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35 Lux vs. 50mm Lux


Tobin

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Hey everyone,

 

My 35mm 1.4 Lux FLE has been glued to my Leica M9 for the past two years. I am finding that is my focal length for my style of photography. Two years ago I bought a 50 Lux ASPH to have because when I was a wedding photographer the 50mm was the lens I used the most so I thought that it would be the perfect kit to have. I now only shoot personal work and do no more paid work. Now when I attach the 50mm Lux I feel extremely claustrophobic with the frame lines. I find that I want context to the image and I am pretty use to getting close to my subject with the 35 lux. I recently bought a M6 and have had the 50 on there but I find that I don’t use it. When I put the 35 on I tend to take the M6 out for fun.

 

I am thinking about selling the 50 lux and getting a 35 f2 cron to have for my M6. Part of me thou thinks, man everyone should have a 50mm I should keep it type of thing but Its just not where my style is right now.

 

Anyone else find that they stick to one focal length?

 

Chad

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I use primarily 35 on my M9 for the "context" as you state, but also as the IQ holds well enough to crop to a 50 FOV when I want.

On film I use primarily 50, as film needs the whole frame, and it forces me to emphasize the subject more. (I've taken to use a 75 or 90 more for the same discipline.) I like to work with different models of 50s for the variety of characteristics. I have more than a dozen 50s from 1939 through 2013.

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...Now when I attach the 50mm Lux I feel extremely claustrophobic with the frame lines. I find that I want context to the image and I am pretty use to getting close to my subject with the 35 lux. I recently bought a M6 and have had the 50 on there but I find that I don’t use it. When I put the 35 on I tend to take the M6 out for fun.

...

Anyone else find that they stick to one focal length?

 

Chad

If only the viewfinder image on the M6.72 (?) should be too small for the 50mm lens, maybe a M6.85 with greater frame lines could be a solution.

First one could try with a viewfinder 1.25 to the existing M6, if the greater viewfinder image fits better.

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Guest Gilgamesh

I know exactly what you mean and I own both lenses.

 

However, you should re-calibrate yourself, and thus you need to attach the 50mm for the next few weeks and step back a little, let you work evolve into the different field of view let your subjects present themselves a little differently.

 

I think you now this to be true.

 

This way you become a more accomplished photographer, not a one-trick-pony.

 

I attended a Magnum workshop in the summer, and shot initially on the 50mm, 'til I was advised to slap on the 35mm. For the street photography I was engaged in, the 35mm did the trick, but part of me still hankers after the 50mm look and as such both lenses get equal time on the one M body I own. Both work. The 28 nor the 90mm get used much.

Edited by Gilgamesh
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My observation would suggest there is an inverse relationship between the number of lenses available, the frequency with which one optic gets swapped out for another... and good imagery.

 

The actual focal length is very secondary. What matters most is learning a given lens' characteristics to the point where questions and considerations about lens choice disappear. You're just interacting with the world. You know what the lens sees and how it renders before you ever raise the camera to your eye.

 

So, yeah, color me in the camp that thinks using a single lens over long spans of time is a good thing.

Edited by Jager
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After succumbing to GAS and acquiring more lenses than I possibly need, I find that the 50 ASPH makes me the happiest. As a respected teacher of mine once said "If you have more than one lens with you, the wrong lens is always on the camera. If you only have one lens with you, the right lens is always on the camera."

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Part of me thou thinks, man everyone should have a 50mm I should keep it type of thing but Its just not where my style is right now

 

Well you like what you like. There are no required lenses for anyone. If 35mm suits you the best then stick to that.

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Since this is all a matter of subjective personal opinions, I'll offer mine FWIW. I think it is CRAZY to sell the 50mm lux only to buy a lens of the same exact focal length as the other one you have. The Leica architect of the M mount system (whose name escapes me at the moment) would be turning in his grave at the perception that someone would buy a second M lens of the same focal length simply because the person has two M cameras :eek:

 

In my opinion, for scenes that fit into a 50mm frameline, the 50mm lux asph is the best way to go - period.

 

The key is to identify the scenes that fit best into a 35mm frameline and those that fit best

into a 50mm frameline.

 

Now I could understand parting with your 50mm if you told me that the vast majority of pictures that you take involve scenes that fit more effectively in a 35mm frameline. Of course, this would exclude many shots of people (particularly portraits of people generally); and I'd bet that you didn't invest all your money into this fine equipment to shoot primarily subjects other than people.

 

I think that your issues is probably just in your head, and that, if you believe that your shots generally can't fit into a 50mm frameline, you should pay more attention to your 50mm and fall in love with it again and appreciate it for what it is worth.

 

Take my situation. I live in NYC, which is a treasue trove of scenic and architechtural composition-subjects. Buildings, bridges, cityscapes, you name it. Just on my way to work I pass by so many potential subjects that I often miss my morning meetings.:) These subjects frankly don't fit the 50mm frameline all that well. Consequently, I've been using my 35mm lux and 28mm summaron A LOT the past few months with my MM. Getting great shots, and loving every pixel (I use my M3 and IIIg a large minority of the time as well). At some point a week or so ago, I picked up my 50mm lux asph and decided to stick with it for a while and take up the challenge of finding those scenic, architectural and street subjects that will fit in my 50mm frame line. Just as there are infinite subjects that fit appropriately in 35mm abnd 28mm framelines, there are as many tht fit the 50mm frameline. You just have to go out and find them. If Leica thought the 35mm frameline was the holy grail and all one needed; it would have used it as their widest frameline in its III series and (world's best selling) M3. Instead it chose the 50mm as the "base" frameline. I'm sure you know this, as well as the fact that most of our history's most well known street photographers and photo journalists used 50mm lenses much of the time.

 

Just remember these two principles:

 

1. there are an infinite amount of subjects out there that fit best in a 50mm frameline

2. For those subjects, you have hands down the world's most magnificent lens to capture them.

 

Best,

 

Adam

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The 35 FLE and 50 Lux Asph are my two main lenses on Leica. I could make do with either. I actually prefer the 35 length over the 50 length, but aside from focal length, the 50mm images have a better look. The photos are more natural, coherent, and deep. I see some of the same advantages in the 28 Cron. It makes me wonder if buyers should consider the age of the design in addition to focal length. It seems to me that pre-digital era Leica lenses draw with a bit more 3D lushness than post-digital lenses and that post-digital lenses are more vibrant and contrasty. I don't have a lot of data points for my theory, but it makes sense to me that Leica might have adjusted their design approach to accommodate the resolving power of digital sensors. If so, newer lenses like the FLE might have a different character than older lens designs like the 28 Cron and 50 Lux.

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As a follow up to my initial post, I wanted to post three examples of more of less the same NYC skyline view that I took with my MM with similar PP. The shots are taken with a 28mm, 35mm and 50 focal length. Forget lens rendering and variance in PP (which there is b/c I didn't edit these at the same time and I kind of go with my mood when I edit)

 

Let's go from wide to narrow:

 

Here the shot taken with the 28mm summaron (circa 1950's)(also a red filter FWIW)

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Here's a shot taken with my 35mm lux fle

 

 

Here's a shot taken with my 50mm lux asph

 

I actually think that the 35mm focal length gets lost int he middle b/n a proper wide angle 28mm and a tighter 50mm. I like the composition from the 50mm better than the 35mm. I optimized the composition in the 50mm shot by cropping the image to a perfect square, where the Empire state building was in the first third of the image and the new large skyscraper in the foreground was in the last third.

 

Part of me feels that I didn't do the 35mm enough justice and it may be at a disadvantage here given the least appealing composition of the lot.

 

Nevertheless, what does seem apparent, at least to me, is that the 50mm lens took a fantastic skyline shot!

 

Best,

 

Adam

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Sticking to one focal length no but preferring one yes indeed. Some people see in 35mm, others in 50mm and others may vary. I am a 50mm guy personally and i would never use a 35 for close portraits due to big faces it produces but at medium to long distance i find a 35 quite useful from time to time and i always bring one in my bag. YMMV.

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Sticking to one focal length no but preferring one yes indeed. Some people see in 35mm, others in 50mm and others may vary. I am a 50mm guy personally and i would never use a 35 for close portraits due to big faces it produces but at medium to long distance i find a 35 quite useful from time to time and i always bring one in my bag. YMMV.

 

 

Sometimes a 35mm can do portraits quite well

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/11369605933_69a926e8f1_c.jpg

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