Kai’s top reasons why 40mm is the ultimate lens for street photography
Feb 20, 2018
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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What is the best street photography lens? Is it 50mm, 35mm, or perhaps 28mm? Well, maybe it’s something in between. In this video, Kai Wong grabs a 40mm pancake lens and hits the streets on Pancake Day. He gives you a few reasons why 40mm can be the best for street photography, so let’s see if you agree.
The lens Kai tests in the video is Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM. It’s a cheap pancake lens, and here are Kai’s reasons why 40mm is the best focal length for street photography.
1. 40mm is a standard lens
Many people consider the 50mm to be the “standard”. The proportions look right in the images, as we see them with the naked eye. But 40mm is closer to to the equivalent we see with our eyes and possibly considered more “standard.”
2. It’s lightweight
40mm lens is tiny and lightweight, which has plenty of advantages. It’s convenient for shooting in the street and on the move. Also, its small size makes it easier to stabilize the camera and shoot at slower shutter speeds.
3. It’s a “wide 50mm”
Kai calls the 40mm lens “50mm for tight spaces.” It’s a standard lens, but gives you more room in the frame than the 50mm. It’s also pretty versatile and works well both for wide shots and portraits.
4. It’s a tidy wide
40mm is a kind of a compromise between 50mm and 35mm. The photos shot with 50mm don’t include that much background, so you may lack some context. On the other hand, with 35mm lenses, the background can get to messy. So, 40mm is something like a middle ground for Kai. It’s wide, but not too wide.
5. It’s cheap
Last but not least: you can find 40mm lenses at a pretty low price. For example, Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Kai uses in the video costs only $200.
Of course, we all have our preferences when it comes to our favorite lenses or the best lenses for our genre. But, can the 40mm be the ultimate lens for street photography? What do you think?
[5 Reasons 40mm is the Best Focal Length | Kai Wong]
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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9 responses to “Kai’s top reasons why 40mm is the ultimate lens for street photography”
40mm crop (equivalent to 60mm Full)? or 40mm on full (equivalent to 26.6 on nikon crop)? :/
In the video he uses a 40 mm on a Canon 5 D Mk 4. So 40 mm on a FF.
(Or 25 mm on a Canon crop body.)
Sorry, =64mm on Canon crop (I think CAnon is 1,6 Nikon is 1,5 cropfactor)
Nope. If you want the same field of view; the 40 mm Full Frame lens is equivalent to 25 mm on a crop body,
Because 40 mm / 1.6 = 25 mm for a Canon and 40 mm / 1.5 = 26.6 for a Nikon.
You are right about this: if you use the 40 mm full frame lens on a crop body it will behave as a 64 mm lens.
But the question was; if you use a 40 mm on a full frame body, which lens would you have to use on a crop body?
Still waiting for Nikon to make this or the matching 24mm pancake..
Those big lenses fit on cameras that some would say are too big for street photography.
Then again, looks like this is an article written for the rare FF DSLR street photographers.
Maybe for a prime but nothing beats a 24-70. And yes, you can still hide in plain sight using it.
I agree 12-35mm is the shits
I am a big 40mm fan on film. Love my Voigtlander F/2. It’s just “perfect”. This used with a 20mm and a 85mm is all I take into the field. If you’ve never shot with a 40mm, TRY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!