35/75 vs 28/50

[Scott Parsley]

Hello all, I am a photography student from sweden looking for advice regarding my choice of gear. I shoot mainly street and documentary but also portraits from time to time. I have the 35/2 ASPH, the Zeiss 50/2 and the Nokton 50/1.5. For bodies I have chosen the ZI and an M4-P. I feel great about my choices for bodies, the problem is the lenses. I feel that the 35/50 combo doesnt give me the versitality I want. I also feel that I (at least for now) want to limit myself to 2 lenses, one for each body. Hopefully this will trigger my imagination when it comes to composing rather then wasting time switching lenses. There is also the money factor... I used to shoot with the 35/90 combo but I never got along very well with the 90/2, too long, too big, too much job focusing correctly. I guess the reasonable choice for my kind of photography would be a 28/50 combo but then again, I really love that 35 ASPH... I would also lose one stop If not going down the Voigtländer road. If only Zeiss could make me a 28/2... Oh well, what are your thoughts on this tricky decision?

I have a couple of shots up on my blog, you just have to ignore the half hearted scans... Have a look at:
http://blog.alexanderkirkhoff.se

 

[venchka]

I have all 4 of those focal lengths. I have 2 ea. 35mm & 50mm. I use them all, but I use 28-35-50 the most. I'm trying to force myself to use the 75 more or sell it.

 

[ferider]

A very personal choice. Both 35/75 and 28/50 work well together.

With a 28/50 you typically gain speed since faster 50s are cheaper/smaller.
Unless you have a 75 Summilux.

Roland.

 

[back alley]

i think we just had this question recently, there may be more info in a search.

i recommend the 25/50 combo or a 35 mm lens alone.

 

[Scott Parsley]

That was fast =)

Problem is, with 28/50 I loose speed on the wide end (my choice for 28 would probably be the Zeiss which is F2.8). With 35/75 I loose speed on the long end since i cant afford the Leica alternatives and the VC is F2.5...

 

[back alley]

use faster film
stop drinking coffee

 

[ferider]

That was fast =)

Problem is, with 28/50 I loose speed on the wide end (my choice for 28 would probably be the Zeiss which is F2.8). With 35/75 I loose speed on the long end since i cant afford the Leica alternatives and the VC is F2.5...

You don't really with 28/50. On the short end the 28 gives you at least half
stop more "speed" due to wider angle. Otherwise the 28/1.9
is a great lens, very comparable to the 28 Biogon at f2.8
and cheaper than the Summilux.

Roland.

 

[topoxforddoc]

35/75 is my main kit. The 75 lux (if you can find or afford one) is a great portrait lens.

Charlie

 

[aizan]

hmm...75mm judging by your photos. use faster film when you need to, no big deal.

 

[cmogi10]

35 and 75 works perfect for me, but that's just me. I don't really like wider then 35 and the 75 has the reach without being to constricting.

 

[Hacker]

Get the 28mm Cron, you won't lose speed. But the Zeiss 25mm is very good also, but it is f/2.8.

 

[John Elder]

My advice is not to think of the pair of lens that is best. Rather, first of all choose your primary focal lenght. Sounds to me that your choice is the 35 asph. After you have decided what is your primary lens, pick your second lens. For myself, I had only 1 lens for my M body for several years and it was a 35mm , my favorite focal length. I still shoot at least 75% of my images with a 35.

 

[Hephaestus]

If I was faced with that decision, I'd want a quite wide lens and a fast l(f1.4) lens. There is no substitute for either, when you need them.

I completely agree with back alley: If I could only have one lens it would be a 35mm Summilux and that is the lens I do the bulk of my shooting with. Given two lenses, however, I would pick the Zeiss 25mm biogon and some fast 50. I think it wise to also consider the future when you may be looking to expand your kit. A 35mm would nicely fill the gap between the 25mm and 50mm, and you could also quite easily add a 90mm f2.8.

Ryan

 

[mervynyan]

I have 35, 50 and 75 in my bag with 2 bodies when I am out shooting. 35 is used the most, 50 the second, 75 the least. But if I just walk the street to get the head shots or partial subjects, 75 is always on. 75/2 is the best lens by far. DOF is unbeatable and easy see outside the frame line.

 

[Andrew Sowerby]

Swedish photo students sure get to use nice gear! My advice is to stick with 35 and 50, because that's what I like to use and what's right for me is right for everyone. 🙂

 

[tbarker13]

I've been going with 35 summicron v.4 and 75 lux as my primary lenses. Personally, I just love the 75 and they way it draws.
With two lenses, I'd really want one of them to be at least mildly telephoto.

But I do agree with what another poster said - figure out what your main lens is going to be (28, 35, 50) and then get something to go with it. If you like many photogs, you'll end up with one lens as your go-to lens. That's the one that you really need to be comfortable about.

 

[thomasw_]

the 35/75 is very fashionable right now for a starter or minimalist kit. but the 25 35 50 is where it is at for the manly zen man in me. but if just two lenses..... a 35 and a 50: a classic kit that works well for most situations in RF shooting.

 

[back alley]

... for the manly zen man in me...

are we still talking about photography?

😉

 

[borismach]

Force yourself to shoot 50 all the time for a while. After some time, then switch to 35 if you want something wider. You would be surprised to find how wide a 35 could be. If you want wider, go for a 24 or 21...24 is never my cup of tea though...so I have 21/35/50/90...oh yes, and 40.

cheerz-bm

 

[peter_n]

I don't think speed needs to be critical, unless you need the speed for DOF effects. As someone pointed out, there is faster film. Isn't your choice situational rather than anything else? Do you like or mainly do somewhat "close in" shooting (28/50) or are you mostly a step back from that (35/75)?