50mm lens

35mm & 50mm are roughly the normal fov of the human eye looking forward, well what is directly in front any way so I guess that's why ;)
 
I see that way [50mm perspective] when I compose an image.
The 50mm lens is a slightly longer normal lens which functions as a short tele when needed and which functions as a normal lens when needed. It forces the photographer to be more creative. Artsy looking images are easier with a wider lens. With a 50mm lens, it takes more work to get in the end a better image.
 
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My first camera came with a 50. Never thought I needed a different focal length until I got another lens as a gift 18 years later. That opened the floodgates and I bought dozens of lenses. Another 18 years later, I again almost always use a 50mm and a 28, 35, and 90 the rest of the time. A lot of those times, I wish I had a 50 on the camera instead. I guess it is just the way I learned to see through a viewfinder. I am also more comfortable at the working distance I get with a 50. Everything I shoot wider seems like I should have been closer. Everything I shoot longer, I wish I was farther away.

I have learned my lesson - I put away my cameras with 50mm lenses mounted on them ready to go. I use other focal lengths only when I have something very specific in mind.

Hil
 
DriesI said:
photography is an art of exclusion
the 50mm excludes, wider includes
Click to expand...

Yes. What you leave out is as important to the success of an image as what you leave in. The 50mm lens (on 35mm film) is very good at this. It is also is capable of portraits without too much distortion. It is a very versatile lens.
 
Frank,
We are among a minority; most people here prefer the 35mm perspective. One day, they may wake up and smell the coffee ?
 
Geometry plays a big part in my photography. I find the 50 mm focal length to have a nice, tight field of view to create my compositions.
 
I tend to take more pictures I like with a 50mm lens (as compared to 35mm, the only other lens that I've used extensively). Probably because 50mm gets you closer and I like details. It might also be that after using a 50mm lens so much I've got to think a lot more when using other focal lengths. A vicious circle!
 
50mm is "normal" for landscape orientation, 35mm for portrait orientation. 40mm is a good compromise :)

Cheers,

Roland.
 
I read this thread yesterday and abstained from commenting because I shoot with 21 and 35 RF, mainly because I shoot longer DSLR lenses for work. This morning I happened to catch parts of a program called Brain Fitness 2: Sight and Sound. I was half asleep so I can't recall specifics, but they stated a recent study said aging causes the decline in ability to remove what is not necessary visually in a scene. A nature photographer was talking about using longer lenses to capture the details in nature as opposed to simply capturing the entire scene, supporting what everyone is saying in this thread. Don't get me wrong, it still takes creativity and imagination to make great photos using wider lenses.
 
35 forces one in too close generating abnormal perspective, close objects loom too large.

Perspective is governed by where you stand, not focal length.
 
I find the angle of view of a 50 to be very natural, others prefer the view of a 35. I've tried, and tried, to use a 35. It's right in the middle, not wide enough to be wide, not narrow enough to be normal.

The 50 is a useful, general purpose focal length.
 
I really do like the 50, but there are often moments when I'm too close, or cannot back up enough to get the image I see in front of me. Then I wish I had brought my 35. The opposite of this is also true. I always wish I had brought the "other" lens.

Why don't I bring 2? Usually I have just the camera with me, no bag. Or I could just be stupid.

- I am not looking for any answers here - this is not a multiple choice quiz. ;)
 
One of the good things about interchangeable lens cameras is that one can change lenses! Feel free to do so as the need arises. No need to stick with just one lens. Either decide ahead of time which lens would be best suited to the conditions you are expecting on a particular day, or take more than one.
 
As I look back over the shots I've taken over the years, the better ones have most often been w/ a 50. I think that may be partly b/c the lens forces one to be selective in composition.
 
It all depends too on where and what you're shooting. I found that last summer on my European vacation, a 35mm lens was better suited to the city streets and medieval villages.
 
There is a nice documentary by Wim Wenders called "Tokyo-Ga" in which he interviews the cameraman of the late Japanese director Ozu. Apparently Ozu insisted on only using a 50mm and despite many attempts to get him to try other lenses he was never happy with them.

To my mind the beauty of the 50mm is that it looks so natural -- it doesn't scream "I am a wide lens" or "I am a long lens". I've started to use the 50mm more and more.
 
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