Antielectrons
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HCB used 35 and 50mm mainly but also 90 at times and 28 also. His favourite was 50mm but many many of his shots were also shot at 35mm.
Reasons for selecting a specific focal length lens
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HCB used 35 and 50mm mainly but also 90 at times and 28 also. His favourite was 50mm but many many of his shots were also shot at 35mm.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Started out with a 50 because that's what came with the camera. Found it a bit too long, but needed the speed: couldn't afford a fast 35. As soon as I could, I bought a 35/1.4, which remained my standard lens for decades. At about 60 started to drift back towards 50. All other lenses are for special applications. Not very special: just less useful for general photography than 35 or 50.
Cheers,
R.
Cheers,
R.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
bmattock
Veteran
I honestly do not know. My first 'real' camera came with a 50mm f1.8. I learned the basics of photography on it. Perhaps it is merely that familiarity.
Perhaps because it is (or was) considered an all-purpose lens. I shot landscapes with it, as well as portraits. It always seemed quite adequate, plus the 50s were generally faster lenses back in the day when we shot Pan-X, and that extra stop or two, plus the ability to create selective focus effects (we didn't know the term 'bokeh' back in the 60s) really tilted the balance towards the cheaper, faster 50.
I like faces. I like to frame head-and-shoulder shots at public events. A 50 lets me do that without moving in close in what seems a threatening manner, maybe? A 50 is friendly, you neither crowd in like a scary person, nor stand away like a stalker. You're in the mix, but not too close for comfort.
Maybe it's that a lot of my old fixed-lens rangefinders are typically 45 to 55mm. You get what you get with those, and learn to live with it.
I know that recently going through a bad patch, I had to sell off a lot of my junk. I didn't want to, but I sold the rangefinder LTM 28s, 35s, 90s, 135s, and some were quite rare; the income was gratifying. I kept only my Bessa R body and 2 50s, the silver Canon 1.8 and the black Canon 1.4. Why? Dunno. I guess I just like the 50. Stripped down to enforced basics, 50 is my choice.
So there you go. I guess at the core, I'm a fan of the nifty 50, for reasons which still sort of elude me.
And I don't know or care what HCB shot with. Love his work, but results are what matter, not how he got them. At least to me. 😉
Santtu Määttänen
Visual Poet
For me the goldilocks focal length have always been around 40mm. It's pretty much exactly the normal on 24x35 format. Also I generally try to use around 105mm on 6x9 (but happily settle for wider 90). when adjusting to either way, I go for 35mm on RF or 50mm. On SLR I use anything from 15mm to around 300mm (not big on tele lenses).
Too bad there ain't too many available 40mm lenses (even fewer are the true normal 42,4 lenses). So that means I have to shoot quite a lot on 50s and 35s, not that I'm complaining.
One huge reason why I tend to wonder more often to 50mm then 35mm is the fact that I wear glasses and the frame lines for 35 are mostly hard to see.
My preference towards true normal lenses might come from the fact that my first ever camera (still in heavy use, after almost 27 years) is Olympus 35RC which has amazing 42mm lens. I learned to see the world through it and it became integral part of my vision. Too bad those lenses ain't available on all or even most mounts. I for one would really really want one for my preferred RF body, Kiev 4a, but there ain't a single contax mount lens available in that focal length.
If I carry my SLR then my bag mostly consists of either single zoom (on digital 24-70 and/or perhaps 70-200) or few primes, mainly 15, 24, 35, 58 and at times 135 (on film mainly). Not all of them at once, at least not always 😀 but depending on a day two or three of them.
Too bad there ain't too many available 40mm lenses (even fewer are the true normal 42,4 lenses). So that means I have to shoot quite a lot on 50s and 35s, not that I'm complaining.
One huge reason why I tend to wonder more often to 50mm then 35mm is the fact that I wear glasses and the frame lines for 35 are mostly hard to see.
My preference towards true normal lenses might come from the fact that my first ever camera (still in heavy use, after almost 27 years) is Olympus 35RC which has amazing 42mm lens. I learned to see the world through it and it became integral part of my vision. Too bad those lenses ain't available on all or even most mounts. I for one would really really want one for my preferred RF body, Kiev 4a, but there ain't a single contax mount lens available in that focal length.
If I carry my SLR then my bag mostly consists of either single zoom (on digital 24-70 and/or perhaps 70-200) or few primes, mainly 15, 24, 35, 58 and at times 135 (on film mainly). Not all of them at once, at least not always 😀 but depending on a day two or three of them.
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When I see the image if I have the lens that matches I shoot. If not I look and see if I can see a better shot matching the options available. If not I move on.
B2 🙂->
B2 🙂->
zuiko85
Veteran
Observe what you are doing to frame a shot.
If you find yourself often moving closer to obtain the framing you want then switch to a narrower angle lens.
If you find you are often backing up then use a wider angle lens.
If you find yourself often moving closer to obtain the framing you want then switch to a narrower angle lens.
If you find you are often backing up then use a wider angle lens.
jsrockit
Moderator
I use the lens that I need for the photo I want. It's that simple.
hepcat
Former PH, USN
What's not so simple is the "why" of which lens is right for "the photo you want." Experience allows you to do that. Tell us the technical details of lens selection that you use; why you'd pick one lens over another and for what kinds of shots.
Richard G
Veteran
I use the lens on the camera. That is sometimes chosen just for the size of what I'm carrying e.g a 35 or 28 f2.8. Often I've picked the lens for where I'm going. I am more likely to choose 35 as a single lens than 28, but still often go out with just a 28. I often have 50. Maybe most often.
The version 4 tabbed 50 Summicron is almost welded to the Monochrom, and the Elmar M 50 to my M9. And the collapsible 50 Elmar on the Leica II. So certain cameras are linked to certain focal lengths. The M6 and the 35 Summicron seem made for each other.
I more often have the big 50 C Sonnar on the M9 than the M6. So certain versions of a focal length are determined by whether and what film is in a camera, or whether I'm using digital.
I've shot all day on a whim with anything from 21 to 50. I've tried going out with a 90 and I don't get much. Once went out with a 135 and did better than I thought I would.
For an evening function the 35 Summicron v4 is nearly always my choice for speed, compactness, lightness and ergonomics plus the 35mm FOV and DOF at f2. But if I went to the same function with the Monochrom I'd just keep the 50 Summicron attached as the balance is good, I've got a bit more ISO to play with and the black Summicron is light. All this complex mensuration of choice occurs in a few seconds, usually.
The version 4 tabbed 50 Summicron is almost welded to the Monochrom, and the Elmar M 50 to my M9. And the collapsible 50 Elmar on the Leica II. So certain cameras are linked to certain focal lengths. The M6 and the 35 Summicron seem made for each other.
I more often have the big 50 C Sonnar on the M9 than the M6. So certain versions of a focal length are determined by whether and what film is in a camera, or whether I'm using digital.
I've shot all day on a whim with anything from 21 to 50. I've tried going out with a 90 and I don't get much. Once went out with a 135 and did better than I thought I would.
For an evening function the 35 Summicron v4 is nearly always my choice for speed, compactness, lightness and ergonomics plus the 35mm FOV and DOF at f2. But if I went to the same function with the Monochrom I'd just keep the 50 Summicron attached as the balance is good, I've got a bit more ISO to play with and the black Summicron is light. All this complex mensuration of choice occurs in a few seconds, usually.
jsrockit
Moderator
Exactly this... once you go out there and do it for awhile, and use a few different focal lengths, it all tends to make sense. If I'm in a bathtub photographing another person in the same bathtub, I'll have to go out side of the normal range of 28mm-50mm and grab an ultra wide. If something is far away and I can't get there to photograph it, 28mm-50mm isn't going to cut it. It really is that simple for me. I choose focal lengths based on the space I'm photographing in more so than bokeh, or lens properties, etc.
lxmike
M2 fan.
5omm why, well back in the late 1970's that was considered a standard lens and tats what l grew up with
raid
Dad Photographer
I keep myself energized in photography by not having a fixed focal length for all occasions. I often use a 35mm lens for sunsets, but a few days ago, I used a 135mm lens and a 17mm lens for the sunset. Then, I started to think of using a Tessar lens, so I picked up a 50 2.8 Tessar that was changed from M42 mount to ltm by someone. I will use this lens for a few more days.
KM-25
Well-known
Wouldn't it be better to just get off of here & get out and make photographs with said lenses instead of constantly dissecting the why's and what nots?
Life is too short, get out and make photographs....
cz23
Well-known
Thanks for the bathtub tip. Very valuable. Which lens do you use in the shower?
Santtu Määttänen
Visual Poet
I tend to use ultra-wides in the shower, they make everything close up look so large... sorry all, couldn't help my self.
Oh and update to my own post, yes there's 42mm biotar for contax mount, I know that, but it's not exactly affordable or even relatively easily available (I've been looking for one for years, but there doesn't seem to be any in reasonable price range, working ones that is).
ferider
Veteran
The real question is if you have time to change lenses in the bathtub.
vagab0nd
Established
For my main RF (Kiev) I stick with the 53mm combo of Jupiter-3 and Helios-103 for about 90% of shots. As of late, this has been ~70% of my 35mm shooting. I like the tightness and DoF of 50 over 35.
That said, the camera that's with me at all times is the Olympus XA. In this case, the choice was less about picking the right focal length, and more about picking the right camera. If I enjoy using the camera, I can make any focal length work.
That said, the camera that's with me at all times is the Olympus XA. In this case, the choice was less about picking the right focal length, and more about picking the right camera. If I enjoy using the camera, I can make any focal length work.
hepcat
Former PH, USN
I've been shooting rangefinder cameras since 1974 and doing photography for a living for over forty years. Like jsrockit, I have the experience... but there are many, many folks here who come to this site to gain experience vicariously so they don't have to spend years before they can effectively use this tool they recently acquired.
There's a lot of talk out there about using a single lens for everything. I think that this thread is illustrating the short-sightedness of that approach to photography. I'll grant you that you use what you have with you, and if that's a single lens, then you make the images you can with that and do the best you can... but limiting oneself totally to a single focal length is limiting your ability to make images.
Every so often, as photographers it's a good exercise to question why and how we do what we do, and it's even a better exercise if we write it down and share it with others. That's what we're doing here. The replies so far have been thoughtful, helpful, and made with a great deal of insight.
And besides, it's cold and raining in Iowa right now. It's twenty degrees Fahrenheit above normal and it ought to be snowing, but it's still cold and raining. I don't like the cold OR the rain, so here I am. 😉
So since you took time to make a frivolous post, why don't you take a minute more to help someone else understand how YOU select your lens focal length when YOU shoot?
daveleo
what?
In 35mm film format reference, *for me* ....
15mm FL = Fun Fun Fun !
24-28mm FL = party, dinner, parlor scenes to capture the whole room ambience.
35-50mm FL = 80% of everything I shoot (city, woodlands, museums) for a nice balance of physical distance to objects, a sense of place inside the frame, lens speed/$ and size/weight.
above 50mm FL = tabletop, flowers & bees, leaves & bugs, etc
I have never been able to handhold above 135mm FL unless there are tons of light (fast shutter speed @ f4.0-f8.0).
15mm FL = Fun Fun Fun !
24-28mm FL = party, dinner, parlor scenes to capture the whole room ambience.
35-50mm FL = 80% of everything I shoot (city, woodlands, museums) for a nice balance of physical distance to objects, a sense of place inside the frame, lens speed/$ and size/weight.
above 50mm FL = tabletop, flowers & bees, leaves & bugs, etc
I have never been able to handhold above 135mm FL unless there are tons of light (fast shutter speed @ f4.0-f8.0).
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