Choosing a lens for street and snapshots

Street photography rewards a camera you can carry constantly and raise without making a scene. That points to a small prime, and to a focal length that matches how you already look at things.

Why 28–50mm equivalent

35mm equivalent is the traditional street focal length: wide enough to include context, narrow enough to have a subject. 28mm gives more context and asks you to get closer; 50mm isolates more and lets you stay back. Almost everyone settles somewhere in this range.

Why under 400g

Discretion is a specification here. A large lens changes how people behave around you, and a heavy one means the camera stays in the bag. Under 400g the whole kit disappears in a jacket pocket or a small bag.

Pancake primes are the extreme case — some are under 150g and barely protrude.

Aperture is about light, not blur

Street work is usually done at f/5.6 to f/8 with enough depth of field to catch something quickly. A wide maximum aperture matters for shooting after dark rather than for blurring backgrounds. An f/2.8 pancake is often a better street lens than an f/1.4 that is three times the size.

Autofocus speed over autofocus accuracy

You are reacting to something that will be gone in a second. A lens that locks quickly beats one that locks perfectly a moment later.