A "Which Lens" Rule Of Thumb

[skinnfell]

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Most photographers perpetually ponder over "which lens". Sometimes in the sense of which focal length to either buy or bring.

 

This is a difficult situation for everyone. As a professional photographer with a love of fixed focal length lenses, I contend with this issue every day. I have all the lenses I need (and some I don´t!), but I definitely dislike having to bring every lens to every photo-op. Most often I bring just one, or maybe two lenses. I feel that having several lenses in the bag weigh down both your shoulder and your mind, because constantly reconsidering and swapping while on location removes focus and concentration from the job at hand. Besides, part of the fun with prime lenses is to move around and fit the subject into the frame, rather than staying put and fitting the frame to the subject.

 

Over the years I have devised a small checklist to help determine which focal length to choose, and I would like to share is with you. Basically it comes down to answering these two questions:

 

1. Is the subject large?

2. Is the context important?

 

 

Size of the subject could mean several things. It could be one very large subject (a building?), or several smaller objects (a group of people). Less subject could be one person, a small object, or even something that is not close to the camera. The more subject you have, the more wide angle you want. Leica has no very long lenses, so the smallest subject matter would correspond to a 75/90mm lens. Obviously the opposite end would be the wide angle.

This is the easy part.

 

Not so easy is the context. Context in this regard is everything else than your subject. The background, the foreground, or stuff next to your subject. These things tell us for example where we are, how it looks like, how large or small your subject is compared to other things, reactions to your subject, or even traces of what happened before or after the famous decisive moment. Most successful compositions include a certain amount of context with your subject. Sometimes, however, you are forced to remove context. For example to hide a background that tells nothing about your subject. Or it could be to make it stand out more, especially it will be hard for the viewer to determine what they are supposed to look at.

The more important your context is, the wider angle you should consider. Beyond 28mm or so, the context becomes as, or more visible than most subjects.

For example: If I am tasked with photographing a person in a very interesting environment, I would definitely consider a wide angle of 35mm or more. Several people? Perhaps 28 or 24… On the opposite end, somebody in an environment that tells absolutely nothing about the them, I would bring my 90 make sure the background is clean.

 

Either way, the more you know about your subject matter, the more lenses you can leave at home, and the more you can concentrate about photography rather than logistics.

Therefore it can be a great help to try to make a mental list of what subjects you expect to encounter, and find a set which fits most subjects.

 

 

Results:

Yes on both questions = bring your widest lens.

No on both questions = bring your longest lens.

Yes on one, No on two = bring a normal lens.

No on one, Yes on two = bring a normal or slightly wide lens.

 

 

Do you have a different rule of thumb? Let´s hear it below.

[Manolo Laguillo]

Very nicely put in words!

Thank you!

[Herr Barnack]

I don't have many M lenses. If I am going on a trip or going to shoot something specific, I just bring them all. Problem solved.

[Rick]

Maybe, a zoom lens would be less confusing for you?:

[BerndReini]

Always use the lens that lets you get everything you need in the frame after you have chosen your vantage point. Your vantage point influences the relationship of all the objects in the frame, so choose that first, then pick your lens.

 

For me, this is 95% of the time a 35mm or a 50mm, very rarely do I need to go wider or longer.

[Ecar]

Maybe, a zoom lens would be less confusing for you?:

 

Or bring a MATE along?

[Guest Ansel_Adams]

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Depends on the context.

 

HCB, 50mm lens:

http://www.vintageworks.net/VintageWorks_Images/Full/11015_CartierBresson.jpg

 

http://www.theenglishgroup.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/cartier-bresson-460x686.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ip2wwMnSOfo/TK5HBW-gtDI/AAAAAAAABho/LeQclrmau0A/s1600/bresson_sringar72sm.jpg

 

Edit: not forgetting the numerous photographers who used wide angle lenses to take portraits!

[250swb]

Depends on the context.

 

HCB, 50mm lens:

 

In this case the context is that HCB did not always use a 50mm lens. It may have been his favourite, but he didn't make unworkable rules for himself. What he did do, and this is easily seen in his contact sheets, was to move himself instead of just changing lenses or stand rooted in one spot. So if rules are needed then it should be to always wear a comfortable pair of shoes.

 

Steve

[Guest Ansel_Adams]

The only rule is that there are no rules.

 

It is true that HCB also used a 28, 35 and 90 lens but the examples I have selected above were taken with the 50mm lens I believe. But you can find many examples from other photographers that do not follow this so-called rule of thumb,,,

[algrove]

I see this is a very complex subject.

 

Guess I should take all lenses I have since I own 2 Pelican cases that can take almost all my M lenses. What about my R lenses though?

 

Let me see--do I take the 18, 21, 24, 28, 35? Which 21? Which 24? Which 28? I refuse to go out and shoot until the 28/1.4 becomes available in black. Which 35? How about the 40-C? Let's not even get into the 50 range as that could nearly fill another Pelican.

 

Now once I decide on lenses which shoulder bag should I use for my camera bodies? Do I take my MM too or stick with M-240's. I am going to re-buy my M9 because I might need a CCD color sensor too. I give up!

 

This is so complex I am just going to stay at home and post stuff on LUF.:confused:

[MarkP]

I see this is a very complex subject.

 

Guess I should take all lenses I have since I own 2 Pelican cases that can take almost all my M lenses. What about my R lenses though?

 

Let me see--do I take the 18, 21, 24, 28, 35? Which 21? Which 24? Which 28? I refuse to go out and shoot until the 28/1.4 becomes available in black. Which 35? How about the 40-C? Let's not even get into the 50 range as that could nearly fill another Pelican.

 

Now once I decide on lenses which shoulder bag should I use for my camera bodies? Do I take my MM too or stick with M-240's. I am going to re-buy my M9 because I might need a CCD color sensor too. I give up!

 

This is so complex I am just going to stay at home and post stuff on LUF

 

 

The answer is here - sort of...

...bring a MATE along?

 

Or better still, bring a good mate along to carry all of your lenses for you .

[Rick]

The answer is here - sort of... Or better still, bring a good mate along to carry all of your lenses for you .

 

I bring my Man Froto to help with the heavy lenses.

[Ulev]

"The more subject you have, the more wide angle you want" sounds kinda "simplistic".

As in, "the more water you have to carry, the larger the bucket should be" ...

 

Kinda obvious that you can't include every member of a soccer team with a 300mm on a distance of 3 meters.

 

There are different options to "cover" a large object. And along with those options, your subject will be captured in a different way. Not just your subject itselve, but interaction with other elements will change.

You can take a portrait of a single person with a 35mm, or with a 300mm ... different look, different behaviour of your background, and so on ...

 

Off course, shooting birds, you probably want to take a 400mm, street photography a 24 or 35mm ... it's just the nature of the lens, not really a "rule" in my opinion !?

 

Rgds

Ulev

[CaptZoom]

Judging by the responses thus far, I thought I'd misread the original post. So I reread it. The OP's checklist is setup for a special scenario, where the photographer only wants to carry one lens maybe two. I think in general, his checklist/rule(s) work well enough. For non-work related photography, I rarely, if ever, take more than one lens. For vacations, I take two- one serving as back up.

 

My rule is to take whichever lens I feel like using. If I'm at an impasse, I do I quick poll here and let forum members choose for me.

[algrove]

 

That's the last thing I'd do.

[CaptZoom]

That's the last thing I'd do.

 

 

My rule doesn't have to work for you:). I'm sure you one (or two or several) that works for you.

 

When I'm not being paid and I'm not working on a personal project, I almost always choose the experience of whatever I'm doing over photography. That being said, having some one else (forum members, my son, or randomly choosing a lens for the day) has on occasion pushed me well out my comfort zone which invariably lead to learning new skills and has proven to be a valuable exercise. Now if I could only get myself to make time and learn using ultra-wide lenses...

[Manolo Laguillo]

What you do with your post is very interesting, Skinnfell: you are trying to reduce the apparently infinite number of cases to the minimum, in order to deduce some practical working rules.

 

From reduction to deduction...

 

I appreciate your insights very much. You are making them out of your experience.

 

As we get older we try to reduce the amount of equipment to the minimum, and the more we are able to anticipate, the better.

[Herr Barnack]

The only rule is that there are no rules.

 

It is true that HCB also used a 28, 35 and 90 lens but the examples I have selected above were taken with the 50mm lens I believe. But you can find many examples from other photographers that do not follow this so-called rule of thumb,,,

 

That is rule #1.

 

If all else fails, refer back to rule #1 - then proceed apace and with confidence.

 

Regarding the MATE, the f/4 maximim aperture is its downfall (IMHO). Giving up fast lenses and the shallow DoF they produce in many ways defeats one of the main purposes of the M system.

[Paul J]

The only rule of thumb I know of is based on a confucious saying. Man who go to sleep with itchy bottom wake up with smelly thumb.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[tobey bilek]

Always use the lens that lets you get everything you need in the frame after you have chosen your vantage point. Your vantage point influences the relationship of all the objects in the frame, so choose that first, then pick your lens.

 

For me, this is 95% of the time a 35mm or a 50mm, very rarely do I need to go wider or longer.

 

exactly how it is supposed to work.

 

Where you stand fixes perspective, ie size relation of near and far objects, and focal length determines how wide a view is made.

 

If you don`t believe, stand and take 3 pics, wide, normal , & tele. If you magnify the first two appropriately, it will overlay the tele shot perfectly. Teles do not compress and wides do not expand.