While street photography has been around for decades, it has gained popularity over the years thanks to social media. Just like any other genre of photography, there are certain gear you would need in order to improve your skills. In this post, I’ll go through some tips and gear recommendations for street photographers.
You’ve seen the photos. You’ve read the comments. One of your friends just got a film camera and has been raving about how much they love it. But, you don’t know what film camera to get? The article below will help you find the answer to your question:
Best cheap camera for street photography
The first thing you will probably think of when it comes to street photography and film cameras is the Leica. This camera has become the ever-popular choice for aspiring street photographers who are looking to make their mark in the crowded world of this niche, but there is a lot more on offer out there, in terms of film cameras for street photographers. If you’re new to the concept or taking pictures on the street then you may find yourself lost among all these choices, but fear not as I’m here to help guide you on your way to finding your perfect analog camera for taking pictures of people in public places.
Street photographers capture candid moments that provide us with an authentic glimpse into the lives of strangers. Typically, street photography requires a great amount of naturalist talent, patience and luck. Street photos typically focus on the details of a person’s surroundings, not their face — so you can get away with a camera that doesn’t take high-quality photographs.
Street photography is one of the most popular and trending genres in photography. street photography is taken in public places but without consent of those photoed. its not candid photography, but something more like documentary photography. you must think before taking a shot and wait patiently. good street photos show unique moments caught candidly and convey some universal meanings.
Best film cameras for street photography
- Fujifilm X-T3
FixThePhoto’s Choice1/3
Size: 5.2 x 3.7 x 2.3 in | Weight: 1.19 lb | Bit of Depth: 14-Bit | Max. Resolution: 6240 x 4160 | Optical Zoom: 3x
$1359.95
Rating
⊕ Small and portable
⊕ Quiet shutter
⊕ Speedy burst modes
⊕ Great weather sealing
⊕ Provides top-quality photos
⊖ Not found
A lot of photographers in this genre like working with this camera as it’s compact, has a hybrid viewfinder and an electronic silent shutter.
Also, X-T3 has nice autofocus and speedy burst modes, which make it the best Fuji camera for street photography. The model boasts a 26-megapixel APS-C sensor that provides amazing photos with great color reproduction that is better than in any other camera on the market.
It’s very durable and can shoot in any conditions giving qualitative results.
I would like to note that it’s very convenient to work with Fujifilm X-T3. The physical controls help you know where your ISO, shutter speed and exposure compensation are set even before you switch your camera on. This is important for street photography, as it will help you capture the perfect shot super quickly.
In addition, this camera has a wonderful 3.69-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF), which can refresh at 100 fps. This provides a clear and detailed preview of your images.
Find out about the best street photographers.
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- Ricoh GR II
Best street camera for beginners1/3
Size: 1.4 x 2.5 x 4.6 in | Weight: | Bit of Depth: 12-Bit | Max. Resolution: 4928 x 3264 | Optical Zoom: 1x
$
Rating
⊕ Fast autofocus
⊕ Portable
⊕ Easy-to-use
⊕ Amazing photo quality
⊕ Decent battery life
⊖ Lack of viewfinder
In my opinion, RicohGR II is the best camera for street photography regarding image quality it provides and its price. It was designed especially for this type of photography and is a nice variant of a camera for beginners.
This model doesn’t have any extra functions that are not needed for a regular user but would increase the cost of this camera.
Ricoh GR II weighs only 0.6 lb and has a retractable lens that folds into the body. This makes it even smaller and means that you can take the camera with you and easily carry it during the day. Besides, you won’t need to worry that it might break when you put it in your pocket.
Even though this camera is small, it’s very durable too. The only disadvantage of this camera for street photography is a lack of a viewfinder. However, there’s nothing to worry about. After you practice a bit, you won’t even need the LCD-Screen as you will be able to take photos from the hip.
- Sony A7 III
Best mirrorless cameras for street photography1/3
Size: 5 x 3.88 x 3 in | Weight: 1.44 lb | Bit of Depth: 14-Bit | Max. Resolution: 6000 x 4000 | Optical Zoom: 1x
$1998.00
Rating
⊕ 24MP full-frame sensor
⊕ Works great at low light
⊕ Remarkable battery life
⊕ Fast autofocus
⊕ Two slots for SD memory card
⊖ Inconvenient interface and menu
Sony A7 III is one of the best street photography cameras on the market nowadays and is used by the most famous photographers. It’s an ideal full-frame camera as it’s both powerful and affordable.
This model provides amazing photos at low light. The best time for street photography is early morning or late evening. The camera will make sure that even at this time, you can actively take pictures.
A7 III is quite small for the quality it produces and the number of functions it offers. Besides, it’s fast and works well at high ISO. You can take a series of shots at 10 fps, take sharp photos with amazing dynamic range whether you do it during the day or at night and accurately autofocus on objects in fast motion or portraits.
One of the best functions of Sony A7 III is the silent mode. However, it’s turned off by default. There is one thing that you can’t do in the Silent Mode – use the flash.
Nonetheless, like other cameras, this one has some tradeoffs. I think that the camera controls design of Sony cameras is significantly worse. Their buttons and menus aren’t very convenient to work with.
Read about the best Sony lenses.
- Leica Q
The fastest street camera1/3
Size: 5.1 x 3.1 x 3.7 in | Weight: 2 lb | Auto Focus Points: 49 | Sensor Resolution: 24.0 MP | Max Shutter Speed: 1/2000 sec
$
Rating
⊕ Quiet work
⊕ Great build quality
⊕ Fast autofocus
⊕ Good ergonomics
⊕ Amazing LCD screen
⊖ High price
⊖ Not water-resistant
Leica Q can be also called the best camera for street photography due to its small size, a 24 MP full-frame sensor and a versatile lens. One of its main advantages is fast performance while shooting with the LCD. It will take your photos the second you press the shutter button.
As for the model’s design, it’s a true masterpiece. The camera feels firm in your hand and has a perfect built for street photography. Each button and feature are exactly where they are supposed to be. This camera has a focusing tab perfect for zone-focusing and high-speed autofocus, which is, perhaps, the fastest one among other modern cameras.
Street photographers will be very pleased with the touch-to-focus/touch-to-shoot (using the LCD) function. It can be quite effective, especially if you take photos from the hip.
This camera has a big disadvantage, though. It’s not water-resistant, which can make it more difficult for you to shoot in bad weather.
- Fujifilm X100F
Street camera with the best ergonomics1/3
Size: 3.9 x 7 x 6.9 in | Weight: 1.3 lb | Bit of Depth: 14-Bit | Max. Resolution: 6000 x 4000 | Optical Zoom: 1x
$764.50
Rating
⊕ Quiet shutter
⊕ Fast autofocus
⊕ Great ISO performance
⊕ Quick lens
⊖ Not water-resistant
Fujifilm X100F is the next option on the list of the best cameras for street photography. It’s small but creates top-quality photos. With manual focus, there is almost no shutter lag and the burst mode is very smooth.
The design of this camera doesn’t make it look professional. Due to this, people on the street won’t be able to understand that you are a photographer with a professional camera. However, despite its plain look, the quality of the photos taken with this camera is great.
The button layout is better in comparison with the previous version and the menu is understandable. You can easily change the main settings. For example, the aperture can be changed with a lens around the ring. You can control shutter speed and ISO from the dial on the top.
Fujifilm has moved the buttons of this camera to the right, which allows you to work with the camera using just one hand. You can easily reach all buttons with your right thumb. There is also a quick menu for managing the most frequently used settings.
Read about the best Fuji lenses.
- Olympus PEN-F
The best street camera for B&W photography1/3
Size: 1.5 x 4.9 x 2.8 in | Weight: 14.4 oz | Sensor Resolution: 20.3 MP | Auto Focus Points: 81 | Max Shutter Speed: 1/16000 sec
$
Rating
⊕ Fast autofocus
⊕ Nice design
⊕ Great image stabilization
⊕ Fast burst mode
⊕ Built-in high-resolution EVF
⊖ Not water-resistant
Many shooters call Olympus Pen-F the best camera for street photography as it was designed specifically for this genre. The model is convenient to hold in your hand and has no big frontal grip, which means that it will be easier for you to change from portrait orientation to landscape one.
The button layout is amazing. The buttons and dials are pleasant to touch. All the necessary settings for working with this camera are placed on the top dial. So, you don’t have to manage the menu if you don’t feel like it. In addition, I must admit that Olympus Pen-F is very fast and stabilized.
You can choose the image editing style while working with it. If you like taking black and white pictures, the Monochrome mode will be your favorite. You won’t have to edit anything afterward as the camera will provide you with a perfect black and white effect.
Also, this camera for street photography has a very nice design. The water-resistant feature, which is absent, could be a great addition to it.
- Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Digital Camera
Best street camera with silent mode1/3
Size: 4.57 x 2.6 x 2.91 in | Weight: 1.22 lb | Continuous Shooting Speed: 6.5 fps | Max. Resolution: 24.3 MP | Optical Zoom: 1x
$299.00
Rating
⊕ Image Stabilizer
⊕ Ultra noiseless
⊕ Practical LCD screen
⊕ Built-in Wi-Fi, NFC
⊕ Fixed flash with a good range
⊖ Shutter lag
This model takes a high position among the best mirrorless cameras for street photography due to the high image quality it provides. The secret is the somewhat large sensor for a compact type.
It is a truly lightweight and miniature model but the metal in its body provides sturdiness and protection for the components. Also, when it hangs down your neck, the camera feels convenient and looks somewhat discreet, thanks to the fixed lens.
The performance in the silent mode is remarkable because you can hardly hear any sound. This creates great opportunities for taking natural shots without disturbing the object. Another great feature that isn’t common among the street photography cameras is an LCD screen that you can rotate in many ways around its hinges.
The small weakness is the shutter itself that takes a few long moments to snap after you’ve pressed the button. This can be quite frustrating and inconvenient, especially for those photographers, who prefer working with the manual focus.
Check out these best compact cameras.
- Canon E0S Rebel SL3
Street camera with the best value1/3
Size: 2.7 x 4.8 x 3.6 in | Weight: 1.5 lb | Max. Resolution: 24.1 MP | Display Size: 3 in
$749.00
Rating
⊕ Top-notch performance and quality
⊕ Beginner-friendly interface
⊕ Wonderful autofocus technology
⊕ Rotary screen
⊕ Large battery capacity
⊖ Small controls
This model doesn’t have the dimensions of a portable one but it is still small enough to be carried somewhere for shooting without causing discomfort. It is also well-designed and has a good grip on the side that makes one-handed operation effortless. You can use the automated features or set all the values manually if you prefer.
For a cheap street photography camera, this model has a stunning performance in conditions of insufficient light.
The touchscreen and the optical viewfinder are also stunning for this market segment, the latter also being quite an efficient way of saving the battery. If you use the screen for shooting, it will be enough for taking roughly 320 images, but turning it off you can triple that number easily.
A highly-requested feature by the beginners is a guided UI that allows an owner to learn how to operate a camera while taking the first pictures by providing instructions.
While it deserves its rank as the best camera for street photography, it might not be fully appropriate for photographers with larger hands because of the miniature size of the controls, especially the directional pad.
View these cheap Canon cameras.
- Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX 100 III
Best budget street camera1/3
Size: 4.02 x 1.61 x 2.28 in | Weight: 0.64 lb | Optical Sensor Resolution: 20.1 MP | Optical Zoom: 2.9x
$748.00
Rating
⊕ Speedy
⊕ Compact and discreet
⊕ Well-designed menu
⊕ High-quality images
⊕ Shoots in RAW
⊖ Arguable design
This model deserves its place among the best cameras for street photography because of the stunning image quality it produces. A great benefit is the absence of weird components that many point-and-shoot cameras are stuffed with.
In this genre, taking pictures while being unnoticed is a big part of the success so the fact that it is small and discreet but powerful enough for producing high-quality images is decisive.
The best mirrorless camera for street photography also reacts quickly, taking almost no time to set the AF. The information on the screen is well-displayed, making it easy to set things in the EVF while you’re aiming the camera at your subject.
You’ll recognize the menu if you already had Sony but even for novice users the layout is intuitive. The same goes for the control buttons that are pretty much standard.
The only flaw of this great device is the body design that doesn’t make it easy to hold or manipulate the camera during work.
- Panasonic LX100 II
Street camera with versatile lens1/3
Size: 4.52 x 2.61 x 2.17 in | Weight: 0.87 lb | Optical Sensor Resolution: 21.77 MP | Effective Pixels: 17MP
$797.99
Rating
⊕ Large sensor
⊕ Feature-packed
⊕ Fast and versatile lens
⊕ High-resolution viewfinder
⊕ Convenient to handle
⊖ No pre-focus
This travel-oriented device has a miniature body filled with great features, which are required from the best camera for street photography.
This model can offer the highest image quality in its size category, all because the engineers have managed to fit a larger size sensor in it.
The stunning results are achieved thanks to the 4/3 sensor, an integrated viewfinder, and a lens that is absolutely out of this category, a 24mm-75mm f/1.7 to 2.8. This really brings the camera on a much higher level and allows you to work easily in a variety of genres starting from portraits and finishing with nature or architecture. As a bonus, you can film in 4K or make time-lapses with it and benefit from the Wi-Fi module.
Obviously, something had to be sacrificed so that a compact camera can boast such performance. The drawback of this model is its focusing scale that is actually absent. Without it, you can’t tell at which distance the camera focused, which makes photographing somewhat challenging. There is a way to compensate through focus peaking, though, where you can estimate how deep the focus reaches as it highlights the image areas.
Learn about the best laptop for photo editing on a budget.
- Nikon D750
Best camera for street photography at night1/3
Size: 5.55 x 3.07 x 4.45 in | Weight: 1.65 lb | Continuous Shooting Speed: 6.5 fps | Max. Resolution: 24.3 MP | Optical Zoom: 1x
$1769.00
Rating
⊕ Hermetically-sealed body
⊕ Great performance in insufficient lighting
⊕ Class-leading burst speed
⊕ Long battery life
⊕ Excellent AF system
⊖ Limited buffer capacity
The model is suitable for many genres and shooting conditions but certain features make it the best camera for street photography. It shows stunning results in conditions of insufficient light. Another incredible feature is the autofocus that has a number of modes designed to tackle complicated situations, like the group-area AF. It focuses on 5 points and captures objects in motion like bicycles or people perfectly.
The two abovementioned features allow you to shot stunning images with a sharp focus in dark areas, the detection rate in such conditions being − 3EV. The precision of the autofocus is absolutely mind-blowing even for professionals. So is the quality preserved by the high ISO sensitivity of the camera that can make even a simple Kit lens work great.
Besides the hardware, the interface contributes to the sublime performance, making it easy-to-use the camera. Everything you need is intuitively located in the 5-section menu.
What makes it more convenient for travel is the Wi-Fi module that you can use to transfer selected images to a drive or smartphone in a quick way.
List of the Best Cameras for Street Photography
IMAGENAMEFEATURESFujifilm X-T3OUR CHOICENoiseless shutterHigh-speed burst modesExcellent hermetic sealingCHECK PRICE →Ricoh GR IIFOR BEGINNERSFast autofocusCompact designLasting batteryCHECK PRICE →Sony a7 IIIBEST MIRRORLESS24MP full-frame sensorExcellent low light performanceThe most capacious batteryCHECK PRICE →Leica QTHE FASTESTNoiseless OperationSolid Build QualityExcellent LCD screenCHECK PRICE →Olympus PEN-FFOR B&W PHOTOSFast autofocusAttractive designSwift burst modeCHECK PRICE →
How to Choose the Best Street Camera?
Nowadays people can pick among many types of cameras and all of them have variable subtypes, making a choice in this sea of devices a hard task. Below, you will find a few tips that will help you find the best camera for street photography that will meet your most important needs.
Portability and Camera Controls
Portability. Look for a compact camera that will be easy to carry around because it will allow you to spend more time searching for suitable subjects. A bulky camera will wear you out earlier by being hard to manipulate and annoying, thus making you quit the day’s work sooner.
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Camera Controls. What may be of minor importance in other genres becomes crucial in street photography where an interesting thing lasts for only a split second. You need to make sure that the street camera you are going to get provides simple controls in easy access that feel comfortable to your hands. When you can click on the right settings even before you lift the camera to your eye level, the chances of you capturing that fleeting moment in the life of the streets are higher.
Inconspicuousness and Silent Shutter
Inconspicuousness. The genre is similar to reportage because you don’t interfere and only capture things as they are happening around. The problem is that people easily become aware of having a camera aimed at them and thus change their behavior or simply become more awkward. It is in your interest to select the best street camera that doesn’t attract attention so keep away from shiny metallic bogies or colorful patterns on them.
Silent Shutter. For the same reason, you would want to get the most noiseless camera possible. If the shutter is too audible, you might get one decent shot of your subject, but with a silent one, you can quietly take several pictures without disturbing anyone in the process.
Autofocus Speed and Weather Protection
Autofocus Speed. Life is always in motion so if your camera takes too long to focus, the right moment might be lost. A quick and accurate autofocus will become your best assistant in capturing genuine moments even with moving objects.
Weather Protection. The last thing you want is to be sent off by some rain that could damage the camera, especially because many interesting shots can be taken in bad weather. Mind to invest in a waterproof and durable camera that will set you free to pursue any object.
