stick with it for a good few months, get used to how you see with it and use your feet to zoom by walking closer or stepping back to include more of the frame.

Once you have a camera and a lens then it all comes down to how you see, that’s the most important thing: what you include in your frame and what you decide to leave out. The camera is just a tool.

Does gear matter?

So does gear matter for street photography, yes and no. It’s personal preference, you can capture an award winning photo on a digital camera from 10 years ago, a film camera from 50 years ago, or on a brand new top of the range device that came out last week. Do a bit of research, test out some different brands if you can, but once you settle on one, just get out and shoot.

If you have a camera already but you want a new one and can afford it within your means, then go ahead. If you have an old camera that works and can’t afford a new one, use the old camera - you can still make award winning work with it.

Cameras are made to take photos, but the photos are made by the photographer not the gear - that’s why you get a camera after all, not to check megapixels, but to actually go out into the world and make photos.