Why 28mm is not as popular as 35mm on FF M?

[rramesh]

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Like most folks I started with a 35 Cron on my M9-P. Since I was already comfortable with a 40, it became a logical choice as the M9-P did not have 40 frame lines. It was what most folks had recommended and I did like a decent wide.

 

A year after I purchased the 35, I was yearning for both a closer lens and a wider one as I felt the 35 was a bit of a compromise. And then I got a 50 Lux. It was simply brilliant at what it does.

 

To address my need for a wider lens, I got the 28 Cron. Now the latter is my favorite and with the 50 is my go-to pair.

 

While the 35 makes for a good one-lens kit, I think the 28 is more useful for street, travel and indoor photography and the 50 for low-light, close and the 90 for portraits. And incidentally most point and shoot cameras do start with 28 as it is most useful for groups and parties.

[jip]

I have a whole range of lenses, but find myself using the 35mm most, and the 28mm I used a lot on the M8...

 

On film how ever, I usually use 50mm, I have no clue why... but I do... although, maybe I do know!

 

My M6TTL has the 0.85 viewfinder that makes using the 50mm and 90mm so nice!

I have acquired a M3SS which I have yet to really start using, maybe after my trip to the united states!

[sblitz]

I have 28 35 50 75 and 135. Sold a 21 to buy the 28. There is a difference between 28 and 35. If you use the 28 enough the 35 will seem like a mini tele. To me the 28 offers the opportunity to turn the camera. M4 or m9 into a point and shot and then crop later if need be in LR. As you go longer from 28 you have to do increasingly more composing. . If I had to travel one lens for reportage meaning quick shots the 28. Travel where sightseeing buildings and such included the 28 too. If just out taking street photography I go with the 35 and start working longer depending on whether i am trying to capture scenes or faces. The 135 btw is fun bought a used tele elmar for 500 dollars and takes great shots.

[swamiji]

I pick my lenses based on the environment I am shooting. Where I live it's too crowded for a 35mm. I would have to choose to cut off their head, or their feet. 28mm is better, but not great. These days I am shooting more with the 24mm for street. Closeness is not an issue, it's just the flow of life.

[hepcat]

You're right about how we see differently and our lens use.

 

Please indulge my also posting way too many examples

 

 

Beautiful work, Mark. Beautiful.

[rramesh]

Especially like the second one, Mark.

[MarkP]

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Thanks Ramesh,

 

can't help myself - one more that I forgot to add yesterday.

 

We know that everyone sees the world differently,

but why would one not want this lens?

Oh, I forgot, I'm preaching to the converted.

 

Monochrom, 28 Summicron ASPH, no filtration, CS6

 

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[MarkP]

I have 28 35 50 75 and 135. Sold a 21 to buy the 28. There is a difference between 28 and 35. If you use the 28 enough the 35 will seem like a mini tele. To me the 28 offers the opportunity to turn the camera. M4 or m9 into a point and shot and then crop later if need be in LR. As you go longer from 28 you have to do increasingly more composing. . If I had to travel one lens for reportage meaning quick shots the 28. Travel where sightseeing buildings and such included the 28 too. If just out taking street photography I go with the 35 and start working longer depending on whether i am trying to capture scenes or faces. The 135 btw is fun bought a used tele elmar for 500 dollars and takes great shots.

 

I think this is a very good point and probably why it, like the 24, has been considered a good reportage lens. The purpose, after all, was not to miss recording the image/event.

[MarkP]

To address my need for a wider lens, I got the 28 Cron. Now the latter is my favorite and with the 50 is my go-to pair.

 

While the 35 makes for a good one-lens kit, I think the 28 is more useful for street, travel and indoor photography and the 50 for low-light, close and the 90 for portraits. And incidentally most point and shoot cameras do start with 28 as it is most useful for groups and parties.

 

You should consider a 28-35-50 MATE. Whilst not to the IQ of the current ASPH/(±FLE) primes it is still an excellent lens and has some of that older Leica lens rendering (some distortion at 28m). It is very convenient if you don't need the faster lenses. I tend to use it on 28 & 50 most of the time, and only occasionally at 35.

[douglasf13]

Here are two really convenient things about a 35mm lens (on film or FF digital) that I don't see mentioned all that often:

 

- The width of the frame (or height when shooting vertically) is roughly equal to your distance from the same plane, so it is easy to estimate framing without even bringing the camera to your eye. In other words, if I were to shoot a garage door that is 10ft across, and I want the door to fill the frame, I'd start by standing approximately 10ft from the garage door. Framing becomes really intuitive.

 

- If you crop to square, you get a roughly equal field of view to an 80mm on a Hasselblad, which may be handy for some shooters.

[IkarusJohn]

I seem to have a greater affinity to this lens than 35 mm, but to be fair, it gets more use.

 

My daughter, and her brother's dog, walking down to the local beach on a hot summer's afternoon.

 

M9-P, 28 Summicron ASPH, ISO 160 @ f/4, LR 4.4 & SEP2.

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[MarkP]

Nice one John.

 

I've always thought that the 28 has a very distinctive look.

 

 

 

 

My daughter, and her brother's dog...

 

Does that make it her dog-in-law

 

sorry - that was really bad

[jmahto]

Very interesting thread indeed.

 

I used to be primarily 50mm shooter (pre Leica) for many years and never thought I would need anything wider for casual shoot (well portraits and birds shots are another matter). After getting M9 my first lens was 28mm Elmarit (since I wanted something compact). I didn't know what to expect since I never shot this wide before. Boy I was surprised. It has become my go to focal length (now I have 28mm cron). My 50mm ASPH is now only used for single person shots which are portrait like (and 90/135mm used in very specific situation). For me the advantages of 28mm are:

 

- Drama due to (slight) exaggeration of space

- No need to frame - use as P&S

- Beautiful for environmental portraits (my 28mm cron ASPH wide open creates beautiful space between subject and background)

- with a slight crop (18M to 10M pixels) you get 35mm view (who needs more than 10M pixels )

- In worst case a 18M to 6M crop gives me 50mm view. (who needs more than 6M for 8x10 prints )

 

Some example from my 28mm cron ASPH

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[Per P.]

Very interesting thread indeed.

 

I used to be primarily 50mm shooter (pre Leica) for many years and never thought I would need anything wider for casual shoot (well portraits and birds shots are another matter). After getting M9 my first lens was 28mm Elmarit (since I wanted something compact). I didn't know what to expect since I never shot this wide before. Boy I was surprised. It has become my go to focal length (now I have 28mm cron). My 50mm ASPH is now only used for single person shots which are portrait like (and 90/135mm used in very specific situation). For me the advantages of 28mm are:

 

- Drama due to (slight) exaggeration of space

- No need to frame - use as P&S

- Beautiful for environmental portraits (my 28mm cron ASPH wide open creates beautiful space between subject and background)

- with a slight crop (18M to 10M pixels) you get 35mm view (who needs more than 10M pixels )

- In worst case a 18M to 6M crop gives me 50mm view. (who needs more than 6M for 8x10 prints )

 

Some example from my 28mm cron ASPH

 

You can crop to, say 50mm size, of course. But it doesn't give you 50mm view and perspective - just a cropped photo with 28mm perspective between fore- and background.

[JakeStone]

You can crop to, say 50mm size, of course. But it doesn't give you 50mm view and perspective - just a cropped photo with 28mm perspective between fore- and background.

 

Not sure, if this is so. To my unterstanding the perspective of an accordingly cropped 28mm picture is exactly the perspective of a 50mm.

[adan]

Jake is correct - two pictures below, taken from the same spot. One is cropped from a 28mm picture, one is fulllframe taken with a 50.

 

Same "perspective" - which is based on the point in space at which the light entered the lens, and nothing else.

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[adan]

For that matter (but OT for a 28 discussion) here are two images, one full-frame from a 135mm lens, and one cropped from a 21mm lens.

 

Perspective remains identical (there are differences in DoF and sharpness). The slope of all the lines is identical, the alignment of near and far objects is virtually identical (allowing for blur circles being larger than sharp points).

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[erl]

To repeat myself, perspective is not a function of any camera or any lens. Only a function of relativity between the motif and the viewer, which may be a camera. Cropping does not change the image perspective, only it's boundaries.

[falkk]

My favourite lens is the Noctilux. But more versatile (...handy?) in my opinion is my 35 Summilux. It is also a bit smaller...

I'd love to have a 28 Summilux. Is there any chance to see that kind of lens someday?

 

falkk

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[jmahto]

You can crop to, say 50mm size, of course. But it doesn't give you 50mm view and perspective - just a cropped photo with 28mm perspective between fore- and background.

 

The perspective is the same (as if shot by 50mm from the same distance) in the crop. I will certainly admit that the it is not exact equivalent picture since the DOF is different (and hence the OOF area is going to be rendered differently). So I give it to you that the crop is not *exact* equivalent to having a 50mm lux, that's why I have the 50mm lux too.

 

BTW, Sony RX1 does the same to give you a equivalent cropped output.