Street photography traditionally makes use of a relatively wide angle lens, with 35mm and 24mm options often being the most popular. Of course, you do not have to limit yourself to those focal lengths, however. This interesting video essay makes a case for why you should grab a 50mm lens the next time you head out for a street photography session.

Coming to you from Robin Wong, this great video discusses the benefits of using a 50mm lens for street photography. Usually, street photography is shot with a 24mm or 35mm lens, as this allows the photographer to immerse themselves in the action and capture intimate, dynamic shots. However, a 50mm lens can be a nice alternative. A lot of street photographers eschew telephoto lenses because they have overly long working distances and can be tricky to use in crowded situations, but a 50mm can be a nice in-between, offering a bit more ability to isolate subjects in the frame while not being such a long focal length that it forces you totally out of the action. On top of that, if you enjoy working with narrow depth of field, you can typically get a narrower DOF using a longer focal length and the same aperture. Furthermore, wide-aperture 50mm lenses can be purchased for less than $100. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Wong.