One body, one lens - the verdict

[oscroft]

I just got back from a 2-month trip to Thailand (with a short side-trip to Cambodia thrown in), and before I went I pondered at length about taking just one body and one lens with me, and ended up taking an M2 and a CV 35/1.4, really just to concentrate on the 35mm FL and see how I coped with that exclusively. (In the past, on a much shorter trip, I once took only an Olympus OM2 and Zuiko 35mm, but I wasn't doing much photography that time).

There are other cameras I have access to in Thailand, so the risk of being stuck if anything broke wasn't a problem (and as it happened, when I got there I found my little XA was tucked away in a pocket of my camera bag, but that has a 35mm lens too, so it wasn't cheating too much).

So, after all that time with M2, 35mm lens, Gossen Digisix, and a big bag of B&W film (mostly ERA 100 and APX 100), how did I find it?

Surprisingly comfortable, is the answer. I didn't miss other focal lengths very much, largely because I knew 35mm was all I had and so that's all my mind's eye was looking for. And it's a great lens for general street/people shooting, which is what I was mostly doing.

The lens I mostly missed (though not greatly) was a 50, so I think in future I'll make sure I always have one of those with me (in fact, I'll probably leave one permanently in Thailand). And I was surprised not to really miss anything wider, as a lot of my past shots in Thailand have been with 28mm or wider. (Actually, the only place I really did miss having a wider lens was in and around Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom in Cambodia, but I expect I'll go back there again some time with a wider lens).

So, generally, a very positive exercise.

All I have to do now is get all my films developed and scanned - I've made a start, and I'll post some results in my gallery when they're ready.

 

[Carlsen Highway]

Very interesting, and I look forward to seeing your picks from what you shot.
I have a personal project with one camera and one lens (50mm) that I am working on untill the end of January. So far I am doing fine.
As you say when you only have the one, you only see those pictures.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

I look forward to that, Alan - should be very interesting, and I'm envious of that trip!. In younger days I travelled abroad with a heavy selection of optics and bodies, but recently it's been just the M2 with 35 and 85, the picture taking has not suffered, and I've been a lot more 'comfortable'.
Regards, Dave. 🙂

 

[oscroft]

Oh, something I meant to add...

One thing I really did like was that there was no room for indecision, and no faffing around changing lenses - just shoot! (Obvious really, but it made me feel that little bit freer, and a bit more confidant, when shooting).

 

[kipkeston]

leica M and a 35 is always a good choice

 

[parsec1]

For travel pics I have to take a 28/35 on one M and a 90 on another then I also love the 180mm so maybe one of those on a Nikon body and so on and on and more pain.
Why dosen't Leica produce an M 28-90 Tri there again a decent low light capacity on the current M would be so useful. There again I did see a pigs version of Concorde the other day cant wait until Pilot training for it...be a terrific story !!!

 

[parsec1]

Anyway Leica only want to produce 'collectors items' with pretty engravings and huge price tags. Actual photography left Leica years ago and what they produce now is worthless to most pro's but that will never stop their arrogance. Comes with the 'territory' I guess.

 

[fidget]

Hi, good to see that the "experiment" was a success.
I can well understand that the lack of any need to change lenses must be a freeing experience.
I would be concerned that most of the pics I see will need other FLs. You made a brave move..... Looking forward to seeing some of your pics.


Dave...

 

[Bobfrance]

Welcome back Alan - I look forward to seeing the shots. 🙂

 

[oftheherd]

Every time I see one of these threads about one camera and one lens I just wonder about the reasoning. Why have a camera with interchangable lenses if you aren't going to take advantage of it? Good grief! The advantage of more than one lens with the changes in perspective available are hard to pass up.

Then I remember when all I had was 50mm. It wasn't so bad. I maybe missed a few shots, but managed to compensate some way. And my Fujica kit bag with several lenses, while versatile, sure has gotten heavier. I don't know if it has filled with some dark matter I can't see or if it is just age. Even my Kiev with only four lenses, a Gossen Luna Pro sbc, film, and a 120 folder isn't as light as I could prefer.

Maybe you are onto something? Anyway, look forward to seeing your shots.

 

[Fred Burton]

If it were really only about the image, one camera/one lens would likely make us all better photographers as we became one with the equipment. But the photography hobby is for most of us not just about the image - it's also about the gear, and experimenting with lots of different cameras and lenses. If it were just about the image, we would likely not be posting on a gear oriented forum like RFF. We would be shooting photos. 😉

 

[noimmunity]

If it were just about the image, we would likely not be posting on a gear oriented forum like RFF. We would be shooting photos. 😉

True enough, but in all fairness, I think there's a lot of people here that do both.

 

[shadowfox]

With RF, I always feel that one-body-one-lens is the way to go.

I moved from 50mm to 35mm not because I don't like the lenses, but because I like the pictures to be more inclusive on the surrounding without making the subject too small (I'm no in-your-face street photographer 🙂 )

 

[Rico]

... I didn't miss other focal lengths very much, largely because I knew 35mm was all I had and so that's all my mind's eye was looking for..

Good attitude but, then, I preach to the choir at RFF. 🙂 I spent August 2007 in Hanoi with nothing but a 35/2.8 in the form of a Contax T3. Warned of the sweltering heat, I needed extreme portability (and flash), so the M stayed at home.

 

[oscroft]

First few photos from the trip are up - the latest 10 shots in my People of Thailand gallery. (Hopefully it should show in "latest first" order).

 

[Doug]

Good choice and logic, Alan; i agree. Further, I've just done it too, but should go over to DSLRX for discussions, since it was a 24mm f/2 on a Pentax K100D. Only the one lens for three weeks vacation, giving 61° angle of view on that sensor, similar to about 37mm on a 135 film camera. It was a bit limiting in one sense, but simply liberating in total for the reasons you stated. I'm looking at your interesting shots from Thailand...

 

[payasam]

I wonder how many people start with interchangeable lens cameras. When I was young, everyone began with a fixed lens camera -- and we all did well enough. Oh yes, some complained and dreamed ... until the Big Day.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

I started with an interchangeable lens Ricoh SLR, but didn't know you could take off the lens until 20 years later! Which is when I turned into, pardon me, a gear whore.

But if all I had was my M2 and a 35, I would be happy as a clam.

 

[P. Lynn Miller]

Much to my surprise, I am considering the one camera/one lens alternative...

About 6 months ago I bought a Norita 66 with a Noritar 80mm f2.0. I fell in love with the camera, the big negatives and preceded to shoot everything with that camera. I started a desperate search for more lenses, but it took 4 months to find a 40mm and 160mm. During that 4 months, I had actually been practising one camera/one lens photography without even knowing it. When I finally got the extra lenses, I found that I spent more time trying to make sure I had the right lens instead of just shooting. It was liberating to just have one point of view.

So I am thinking that it may be a healthy exercise to reduce my photography gear to a more simple and efficient working kit...

 

[oscroft]

When I was young, everyone began with a fixed lens camera

I started with a Voigtlander Brillant TLR, given to me when I was eight, which I used for a couple of years (and I still have it). I couldn't afford much film for it, because pocket money was scarce in those days, but I did learn to develop b&w films from it.

My dad later gave me his Halina 35X, so I could shoot 35mm film.

Then, for my 11th birthday, my parents gave me a Spotmatic (which they could barely afford - I think it took them a couple of years to pay for it). Taking that out of the box was one of the most magical moments of my life. It was about another five years before I managed to save enough pocket money for a 2nd hand Takumar 135 (which I didn't actually use that much, but it was the only Takumar lens I could possibly afford), so the Spotmatic effectively had a 55mm fixed lens for that time. A few years later I managed to get a 2nd hand Takumar 28mm, and that really was the end of my single-lens days

But I have to say, I think it's much nicer choosing to only use one lens than having single-lens use thrust upon me.