Danner Posted January 19, 2022 Share #21 Posted January 19, 2022 Advertisement (gone after registration) 35mm Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Photo credit Kenneth Garrett, of David Alan Harvey. 2 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Photo credit Kenneth Garrett, of David Alan Harvey. ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/328688-one-lens-long-term-documentary-work/?do=findComment&comment=4361389'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 19, 2022 Posted January 19, 2022 Hi Danner, Take a look here One Lens - Long Term Documentary work. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
mediumformula Posted January 19, 2022 Share #22 Posted January 19, 2022 I use the 50mm Summilux Asph for lot of documentary film photography. If you're shooting on film I think the extra stop on the Summilux is helpful in low light situations. Otherwise if you're shooting a modern digital camera I think a 50mm Summicron or Summarit would be fine. I prefer 50 to 35mm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Barnack Posted January 19, 2022 Share #23 Posted January 19, 2022 (edited) 10 hours ago, threeseed said: Not sure what type of documentary work you're doing. But having travelled to a few different countries recently people have quite different wishes for personal distance. Some would be fine with a 35mm. But others would need a 50mm or 75mm. Working distance is definitely a factor. When photographing Buddhist monks in Mongolia, my 90mm APO saved the day many times. It gave me enough working distance to get the tightly framed images of the monks that I wanted while not being intrusive and disrupting the ceremonies they were conducting in their temples. Shooting with a shorter lens would have required either boorish, intrusive behavior on my part - which is simply not an option - or huge crops in post processing which was also not an option as my intent was to make large format fine prints. Some situations simply demand a longer lens. Edited January 19, 2022 by Herr Barnack 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFriendly Posted January 19, 2022 Share #24 Posted January 19, 2022 On 1/18/2022 at 7:00 AM, LondonL said: Hi all, Interested to hear your thoughts and experience with documentary photography and sticking to one lens. What lens would that be, would you stick to only 1 lens for storytelling and documentary work, is the minimalistic approach of 'one camera, one lens' too restrictive to tell powerful stories and does a body of work using 1 lens provide strength to the project? Good questions. It's the kind of stuff that Daniel Milnor talks about on YouTube. I like his stories, and he makes the case for one camera (maybe two) and one lens (most likely a 50mm). Anything wider than 35mm or 28mm will introduce "effects". I do mostly street photography, not documentary photography, but I've wondered about the same issues. I've been trying to get rid of some of my lenses in order to stay with the essentials. And the more I use the M the more I think that the M system doesn't really work well with anything that's beyond 28-35-50. Maybe we could squeeze in the 24 and 75, but I think most would agree that 35-50 is the sweet spot. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
threeseed Posted January 19, 2022 Share #25 Posted January 19, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, Herr Barnack said: Working distance is definitely a factor. I think over the next few years whilst COVID is still an issue it maybe the biggest factor. In Sri Lanka recently they were happy to have tourists but very concerned about transmission especially in rural areas where their health care system isn't the best. As so the type of street/travel photography you normally see at 28/35mm where you're getting up close to people would be not only rude but actually downright offensive. Will be interesting to see if COVID will have longer lasting effects on photography e.g. whether 50mm becomes the new 35mm. Edited January 19, 2022 by threeseed 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenInTime Posted January 19, 2022 Share #26 Posted January 19, 2022 2 hours ago, threeseed said: I think over the next few years whilst COVID is still an issue it maybe the biggest factor. In Sri Lanka recently they were happy to have tourists but very concerned about transmission especially in rural areas where their health care system isn't the best. As so the type of street/travel photography you normally see at 28/35mm where you're getting up close to people would be not only rude but actually downright offensive. Will be interesting to see if COVID will have longer lasting effects on photography e.g. whether 50mm becomes the new 35mm. 40mm is both the new 35mm and new 50mm 🙂 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Barnack Posted January 20, 2022 Share #27 Posted January 20, 2022 Advertisement (gone after registration) 4 hours ago, threeseed said: I think over the next few years whilst COVID is still an issue it maybe the biggest factor. In Sri Lanka recently they were happy to have tourists but very concerned about transmission especially in rural areas where their health care system isn't the best. As so the type of street/travel photography you normally see at 28/35mm where you're getting up close to people would be not only rude but actually downright offensive. Will be interesting to see if COVID will have longer lasting effects on photography e.g. whether 50mm becomes the new 35mm. Agreed. The 75mm and 90mm Summicrons may well play a much more significant role in street/travel/documentary work as a result of COVID. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danner Posted January 20, 2022 Share #28 Posted January 20, 2022 I betcha covid will be over this spring. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickness Posted January 20, 2022 Share #29 Posted January 20, 2022 Limitations can be a very effective creative tool, but if you are trying to produce Documentary work that shows varied insights into a particular subject matter, I would think one lens would be too limiting. For instance if you were doing a project on stage performers, you would want a wide lens for behind the scenes photographs, rehearsal, group interactions, preparation and make up backstage etc. but then you would want a longer lens for taking photographs of the group actually performing on stage. I find a 35/75 combo to be quite effective for this kind of thing, but as others have said it really is down to the subject matter and what you are trying to accomplish artistically. If forced to, I could probably do a documentary project with either a 28, 35 or 50 - but if the choice was up to me, I would bring two lenses to really any project I was trying to adequately cover. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Barnack Posted January 21, 2022 Share #30 Posted January 21, 2022 22 hours ago, Danner said: I betcha covid will be over this spring. I hope you are right. A friend in Nepal is a mountain guide. Thanks to COVID, he has been out of work for two years now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
strohscw Posted January 21, 2022 Share #31 Posted January 21, 2022 (edited) I understand when the OP says that two lenses and changing them may mean a break in the series. If I were in that situation, I would only choose between 28mm and 50mm, both Summilux. Whether 28 or 50 would depend for me on the documentation topic, if I am only an observer, then 50mm, but if I want to be in the middle of it, i.e. a part of it, then I would clearly opt for the 28mm. I like the idea of doing all this with one lens. No thinking about which lens would be the right one now, concentration on "the essentials". And that's probably why I have trouble with the 35mm, I'm neither deep enough in it to be a part of it, nor far enough away from it to be an observer. Edited January 21, 2022 by strohscw 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanno Posted January 22, 2022 Share #32 Posted January 22, 2022 (edited) If it’s documentary (aka telling a story) and one lens only, I would go with a 50mm, Summilux or Summicron, based on preference. With high ISO capabilities, the extra stop of the summilux is less of a need, except if shooting at night. The difference would be more about personal taste/style, budget, compactness/weight, less viewfinder blockage, etc. In documentary, it is quite important to have a variety of image scopes for the final selection and storytelling : large to provide a context, medium to show the action/characters and close up to highlight details. I think the 50mm is the best choice for a one lens only given that purpose. Edited January 22, 2022 by Hanno 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kivis Posted January 22, 2022 Share #33 Posted January 22, 2022 On 1/18/2022 at 11:26 AM, a.noctilux said: Thinking of the topic further, I would take 35mm lens as this is the sweet spot "lens" on M camera. But which 35mm one, that is my big question 😇. The Summicron can be the good/right choice... Yummy on M4 😉 Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Maybe, I would regret other 35mm lenses ? Summaron 3.5cm/3.5 is so light and small Summiluxes are so "funny" or maybe useful, in dark areas ... part of my 35mm lenses choices 😇 I went with the Voigtlander 35mm f/2 Ultron II Black Lens. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Barnack Posted January 22, 2022 Share #34 Posted January 22, 2022 @kivis If you would, let us know how you like the 35 Ultron II. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexGig0 Posted January 22, 2022 Share #35 Posted January 22, 2022 (edited) If any part of this hypothetical documentary were to be shot indoors, inside small structures, such as cafes and homes, I would think that a 50mm lens would be too long. I say this, even though I consider 50mm to be “my” focal length, when shooting with Leica M cameras. Before I started shooting with Leica cameras, I trended toward using 35mm to 45mm focal lengths, with DSLRs. I own more 35mm lenses, than any other focal length. including f/2 I.S. and f/1.4L II EF Canons, and the f/1.4G F-mount AF-S Nikon. If I am going to be using zone/scale focusing, 28mm would be the obvious choice, though, with more attention, 35mm would be workable. Anything wider than 28mm, that I have actually used, requires much more attention, to avoid perspective distortion. (I recently took delivery of a 25mm lens, but have yet to experiment with it.) If I had to select one of my M-mount lenses, today, at this moment, for a documentary exercise, it would be a Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/1.4 ZM, because it is the only f/1.4 lens, among my 28mm and 35mm M-mount lenses. It is a bit large, but its performance makes the extra bulk very much worth the trouble, and it does not weigh perceptibly more than an f/1.4 Leica M 35mm lens. Edited January 22, 2022 by RexGig0 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamc Posted January 23, 2022 Share #36 Posted January 23, 2022 I’d like to do this kind of project on the lovely 35:1.4 v2 😁 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plaidshirts Posted January 23, 2022 Share #37 Posted January 23, 2022 If I had to choose one lens it would be a Summicron-c 40mm. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RexGig0 Posted January 23, 2022 Share #38 Posted January 23, 2022 (edited) 18 hours ago, RexGig0 said: If I had to select one of my M-mount lenses, today, at this moment, for a documentary exercise, it would be a Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/1.4 ZM, because it is the only f/1.4 lens, among my 28mm and 35mm M-mount lenses. It is a bit large, but its performance makes the extra bulk very much worth the trouble, and it does not weigh perceptibly more than an f/1.4 Leica M 35mm lens. Actually, I will confess that I have a pair of the Zeiss Distagon 1,4/35mm ZM lenses. I like them that much. The first, a black one, was acquired pre-owned, in pre-loved condition. I liked it so much, I waited until the expected Zeiss promotional pricing, late in the year, and bought the silvery-finished version, which I “justified” by telling myself that black lenses can become quite hot, under the Texas sun. Then, I could not bring myself to sell the black one. Of course, it is nice to be able to have one on an M10, and one on a Monochrom 246, at the same time. 😉 Edited January 23, 2022 by RexGig0 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masukami Posted January 23, 2022 Share #39 Posted January 23, 2022 5 hours ago, Artin said: even though I have 15 lenses and a lot of choice .. I would say my most versatile go to one lens would be the 35 Summilux FLE. Flexibility of the F1.4 close focus to .70 m very sharp and excellent Bokhe. And with the M11 it will give me lots of options in cropping. I struggle deciding between this and the 35mm summicron asph as my ‘do it all’ lens. I have both and although, in theory, the FLE is the better lens, there is something about the summicron that keeps pulling me back to it. Yes, I lose the extra stop but it renders beautifully in low light situations where there are some nice highlights. I was going to describe it as having more contrast, but I think it’s almost more accurate to say it renders those situations with more ‘richness’ if that makes sense? Having read the above, I almost sound pretentious. But I really don’t know how else to describe it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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