50 or 75 more useful for street photog ?

[digbyhp]

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At the risk of overlapping on other threads...... I'd welcome feedback from other regular street photographers on whether, based on experience, they think a 50mm or 75mm would be more useful fov-wise as a street lens. Am not worried about particular 50 or 75 types at the moment.

 

I've got an M7 & 35 cron, which is a very flexible, but thinking about a second lens to bring me closer in on some subjects - is the 50 too close to the 35 ? Is the 75 too close-in full stop?

 

Of course different lenses will bring different perspectives, but am inclined to think it is better to get the 50, and just crop if needed.

 

If this has been done on other threads, please feel free to link. Have found similar, but not quite the same, sort of questions.

 

Thanks,

Digby

[marknorton]

Since you're shooting FF, 75mm is hardly "long", ideal in fact for potraits and candids and closing in on those details. I'd go for a 75... Only caution would be the framelines. Leica made a mess of them on the original M8 frames, anyone know how accurate they are on an M7?

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[JBA]

I do a lot of street shooting, and use a combo of 35, 50 and 90. They all work beautifully. 50 is not too close to 35 and 75 is by no means too close in for street shooting. Depending on how you like to shoot, the combo of 35 and 75 might be perfect.

[rob_x2004]

I do a lot of street shooting, and use a combo of 35, 50 and 90. They all work beautifully. 50 is not too close to 35 and 75 is by no means too close in for street shooting. Depending on how you like to shoot, the combo of 35 and 75 might be perfect.

 

Only if you hae two bodies, or you have preconcieved notion of what you are going to shoot and how. The 75 is very specific.

[JBA]

I certainly wouldn't substitute a 75 for a 50, if that's what you mean by specific.

[dpattinson]

At the risk of overlapping on other threads...... I'd welcome feedback from other regular street photographers on whether, based on experience, they think a 50mm or 75mm would be more useful fov-wise as a street lens. Am not worried about particular 50 or 75 types at the moment.

 

I've got an M7 & 35 cron, which is a very flexible, but thinking about a second lens to bring me closer in on some subjects - is the 50 too close to the 35 ? Is the 75 too close-in full stop?

 

Of course different lenses will bring different perspectives, but am inclined to think it is better to get the 50, and just crop if needed.

 

If this has been done on other threads, please feel free to link. Have found similar, but not quite the same, sort of questions.

 

Thanks,

Digby

 

Personally I'd go with the 50 and crop if required. If you get a 50/1.4 you'll get an extra stop as well, which might be handy in lower light.

I find a 50 on my M7 is a nice 'across the street' lens. If you only have one camera body, then unless your subject is 'dead' you probably don't have time to change lenses. You do have time to move yourself - so a wider lens is generally more useful imho.

[darmodej]

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I use my M7 in street with M-Rokkor 4/90 almost all the time. I used to use the 50mm Nokton but I'm much happier now with 90mm lens, I just love to leave everything useless out of my photo. In addition, for more demanding light conditions and close-ups I use 1.4/35 Nokton. Very happy with this duo...

[alun]

I agree with one earlier poster that the 50 is a useful "across the street" lens but personally I find even a 50 much slower to use than my habitual 35. Your style of street shooting will ultimately determine what is useful to you. Personally I like to be closer and be able to scale focus with some degree of certainty -- the 35 enables me to do this. A 50 would to, albeint within narrower parameters, but in practise I find I'm simply not fast enough (or good enough?) with a 50.

 

Based on this I have always assumed that I'd find this even more the case with a 75, were I to try and use one.

[kenf]

50 has never worked for me - it's neither fish nor fowl. I've found I work best with a 35-75 combination.

[peter_n]

I'm with Ken. I used to use a 50 all the time with just one camera but when I got two bodies that all changed. I use a 35 and 75 pair and I use the 35 most of the time because I like to be in fairly close but also like the extra context a 35 provides. The 75 is a step or two back from the 50 if you use your feet to zoom and at least for me, really pairs well with a 35. My standard travel kit these days is two bodies and a 24, 35 & 75. That seems to cover everything. If I know I'm going to be in close all the time I'll take a 28 and 50. The first pic below (the Raging Grannies) is with a 35, the second with a 75.

 

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[budrichard]

One can make almost any focal length lens work for 'street photography'. I would concentrate more on using what I had and learning composition, exposure et al, then worrrying about focal length. Since you have 35mm, spend a year with the lens before making a decision. When I only had an M3 and 50mm DR, that's all I could use. Now I have from 21mm ASPH to 135mm 2.8 and use them all except my 50mm 2.8 M. Go figure?

I use two M7's with 35mm Lux ASPH and 75mm ASPH lenses most of the time.-Dick

[digbyhp]

Many thanks to everyone who has posted a reply, have found all the comments very interesting even though there are different takes on the subject.

 

What I've distilled is best expressed by Dick's comments, and sort of what I expected - its a personal thing and you've got to get a better feel for what you shoot regularly. Be a while before I can afford a second lens anyway, so plenty of time to ponder :-)

[kenneth]

At the risk of overlapping on other threads...... I'd welcome feedback from other regular street photographers on whether, based on experience, they think a 50mm or 75mm would be more useful fov-wise as a street lens. Am not worried about particular 50 or 75 types at the moment.

 

I've got an M7 & 35 cron, which is a very flexible, but thinking about a second lens to bring me closer in on some subjects - is the 50 too close to the 35 ? Is the 75 too close-in full stop?

 

Of course different lenses will bring different perspectives, but am inclined to think it is better to get the 50, and just crop if needed.

 

If this has been done on other threads, please feel free to link. Have found similar, but not quite the same, sort of questions.

 

Thanks,

Digby

 

I have a 35- 50-75mm lenses and they all work well for street photography. H.Cartier- Bresson always used a 50mm but personally I believe things have changed since his days and I would always, as a matter of common courtesy ask if it were OK to take someone's picture. I accept that in doing so one looses a little spontaneity but doing so has also lead to some lovely encounters. I also offer to send anyone I photograph a copy print in the e-mail me

[usefeet]

I have mostly used 35mm for street/ people photography (& used my feet ).

but if it's a choice between 50 and 75, I would choose 50mm/ , although I would be quite happy with the 75/f2.0 for a different perspective. (& I have).