Shooting with a 35mm lens vs 50mm

[Ansel]

This is a 35mm guy:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/emmanuel_smague/
That was a 21mm guy (mainly):
http://www.pinterest.com/saintpala/jeanloup-sieff/
He was a 50mm guy:
http://www.pinterest.com/tracyene/henri-cartier-bresson/
I am a 12mm to 500mm guy:
http://mondoinbiancoenero.com/

Thanks. I was not familiar with Emmanuel Smague. Lovely images. Any idea what kit he is using? [Edit: he uses an MP with 35Cron ASPH, which is very interesting to me as I have an M4 with 35Cron ASPH 🙂]

HCB of course is a constant source of inspiration. And Jeanloup is simply marvellous.

 

[ellisson]

In medio stat virtus: 40 mm.

Semper Optimum.

 

[Vics]

It took me quite a while to cozy up to the 35, but once I did the 50 seems kind of tight.

 

[maddoc]

I too find it harder to shoot wider and come up with interesting compositions. The key is to get closer to your main subject, which is not always possible. 35mm isn't too bad, but once you hit 28mm, it becomes a lot easier to take boring pictures.

+1. I find that 28mm is really challenging focal length to get the right balance between empty foregrounds from being to far and distorted proportions from being to close. Maybe this is also a problem related to the typical 0.72x VF of a Leica RF camera, it does not really give an impression of what the frame will look like compared to a dedicated external 28 mm VF or even a SLR showing the frame in 1:1.

 

[MCTuomey]

I use a 28/35 when I need to shoot fast (zone focus) and be close. Otherwise it's a 75 or 90 to isolate the subject. A fast 50 is my "one lens" rig.

 

[tempest68]

I find 40mm to be about right most of the time. I have the CV 40mm for the R3M and the Canon 40mm for the 5D II and EOS 3.

 

[shadowfox]

Give 35mm focal length some time.
It will either grow on you to the point that it's the only one you'd use, or it won't.

 

[mervynyan]

if i go for a trip without lot of gears, 35mm is my default go-to lens. street, candid group photos, half body portrait, landscape, almost anything will fit.

 

[Bingley]

Overall, I prefer 50 mainly because of its selectivity compared to 35, and I also really like it as a landscape lens. I use 35 for street photography, b/c you can get an entire human figure in the photo from about ten feet away, but that's about it. 50 is my go-to focal length for the photos I like to take. I've also warmed to 40.

 

[craygc]

Recently I had forced myself to shoot with a 50mm for a couple of months (no other lens) and the difficulty I continually had was that when I looked through the viewfinder I was finding myself too close to the subject to capture the intended image. So, again, back to 35mm and 28mm FoVs for me... Basically, "your" focal length is personal and directly related to what you photograph and your usual proximity to these subjects

 

[oftheherd]

Personally, I have never been a fan of 35mm unless that was the widest I had. When a 65mm was all I had for my Super Press, I found uses for it. With my Kiev, 35mm was my only wide lens, so I found use for it. I am one of those people who tend to see wide, and 35mm just isn't as wide as I normally like to be.

But really, I tend to use whatever lens I think will give me what I want. In SLR I have from 18mm to 300mm. But I don't use my teles so much.

 

[Ranchu]

Here is a thing, people say 43mm is the real 'normal' focal length because that's the distance of the diagonal of the 24x36mm frame. By that logic, 36mm is the real normal focal length because nobody looks at pictures diagonally. Almost nobody.

 

[YYV_146]

I use both 35mm and 50mm, but only carry one of them with me at any time. My main criteria is the likelihood of confined environments, if not then I generally prefer the 50mm for its "natural" view. A 50mm may be a difficult lens for street photography if you're in a city like Tokyo or Hong Kong with narrow streets.

But I don't have any specific preference between the two. I actually like 28mm more than both, but it can be tricky to use without including unwanted elements in the frame.

 

[tunalegs]

Here is a thing, people say 43mm is the real 'normal' focal length because that's the distance of the diagonal of the 24x36mm frame. By that logic, 36mm is the real normal focal length because nobody looks at pictures diagonally. Almost nobody.

What?



The distance corner to corner in an image, is about equal to the distance a viewer views that image from - dead on. Not diagonally. When that perspective matches up to the angle of view, that relationship is "normal" (for what it's worth).

 

[Carterofmars]

I prefer 35 over 50. Although, my 50 cron at F8, is indeed great.

 

[Scrambler]

Here is a thing, people say 43mm is the real 'normal' focal length because that's the distance of the diagonal of the 24x36mm frame. By that logic, 36mm is the real normal focal length because nobody looks at pictures diagonally. Almost nobody.

'Normal' is when the focal length equals the minimum image circle for the format. This does happen to equal the diagonal of a rectangular format.

 

[bonatto]

What is normal?

 

[daveleo]

Here is a thing, people say 43mm is the real 'normal' focal length because that's the distance of the diagonal of the 24x36mm frame. By that logic, 36mm is the real normal focal length because nobody looks at pictures diagonally. Almost nobody.

50-55mm was labeled the "normal" focal length because if you look at an object through the viewfinder then look with your eyes only, the object will be the same size (not smaller or larger when viewed through the viewfinder).

My eyes see the same as a 55mm lens, in that regard. Nonetheless I favor the 35mm angle of view for making pictures.

I still hope that Fujifilm will make an X-mount 35/50 (equiv) click-stop lens (let's say f2.0-2.8) for let's say $600US. In silver. My guess it could be half the length of their 18-55 zoom. And if I did the math right, the largest aperture diameter would only be 12 - 13mm, so it should not be a very fat lens either.

 

[LarsAC]

What is normal?

I'm not :angel:, though I like my J-3 on my M3 as my only lens.

Lars

 

[Brian Atherton]

A 35mm on my Leica has been one and only lens for over a decade. Earlier this year I bought a 50mm (Elmar-M), which I’m enjoying a lot.

Looking through the viewfinder compared to a 35mm lens the 50mm frame looks to me like a tele – principally, I guess, due to the surrounding viewfinder outside of the 50mm frame.

On a SLR a ‘normal’ 50mm looks, well, just normal.