Picking a camera for street photography in 2021 is such a luxery.
Never have there been so many amazing cameras, at such affordable prices.
Looking at the top street photographers today, there are 5 cameras that you keep hearing about and it’s these five:
Cameras used by (almost every) modern street photographers in 2021
- The Fujifilm X-T3 (Easily my personal favorite interms of bang for the buck)
- The Sony A7 III (If you have the budget & it does great video too)
- Leica Q2 (If you are loaded)
- Fuji X100f (Great colors – but not suitable if you need video)
- Ricoh GR II (The most affordable and fits in your pocket)
- Fuji X-T4: If you know you would also like to do video, then the Fuji X-T4 is your pick!
This is ,hands down, the 5 best street photography cameras you can buy in 2021
Pick the new Fujifilm X-T3 if you:
(my favorite, by far)
Read my full review of the X-T3.
- Want to change lenses.
- Want improved dynamic range and better ISO.
- Record video in 4k 60 fps, 10bit.
- Flip-screen.
- Film 120fps.
- You want the fastest autofocus and low-light performance.
Get the brand new XT-3 on Amazon.
It’s the best camera I’ve owned, hands down.
#2 Sony a7 III Full-Frame
This camera from Sony can do anything. Seriously. The Sony a7 iii is probably the best value-for-money camera that came out in 2020.
It’s used by some of the most popular photographers of today.
See the full specs of the Sony A7 III here.
#3 The Fujifilm X100f
- If you want good image quality.
- If you are okay with a fixed lens.
- Shoot in the evenings and nights. It performs good a high ISO.
- If you don’t care about it not fitting in your pocket.
Get the incredible Fujifilm X100F.
Pick the Ricoh GR II Digital (black) if you
- Want the camera to fit in your pocket.
- If it’s your first street photography camera.
Get the Ricoh GR II on Amazon.
Let me spare you some time, and just forward you to the two crazy positive reviews on Amazon of my two favorite cameras for street photography:
My secondary cameras for street photos
While my Fujifilm X-T3 is my primary, I also use the Ricoh GR II (Read my review of Ricoh GR II and then beautiful Fujifilm X100f, read my review of the Fuji X100f here.
For finding your next street photography camera, just click the links above.
Read the reviews. Pick the one within your budget. Start shooting.
Easy.
What makes these two cameras great for street photography?
I have featured both of these digital compact cameras in my ‘Best Travel Cameras article‘ too, because of the image quality and lightweight.
The Fujix100f is a mirrorless camera and the Ricoh GR II is Large sensor compact camera. Both of them are undeniably two of the best digital cameras for street photography.
I own both of them and if you want to see some photos I took with those cameras go here: Fuji X100F Photos & Review (the updated version of the Fujifilm X100T) & Ricoh GR II Photos & Review. Both cameras are small, lightweight compact digital cameras with a non-interchangeable / fixed lenses. Also, if you are into Fuji, make sure to check out my favorite Fuji lenses. I would especially take a look at the 56mm 1.2 if you are into street portraits.
When choosing your camera for street photography it comes down to this:
- Weight: You don’t want a heavy camera on the streets. The Fuji x100f is a little bit heavier than the Ricoh GR 2
- Size – small is best: The Ricoh GR has amazing quality in photos – and can fit in your pocket!
- Image Quality & IQ: Here the Fuji x100f outperform the Ricoh.
- Also, it is worth mentioning that Ricoh GR III will be released sometime in 2020.
What about the other camera brands?
Just because I really like the Fujifilm and Ricoh, doesn’t mean that’s the right choice for you.
A lot of people swear the Leica, Nikon, Sony & Canon and if you are one of them, here are the cameras I would go for if I were you:
My pick for a Nikon street photography camera
Nikon D750 DSLR Camera. I normally wouldn’t think of a DSLR camera for street photography, but I have some friends who really love this camera.
Read the reviews of the Nikon D750 on Amazon.
My pick for a street photography camera from Canon
Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Digital Camera
Read the reviews of the g1 X on Amazon.
If I were to go with a Leica camera for street photography
I’d go with the legendary Leica M Digital Rangefinder Camera.
The Leica M makes sense if money really, REALLY isn’t a problem for you.
Leica Max 24 MP Sensor for maximum imaging quality with a 3.0″ LCD screen that gives you a live view capability.
Read the reviews of the Leica M on Amazon.
If I were to go with a Sony camera for street photography:
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX 100 V Digital Camera.
The Soxy Cyber-shot DSC-RX 100 V, what’s up with this name by the way?
It’s a cool, small and affordable camera that would work great for street portraits and street photography. Read the reviews of the Sony Camera on Amazon.
What’s the ideal focal lenght for a street photography camera?
The most focal lenght is 28mm 35mm and 50mm. I personally prefere Fujifilm’s 35mm 1.4.
Also, remember gear addiction is a real thing.
Basic street photography does not require any expensive camera body and camera-lens for that matter.
Actually, a lot of people use their small smartphone for street and portraits. Both Android and iPhones have really good image quality by now.
I also wrote a little bit about my favorite small cameras of 2021 and the fun Instax polaroid cameras and where to buy your camera and if you are into wedding photography cameras or landscape photography – I got you covered as well.
If you want to take better street photography, it might be better to look into getting books about photography, than buying a new camera.
Even though, I really, really wish I could afford some of these cameras shot by the photographers who won the World Press Photo Awards & Cameras for Photojournalists of 2021.
I also made a list of great gift ideas for photographers you might want to check out.