BobYIL
Well-known
These months what I note with the general interest in some preferred wide angles that people are talking primarily on some 35mm and 21mm lenses. Very few had mentioned about 28mm FL.. Is it phasing out?
I am aware of the fact that it has never been as popular as the 35mm FL however some great photographers come to mind who were using 28mm extensively. Salgado, for example.. Garry Winogrand, Sam Abell need to be mentioned.. Bruce Gilden too..
Both Summicron asphericals, 28/2 and 35/2 are great lenses; however I tend to believe as if for each 28mm one Leica is selling ten 35mm Summicrons.
I might be wrong, however this is what I found a little weird..
I am aware of the fact that it has never been as popular as the 35mm FL however some great photographers come to mind who were using 28mm extensively. Salgado, for example.. Garry Winogrand, Sam Abell need to be mentioned.. Bruce Gilden too..
Both Summicron asphericals, 28/2 and 35/2 are great lenses; however I tend to believe as if for each 28mm one Leica is selling ten 35mm Summicrons.
I might be wrong, however this is what I found a little weird..
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
There has been a general tendency towards wider lenses in the past two or three decades (perhaps driven by wide-screen cinema and now TV formats), so that many now use 35mm as a "wide normal" - which reduced 28mm from "first strong wide in the series" to "not wide enough to warrant owning".
tic
Established
I more often use 35 than the 50/28 combo. And I agree that for wide use 21 or wider is more spectacular. That said, if I had a Leica or ZI with 28mm framelines and and Elmarit 28, I would be very happy. I also note that the wide lens for Fuji X1 pro is 28mm equivalent.
For me one of the pros with 28mm is that its wide but still fairly free from the natural geometric distortion of wider focal lengths.
For me one of the pros with 28mm is that its wide but still fairly free from the natural geometric distortion of wider focal lengths.
mdarnton
Well-known
I think I said this a couple of weeks ago when the topic came up, but my go-to combination 35 years ago when I was a news photographer was 28/50. At the time, Leica didn't have a 24, I don't think, just a 21, and the 21 was my "special" wide lens for unusual situations. These days it's 24/50 on Nikons, the 50 is feeling a bit long, and my 20 gets no use at all. 24/35 would make sense, but I can't bring my self to depend on 35mm as my "long" lens. I'm thinking that one of those 14/2.8 Samyang lenses would be nice to have--I had a 15mm Voigtlander until about five years ago and it got a lot of use.
In my case, it's a change in my personal space--I stand a lot closer to things than I used to. Maybe everyone is. . . . we definitely are living in more "in your face" times, I think.
In my case, it's a change in my personal space--I stand a lot closer to things than I used to. Maybe everyone is. . . . we definitely are living in more "in your face" times, I think.
Paul Luscher
Well-known
I shoot with both, but for street shooting , I tend to use to 35mm. 28mm often requires getting in too close for comfort in order to fill the frame, 35mm allows you to fill the frame without becoming an annoyance. Also, just enough depth of field to compensate for any minor focusing errors,and for zone focusing, as opposed to a 50mm.
andersju
Well-known
I think it's like sevo said. I know many PJs use a 24mm as their standard wide lens - or even standard lens - these days. Notice how Nikon and Canon have fancy 24/1.4 and 35/1.4 lenses but no current 28/1.4. To me 24mm feels a bit too extreme for a standard wide, often used for cheap effect. 28mm feels just right for a wide-angle, and I'm glad Ricoh is still around with their GR cameras.
furcafe
Veteran
Per others, 35 has become the "new 50" or normal, @ least for RF users. In the wider (no pun intended) photographic world, 24 has supplanted 28 as the most popular wide (mostly, IMHO, because so many people are shooting crop-factor dSLRs).
If Leica decides to upgrade the M8 & keep a crop-factor body in their lineup, that might boost popularity for the 28s.
If Leica decides to upgrade the M8 & keep a crop-factor body in their lineup, that might boost popularity for the 28s.
BobYIL
Well-known
Before it was only 135 format, i.e. what FF is called today and apparently 35 was more popular than the 28.. With the new crop formats like the M8 and APS-C, the 28mm FL should mean different than what it used to do before, for it's not the coverage of 28mm anymore.. Capito?
On rangefinders it could be due to framelines... lack of framelines or them being to close to the edge of the VF for many people.
Bob Michaels
nobody special
Then there are those who just do not care what is most popular with the rest of the world and use what works for us. That happens to be 28mm for me but I understand other people have other choices. My choice may be different in a few years, just as it was many years ago.
VinceC
Veteran
My SLR photojournalism lenses were 24/50/85/180. When I discovered RFs in the late '80s there weren't any reasonably priced Nikon RF lenses in the 24/25mm range, and they anyway required a separate finder. So I settled for the 28mm and slowly grew to prefer it over all the other focal lengths for its ability to let you immerse yourself into a scene without showing much distortion. So then the superwide was a 21mm Biogon. But the lens always mounted on my SP or S3 is a 28mm, with the others in a bag. I only use the 35mm for lowlight work because of its speed. If I truly must carry only one lens, I go back and forth between 50 and 35mm. I just never warmed up to 35mm.
KoNickon
Nick Merritt
Being snarky is not helpful. The point he's making is that a lot of excellent photographers use the 28mm focal length, so why is 35mm that much more popular? And the others have contributed thoughtful responses to the OP.
David Hughes
David Hughes
I'll second that and add that I wish I could afford a 28mm and VF for my M2. Although the 28mm, USSR made Orion is very nice and guessing works well for me.
Regards, David
Leica All Day
Veteran
I love the 28mm focal length........it used to be my primary lens......but that has changed ever since I bought the 35mm/1.2.....my 28mm lens is an Elmarit which is a little "slow" but I love it......
I use it often on my m6ttl but I do occasionally use it on my m2 and I use the whole finder as "frame lines", it works fine for me.....
cheers, michael
I use it often on my m6ttl but I do occasionally use it on my m2 and I use the whole finder as "frame lines", it works fine for me.....
cheers, michael
zwarte_kat
Well-known
Ok
Ok
Had to make sure this camera line was mentioned. The GRD is the camera that doesn't give a F about what people not worthy of it think about 28mm FOV. Now everybody who said bad things about 28mm go wash your mouth and send a letter of apology to Ricoh.
I once cursed my GRDIII, and have been tormented by nightmares about Ricoh discontinuing the GRD ever since, in which hordes of Japanese pro photographers are chasing me, shouting that it was all my fault.
I have also been seeing (what are hopefully) hallucinations of Ricoh employed ninjas, keeping an eye on me when I walk the streets of Tokyo. With the stealth capabilities of the GRD line, I am now convinced that Ricoh is a former ninja clan evolved to a camera company.
Then again, that 21mm conversion lens for the GRD is pretty neat. If they would release a 25mm (FOV) GRD with 1,6 crop sensor, then that would rock!
I think I saw something black moving outside my window. No, ninjas don't exist, or should I call the police? If they wou
Ok
Had to make sure this camera line was mentioned. The GRD is the camera that doesn't give a F about what people not worthy of it think about 28mm FOV. Now everybody who said bad things about 28mm go wash your mouth and send a letter of apology to Ricoh.
I once cursed my GRDIII, and have been tormented by nightmares about Ricoh discontinuing the GRD ever since, in which hordes of Japanese pro photographers are chasing me, shouting that it was all my fault.
I have also been seeing (what are hopefully) hallucinations of Ricoh employed ninjas, keeping an eye on me when I walk the streets of Tokyo. With the stealth capabilities of the GRD line, I am now convinced that Ricoh is a former ninja clan evolved to a camera company.
Then again, that 21mm conversion lens for the GRD is pretty neat. If they would release a 25mm (FOV) GRD with 1,6 crop sensor, then that would rock!
I think I saw something black moving outside my window. No, ninjas don't exist, or should I call the police? If they wou
taylan
Street Dog
I'll be third that I wish I could afford too
. Actually 28mm is my favorite angle and the only lens I had being used with my SLR during 5 years before switch to my M2+cron 35 V1.
Teuthida
Well-known
I never could get on with a 28. Seemed too wide, while the 35 seems wide but normal. Of course, this preference was developed while shooting film. the 28 on my m8 is just right.
mfogiel
Veteran
I find the 28 to be a great lens for shooting in the street - if you can get close and compose, you get a lot of stuff in, if you want to be stealthy, you just shoot from the hip. I use both the Summicron 28 and the Ultron 28/1.9 (this one for landscape), as well as GR1 for shooting on the road.
Summicron 28
20105107 by mfogiel, on Flickr
Ultron 28/1.9
20102404 by mfogiel, on Flickr
Ricoh GR1
20120509 by mfogiel, on Flickr
Summicron 28
20105107 by mfogiel, on Flickr
Ultron 28/1.9
20102404 by mfogiel, on Flickr
Ricoh GR1
20120509 by mfogiel, on Flickr
kanzlr
Hexaneur
Interesting that you prefer the ultron for landscapes, why that?
back alley
IMAGES
i recently sold my 28 and do not miss it.
much prefer a 21 and have just bought today another 25 to give it a try.
i really like the 21 (on the rd1, so a cropped sensor) as it forces me to get in close and really look at what's in the frame.
much prefer a 21 and have just bought today another 25 to give it a try.
i really like the 21 (on the rd1, so a cropped sensor) as it forces me to get in close and really look at what's in the frame.