A photographer presented with many cameras to choose from. — *Photo by Ben Eaton*

I’m always thinking and rethinking my day-pack bag for my camera and gear. The day bag can either be a small backpack or a shoulder bag meant for a camera bag and maybe a couple of extra lenses and accessories. As a prime lens shooter who regularly shoots street photography, I’ve come to terms with what I really need to get the job done. Essentially, this means less is more.

Prime Lenses Great and Small

So let’s skip all my supporting arguments and start with the conclusion:

Pack a 24mm 1.8 for wide-angle work and an 85mm 1.8 prime for telephoto reach

If I were to advise you, assuming you’re in the vast minority of street photographers out there who share some of my more esoteric concerns, I would suggest trying this setup to see if it could work for you. I’m not here to preach to people that my way is the best — far from it! I just know what works for me and I like to share my thought process. Because it’s in the thought process where you might be helped more than by my specific lens recommendations.

In this article, I’ll talk about why I’m going with these specific focal lengths, why the specific maximum apertures, as well as my ongoing dilemma with finding the perfect camera bag for this kit.

The 24mm Prime Lens for All-Around Carry

Okay, the 24mm might be too wide for many street photographers. I admit it. For a great many of the places I visit in Mumbai, it just so happens to work out best for me. But there’s certainly scope to substitute the 24mm for a 28mm or a 35mm. Let’s just call this the wide-angle option.

For me, this should be the widest focal length that gets most of what you’re looking for as an all-around carry. This approach seems pretty straightforward. I would say that most prime lens street shooters are probably packing their favorite 28mm or 35mm options. Think of all those 28mm fixed lenses on popular compact cameras like the Rico GRs, Leicas, and the 35mm full frame options, not to mention all the Fujifilm street shooters who rely on their trusty 23mm primes (35mm full frame equivalent).

Why do I need such a wide angle option specifically at 24mm, and couldn’t I get by with 28mm or 35mm?

Let me answer the last part first. I could very well get by with 28mm or 35mm. In fact, I have a 35mm 1.4 Sigma Art lens that I’m very fond of and that I use for portraiture, special projects, and street photography. But it’s not my go-to choice for an all-around carry. More on this later.

But here’s the gist of it. I love the 24mm focal length because of the slightly exaggerated effects that you can achieve with it. I can also take in vast scenes or capture them in tight spaces, like in the pottery colony in Kumbharwada. In these instances, the Samyang 24mm 1.8 has been my choice lens for my Sony A7iii since upgrading from the Samyang 24mm 2.8 lens.

The 85mm 1.8 for Portraiture and Special Usages

I simply adore the Sony 85mm 1.8 lens. This lens is a beast! It’s been a favorite of mine ever since I picked it up. I’ve used it for all kinds of photography, including portraiture, fine art, and street photography. Like the Samyang 24mm, it’s a 1.8 maximum aperture lens. For me, this is my go-to choice for a telephoto prime lens. Could one substitute other focal lengths? Sure.

You could pack a 50mm 1.8 prime (if you don’t have a larger focal length option) or go for the 90mm macro or 135mm f2. But you’re then trespassing into heavier gear territory, which is what I want to avoid and what I’ll talk about next.

What the 85mm focal length will give you is a bit of compression and lots of performance that also serves you well when you need to get in a little closer in large spaces. For street shooters, it can also set your street photography apart from other shooters; the larger focal length just stands out. It wouldn’t be a stretch for me to declare that most 85mm street shots just look epic!

The drawback, naturally, is that it’s just not an all-around lens carry, at least not for me. It’s great for many different situations and it’s a lens I don’t have to think about much as my second choice. Pick one up if you don’t have a telephoto option yet, and one that’s going to stand out a lot more than the Nifty Fifty.

Why the 1.8 Maximum Aperture

The Samyang 24mm 1.8 mounted on a Sony A7iii. Image by Craig Boehman. — *Image by Craig Boehman*

Two reasons. The 1.8 aperture options are almost always going to be lighter, sometimes quite a bit lighter, than their 1.4 and 1.2 aperture counterparts. They’ll also be more compact. Again, almost always. There are near exceptions that have already crept into the market that are compact and high-performing, like the Sony G Master 24mm 1.4.

But I can’t say the same for the Sony G Master 85mm 1.4, which is much heavier and doesn’t perform as well as the “lowly” Sony 85mm 1.8. Not head-to-head and certainly not in low-light situations. I’ve used both lenses side-by-side on the same subject and my 1.8 always outperformed the G Master in the autofocus department. I’ll readily confirm that the image quality is better when comparing images on a large screen but I highly doubt many non-photographers would be able to tell the difference when viewing photos on the Web.

For these reasons, the Sony 85mm 1.8 is my easy recommendation for anyone in the Sony mirrorless world looking for an 85mm option to carry along with an all-around wide-angle option. It still remains Sony’s best-kept secret on price point, in my opinion.

Two Lenses for Two Worlds

No matter whether you’re just starting out or asking me about what you should carry to one of my street photography workshops, I’m going to refer you to this article on what to bring. If you’ve got the primes, then bring a 24mm 1.8 (or 28 or 35) and an 85mm 1.8. You’ll be well positioned to photograph most of Mumbai’s locales as a prime lens street photographer. You’ll have the lightest kit for performance in low light without tipping the scales in the portability department.

Keep your day carry kit simple and light. And keep it all in your favorite day bag…

What’s Your Favorite Day Carry Bag?

Sadly, I don’t have a header picture for this section. That’s because I haven’t found the perfect day carry bag! It’s not for lack of trying.

Ideally, I want a bag that can carry the Sony A7iii mounted with the Sony 85mm 1.8. There should be a pouch next to it for the Samyang 24mm 1.8 or the 85mm. Sounds easy, right? Just about any camera bag on the market should be able to accommodate me. But there are several reasons why I own multiple bags and can’t settle on one without a lot of gripes.

Here are a few bullet points for what I’m looking for in a bag.

I want a bag that I’m only unzipping or otherwise opening to change out the lenses
I should be able to EASILY open the zipper (or otherwise unfasten a latch) with one hand
All accessories, including smartphone, hand sanitizer, spare batteries, memory cards, lens wipes, etc., should be accessible from outside pockets and secured by zippers
The smartphone pouch should be easily accessible while not fully concealed
The shoulder strap should be comfortable and of the highest quality
No logo on the bag
The bag should be black and otherwise low profile in design
Special pouch for charger (smartphone and accessories)

What are you using for a day carry bag? Let me know in the comments. Because it’s looking like I’m going to have to design one!

A Simple Street Photography Gear-Packing Strategy for Prime Lens Shooters