50mm vs. 35mm

[digitalpowershot]

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50mm Summilux. Then the 28mm...

[Fotograph]

Why Not just 35 mm Summilux? I have got now my M9-P and Summilux Asph 35mm and Wonder if I ever need more lenses......

[Peter H]

Why Not just 35 mm Summilux? I have got now my M9-P and Summilux Asph 35mm and Wonder if I ever need more lenses......

 

For every 35mm adherent, you'll find someone else who prefers 50mm.

 

And many like both equally.

 

And then there's the fabulous 28mm Summicron that calls like a siren.

 

You may not feel promiscuous at the moment, but beauty is hard to ignore!

[MarkP]

For every 35mm adherent, you'll find someone else who prefers 50mm.

 

And many like both equally.

 

And then there's the fabulous 28mm Summicron that calls like a siren.

 

You may not feel promiscuous at the moment, but beauty is hard to ignore!

 

Pure poetry:)

[lars_bergquist]

Lars, why does the 35mm need its Summilux speed more than a 50mm? I would have said the reverse . Given the same lighting, I more often need speed from a 50 than a 35. For me it's hard to imagine life without a 50 f/1.4 but I seem to do fine with a 35, Summicron, at least with respect to lens speed. I would love the IQ of the 35 Summilux. No question.

 

--Gib

 

Because to me, the 35mm is more of an indoor lens, and thus more of a low-light lens, than the 50. But if 50mm is your thing even indoors, then the 50mm needs the speed!

 

The speedy old man

[MarkP]

Although I have both 35 and 50mm Summiluxes I think Lars raises an excellent point. I think he's quite right in that if one needed to rationalise where the expense was allocated with respect to the faster lens it should be on the 35 which being slightly wider is more useful indoors.

[Dannybuoy]

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For me I have my Summilux pre Asph 50 on pretty much most of the time. I love how it renders wide open, sharp enough but buttery where it needs it. I sometimes forget my 35 Cron Asph and am always blown away by the clarity that little baby can knock out. Just beautiful. I still return to the 50 though. Then it comes to 90mm Cron pre Asph. Never really use so am tempted to sell but have that fear I'd miss it whe it's gone.

 

That's probably not much help.. Maybe head over to Flickr and search M9 35mm and M9 50mm. You should be able to get a good idea of which you'd prefer.

[Fotomiguel]

For me the question is what I'm going to shoot? If I'm going to try some street photography, means that I don't know what I'm going to shoot. Something will happen and I'll try to be ready. The one lens that give me the possibility to use it as a wide lens or a tele lens, is a 50mm. Just depens on which aperture I choose. The 50mm give as well better control to the frame. Normally I dont need to crop. But there is just one problem. It needs a better technique. Quick and exact focus, steady hand, body and concentration.

I like to use the 35mm when I am part of the action. It's very easy to use and the possibility of predicting the focus give another way of shooting in some situations. This kind of photography has many limitations in my opinion and some photographer are a bit adicted to it. It works but don't give me the possibilities and the creativity of a 50 mm.

A good shoot with a 50mm is so perfect that looks like everything was prepared before the shot but it really will never happen again.

[sblutter]

I'd go cheap and get every length in 'cron or Voight used

 

28, 35, 50, 75 & 90 (throw in a cheap 135, what the heck)

 

When you settle on a need, upgrade

 

My Voight 35 2.5 is sharper than the cron ASPH 2.0 - razor

 

I'd rather be sharp and push a stop

 

1.4 doesn't come up that much for me and is too critical (I print big)

 

I have the new 50 lux - sucker's heavy - that's a consideration too!

[gjames9142]

This may be myth, but a friend who worked on a project with the very specialized lens designers at Kodak about 25 years ago (he wanted to produce a giant, circular Camera Obscura) was told that the 35 is a much easier lens to design than a 50. I can heartily recommend the version 4 35 Cron. At F8 it is unbelievably smooth and sharp and handles beautifully, as well. You can get one for about $1500. A lot of people have drunk the Michael Johnson KoolAid about Bokeh, a word he invented in order to induce rich hobbyists to spend huge amounts of money so they will be deeply, truly satisfied with the out-of-focus parts of their photographs....

[lafuechs]

It doesn't matter which you buy, because you will buy the other one later. It's the Leica lifestyle!

 

how absolutely right you are:p

 

cheers

yvonne

[ayewing]

I bought a used 35mm Sumicron to go with my used M8.2 which I quickly changed for a new M9 and added a 50mm Summilux. From my past experience with my Leica M2 I thought the 50mm would be my most used focal length. In practice I find that I use My 35mm Summicron rather more than the Summilux partly on account of the FL but also because the Suimmicron is much smaller and less conspicuous in use for street photography. Perhaps the physical attributes of size and weight have an important bearing on our choice of lens.

[denoir]

IMO, the sweet spot of a Leica M is 35mm. It uses up most of the viewfinder real estate while still giving you a bit of margin at the edges. In addition to that missing focus with a 35mm using a rangefinder is almost impossible while you have to be a bit more careful when using a 50mm.

 

Apart from that I also think 35mm is a more universal focal length as you can do both wide angle (diagonals, elements in the foreground) and normal/tele (direct, planar) compositions while you are more limited to the latter with a 50mm. But as others have pointed out, it will ultimately depend on the type of photography you usually do.

[algrove]

IMO, the sweet spot of a Leica M is 35mm. It uses up most of the viewfinder real estate while still giving you a bit of margin at the edges. In addition to that missing focus with a 35mm using a rangefinder is almost impossible while you have to be a bit more careful when using a 50mm.

 

Apart from that I also think 35mm is a more universal focal length as you can do both wide angle (diagonals, elements in the foreground) and normal/tele (direct, planar) compositions while you are more limited to the latter with a 50mm. But as others have pointed out, it will ultimately depend on the type of photography you usually do.

 

+1

[Jeff S]

Some complex answers here.

 

Do you prefer to walk forward, or backward?

 

Jeff

[Paulus]

50mm Summilux. Then the 28mm...

 

My point of view!

[macrudi]

50mm Summilux. Then the 28mm...

 

...and then the Summilux 35:D

[StevieB]

Hello

 

I own both, but in summicron version.

However the choice is the same.

 

For the longest time I had only the 50, then got the 35. Only recently have I invested in other focal lengths. Rather than make a choice for you, lets make some personal/generalized comments on both to help you choose:

 

- Optical quality is absolutely top notch. Neither should mechanical quality be a consideration. Rest assured that it is the best.

 

- Think about your photography. What do you like to photograph?

 

- 50 is better for details. Accentuating something interesting.

- 35 is better for showing context. Showing something with some story around it.

 

- Are you a storyteller? Choose 35

- Are you a collector of details? choose 50

 

- Sum up your 10 favorite pictures. Are they wide or telephoto shots?

- Henri Cartier Bresson is famous for using the 50mm, although he also used other focal lengths. Elliott Erwitt too. Does this work inspire you? Get 50

 

- The 50 is easier IMO to work with as it is easier to single out interesting subject matter. A wide angle is pretty hard to get good pictures with, even a 35.

Going longer than 50 will separate the subject from the background and as such can easier get boring.

 

- Do you like to take pictures of individuals, individually? Get 50

- Do you like to take pictures of groups of individuals? Get 35

 

- Do you like to photograph people? 50

- Do you like to photograph people in their surroundings? Get 35.

 

- Do you like to photograph in very low light? Get 35.

- Do you like stage performances? Get 50.

 

- Do you have kids under 5? Get 35. (focus issues)

 

- Do you frequently photograph people in front of gas stations? Get 50. (will wash out background more)

 

- Are you shy? Get 50. If not get 35.

 

 

My personal choice based on my personal photography?

Definitely 50.

Or maybe 35.

No 50. For sure.

But most of my shots are done with 35.

But the ones I like the most are made with 50.

 

 

 

Or just get both in summicron version and be done with it.

 

So good