What about the "normal" lens?

[Spanik]

Same as a lot of others, for me 35mm is normal. 50 might have been easier and certainly cheaper to make years ago but these days I guess the price (of fabrication) isn't different enough to prefer one over the other. So they go with what really looks like a normal lens, the 35mm and wider.

I don't think they care about the ease of cropping. Most people don't do anything with the photos they take anyway. It is a miracle if they look at them after taking them.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

A lot of us came to RF's via the Leica CL or P&S versions of RF's like the Olympus and Konica range, etc. Or should I say RF versions of P&S's?

For me 40mm was normal but that was the CL's doing. Wide angles for it were rather expensive as the next logical one would have been 28mm and an external VF.

Regards, David

 

[dee]

I have problems with distortion - visual or aural - so I guess that the 50 was perfect for me , indeed , a fast 40-75 zoom would suit me perfectly .

Many 50s standard lenses on SLRs seemed to be around 58mm rather then 50mm , is there a technical reason of this ? My Helios of the M8 becomes a nominal 67mm , which is great .

I confess to being disturbed by the advent of AF SLRs with slow zoom lenses and having to buy a 50mm , in fact , I did not bother .
I guess that 50mm was out of fashion by then .

dee

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

Many 50s standard lenses on SLRs seemed to be around 58mm rather then 50mm , is there a technical reason of this ?

Mirror clearance, probably?
But AFAIK, the main reason was that these 55--58mm focal lengths allow the photographers to have both their eyes open; this was certainly important for those who were accustomed to waist level finders.

 

[sepiareverb]

I hope no one minds a fairly long quote from an article by Richard Benson at the back of 'Lee Friedlander's 'In the Picture: Self Portraits 1958-2011' giving a fascinating historical perspective on this subject:

Thank you for that!

I've noticed that Friedlander kept his lens pretty much the same for a long while, just changed up the film size. 35 on 35, 38 on 6x6, 30 on the Xpan. Must have those depth of field tables imbedded in his brain.

My most used lenses are the 28 35 50, with a 50 the most these last few weeks. I swing through this range on my daily carry camera and have for years. I prefer a wider view with medium format for some reason (which is depth of field related I suspect), and with the 810 camera the 450 and 600/800 are my most used. So no rhyme or reason here.

The Ricoh GRD, Contax T2 and T3 are my most used compacts. And if the Q did a native 1:1 crop I would likely replace the GRD to get the summilux.

I suspect it is general today use that determines the 35 fl on compacts. Selfies, yes, and the ability to make pictures inside or in any light means that the lens needs to cover a wider range of subjects, which 35 does as the 'classic reportage lens'.

 

[lawrence]

My most used lenses are the 28 35 50, with a 50 the most these last few weeks. I swing through this range on my daily carry camera and have for years.

Same here, these give variety without extremes: 28mm is definitely wide but not too wide and 50mm serves as the tele in the group. I know a lot of people think these FLs are too close but to me there is sufficient difference to make all three worthwhile when travelling. Lenses outside this range I think of as 'special purpose' and limit them to specific projects.

 

[css9450]

Normal to me was always the 35mm(fov); 50mm has always been a tight for general shooting.

Same here. Having been raised using only a 50 (it was my only lens for many years), getting my first 35 and 28 lenses was a revelation. The 50 was too long for a lot of what I liked to shoot.

This is from someone who has never shot a selfie, and doesn't do portraits.

On an APSC digital, normal to me would be around 20mm.

 

[FrankS]

20/28/50 for me.

 

[Dralowid]

I always thought 50mm was pushing it for early AF hence the use of shorter F/Ls with more DOF

 

[Larry H-L]

"Do any of these makers have the stones to make a High end compact that moves away from the pack?"

Yes, Sigma.

The DP2 series cameras. 45/50 ish.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

The preference for a moderate WA lens is nothing new really.
For years many photojournalists favored 35mm as "normal" on 35mm.
Many, especially rangefinder users, consider 35mm ideal for "environmental portraits" and general street shooting.
I count myself among this crowd. I own but seldom use 50mm lenses.
If restricted to just one lens mine would have to be a fast 35.

Chris

 

[raid]

I am today using a 50mm lens and a "daring" 45mm lens!
When needed, I go to a 35mm lens.
When playing, I go to a 21mm lens.
When seeing this "big" scene, I use my 17mm lens.
When feeling funny, I use my 7.5mm lens.
When being "serious", I go back to my 50mm lens.

It is a great experience to go through such cycles.

 

[dee]

I guess that I am creeping upwards with the M8 from 50 to either 67 [ J3 / Summitar etc ] or 77 [ Helios ] with the M8 , which I like for architectural details .
...balanced by a 27mm [ 41 ] X-Pro 1 and 35 [ 52 ] Sony A290 / A35 , the Minolta 35-80 [ 52-120 ] 'beer can' suits me perfectly - I just need a faster version !

 

[Addy101]

Selfies? Really? Do you really think these cameras are 28mm because they are aimed at the selfies crowd? 😱

Two arguments against this reasoning:
1. 28mm lenses were in fashion for high-end film compacts: Ricoh GR1, Minolta TC-1, Nikon 28Ti.
2. The selfie crowd needs a flipping screen to see the picture before you take it. If these were aimed at them, they would have that.

28/35mm lenses are versatile,as mentioned, if you want tighter, you can crop.

 

[skucera]

Selfies? Yes, that's why my 1955 M3 has a self-timer, so you can take a picture of yourself in the absence of someone to take the picture for you. 😀

Scott