Lens Ideas For Landscape, Portrait & Street Photography
- Manuel Pearce
- Mar 18
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 21
Landscape Photography
Landscape photography is all about capturing wide, sweeping views with great detail. The ideal lenses for this genre typically have a wide field of view, excellent sharpness, and good low-light performance.
Top Picks:
Wide-Angle Lenses (16-35mm f/2.8 or f/4)
Provides a broad field of view, perfect for capturing expansive landscapes.
The f/2.8 version is excellent for low-light conditions and astrophotography.
Recommended: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4, Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM.
Ultra-Wide Prime Lenses (14mm f/2.8)
Great for dramatic compositions and astrophotography.
Offers minimal distortion when framing large scenes.
Recommended: Rokinon 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art.
Standard Zoom Lenses (24-70mm f/2.8)
Versatile option that allows you to shoot both wide and mid-range landscape shots.
Provides sharp images with good depth.
Recommended: Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 G2, Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, Canon 24-70mm f2.8 II USM
Portrait Photography
Portrait photography focuses on capturing emotions, expressions, and details. The best portrait lenses typically offer a wide aperture (f/1.4 to f/2.8) for beautiful background blur (bokeh) and sharp subject focus.
Top Picks:
50mm f/1.8 (“Nifty Fifty”)
Affordable, lightweight, and ideal for natural-looking portraits.
Creates beautiful background blur.
Recommended: Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM, Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S.
85mm f/1.4 or f/1.8
One of the best portrait lenses due to its natural perspective and smooth bokeh.
Perfect for headshots and close-up portraits.
Recommended: Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM, Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art.
70-200mm f/2.8 Telephoto Lens
Excellent for capturing portraits from a distance while maintaining sharp details.
Great compression effect for stunning subject isolation.
Recommended: Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8, Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM.
Street Photography
Street photography requires fast and versatile lenses to capture spontaneous moments. Compact, lightweight lenses with a wide aperture are ideal for low-light conditions and capturing candid shots.
Top Picks:
35mm f/1.8 or f/2
A classic street photography lens offering a natural field of view.
Great for capturing environmental portraits and street scenes.
Recommended: Fujifilm XF 35mm f/2, Sony FE 35mm f/1.8.
24-70mm f/2.8 Standard Zoom
Offers flexibility to shoot both wide and tight compositions.
Excellent for documenting a variety of street scenes.
Recommended: Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM.
28mm f/2 or f/1.8
A wider perspective perfect for capturing cityscapes and action shots.
Small and discreet, making it ideal for street shooting.
Recommended: Ricoh GR III (built-in 28mm), Sony FE 28mm f/2.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right lens depends on your style of photography and the subjects you love to capture. While prime lenses offer stunning image quality and wide apertures, zoom lenses provide versatility for changing scenes. Whether you’re shooting landscapes, portraits, or street photography, investing in the right lens can elevate your work and help you create stunning images.
What’s your favorite lens for photography? Let us know in the comments!
Thank you Manni. A nice post. And also as you say very important to have the best lens you can get for your preferred photography choices.
For me shooting sport the best lens I have for this is the utterly magnificent Nikon 70-200mm f2.8E FL ED VR. Provides great coverage across the key zoom range that I usually need - and this lens mostly sits on my Nikon D6 (although it sometimes gets used on my D850, D780 and D500 too). If you do sport you always need a 70-200mm lens - it's just essential in my opinion.
I do use other lenses for sport because I often take 2 cameras with me and these lenses can include (depending on…