The best Canon lenses for street photography

Joel's approach is to embrace the genre's unpredictability and respond accordingly. "Usually, street photography is more candid – you don't plan or ask people to pose. I try to feel what's around me and react to it. At the same time, the story starts to develop inside your mind. So, street photography is more free, where you just go with the flow."

So what are the best lenses for street photography? There is debate among photographers over whether to use zoom lenses, which are versatile and more affordable, or prime lenses, which may offer faster apertures and therefore perform better in low light. Street photographers, both professionals and those starting out, need to choose the kit that best suits their personal tastes and needs. Indeed, Joel's kitbag includes a mix of both lens types, for different reasons.

As Mike points out, when this L-series lens is paired with an EOS R System camera with In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS), the lens's five-stops of IS is just the tip of the iceberg. "The IBIS on EOS R System cameras is very good at correcting certain types of movements while the lens IS tackles other movements. They both have their own specialities. Consequently, the lens and the camera work in partnership to tackle a broader variety of vibrations and deliver super-steady images."

"It's a super zoom, multipurpose lens that's not too big," Mike explains. "It's probably as long as an RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM, but obviously much narrower.

"This lens takes full advantage of one of the key benefits of the RF mount at the heart of the EOS R System, the fast communication between the camera and the lens. This means you can have Digital Lens Optimisation data contained in the lens and transmitted between the lens and the camera in real-time, so the camera can adjust any imaging imperfections instantly in software. Essentially, you get better quality images from a more affordable lens."

Because of this end-to-end performance, Joel says he never needs to swap lenses mid-shoot. He adds that the f/2 aperture means this holds true regardless of how poor the light conditions might become. "Comparing it to f/2.8," he says, "that is twice as much light. Double is a lot of light."

Mike agrees: "It's super sharp and super bright, and you have most of your standard focal lengths. To create a zoom lens that is as good as a prime comes down to how we built the EOS R System from scratch around the RF lens mount, with a wide throat and a shallow flange back from the mount to the sensor. This allowed us to put the large rear optics in an optimal position close to the sensor to allow better transmission of light from the lens into the sensor."

"With the RF 50mm F1.2L USM, you can make magic, because it gathers light and separates subjects like nothing else," he says. "With this, you have an f/1.2 lens you can use at f/1.2. You can shoot in extreme low-light situations and have extreme subject separation."

The ability of the RF 50mm F1.2L USM to achieve these results across the frame comes down to simple physics, Mike explains. "Because of the wide mount and the lens elements being closer to the sensor, there's less need for the light to bend to reach the corners," he says. "Sensors are quite fussy about how light hits them. If light has to bend towards the corners, you get fall-off. Having a large array of elements close to the centre means light comes from the lens to the sensor in a straight line. Therefore, aberrations are reduced."

Mike explains that the macro capability is made possible by the innovative design of the RF mount. "This enables the lens elements to be positioned closer to the sensor, which means adding macro functionality is more straightforward," he says. "Both the RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM and the RF 24mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM deliver half-size macro, which is a decent sort of macro for a wide-angle lens."

If you're considering wide-angle primes, don't overlook the affordable RF 16mm F2.8 STM. It's compact, lightweight and perfect for street scenes, vlogging and content creators. "You can get up close but with a beautiful wide angle," Mike says. "Normally a 16mm lens would give a lot of distortion, but this lens is rectilinear, so it's quite square and very compact. And it's also quite low-cost."

"My job requires me to carry lenses across long distances for long periods," says Joel. "So most of the time, I would never take my 100-400mm lens because it is too heavy. With less weight, I can now take two lenses that go far beyond 400mm and allow me to take photos that I would never normally get. For me, that's amazing."

Mike again notes the benefits of the fast communication between RF lenses and EOS R System cameras made possible by the RF mount. "It means you can transmit Digital Lens Optimisation data from the lens to the body in real time based on the focus position, zoom and aperture," he says. "The camera will then compensate for different aberrations in the lens. Being able to adjust imperfections electronically means you don't always have to make a lens that's super perfect. Therefore, you can reduce the cost of the lens and the output will still be superb."