Deciding on focal length

[Roger Hicks]

. .. However, unless you always shoot similar subjects at a similar distance in a similar way, one lens will be inadequate. . . . As I said, let the subject dictate the equipment, not vice versa.

It's only "inadequate" if you want it to be: both a 50 and a 35 can be incredibly versatile.

Sure, there are times when you may want other focal lengths, but increasingly, I stick with whatever lens I have on the camera and don't bother to carry other focal lengths. There are so many opportunities for creating pictures with any focal length that I begrudge the time I spend changing lenses, though sometimes I'll carry two bodies with two focal lengths.

Likewise, I don't use zooms: too much time piddling about adjusting focal lengths. But it's all intensely personal: we can't tell whether the OP will find your advice more useful, or mine.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

. . . Perspective depends on *where you physically stand*. . . .

Dear Dave,

And on how big you blow up the picture, and the distance from which you look at it. See http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/ps perspective 1.html

Cheers,

R.

 

[hendriphile]

...looking at pictures, is it possible to tell if a picture was taken with a 50mm or a 35mm?

At close range (portaits etc.) and with the lens wide open, you might be able to tell the difference due to the 50's narrower depth of focus, i.e., distant background would be less sharp with the 50.

But at longer range, i.e., landscapes, you'd probably be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

 

[Captain Kidd]

Thanks, the difficulty is getting my hands on a 50mm to try it out, but I think the idea of it appeals to me more, when I see a potential composition and raise the 35mm to my eye and I tend to have to walk quite close to get that composition I first noticed, which is fine but if that composition includes complete strangers having a picnic then I'm more comfortable with not having to approach. It's all interesting stuff.

 

[Captain Kidd]

That said I'm not interested in using a zoom and would like to stick to one lens for at least a year to try master knowing the perimeters of the frame before lifting it to my eye, just to get very comfortable with one lens.

 

[dee]

I guess that some of us oldies were indoctrinated into 50mm back when an excellent lens came ' free ' with an SLR .
I find it almost automatic to ' see ' in 50mm which helps a lot .
It's also distortion free which helps with ASD .
It's the only lens which I would be comfortable taking out without the obligatory zoom !
dee

 

[:: Mark]

I prefer 50mm - partly because that was what I originally learned photography with, partly because I like the better DOF control and compression, and partly because as a glasses wearer I can see the framelines in a 0.72 rangefinder window :-/

However, for street photography in a dense and busy (European) city, 50mm is often too long, and I usually use something wider. In the older parts of Barcelona it is quite difficult to get more than a few meters away from any subject, and either 35mm or 28mm is more practical. I find a point-and-shoot works best at 28mm, as even a rangefinder is a bit intimidating to a subject when you are zone focusing in the 1-3m range.

So I guess the answer would depend on where and what you are shooting...

 

[Vics]

Then What About 40mm or 45😀

I have a 40mm on my Pentax, and I think it's perfect!
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock by Vic Stewart, on Flickr

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Those 40mm lenses are good aren't they. I've the Summicron (still) and had the Pentax f/2.8 and Minolta ones but stupidly sold them decades ago and got a shock when I saw the price of a second-hand one.

Trouble is, as we said we don't know what camera we are being asked to advise him for...

Regards, David

 

[Captain Kidd]

Apologies, I thought I mentioned it, it would be for a Leica M6.

Thats a lovely shot with the 40mm.

Mark, you mentioned 50mm would give you better control of depth of field, how so? One issue I would have with the 50mm is that people say there is a lot less depth of field, so id be interested to know how this could be controlled.

 

[Vics]

DOF is controlled by:
Aperture
Camera to subject distance
Focal length.

 

[Vics]

More from the Pentax 40mm (Summicron-C 40mm f2 on your M6)
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock by Vic Stewart, on Flickr
Nice, Cote d'Azur by Vic Stewart, on Flickr

 

[Carriage]

Mark, you mentioned 50mm would give you better control of depth of field, how so? One issue I would have with the 50mm is that people say there is a lot less depth of field, so id be interested to know how this could be controlled.

Wide angle lenses have greater depth of field so with small to big apertures you have lots to still a reasonable amount. With the 50mm it'll go from still lots at small apertures to noticeably less at wide open.

 

[Captain Kidd]

Thanks for that, and do 50mm lenses work better in low light situations than a 35mm? allowing a quicker shutter speed than the 35 in the same low light?

 

[David Hughes]

Thanks for that, and do 50mm lenses work better in low light situations than a 35mm? allowing a quicker shutter speed than the 35 in the same low light?

Hi,

The amount of light coming through a lens at (say) f/2 is the same regardless of the focal length. That is the beauty of the system but, this is the crunch, the DoF will change with the focal length and so depends on where it's focussed and the focal length.

Luckily, there are DoF tables and so if you want the DoF from (say) 10 ft to a long way off you can look at the tables and get an answer for all focal lengths. But the shorter focal lengths can do it at wider apertures...

Regards, David

 

[Captain Kidd]

Thanks everyone with your help with this, ive since discovered that the viewfinder on a Leica M6 when used with a 50mm lens shows the cropping area as very small, see picture attached, ive put a question up on the Leica forum to try establish peoples impressions that have experience, it seems very small to me.

Thanks again

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/Leica/Leica-M6/images/map-5075mm.jpg

 

[michaelwj]

Thanks everyone with your help with this, ive since discovered that the viewfinder on a Leica M6 when used with a 50mm lens shows the cropping area as very small, see picture attached, ive put a question up on the Leica forum to try establish peoples impressions that have experience, it seems very small to me.

Thanks again

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/Leica/Leica-M6/images/map-5075mm.jpg

It's seriously fine. I wouldn't let the finder view on an M6 dictate between a 35 and 50. The 35 is not much bigger, but they're not displayed at the same time so you don't notice.

Get an old canon 1.8/50 ltm for $150 and see how you like it. If not, sell it and try some thing else. Repeat until it clicks.

 

[:: Mark]

Mark, you mentioned 50mm would give you better control of depth of field, how so?

Yes, longer and/or faster => less depth of field. One of the nice things with the 50mm is that it is reasonably easy to get both nice blurry backgrounds and sharp everything just by stopping the lens down.

Unfortunately, that shallow DOF wide open is often a problem for street photography, as stopping down means a need for higher ISO. Using a wider lens makes using manual or zone focusing much easier, although if your subjects are moving some of the benefit may be lost simply because you are closer to them with a wide-angle lens.

That shallow DOF can sometimes help deal with "messy" environments. For example:

This was shot with a not-very-cool Canon and 50mm used wide-open with tracking auto-focus - unfortunately I am not quick or accurate enough to reliably use manual focus at these fast apertures.

 

[David Hughes]

Thanks everyone with your help with this, ive since discovered that the viewfinder on a Leica M6 when used with a 50mm lens shows the cropping area as very small ...

Hi,

There's no simple answer; you could get an old M2 or M3 but neither of them have metering but they do have simple view-finders.

The M2 shows either 35 or 50 or 90mm.

The M3 shows 50 or 90 or 135 but there's a funny looking 35mm lens for it with "goggles" on top that enlarges and alters the 50 to become a 35 VF.

Or dig very, very deep into your pocket and get someone to take the VF, frames etc off the M6 and put M2 or M3's on. That gives you metering if it's possible.

Anyway, you've my sympathy; after years and years of the M2 I got the M9 and it/they (all those frame lines) irritate.

BTW, on the CL I experimented with bits of black stick tape on the grey light thing and blocked the 50mm frame-lines to get either 40 or 90's. It can be done but is messy and fiddly.

Regards, David

 

[Captain Kidd]

Thanks David, I was actually considering that, using tape to block out whats beyond the 50mm perimeter. It does seem an advantage to be able to see if/when something will walk into your frame but as far as composing the image, it seems it might take alot of getting used to ie learning to ignore everything outside the lines... and there seems to be alot outside the lines.