Why 28mm and 50mm are the perfect pair for Street Photography
- Hipster_cph
- Aug 16
- 4 min read
August - Blog# 18
The 28mm and 50mm focal lengths are considered a classic pair for street photography — and for good reason. The wide 28mm lens captures the energy of the streets, while the 50mm lens adds intimacy and storytelling depth.
Together, they form one of the best lens combinations for photographers who want versatility without carrying a heavy kit.
My street photography kit has become lighter and lighter since I started to do Street photography back in 2016.
I used to as many new street photographers do lug around a bag full of lenses and accessories. For one simple reason: FOMO - fear of missing out.
Along with FOMO I also carried with me a constant indecision and a sharp back pain.
Since then my street kit has ever so slightly evolved with each pivot than came my way doing street photography.
To now only carrying the bare minimum or the essentials - a camera and one lens (attached to a leather strap, as my Leica is expensive and I'm clumsy).
50mm - the other half of the perfect pair
I have made a few videos where I deep dive into my kit. If you are interested then check out my Youtube playlist for a more details on my gear.
For this blog I'll only focus on my lenses as my go-to camera has been reduced to only having a film camera - the Leica M6.
Lets start with the 50mm as this is a lesser known story of how the 50mm became a staple in my street photography kit.
The 50mm was the 2nd focal length I added to my street kit after the 35mm. The standard wide angle lens that just works flawlessly for a range of photography situations.
I started to get bored with the 35mm focal length as I've been shooting with it for 3-4 year without owning any other focal lengths.
I wanted a "change of scenery" . I was looking for a focal length that would give me bit tighter field of view without it being a zoom lens and possibly even start to make photographs that looked different than I was used to.
So I started to research and quickly found that the 50mm like the 35mmm is such a beloved focal length for street photography.
OG street photographers like Henry Catier-Bresson and Elliot Erwitt also used the 50mm focal length as their lens of choice.
Beside the popularity what really drew me to the 50mm focal length was the what I could do with it.
What I can do with a 50mm
I've had the 50mm focal length in my street kit since 2022. It was the Sony Zeiss Sonnar T 55mm 1.8 for my Sony A7C (m1). A really high performing lens for a decent price point. I still have it and love to make photographs with it especially thumbnails or some b-roll for my Youtube videos.
Since then I tapped into the FujiFilm eco-system but I did not buy the 50mm conversion lens for my Fuji x100v as I wanted a 28mm instead - and we all know how that story ended up :)
In 2024 I once again added a new brand (Leica) to my street kit. I added yet another 50mm lens. This time a manual lens the Voigtlander 50mm Color Skopar F2.2 (released June 2024) in silver chrome. It's tiny and fit perfectly with my Leica M6.
Okay, back to what I can do with it.
The 50mm might seem a bit tight for street photograph especially if you’re used to shooting only with a 28mm lens. But when you compare 28mm vs 50mm in real-world use, the difference opens up new creative options.
Over the years I learned how to best use it and integrate into my street photography workflow.
The 50mm is often called the editorial focal length, and shines in its ability to tell stories through a set of photographs — adding a touch of natural perspective and visual continuity to the work.
Secondly, due to its versatility it's possible to capture a natural perspective similar to the human eye.
With a 50mm attached to the camera, it offers a good balance between being wide enough to capture the entire scene and close enough to isolate subjects, making it suitable for various situations on the street.
The perfect pair
In last month's newsletter, I talked about why the 28mm is the best focal length for street photography.
Now lets talk about why the 28mm and 50mm makes the perfect pair for street photography for the type of street photography I like to do.
As much as I love the 28mm it has its limitations. When I bought my Leica M6 in 2024 I paired it with a 28mm Voigtlander Ultron II F2. There was no doubt in my mind that it should be the 28mm in fact I bought with on my way to the Leica store. So I had the setup to go out and do street photography on the first day.
I haven't once regretted my decision to buy the 28mm. If you held a (hypothetical) gun to my head and asked me which focal length I would choose forever and ever.. it's going to be the 28mm.. and forget about the gun, its not needed.
After 2 years of using the 28mm focal length exclusively I started to feel a "need" to have a tighter focal length.
I experience too many times that the 28mm was just to wide for certain situations I wanted to capture.
The photographs did not come out as expected either they were too crowed or the busyness of the scene or elements were too overwhelming which made it hard to tell the story I was going for.
That's why I added a 50mm to my street photography kit.
These are the only two focal lengths I use in my everyday street photography setup — the 28mm and 50mm focal lengths truly are the perfect pair for me.
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