50mm...a sad admission

sad because i love the look of the sonnar and had really hoped i could make the 50mm work for me.
that's why i would keep the sonnar and use it as more of a 'specialist' lens.

joe
 
I know what you mean about the 50mm FL, joe.

My issue with it is a little different. I'm able to compose with it fairly well—when I'm able to take my time. But when I shoot on the street, I usually shoot pretty fast/quickly, and I'm not always perfect on camera tilt. Sometimes I'm very conscious of it when I compose and it's still comes out tilted. :bang:

The 50 lines are so exact that "straightening" the image at the print stage (and trimming the image) usually ends up ruining the composition for me. So sometimes I either have to live with an unacceptable image, or... I have to live with an unacceptable image. ;)

I guess for me when using a 50mm, I need to step back and allow for a little extra room or "decompose" (he he), but then why not just use a 40 or a 35? I get more satisfaction with the 35 FL, because it is a little more roomy. Of course I shoot with it more, so I think my compositions are better with it. So really, I agree with the "practice makes perfect" sentiment, but I have so little time that it's nice to come away from an afternoon of shooting with a pay-off, or at least something salvageable.

Besides, the 35 FL matches more what I see, as it did way back when I used to shoot exclusively with an SLR.

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Joe,

I totally agree with you! ;-)
I am a 35mm guy, even on my SLR, but love the signature of the old Sonnars and the Elmar....

Ciao

joerg
 
back alley said:
sad because i love the look of the sonnar and had really hoped i could make the 50mm work for me.
that's why i would keep the sonnar and use it as more of a 'specialist' lens.

joe
Click to expand...

Use it as a portrait lens, that's what they are made for.

Roland.
 
back alley said:
that's the plan rollie...but being such a grumpy old cuss there are fewer opportunities for that lately.

joe
Click to expand...

I new there was a deeper motivation to this, cann't just be getting
funds for the new Nokton :D
 
i have the new 35 covered ;)

part of me wants to sell half of what i have but i'm thinking that's mostly due to the frustration of having such a short time for shooting and winter's cabin fever.
i have no plans for a sale though.
the slower 35 will likely hit the block when the 1.4 shows.
 
I am actually getting on a plane in a few hours to go to another base in Iraq and couldn't bring my camera bag, I had to decide which lens to put on my R3A, I chose the 40 Rokkor over my 50 Cron. But I still like them both, I just think the 40 is a bit more versitile, even if it is only 10mm shorter.
 
I would say that some of the pain that some shooters feel with the 50mm is misplaced as I own a M3 DS and a M6TTL .085 and a M5 .72 With the M3 the 50mm "normal" Frames show are very close to the space on the M6 or M5 with the 35mm Frames. So with the M3 being so close to a 100% viewfinder the normal perspective feels visually very close to the 35 on the M6 & M5. Meaning the spacing around the Frames of 50 and 35 seem somewhat about the same.

But with When I go from the M3 and 50mm normal frame and look into a the M5 with the 35mm frames the difference between the two seems magnified dramaticly. I tend to look at the total viewfinder and not see the frames and then make a decision as to how much extra surronding scenary feels...Normal.

That may not sound logical but it seems to work. That seems to make the final perspective of a shot never feel so "wide angle" or cramped because of using a normal lens. I find the viewfinder really effects me when I use the 90mm lens.

Our generation is really the first group to have unlimted wide angle opportuities. So we tend to reach to far and the compositions seem distorted often.
 
I do like 35mm ... but my 50 keeps giving me winning images. Is it the Hexanon or that focal length forcing me to compose? I can't decide but I am shooting 50mm all that I can because of the images i'm getting. And I can practically see 50 in my sleep now.
 
Hmm, I guess different people approach things in different ways. I like having lots of room outside the framelines, so the 50mm framelines seem a little too close to the viewfinder edges for me on my M3. I kind've like the 50mm framelines in the 0.60x finder of my Hexar RF (the 35mm framlines are OK there too).

I've found the "Saturday with fastest lens" exercise rather informative as well, but for different reasons. There's a separate post to follow once I get the film scanned...

...Mike
 
Joe

I have always felt the same way about the 50mm FL, even on an SLR. I just have to struggle and fight to use it. I have an old Contax Sonnar 1.5 that I will keep struggling with because I like what it does. The 35mm always seemed to me to be close to what I saw with both eyes open and the 50mm was more like closing one eye.

Bob
 
Look more closely, see less. Find the specific detail, not the whole which makes your subject interesting to you.
 
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