Ready for anything: the best Canon lenses for street photography

Austrian photographer and Canon Ambassador Markus Morawetz is best known for his wedding photography, but also shoots travel and reportage, including candid portraiture and traditional street shots. Fellow Canon Ambassador, French photojournalist and Magnum Photos member Jérôme Sessini, who has covered some of the most significant news events of the past 20 years, documents the streets in an entirely different way, telling stories of migration and conflict, including his long-term study of Mexican culture.

Both street photographers know just how important choosing the right lens can be and here share their favourite lenses, explaining why they are particularly suited to the broad street photography genre.

Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM

Best wide Canon street lens

"The Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM lens has been one of my favourites for years," says Markus. "The focal length means I can capture everything I need to in a scene. No matter if it's a streetscape, portrait or detail shot, this is an all-rounder that never disappoints. It's relatively wide-angle, so you have to think about the image composition and consider what's in the frame. Thanks to the low starting aperture, the lens is also perfect for mastering low-light situations and is able to conjure wonderful bokeh. It's small, light, unobtrusive and has a fast focus – everything a street reportage lens should have. I never leave the house without it!"

Mike Burnhill, Professional Imaging Product Specialist at Canon Europe and an expert on lens technology, adds: "This is a compact, fast, lightweight EF lens that perfectly balances size and performance, plus the in-built Image Stabilization enables shooting in different positions without worrying about shake ruining images."

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

Best all-round Canon street zoom lens

"If I had to travel with just one lens, it would be this one," says Jérôme. "It gives me very high quality and versatility in just one lens. It allows me to switch from spontaneous snapshots to landscape or cityscapes without changing lenses. In some respects, I find this lens produces a higher quality of image than some primes – its ability to capture strong definition and chromatic accuracy are unique, and I love the mellow colours and the general texture it achieves, which are especially beneficial when you need to print images."

Markus agrees. "The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens delivers an ingenious focal length range for reportage as you can capture complete scenes with 24mm and then get really close to your subject with 70mm," he says. "The sharpness is superb at f/2.8, and it's a good choice when travelling because you can cover a wide range of focal lengths with just one lens and still be sure of high quality results."

Mike adds: "For versatility with image quality that can rival a prime lens, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM is the one lens most professionals couldn't live without."

Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM

Best Canon street lens for dreamy bokeh

"This little gem was one of my first investments when I started out," says Markus. "It's simply a workhorse of a lens and is one of the reasons why I love using Canon. It has a lot of fans among professional street photographers, because it produces an indefinable magic, which you can fall in love with very quickly. I look for lenses with character, and this is one of those lenses for me.

"The AF is accurate and fast enough for the street scenarios I shoot, and I also love how it's small and durable," he adds. "Whether I'm using it on the Canon EOS R with an EF-EOS R mount adapter or the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, the lens is very comfortable in the hand.

"The low f-stop means I can use this lens in low-light situations and keep the ISO relatively low, which increases the quality of the final result. But more than that, it gives me the ability to make objects stand out from the background or the surroundings and allows me to highlight things using a wonderful, fluid bokeh. In short, it gives you new possibilities to tell your stories."

Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM

Best Canon RF all-rounder zoom street lens

Using a Canon EOS R System camera? "This is a great lens to travel with," says Jérôme. "It's versatile, especially for switching from landscape to portrait with one lens. It's also very fast and light, and the f/4 aperture is more than enough for me. I always like to work at f/8, because I find it gives a good focus depth and because I often use big flashes, even in daylight, so I don't need a bigger aperture."

It's a versatile option for street shooting, agrees Markus. "If you are looking for more focal length and can do without an f/2.8 aperture, the Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM is a great lens in the RF lineup, and the built-in Image Stabilizer will help if, and when, the light goes. This focal length is very popular for filming, so if you shoot both stills and movies, this lens is a very cost-effective option."

Mike sums up: "The Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM is the multi-purpose lens of the RF lens family. With a focal range that covers all the most common focal lengths but also with stunning fast focus and 5-stop Image Stabilization, this lens is ready for everything."

Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM

Best discreet Canon street lens

"Shortly after I integrated the Canon EOS R into my workflow, I got myself the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM lens, because 35mm is one of my preferred focal lengths for almost everything," says Markus. "No matter if it's weddings, travel or street reportage – with 35mm I can work the whole day without missing another focal length. Its size is a dream – it helps keeps the Canon EOS R lightweight, which for all-day shooting should not be underestimated. I love to work below f/2, and with this lens I can do that without any restrictions. Sharpness and a beautiful bokeh – what more could I want?

"The Image Stabilization allows me to take incredible photos handheld, a must for shooting in busy environments, and the AF is very fast and accurate, so I know I can rely on it 100%," Markus adds. "This lens gives me everything that is immensely important for street photography – it's so discreet and yet offers so much quality."

Mike notes: "The Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM lens is the smallest of the current RF lenses. With a natural-looking focal length and fast aperture, this is an ideal street photography lens for those who don't want to stand out."