Ultimate Zoom Lens for The Best Street Photography

A man walking in the rain under Kanda Station, Tokyo.

Ultimate Zoom Lens

I appreciate prime lenses and consider myself fortunate to have an extensive selection. At the same time, I acknowledge the vital role that zoom lenses play in photography, and I find them quite useful. I carry one on my daily outings in Tokyo. It is heavy and old, and I don't always use it, but it does its job remarkably well when I do.

Most camera manufacturers make several zoom lenses of all shapes and sizes. The best of these lenses are often the fast f2.8 or even f2 type, covering focal ranges from 14mm to 200mm. In the past, I regularly shot weddings, sports, and editorials. These jobs required 14-24, 24-70, and 70-200 f2.8 lenses. All three were workhorses, but one mainly saw the most action.

I refer to a 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens from Nikon. It is not the newest version, so an adapter is required to work on the Z9. This adds more weight and bulk to an already large set-up. It is decidedly not every street. It is a tool, one that works well when called upon. Though not inconspicuous, this camera lens combination receives top marks.

Waiting inline at Apple Ginza store.

70-200mm lens Street Photography Application

First, the why, then the how for this versatile lens. The why is always simple. If the logic gets past simple, it should change to a why not. Tokyo, for the most part, goes up and down. This creates long and tall straight lines. I often want to shoot something that requires standing in the middle of the street or the middle of the traffic flow.

I could stand in the middle of the street, and sometimes I do, to get the shot I want at the focal length it needs. In many situations, I use the 70-200mm zoom lens. I can fill my frame with a similar style to the 85-105-135 I often shoot at. There is less depth of field and more compression than if I had walked into the middle of the road to shoot. What fills the frame is what concerns me most: what is the simplest and safest way to do so? Using the zoom lens. Finally, the ability to return to a location and improve upon it is also a consideration.

The second application in which I find the 70-200mm zoom lens beneficial is its capacity to introduce compression to a shot. I tend to shoot most often in the 28-35-50mm ranges. One of the ways I like to shoot is to push an idea as far as possible, getting closer, stepping back, using a shallow depth of field, or dragging the shutter. The zoom lens allows me to add compression to an image, increasing focus on the subject, removing distracting elements in the background and filling the frame with only the essential image elements.

The above scenarios, and almost every other use for me, are application-specific. This means I rarely walk around with a zoom lens attached to my camera while shooting street. I want to be locked into a specific focal length in those situations. The zoom lens is there to fill in the gaps. It is excellent to have in the bag and can be a lifesaver.

Ueno Market, cross walk.

Previsualization Requires Sacrifice

This sacrifice comes in weight, figurative and literal. As mentioned above, this is not a light lens; most zooms are heavier than the intended counterpart lenses. Walking around all day and not reaching for it is a big sacrifice. It is hard on the back, knees and spirit. Those sacrifices are not as significant as not having the lens when needed.

The figurative weight is easy for me to carry but can be difficult for many. That weight is pride in the idea that street photography can only be done a certain way. Other photographers may abuse the zoom lens, making zooms uncool. In life, especially concerning art creation, I am the only one who can decide what is cool for me, as you are the only one who can determine what is cool for you.

The 70-200mm zoom lens is ‘cool’ for me. It is a tool that fulfills my previsualized images when other lenses fail. The logic is simple, sound and repeatable, providing excellent results. The sacrifice of my pride is nill, and the weight of this lens is more than worth the fatigue required to carry it.

The 70-200mm lens is the ideal zoom for street photography. It is versatile in function and never disappoints when called upon.