Archiver
Veteran
I wanted to point out this super little snippet, too. That's a very useful way of approaching it, to 'see' in terms of the camera you have, so you're only looking for photos within those parameters. Very cool.
If you could travel with just one focal length or lens, what would it be?
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Archiver
Veteran
I'm wondering which part of this decade you mean, as I imagine Berlin would have changed a bit over the course of 1980-1989. It certainly did in Melbourne, and it would surely have been the same in Berlin. I wonder if there are any movies made in Berlin in that time that capture this feel/atmosphere?
wlewisiii
Veteran
Perhaps Christiane F. (German: Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo? Filmed in 1981 from a 1978 book. Very stark movie...
Archiver
Veteran
Vielen dank für Ihre Hilfe 😉 I used to watch a lot of European movies, mostly Kieslowski and giallo horror, so this will be fun to track down.
Edited to add: wow, I just read the Wikipedia page about this film. Heck. Not quite what I had in mind, but if this gives the vibe of Berlin around that time...
wlewisiii
Veteran
As I said, very stark... It's hard to watch but worth the time, I felt.
DownUnder
Vamoosed (for a while)
I also have never really bonded with the '50. In 1993 I was three months in Indonesia with only a Nikkormat (one of the early FTNs) and a 50/2.0 F, which I had to use for every image I made.
I felt greatly restricted and while I reckon it did affect the usual style of the several thousand images I made, I have to say I sold more photos from that trip than any other Asian sojourn I've ever done.
The reason being the fifty forced me to limit my usual overload of cheesy landscapes and instead concentrate on portraits and close ups.
This was a valuable learning curve for me, but I'm sorry to say it didn't really stick, and I soon returned to my 28. We live and we learn, or in my case on this occasion, we learn but we quickly forget. My loss.
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Disappointed_Horse
Well-known
I have traveled with a 50mm-equivalent lens on an APS-C DSLR, but found it a bit too tight quite often. More recently, I've traveled with a 35mm lens on my Nikon FE 35mm film camera and found that just right. I took a week-long trip and never wanted for another lens.
Not really relevant to this thread since we are discussing a single focal length for travel, but on my last trip I took only my iPhone 13 Pro. We packed carry-on bags only and I did not have space to bring a larger camera. Of the three camera setup on the 13 Pro, I used the 26mm-equivalent standard wide camera the vast majority of the time. It's a bit wide for the way I tend to see things, but it worked out okay and made me think I could probably get by with just a 28mm-equivalent lens. I used the 13mm ultrawide camera not at all, as I tend to find anything wider than 20mm just looks too distorted for my liking. I did use the 77mm-equivalent telephoto camera a few times and was glad to have it.
Not really relevant to this thread since we are discussing a single focal length for travel, but on my last trip I took only my iPhone 13 Pro. We packed carry-on bags only and I did not have space to bring a larger camera. Of the three camera setup on the 13 Pro, I used the 26mm-equivalent standard wide camera the vast majority of the time. It's a bit wide for the way I tend to see things, but it worked out okay and made me think I could probably get by with just a 28mm-equivalent lens. I used the 13mm ultrawide camera not at all, as I tend to find anything wider than 20mm just looks too distorted for my liking. I did use the 77mm-equivalent telephoto camera a few times and was glad to have it.
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Dogman
Veteran
The Fuji 18/2 is a great little lens. I like it a lot. I like small lenses. I used it more before I got the 16/2.8. The 24/25mm is my favorite wide angle focal length when you mean wider than 35mm.
.......................
mtnbkr
Member
That's my approach. I take a lens and try to "see" in that lens' perspective. Sure, I miss some shots by not having a wider or longer lens, but there's always the risk of losing other shots because my wider or longer lens isn't wide enough or long enough.
Also, lenses that might not seem ideal turn out to be good choices. When I was in the Southwest, the vistas were so expansive and I was often standing in less attractive spots (ie on the side of the road or in a parking lot), having a touch more reach with the 50 let me avoid having the ugly foreground in the shot vs the same shot with a 28mm or wider lens. Also, the scenes were so broad and interesting elements so far away, if you went too wide the items of interest would disappear in the shot.
And as I said in my initial post, I liked not being distracted by "lens choice". I had my camera, a lens, and my feet. If I saw something that might make a good photograph, I raised the camera to my eye, but if the view through the camera didn't make me happy, I either didn't take the shot or would move to see if I could frame it better within the lens I had. In many cases I found myself focusing on individual geological structures, old buildings, cowboys doing their thing, etc rather than trying to create a travelogue of pictures that everybody else has taken (seriously, everyone has exactly the same shot of Horseshoe Bend in Utah, including myself now). It also freed myself to enjoy the trip and take pictures as they were presented to me rather than spending a lot of time mucking about with gear. I shot 5 rolls of B&W film on that trip (and at least as much digital). Had I brought a plethora of lenses, I probably would have shot twice as much but spend much less time soaking in the surroundings. It let me experience being there rather than being a documentarian.
Chris
sebastel
coarse art umbrascriptor
during my recent few trips, i used the ricoh GR 3 (28mm equivalent).
it took me some time to get used to it, but now it's a strong favourite. not only for the focal length.
cheers,
s.
it took me some time to get used to it, but now it's a strong favourite. not only for the focal length.
cheers,
s.
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Whenever I travel I always dither dither dither about what camera, lenses etc to take. I think if I had to choose one and only one lens, it would likely be a 50 (or 80 if medium format). Hmm maybe next time I travel I'll actually do that!
Retro-Grouch
Veteran
Taxi zum Klo, from 1980. Berlin from a Gay perspective, but the city has always been a magnet for Gay men and at the cutting edge of Gay culture. Except under the Nazis, of course, and even then one does have to wonder...
Retro-Grouch
Veteran
You're ahead of me. I never had much of either, and there's not much left of what I did have. Ah, the golden years!
j.scooter
Veteran
It seems that I have sub-consciously done the exact opposite. Every shot I see ends up being better suited to the lens/camera that I don't have. I always find myself wishing I had brought this lens, or that film stock or that camera....
This is great advice that I plan to put into practice with intention.
Thank You
Retro-Grouch
Veteran
It takes a while to embrace this mindset. And believe me, I do backslide!
Bill Blackwell
Leica M Shooter
The OP is correct - this is not an easy question to answer.
I have 3 50s and 2 35s, but otherwise one of each FL from 12 to 135. Very early on in my photographic experience I never wandered much beyond a 35mm Summicron. Later I got into SLRs and gravitated to a 180. Further along I got into architecture and shot almost exclusively with a 21mm Elmarit. Today I get along mostly with one of my three 50s.
But if I had to permanently narrow it down to only one FL, I might go with a 28. But it would be a very difficult decision to make!
I have 3 50s and 2 35s, but otherwise one of each FL from 12 to 135. Very early on in my photographic experience I never wandered much beyond a 35mm Summicron. Later I got into SLRs and gravitated to a 180. Further along I got into architecture and shot almost exclusively with a 21mm Elmarit. Today I get along mostly with one of my three 50s.
But if I had to permanently narrow it down to only one FL, I might go with a 28. But it would be a very difficult decision to make!
Disappointed_Horse
Well-known
Makes for fun discussions though.
oldwino
Well-known
Fifty. 100%.
Archiver
Veteran
So here's the funny thing, or perhaps not so unexpected when you think about it. The focal length is one thing, and the lens itself is another. I didn't really get along well with 50mm until I put a Summicron on my M9 and that was it, 50mm all the way. Previously, I loved 28mm equivalent and sought it out in compact cameras like the Canon S70, G10 and S90. I bought the Zeiss Biogon 28 for my first RF lens because I liked 28mm so much. 28 and 50 is an excellent walkaround kit, as I discovered.
But when I got the Distagon 35 for my M9, hardly anything seemed to be this good. Now I'm wondering if it's as much a function of the lens as it is about the focal length, at least for me. The newly acquired Summicron 35 SL is sharp and crisp, but somehow doesn't give me the ooo factor of the Distagon, it doesn't have that 3D pop and luxurious bokeh. It's not a bad lens at all - it's an excellent lens; I just wish it had that extra something.
maigo
Well-known
Currently trying to answer this question.
Going to Portugal in a few days for 2.5 weeks for sightseeing holiday with my family.
Staying in Lisbon and further north.
Options on the table (literally) in descending order of weight/bulk:
- Nikon Df (Zeiss Distagon 21/2.8, Zeiss Distagon 35/2, Voigtlander 58/1.4)
- Fuji Xpro-2 (Fujinon 18/1.4WR, Voigtlander Ultron-M 35/1.7)
- Bessa R4M (Color-Skopar 21/4, Color-Skopar 35/2.5 PII (bought from @helen.HH ), Nikkor 5cm H-C f2 LTM)
- Fuji GA645i
At this time I’m leaning towards the Bessa plus Nikkor 5cm, and maaaaaaybe 21/4, for B&W.
Plus GA645i for color.
Or decide that film isn’t worth the hassle this time and just go Fuji.
Two cameras, each with one lens doesn’t count as two lenses, right? 🙂
Going to Portugal in a few days for 2.5 weeks for sightseeing holiday with my family.
Staying in Lisbon and further north.
Options on the table (literally) in descending order of weight/bulk:
- Nikon Df (Zeiss Distagon 21/2.8, Zeiss Distagon 35/2, Voigtlander 58/1.4)
- Fuji Xpro-2 (Fujinon 18/1.4WR, Voigtlander Ultron-M 35/1.7)
- Bessa R4M (Color-Skopar 21/4, Color-Skopar 35/2.5 PII (bought from @helen.HH ), Nikkor 5cm H-C f2 LTM)
- Fuji GA645i
At this time I’m leaning towards the Bessa plus Nikkor 5cm, and maaaaaaybe 21/4, for B&W.
Plus GA645i for color.
Or decide that film isn’t worth the hassle this time and just go Fuji.
Two cameras, each with one lens doesn’t count as two lenses, right? 🙂
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