One Lens for Street Photography

[MaxJ1961]

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I have had my M9 for one month. I have one lens - current version 50 summicron. Would a 35 summicron ASPH be a better choice?

[BRJR]

I have had my M9 for one month. I have one lens - current version 50 summicron. Would a 35 summicron ASPH be a better choice?

1. Either lens is quite good IMO, so it's somewhat a personal preference; and, the photographer at the link below, does give his preferences as to when he uses the 50mm versus the 35mm lens -- and, this is pretty much how I tend to select one or the other of these two focal lengths as well:

 

Recommended Lenses for the LEICA

 

2. If, you're considering a leica 35mm lens, the info, at the link below, could be of some use:

 

New 35mm Summilux to be announced early next week | Leica News & Rumors

[blimey]

a Zeiss 35/2 is pretty good as well...

[stunsworth]

It's a classic choice. Some prefer a 35mm, others a 50mm. Since it's an individual choice, only you can make the decision. Do you find the 50mm not wide enough? If so consider a 35mm. If not continue using the 50mm.

[adli]

I have had my M9 for one month. I have one lens - current version 50 summicron. Would a 35 summicron ASPH be a better choice?

 

Better in terms of what?

[UliWer]

When you look through the viewfinder, you find a little lever on the left side of the lens. You can use this to switch from the frames for 50mm to those for 35mm. Try this some times for your motives. If the 35mm frames please you more, get a 35mm lens, if not stay with 50mm. You may end up with wanting to use them both.

[yanidel]

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35mm or 50mm are both great for street photography. It is not really one or the other IMO, both have their use and I always carry them (actually I use a 60mm Hex in my case).

The way I use them is as follows :

- 35mm as standard lens. You can do anything with it but need to get a bit closer. I use the Lux Asph because of its special 1.4 look.

- 50mm in open spaces when getting close might be difficult. Also for portraits or when I stay idle in a place (terrace, metro, car, ...)

With that combo, you cover pretty much any situation in street photography.

[Manolo Laguillo]

1. The focal distances can be arranged and understood in terms of the formats basic dimensions:

Short side = 24mm

Long side = 36mm

Diagonal = 42mm

The diagonal is traditionally the "normal" lens, the pivot.

Smaller than the diagonal = wide angle

Longer than the diagonal = tele.

This is one possible systematisation.

 

2. Leitz, for whatever reasons, choosed the 50mm instead of the 40mm. Later, for the cute CL, a 40mm was made.

The 50mm is a little tele, so to say.

A 40 mm could be THE lens, it's a little longer than 35mm and a little shorter than 50mm.

 

3. I have both the 35 and 50. I don't have the 40mm (there is no exact framing available for it in the M cameras), so I am often doubting between the 35mm and the 50mm. I must say that at my beginnings I used mainly the 35mm, and now I am using more and more the 50mm.

 

4. It's interesting to note that the factor between this 3 numbers is 1.44, the square root of 2:

24 x 1.44 = 34.56; 34.56 x 1.44 = 49,76

 

Have fun!

Manolo

[01af]

One interesting property of the 35 mm lens on a 35-mm-format camera ist the fact that the width of the field of view is basically equal to the shooting distance. For example, at a distance of 5 m, you will capture a field that's 5 m wide. Or at a distance of 15 ft, your field-of-view's width will be 15 ft. In landscape orientation, that is.

 

This rule can be helpful for quickly anticipating what you're going to capture before even raising the camera to the eye.

 

The reason for this property is the fact that the lens' focal length is equal (with a little grain of salt) to the frame's width. For a camera that is not 24 × 36 mm format you'd have to use a different focal length to get the same property, e. g. a 55 or 60 mm lens for a Hasselblad (image format 56 × 56 mm), or a 28 mm lens for a Leica M8 (image format 18 × 27 mm).

 

By the same rule, a with a 24 mm lens on a 35-mm-format camera the height (or the width when shooting in portrait orientation) of the field of view is equal to the shooting distance.

 

While this can be useful, I still prefer a slightly longer lens (i. e. 50 mm on a 35-mm-format camera) for street shooting. It's a purely personal decision; neither focal length is better or worse generally than the other.

[bill]

You have had some good advice already. I would add just one point - master the lens you already have, learn it's strengths and weaknesses before you buy another. Nobody ever became a better photographer by spending money on a new lens.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[Manolo Laguillo]

QUOTE:

[One interesting property of the 35 mm lens on a 35-mm-format camera ist the fact that the width of the field of view is basically equal to the shooting distance. For example, at a distance of 5 m, you will capture a field that's 5 m wide. Or at a distance of 15 ft, your field-of-view's width will be 15 ft. In landscape orientation, that is.

 

This rule can be helpful for quickly anticipating what you're going to capture before even raising the camera to the eye.]

 

that's a very useful information, o1af. In other words, the horizontal angle is 45 degrees. I do use it to previsualize what is going to be framed with the 35mm on a full frame M.

Logically, a 18mm frames with an horizontal angle of 90 degrees...

[MaxJ1961]

Thanks to everyone for their responses. I think I will stick with the 50 for a while and attempt to master it. It is a wonderful lens.

[01af]

In other words, the horizontal angle is 45 degrees.

A lot of water has run down the Ebro since you took your last trigonometry lesson, right?

 

Actually, the horizontal angle of view of a 35 mm lens on a 35-mm-format camera is 53°.

[Manolo Laguillo]

A lot of water has run down the Ebro since you took your last trigonometry lesson, right?

 

Actually, the horizontal angle of view of a 35 mm lens on a 35-mm-format camera is 53°.

 

you are totally right, of course, in both affirmations, o1af: it (the last trig. lesson) happened 40 years ago, and it (the angle of view) is 53 degrees. Never too late... thank you!

 

Regards,

Manolo