28mm Is The Best Focal Length For Street Photography!
Leica Q2 Monochrom.
Is 28mm the best street photography focal length?
Is 28mm the best street photography focal length? Many say it is. I one hundred percent agree! Except when I don’t. This exception is not a complicated one. I will explain further along. However, 28 mm is a complicated. It is not a wide angle nor a standard focal length such as 35 and 50mm. This one reason is precisely why I think street photographers love it. Wide angle enough to be wide but not so wide to distort reality. Also, it is not standard, unlike the historically favoured 35 mm and 50 mm focal lengths.
28mm Is Wide Enough
It is just wide enough. This adds more complexity to the image by incorporating more of the surroundings. More precisely, it directs the viewer's attention slightly away from the subject, making them more aware of the background elements without being too obvious. A 24mm lens begins to feel like a wide angle. It is expansive, immersing the viewer in the image’s environment, which can be done to great effect. The difference lies in the subtle way a 28mm lens achieves the same result. It resembles the opening scene of a movie.
Imagine that every frame captured with a 28mm lens can resemble a movie frame. It's a powerful lens—one to own, master, and fall in love with. It fills a frame with compelling subject matter and the context needed to convey deeper meaning without overwhelming the viewer with exaggerated depth or unnecessary information. It is the perfect lens for street photography, except when it isn’t.
How I Learned to Love 28 mm Lens Without Knowing It
Though this focal length has existed for some time, it seems to be gaining popularity. The reason for this is the smartphone camera. The standard lens on many models falls under the wide-angle lens category, ranging from 24 to 28mm. Many new street photographers take their first shots in this focal range. Seasoned photographers like myself have been taking family photos on our phones for years, honing our 28mm lens skills without even knowing.
Leica Q2 Monochrom.
If A 28mm Lens Is The Best, Which Lens Do I Buy?
I am blessed to have two 28 mm lenses, the highest quality and the most affordable. A Summilux by Leica and a Nikon 28mm f2 Z mount lens. The Nikkor costs only a few hundred dollars, while the Summilux costs several thousand. Both lenses are excellent and do their job well. The Leica has qualities the Nikkor does not; you get what you pay for. I would not hesitate to grab either lens to fill a 28mm frame.
The Exception
It is not complicated at all. Relatively simple. When I have Leica in my hands, I shoot with the Summilux. It is a match made in camera heaven. When I shoot with Nikon Z9, I reach for the Nikkor. One tool is designed for speed, for video, and for super-fast autofocus. The other tool can shoot video, and it does autofocus, but Leica is best suited for stealth, precision, and expression. The right tool for the right job. Simple.
When the job requires a 35, 50, or 85mm lens, the 28 mm ceases to be the best focal length for street photography. The new focal length is now the best. Simple.
