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Having both 35mm and 50mm?


stephengv

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Both 35 and 50?... Yes, definitely? In my mind two totally different "glasses to wear" when I am out there doing my photography. I.... as many others it seems, even keep two options of both.

 

35 cron v4

35 Lux asph pre-FLE

50 cron latest version

50 elmar-m latest version

 

As I actually am more of a 35 guy, I am just so happy about my set of 35 & 50 lenses... the Lux being my by far most used lens.

Some 28 and 90 are in by bag, but to be honest they get too little used...

 

Regards, Stein Kjetil

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At the short end the difference in angle of view is greater between the various established focal lengths. A 20 and a 35 are 15mm apart but give much more strikingly different coverages than a 35 and a 50 which are also 15mm apart. But most of the time I'm trying to keep the weight and bag size to a minimum, and I use the rear coupling caps, so I limit to 4 lenses, usually 15, 21, 35 and 90.

Edited by bocaburger
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Yes but I bought my first M in 1990, so you build up a fleet. I started with 35 and 90. Later followed 75 and afterwards a 50

To come to your point: the distance 21 - 50 is quite large. 21 - 35 is more common, or 28 - 50

The lenght of your different lenses is one thing. The absolute quality or unique character is nearly equally important for me to buy a new lens. That's why people have more 35's or 50's than one.

The 50 is mostly too narrow for me, but I own the Elmar 50 because it draws so nicely on my MM and in certain situations I really need it.

But the light is too beautiful today to stay and chat here. I take my M9, my MM, 35FLE, 35Cron, 75lux and Elmar50 with Or filter

Edited by otto.f
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To get the same horizontal field of view (measured in distance) with a 50mm as with a 35mm you have to step back by distance to subject * 0.43.

 

So at 3.5m distance to subject you step back 1.5m, at 7m 3m, and at 14m 6m. So most people say you can just zoom with your feet. But the perspective change when you take those few steps is very significant, you produce a totally different image.

 

If you change lenses to capture those things that are far away (wildlife, sport) or very big (a cathedral) or to avoid moving, then it is not worth having a 35m and a 50mm lens.

 

If you change lenses to get a different view on the subject, the difference between a 35mm and a 50mm is very significant.

 

I remember in the 70s the standard lens set was 35-50-135 and 35 was considered a real wide angle -as it is.

 

(PD. somone please correct me if I have said something tecnichally incorrect :))

 

Oh Jesus Enrique don't let 01AF find out because we get a whole discussion here again about perspective

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Not very scientific, but my wife used to say: "Men see in 50mm, women in 35mm." So, I had to have both for my camera, and just the 35mm for hers.

 

Even at the non-scientific, experiential level, this is pure non-sense. In my household and circle of friends it's exactly the other way around and my wife is quite feminine. But that might be a European thing...

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..Will it be logical to have both 50mm and 35mm? for travel.
Without question.

 

My choice was the 28mm and 50mm, but many prefer the 35mm over the 28. There is a small difference in field of view, but not a lot.

 

With a 35mm, step back from your subject about 0.9 to 1.2 meters (or 3-4 feet) and you have what is essentially a 28mm field of view.

Edited by Carlos Danger
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  • 4 months later...

Figured I would add my 2 cents.

 

I have a 35 and have shot only with the 35 FLE for a while now. I love the rendering and always considered myself a 35 guy as I like to shoot people in their environment and travel; I find the 35 the ultimate single lens. However I find myself needing/wanting a 50. I want a 50 for more DOF and background blur hence more subject isolation. I also find I want to shoot people more. I think I have narrowed it down to 2 50's. Either the Noct. or the APO, however I am still considering the 50 Lux. All 3 offer a different look and draw differently than my 35. I find from testing the Noct and Lux draw similar and the APO is something entirely different.

 

Not sure if the above helps but I am going through a similar consideration.

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Bottom line? None of us know what's best for the OP. Surely we can only recommend that the OP tries a 35mm lens and sees if it adds anything to his or her repertoire (which I suspect it will in a big way).

 

Rules (which are nearly always flawed in any case and invariably fail to account for personal idiosyncrasies, which we all have) become the foundations for dogma. You cannot step back to make 50mm like 35mm when there is a wall or canal behind you, just like you cannot step closer with a 35mm to make it like a 50mm when you are standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, or [insert innumerable possible circumstances encountered daily as a photographer]. And this is before getting onto the huge matter of how size relationships change when using different focal lengths, due to angle of view and distance.

 

I can only suggest experimentation and finding ones own, personal preference. Mine has 35mm at the core of my kit bag, but Garry Winogrand did alright with a 28mm and nothing more. Roman Loranc shoots a huge proportion of his landscapes with a 70mm equivalent (210mm on 5x4)....

Edited by batmobile
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