"35mm lenses are ideal for ________"

[raid]

I may "offend" a few people here, but I see very limited usefulness for a 35mm lens except for indoor photos when distortion is minimized for situations when a 50mm lens has a perspective that is too tight. Maybe that's why I did the 35mm testing without any bias since the 35mm focal length is not favorite one.

[no offence is intended!]

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[santino]

I'm a 50 guy. It can handle focused close ups and still wide groups, I think I prefer it over 35 though both are kinda necessary if you're going on a serious photographic trip.

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[Trius]

35mm lenses are ideal for taking pictures. 😎

 

[Bosk]

IMO it's the most versatile focal length, it can be used effectively for landscapes, street shooting and even portraits if you get close enough.

35mm lenses have the least distortion of any wide-angle, are smaller than 50mm lenses and can be handheld at slightly slower speeds.

I think the earlier comments about it being a great 'one camera one lens' option are spot on as more than any other focal length I've been able to walk around with just a 35 and feel like I wasn't missing many opportunities another lens would've provided.

The challenge of 35's is that you need to invade the 'personal space' of your subjects to take effective portraits with them. Even a 50 allows you to hang back a little and still fill most of the frame with your 'victim'. 🙂


The biggest downside to 35mm lenses is the cost of the really good ones, particularly the Summicrons.

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[raid]

[Magus said: (It really does boil down to a gigantomachia epi tes ousias between 50 and 35, doesn't it?)]

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I will translate here: " It really boils down to those having a longer lens to those who don't."

Magus, did I miss anything in my translation? I have to admit that my knowledge of the Swahili language is not that strong!

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[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[ampguy]

One thing I've done after a portrait session with a zoom, is to look at the best photos and what the focal length was. For my purposes it's generally between 50 and 60mm 35mm equivalent, but as shown in this thread, others can get great results with 28 and wider.