Selects: Top 5 Cameras For Street Photography

Street photography is all about capturing the moment. There’s no time to set up your camera—let alone a tripod—with this genre. Successful street photography relies on being attuned to your surroundings. Being patient. And, above all, being reactive to your environment. You never know what great picture lies around the corner of the next street—but you need to be always ready for that moment. There is a certain amount of daringness required to get a truly great street picture. 

Which kind of camera should I use for street photography?

The often-quoted photography cliché—about how the best camera is the one you always have with you—is especially true for capturing candid street photography. And even more so when considering the compact, discreet and feature-packed cameras that can literally fit in your pocket. When creating street photography, it is technically possible to use practically any camera—within reason—as long as it gets the job done. But no street photographer likes to carry around a bulky setup all day. Usually, the best street photography camera will be discreet, easy and intuitive to use, and super fast.

You’ll want your camera to have specific features to help you focus on capturing the ‘decisive moment’. Your street photography camera should preferably be relatively inconspicuous and light enough so you can stay quick on your feet. Physical buttons and dials will help you to instinctively change your settings and shoot. Rapid autofocus and quick-burst modes are always a plus. And those extra megapixels will enable you to crop in post-production. In terms of lenses for street photography, you’ll want a decent 35mm (or 35mm equivalent) prime or pancake lens. 

This article will cover:

1. Best Overall Camera for Street Photography: Fujifilm X100V

2. Best Ultra-compact Camera for Street Photography: Ricoh GR III

3. Best Full-frame DSLR for Street Photography: Nikon D850

4. Best Full-frame Mirrorless Camera for Street Photography: Sony A7 III

5. Best Premium Street Photography Camera: Leica Q2

Let’s take a look at our top five recommended cameras for street photography in 2023 and discuss the specs, benefits and drawbacks of each option. Read on to learn more.

Best Overall Camera for Street Photography: Fujifilm X100V

The Fujifilm X100V is a stylish, compact and capable camera. Specifically designed to be taken everywhere, it is our pick for the best overall street photography camera. 

Specs

• 26.1-megapixel X-Trans 4 APS-C CMOS Sensor

• 23mm f/2 lens (35mm full-frame equivalent)

• 17 Digital Film Simulations, including Eterna, Provia, Velvia and ACROS as well as Classic Negative. 

• Built-in flash and ND filter 

• Classic beautiful rangefinder design 

Upsides

• Amazing image quality in a small body 

• Beautiful design with lots of manual control 

• A fixed lens to force your creativity

• Gorgeous JPEGs straight out-of-camera

Downsides

• Fixed lens can be limiting for some types of shooting and cannot be upgraded

• Those not used to the design may find the manual control difficult to get used to 

• Very popular, so you have to act fast to get one 

The Fujifilm X100V has practically all the features you could ever want from a street photography camera. One of the biggest advantages of the Fujifilm X100V is its hybrid viewfinder, which allows you to switch between optical and electronic—providing the best of both worlds. You can see the scene with ‘the naked eye’ before immediately switching to the benefits of the mirrorless system, like live view, focus peaking and overlaid frame lines.

Packed with tech, the Fujifilm X100V punches well above its diminutive size and weight. The X-Trans 4 APS-C sensor renders colour beautifully. Paired with the super-fast 23mm f/2 lens, it forms the perfect match for on-the-go street snaps. The autofocus rarely misses the subject.

If you prefer to just get your JPEGs straight out of the camera, you can access Fujifilm’s famous built-in film simulation modes. We’d recommend shooting JPEG and RAW simultaneously, as this allows you to use JPEGs as a reference and still edit the RAWs at a later date. But those film simulations sure do look gorgeous. 

If you would like to know more, check out our full Fujifilm X100V review.   

Best Ultra-compact Camera for Street Photography: Ricoh GR III 

If compactness and discretion are of the utmost importance, then the Ricoh GR III is the one for you. The GR III is the smallest and lightest street photography camera on our list—but it’s more than capable of competing with the rest. 

Specs

• 24.2-megapixel APS-C CMOS Sensor

• Only 257g and about 11cm wide  

• Multi-tone 14-bit RAW

• High-performance processor to help deliver fantastic low-light capability (shooting up to ISO 102,400), incredible colour reproduction and resolution

• 3-axis 4-stop shake reduction

Upsides

• Truly pocketable

• Amazing quality for its size

• Sharp 28mm-equivalent fixed lens

• Start-up time of just 0.8sec

Downsides

• Battery life isn’t great  

• No electronic viewfinder, optical viewfinder costs extra

The Ricoh GR III more than rivals the image quality of much, much bigger cameras. And, quite rightly, it has garnered a huge fanbase within the street photography community. The Ricoh GR III has most of the features you’ll need for street photography. It even has built-in three-axis stabilisation to help with camera shake, which is usually more pronounced on smaller cameras. 

Plus, the Ricoh GR III can ramp up ISO to a staggering 10,240—not that you should use that high of an ISO—but it’s there if you are in extremely low-light conditions. 

If you prefer a tighter focal length, the Ricoh GR IIIx is equipped with a 40mm-equivalent f/2.8 lens. But apart from the focal length, the Ricoh GR III and GR IIIx are practically the same great camera. 

Find out more in our Ricoh GR III review and our Ricoh GR IIIx review. 

Best Full-frame DSLR for Street Photography: Nikon D850

If you are looking for a DSLR for street photography, try the reliable and trusted Nikon D850. This full-frame DSLR is perhaps one of the most well-rounded and versatile cameras ever made. Paired with the Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G ED or 35mm f/1.4G, the D850 makes for a brilliant street camera setup.

Specs

• 45.7-megapixel full-frame CMOS back-illuminated Sensor 

• No optical low-pass filter 

• 153-point autofocus system 

• Up to 9fps continuous shooting

• Native low ISO value of 64

Upsides

• A great spec for a range of professional shooting 

• Sturdy, weather-sealed design 

• 4K video capability

• Fantastic battery life (rated at 1840 shots)

Downsides

• Not lightweight coming in at a kilogram body only 

• Large file sizes for storage management 

• Only contrast-detect in live-view mode 

The Nikon D850 still stands as one of the best DSLRs made. It sports an ergonomically satisfying grip that feels natural to shoot with all day. Thanks to its fully weather-sealed body design, it can also shoot in all types of weather. 

If you already have many Nikon FX lenses, if you’re looking for a super-sturdy setup, and if weight isn’t a concern, then the Nikon D850 should be your pick for street photography. 

The autofocus on the Nikon D850 is simply impressive. The subject autofocus tracking is inherited from the impressive Nikon D5. As long as the lens is calibrated properly, your focus should always be snappy and precise.

To further help users nail the street shot, the D850 can shoot up to a pretty good 9fps. So, if you need to freeze the action, switch to burst mode, and you won’t be disappointed. Finally, the sensor. The huge 45.7-megapixel full-frame sensor on the Nikon D850 produces a detail-rich image. If you need to reframe a shot, you can easily crop to your heart’s content. The low minimum ISO value of 64 will also help produce incredibly clean and sharp images. 

Best Full-frame Mirrorless Camera for Street Photography: Sony A7 III

For street photography, our pick for the most well-rounded and cost-effective mirrorless camera is the Sony A7 III. Pair the Sony A7 III with the Sony FE35mm f/1.4 GM, 35mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8 for a quick and reliable street photography combo. 

Specs

• Full-frame 24.2-megapixel back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor

• 5-axis & 5-stop stabilisation

• Hybrid autofocus system, 425 contrast-detect points, 693 phase-detect points

• 4K video, S-Log2 and S-Log3 colour profiles

Upsides

• Great image quality and feature set in a small, lightweight body

• Up to 204,800 ISO

• 10fps continuous shooting 

Downsides

• No slow motion in 4K

• Menu system can be a little confusing 

• Only 8-bit video, rather than 10-bit 

The Sony A7 III's spec list should satisfy the needs of most street photographers, especially those looking to make the move to mirrorless—and its benefits—while keeping the price down. What are the benefits of the Sony A7 III for street photography? Well, while it's not quite as pocketable as the Ricoh GR III, the A7 III is much lighter and smaller than DSLRs—and you still get a full-frame sensor. You won’t need to bring an entire camera bag dedicated to your camera gear, just the Sony A7 III body and a prime lens will fit in many smaller bags.

There’s now a strong and growing lineup of Sony FE-fit lenses. But you also have the ability to use a huge range of vintage lenses, through the use of a converter. So, you have the possibility to get really creative with your street photography by using vintage lenses.

Sony cameras have always been very good in low light, maintaining excellent dynamic range all the way up to really high ISO values. The Sony A7 III knocks it out of the park with its ISO capabilities. If you find yourself shooting in extreme low-light situations, you can bring the ISO right up, stop the aperture down and witness the camera almost see in the dark. The Sony A7 III really does eat its carrots. 

If you’re a hybrid photographer-videographer—and you want a single camera to handle everything—then the Sony A7 III is the one for you. While limited to 8-bit video (learn more about 8-bit vs 10-bit), the A7 III can shoot 4K in S-Log2 and S-Log3. It can also shoot at 120fps for super–slow motion 1080p footage. 

Best Premium Street Photography Camera: Leica Q2

The Leica Q2 does not disappoint. A pleasure to hold and use, the Leica Q2 is simply incredible for street photography. Streamlined to be as simple as possible while still delivering incredible image quality, the Leica Q2 is undoubtedly a premium camera—albeit with a premium price tag to match. 

Specs

• 47.3-megapixel full-frame sensor 

• Fixed Summilux 28mm f/1.7 lens 

• IP52 Weather-sealing 

• Beautiful, clean design 

• 3.68million dot high-resolution OLED viewfinder

Upsides

• Incredible image quality 

• Portable and weather-sealed design 

• Non-intrusive, even with a high spec level 

Downsides

• Expensive 

• The lens is fixed and cannot be upgraded, which could be limiting 

• Fixed LCD

If you are looking for the Leica shooting experience for your street photography, the Leica Q2 is undoubtedly one of the best options out there. While it is the most expensive option on this list, it arguably represents better value than some of the other Leica cameras. As the Leica Q2 is a fixed-lens compact setup, you won’t need to budget for any additional lenses.

While the lens, at 28mm, is slightly wider than your usual 35mm street photography lens, you have plenty of room to crop into the 50-megapixel files in post.

The lens is perfectly married to the sensor. It feels like they are working together in harmony to create the smoothest, least distracting shooting experience—so that you can focus on the decisive moment in front of you. Here you’re getting a fully featured, non-compromising lens with a macro mode. The fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux—which is true to other Leica Summilux lenses—remains sharp to f/1.7, rendering an almost dreamy consistency when shooting wide open.

For black-and-white street photography, you can’t go wrong with the Leica M11 Monochrom paired with a Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH. This setup is as close as possible to a film-like rangefinder shooting experience. Again, it is expensive—but if you can afford to buy the best, then the Leica M11 Monochrom is by far the best camera for black and white street photography.  

Summary

So, which camera should you choose for street photography? As with almost any genre of photography, the right camera will depend on your own creative requirements, your budget, and how much weight you’re willing to carry. You might need to try a few different setups until you find the perfect one for you. By introducing a handful of options, we hope this article has provided you with the knowledge you’ll need to make an informed decision. 

Looking for more street photography content?

This article is part of the MPB guide to street photography, our comprehensive look at how to create street photography, with camera recommendations, advice and interviews with experts.

Read more camera gear guides on the MPB content hub.