Similar to the other thread.. only ONE ZM

Similar to the other thread.. only ONE ZM

  • 21 or wider

    Votes: 6 4.1%

  • 25

    Votes: 9 6.1%

  • 28

    Votes: 14 9.5%

  • 35

    Votes: 72 49.0%

  • 50

    Votes: 46 31.3%
  • Total voters
    147
italy74

italy74

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Hi guys,
let's assume that each ZM lens is "practically" identical to the others about optical qualities, so this is just a focal lenght - wise choice.
Would you agree that for stealth street pictures the ZM 35 F/2 could be the best compromise for composition in the viewfinder in the only one lens setup to go around? As I wrote somewhere else, even if I prefer the wider 28, I think there's too few space around the frame lines to be really useful.
Which is your preference?
 
I like using the 28.
Less likely to accidentally chop of anything vital. More freedom with cropping. I find people are more often too close than too far away.
As wide as I am comfortable without distorting people (provided they are kept fairly central) gives nice leading lines to subject more often than not. I don't have a 35 but have modified a 40 to bring up the framelines. I find the fov brings little to the shot, too long to be wide, too wide to be long. Always a compromise. But I seem to be in a minority with that opinion.

Using the 28 on the ZI you can quickly bring to face and will get everything you see in the picture.


Ted.
 
The 28 is a bit difficult as a stealth lens, perhaps you can get something like this, but it is tough to get close without being noticed:


2605312252_7514cedcdc_b.jpg

Then there's the 35mm which gets a bit easier to use, but in my opinion it is often a compromise if you want to be discreet - it keeps you that step too far away from the subject:
2374645006_5315ca100f_b.jpg


Finally. I find the 50 mm to be the right lens in terms of perspective and distance from the subject, however you certainly do have to focus it and frame the shot properly, so you have to learn how to do it fast, but the results are normally most satisfactory:
675584240_6ae4a6bccb_b.jpg


This is why I voted for the 50mm.
 
Perspective v. Distance v. Lens Distortion

Perspective v. Distance v. Lens Distortion

The first shot is was made with a 28mm ZM, Leica M6, the second with a Summitar 50 mm, Leica M4.

Judging only from the curvature of field which lens is the wider?
 

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To me all the best street shots I've seen have been with a 50mm ... I hate to hark back to HBC here (done to death) and I know he did go wider occasionally ... but the bulk of his work is all the convincing I need. 🙂
 
i believe you said street photography...

the best all 'round focal length for everyday street shooting is 35, bar none but with the 25 coming in a very close second.
i would add that for most street shooting (read daylight) the smaller 35/2.8 would be the choice.

all moo.

joe
 
I'm leaning towards the Zeiss 35mm for my next lens.

As their advertising says 'When one lens has to do it all'.

Luckily I have a Zuiko wide zoom that covers 28mm, 35mm and 48mm on my OM. I've been trying it at the three focal lengths and find the 35mm works best for my photography.
 
No experience with a Zeiss Ikon yet but I recently managed a trip to Japan with only a 35mm lens on my camera and without a flash.

It was a great focal length to capture scenes from the places visited and people we met. Was never in need of another focal length - although in some tight spaces a 28mm would have been more convenient.

Having said that, for street scene where there isn't a need to establish location (ie back home), I find that a 50mm provides for a more intimate and engaging composition. This is useful for candid shots where the subjects feel more comfortable without your camera in their faces.
 
So this post has less to do with ZM but rather more to do with preferred focal length, right?

I prefer the 50mm FOV (or thereabouts)... my best street shots have come from a 50mm on film or a 35mm on an R-D1S
 
I'm the only one to vote for the 25mm so far. I have the Biogon and have always liked the angle and the depiction from that lens. It's a good length to get a lot in without being too far away - in the crowded places I often am in it's useful to be able to get close enough to see the subject and get it all in shot without the distractions and obstructions seen from farther off.
 
I've got both the 35 and the 50, and they're both fantastic, but I'd go for the 35 every time if I had to pick one lens to use all the time - the best compromise focal length for me. Performance wise the 50 is staggeringly good though.
 
Aye, 28mm is hard to get close without being noticed. However, that in itself allows for some interesting photos I think:

2736899585_7ca822f574.jpg


2736899523_bf81deddc1.jpg


2720700753_36378ccb57.jpg


2721679776_c82de6f0b1.jpg





That being said... I think my favorite FL is 35mm. Mainly because I find that I'm enjoying what I get with my 28mm lens on my RD-1 which is about a 40mm lens. I figure 35 would be just right.
 
if this is, indeed, strictly about FOV for street -- 28mm hands down!

but that is only with a near silent camera. with one as loud as the R-D1, i am still searching for the most comfortable... even 35mm (which effectively becomes a 50mm) seems too wide when the street is quiet. sigh.
 
The 35 would have to be it, given the options. With the 28, I have to watch that I hold the camera level. Using only one lens, the 35 sometimes seems too wide, and the 50 almost a bit too much, for shooting small groups of people from a comfortable space. For a street shots/walkaround lens, my call would be for the 40(/1.4).
 
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