Originally posted by Arjay Bee F 35-70 - small compact, light, cheap, good range for street shooting
I recently got an F35-70 (230g, US$11) and a Promaster-Tamron 28-70 (320g, US$10) and they are quickly becoming my go-to street lenses -- the Promaster in daylight, stopped down a bit, and the Pentax for less light and more action. At an indoor gathering recently (yeah, T'day dinner) the F35-70 AF'd better and faster than my FA50/1.4. Outside in any light, it is the most agile AF zoom I have.
But it ain't very wide, and it ain't very long, and it ain't very fast. It's been a few years since I walked NYC, but when I'm in San Francisco my kit now minimally contains:
* Zenitar 16/2.8, for when I really need the stretch
* Vivitar 24/2, for both interiors and 'scapes
* F35-70, for many streets and activities
* FA50/1.4, because it's always a must
* Nikkor 85/2, for Chinatown in the evening
* DA18-250, for when I don't want to miss shots
* Raynox DCR-250, for pretending to shoot macros
If you don't like defishing in PP, a rectilinear 14-15 would be great. I find 21 to be not quite wide enough for many city shots, but then, I like extremes. I sometimes use a manual Tokina 21/3.8 stopped down to f/11 and prefocused to 2m, for DOF of 1m to infinity, and that works on some streets but not others -- the misjudged DA18-55 fits that niche better, but a DA16-45 or *16-50 may suit you more.
On the longer end, a fast 85-90-100-105 or 135 is great. Or even longer. I sometimes sit beside and above downtown streets with my Lil'Bigma 175-500 to snipe passersby and surrounding windows. (Of course, a little 500mm mirror is less obtrusive.) A vertical city calls for a wide range of focal lengths. All those shapes and faces and textures, near and far...