Do you prefer the 50mm or the 35mm ?

[raytoei]

Hi,

a questions to all you rangefinder shooters:

do you prefer the 50mm or 35mm lens ?

I have always preferred the 50mm but now I am not so sure.

So, do you shoot more with the 50mm or 35mm ? and Why ?

raytoei

ps. There is an excellent article by David Alan Harvey on this favorite lens, the 35mm
My Dream Lens: David Alan Harvey | Better Photography

 

[magicianhisoka]

50 for me because I liked that on Dslr. Beginning to question is that is right for me too. Just find that Singapore can get very congested so it's hard to frame a shot with a 50 sometimes.

 

[artspraken]

Short view

• The joy of using a 50 is: what to include/exclude during composition.
• The beauty of a 50, is that the subject is more of an art form.
• The joy of using a 35 is: what is the layout and configuration during composition.
• The beauty of a 35, is that the subject has got more storytelling.

The fun of exclusion
Alot of people complain 50 is 'tight' or difficult under crowded conditions. But that is precisely the fun of 50mm.

50mm forces you to be selective, and exclude. By excluding, it is often possible to arrive at a better result.

Remember, photography is not just about inclusiveness. Does not mean 'covering more' gives you a good photo. As with fashion, photography is about concealing as much as revealing. That is the beauty of 50mm.

Many 50mm fans find it hard to explain why they like 50mm. This is the best explanation I can do. See if anybody got better way of saying it.

50mm is more hardcore. 35mm is more flexible.
Nowadays, increasing digital megapixels (eg. M9) gives you the power to 'cheat' by using 35mm, and cropping to 50mm to achieve the correct inclusion/exclusion factor that you like. 35mm gives you alot of flexibility in this, closer to ezmode.

For 50mm, it is hardcore. When I use 50mm, I tend to get alot of poor pictures, or I tend to miss the scene alot. However, when I do get a good pic on 50mm, it is very very satisfying.

For this reason, I find 50mm alot more fun to use, and more to brag about. However, when I need safety and flexibility, I would go 35mm

 

[newghost]

I started out shooting street with the 50mm focal length before eventually settling for 35mm as it allows me get close enough, not the get-in-your-skin-closeness though, and also without people really noticing me. At the same time, one step back and its easy to include elements of geometry in the composition...



That said, I'm guilty of having more 50mms lenses which I tend to use less much... they're bokehlicious, I get to bring them out on family events etc but just not for street

 

[anerjee]

Interesting magazine. Thanks for the link!

I seem to prefer 50mm at night and 35mm during the day.

 

[raytoei]

"Careful examination of the work of great masters of the Leica, will indicate that the majority of their photographs appear to have been taken with 50mm lens. There is no trace of distortion and no excess drama from the lens itself.

I believe that the best way to learn framing is to work with a rangefinder camera and 50mm lens exclusively for a period of years. You must get to the point where you can unhesitantly place yourself at the correct distance from an object so that it will be framed correctly when you bring the camera to your eye. It is only by performing this excise over and over again, as a pianist would practice scales, that the camera becomes an instantaneous extension of the eye.

Once having mastered this exercise for the 50mm lens, you can quickly apply it to other focal lengths. But if you start out switching between three or four different focal lengths, you will never learn to use any one of them without hesitation.

For many years the lens I have turned most to is the 50mm lens. It renders objects in an undistorted perspective. Using the 50mm exclusively for a couple of years will teach you how to embrace the world with the geometry of the lens, much as the Vitruvian Man illustrates how the human form is embraced by the geometry of the circle and the square."

Ralph Gibson « A desire called camera

 

[ZShutter]

35mm for me.
I find that it is perfect for street photography.
It may be a bit wide for some pple, but I want it to force me to go closer to my subject and interact with them for better shots instead of sniping from a distance.
Also, for overcrowded areas 35mm gives me more flexibility to capture more If needed. 35mm does not give undistorted perspectives.

I'd only use 50mm for close up portrait shots or when I need that extra bokehness of a 50mm.

Really depends on what you shoot more of, I tend to bring both type of lenses.

 

[baboonish]

I started with the 50mm initially when I started shooting street stuff. It is great. Our eyes tend to see things and focus on 50mm point of view so using a 50mm lens generally gives you what you see, maybe it could be considered a snapshot? Also with the 50mm, you are not too close to subjects and sometimes, "invisible"

Then I realised I wanted more in the frame (Shooting people in buses and cramped areas) and tried the 35mm. Ample space for more subjects from a considerable distance (1-3m) in the frame which gives a larger story telling possibility..

Now I am more comfortable with the 28mm, it gives a larger depth for focus and allows me to shoot people without having to move the focusing tab.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Go wider!

Should I be only given the choice of 35mm or 50mm, I would go for 35mm.

I find that I could travel with a 35mm F1.4 lens to shoot an entire holiday. Its not that wide by just nice for tight spaces.

 

[Achim Reh]

Agree with that .

If I would have 2 lenses , my usage would be 35mm 75% , 50mm 25%

 

[enivre]

I recently been using my 50 more often as it's much harder to get close to your subject when you are on crutches or in a wheelchair, in fact I tried using my 75 too, but I don't really like that lens much...

My other favourite is still the 15mm, too bad there are issues when using it on the M9...

 

[Lanna]

I like wide but not too wide. The 35 is a good fit. I find the 35 is more a story-telling lens than the 50.

 

[Thedraperyfalls]

Very insightful responses, great read!
Looks like this horse is not dead yet and could take a little more whipping.

I have to agree with Lanna, the 35 aids in story-telling precisely because it allows for the capturing of context.
I find that when I shoot with a 35, that little extra helps to convey a story better.

On the flip side, we might not want to be so literal always.
And the 50 with it's exercise in inclusion/exclusion, as orated so succinctly by Artspraken, can actually deliver an equally powerful story.

It's pretty late and I'm not sure if I'm making any sense.
But my choice is still the 35 for my style of shooting. And at the risk of sounding irredeemably cliched - these are all just tools.
And with the many merits of both the 35 and 50, it's really just a matter of finding something that suits you.

 

[alantcs2010]

Both 50mm and 35mm are very good focal lenses for a photographer who really knows how to make full use of them. I personally feel that it is how you want to paint your picture by choosing the focal lens of your choice at that moment. A good foundation in photography will definitely help. People like "Royale with Cheese" and "Tong Tong" use lens that is even wider than a 35mm and always create fantastic pictures. Many serious photographers must have used 50mm, 35mm and wider lenses in his life time. There are Magnum photographers who used 28mm, 21mm or even wider to paint the story in their pictures. They love to have a different mixture of lenses to create their portfolio. Who dare say this guys are no good? Some distortion is acceptable in documentary and streets photography. Lens choice highly depends on the environment we are in. For me, I choose a lens by looking at the environment. If I can come close and not being detected, I will use very wide lens. But sometimes it is good not to come too close because everybody will notice you when you bring up the viewfinder.

 

[shiryuu59]

i am just a "plain"50mm guy....

 

[sequitur]

35mm for me. Definitely my favourite focal length and a good focal length for street photography or environmental portraits.

My other lenses are starting to become "specialty" lenses instead...

 

[kentwong81]

I shoot weddings with DSLR and my primary choice of lenses are 24mm and 50mm. Tried 35mm before but didn't like it because it doesn't give the nice wide perspective of 24mm and it is not as tight as 50mm for close-up storytelling. It's just neither here nor there for me. And sometimes I didn't want to trigger awareness of the subject when I raised my camera, so 50mm is a better distance for me compared to 35mm. I do not wish to shoot with 35mm to include many irrelevant objects in the frame then do a lot of croppings at home to make the subject more "close-up". When bought my first RF Leica M9, I chose 50mm Summilux because I use 50mm more than 24mm. When I have more bullets in the future, will consider a wide angle lens like 24mm and 28mm.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

I forced myself during the RFSG trip to Malacca to solely shoot 50mm.

OMG, nearly died, its been "years" since I've shot a 50mm. Been using 21mm mostly & 50mm was sooooooo tight but hell, it was a good different approach.

 

[pluginbaby]

Just 50mm for me, love how it makes people and places just feel and look right.

 

[Dfive]

I have the 50 LUX and LOVE it, Really wanting advice on either the 28 or 35 CRON...... advise pls... I did post a thread here ( guess so boring I've got no reply ) hahahaha.....

15 Years a Nikon pro person.... moving to Leica, links or REAL advise is appreciated
( heck.... I'm selling my 24-70mm Nikkor for this...... )

Thx.