Derbyshire Man Posted May 8 Share #21 Posted May 8 Advertisement (gone after registration) 5 hours ago, Topsy said: 🤣Yes thanks but I hate changing lenses in the field with digital cameras. To be honest when I am out and about I have a jacket with 4 large pockets (one for each body) so I just look at the scene decide which FoV I think will work best and get that body out for the shot. I find it an easier way of working almost like having a 21-75 (stepped) zoom lens. I'm really pleased to have met you as I wondered if I was crazy for carrying 3 bodies 95% of the time! You've put me back to within 2 standard deviations of the mean and provided scope for a further purchase. 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 8 Posted May 8 Hi Derbyshire Man, Take a look here 50mm “lens” for landscape photography. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
pgk Posted May 8 Share #22 Posted May 8 3 hours ago, Anthony MD said: It’s well known fact that a 50mm has no discernible distortion compared to the wider angle lenses. Really? I'd say its well established folklore. I have many shots that I can't remember or tell which focal length I used. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony MD Posted May 8 Author Share #23 Posted May 8 1 hour ago, pgk said: Really? I'd say its well established folklore. I have many shots that I can't remember or tell which focal length I used. Need a trained eye for that…! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony MD Posted May 8 Author Share #24 Posted May 8 1 hour ago, Derbyshire Man said: I'm really pleased to have met you as I wondered if I was crazy for carrying 3 bodies 95% of the time! You've put me back to within 2 standard deviations of the mean and provided scope for a further purchase. 1 hour ago, Derbyshire Man said: I'm really pleased to have met you as I wondered if I was crazy for carrying 3 bodies 95% of the time! You've put me back to within 2 standard deviations of the mean and provided scope for a further purchase. I carry one body and one lens 100% of the time, old school shooter…📷 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony MD Posted May 8 Author Share #25 Posted May 8 Just now, Anthony MD said: I carry one body and one lens 100% of the time, old school shooter…📷 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony MD Posted May 8 Author Share #26 Posted May 8 (edited) 1 minute ago, Anthony MD said: One head on one shoulder…😁 Edited May 8 by Anthony MD Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony MD Posted May 8 Author Share #27 Posted May 8 Advertisement (gone after registration) 12 hours ago, Topsy said: I agree with Erl here, when I go out on a walk with my M9s I like to have the flexibility to frame subjects as I wish to see them in a photograph and I couldn't do that if I had just one focal length (whatever that was). My normal walking setup are these; I document my walk with "landscape photos" and I use all 4 lenses on every walk. I couldn't even contemplate restricting myself to any one of them. 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! That’s a good example of multitasking…📷📷📷📷 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derbyshire Man Posted May 8 Share #28 Posted May 8 19 minutes ago, Anthony MD said: I carry one body and one lens 100% of the time, old school shooter…📷 Yes, I used to do that, it was a Canon 16-35L or 24-70L 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted May 8 Share #29 Posted May 8 On 5/9/2025 at 2:24 AM, Anthony MD said: It’s well known fact that a 50mm has no discernible distortion compared to the wider angle lenses. I do use a 28 and 35mm lens with my Nikon F2 and do see the difference…🎞️ I am not at all sure it is a well known fact. When it comes to landscapes, I have yet to see one that naturally has a straight line. Nature does not favour artificially created lines. Any distortion in a lens should be capitalized on rather than avoided. Below is one of my distortion exploited images as example. Circles within a circle. Hasselblad 30mm fisheye lens. Of course, most of what we have all said above is dependent on whether we intend to document or create. 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! 3 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/421068-50mm-%E2%80%9Clens%E2%80%9D-for-landscape-photography/?do=findComment&comment=5798724'>More sharing options...
Anthony MD Posted May 8 Author Share #30 Posted May 8 34 minutes ago, erl said: I am not at all sure it is a well known fact. When it comes to landscapes, I have yet to see one that naturally has a straight line. Nature does not favour artificially created lines. Any distortion in a lens should be capitalized on rather than avoided. Below is one of my distortion exploited images as example. Circles with a circle. Hasselblad 30mm fisheye lens. Of course, most of what we have all said above is dependent on whether we intend to document or create. 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! The 50mm lens is closest to the perception of the human eye with the least possible distortion…🥸 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted May 9 Share #31 Posted May 9 27 minutes ago, Anthony MD said: The 50mm lens is closest to the perception of the human eye with the least possible distortion…🥸 That may be so, but is it important? For the majority of my working life as a photographer, I never owned a 'standard' lens. To encourage people to buy my work, I found that anything other than standard attracted viewers. ie. tele, W/A, even B&W. Why? Because we cannot see anything in those perspectives other than via a photograph. Simple! It works. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony MD Posted May 9 Author Share #32 Posted May 9 (edited) 17 minutes ago, erl said: That may be so, but is it important? For the majority of my working life as a photographer, I never owned a 'standard' lens. To encourage people to buy my work, I found that anything other than standard attracted viewers. ie. tele, W/A, even B&W. Why? Because we cannot see anything in those perspectives other than via a photograph. Simple! It works. For “landscape photography” it’s important to me since it reveals the best possibilities of the undistorted landscape I love…⛰️ Edited May 9 by Anthony MD Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony MD Posted May 9 Author Share #33 Posted May 9 1 minute ago, Anthony MD said: For “landscape photography” it’s important to me since it reveals the best possibilities of the undistorted landscape I love…⛰️ 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! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/421068-50mm-%E2%80%9Clens%E2%80%9D-for-landscape-photography/?do=findComment&comment=5798742'>More sharing options...
erl Posted May 9 Share #34 Posted May 9 'nuff said. 🤐 3 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derbyshire Man Posted May 9 Share #35 Posted May 9 8 hours ago, Anthony MD said: The 50mm lens is closest to the perception of the human eye with the least possible distortion…🥸 Maybe in terms of compression and perspective but human binocular vision has a 120 degree field of view, you’d need an 8mm lens to get that into a 4:3 frame! There’s a built in claustrophobia with a 50mm lens. That may feel positive in terms of intimacy or tight construction of the frame, although not always, but it certainly isn’t in any way ‘natural’ or mirroring human vision, no matter how many times we read that oft repeated statement. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted May 9 Share #36 Posted May 9 8 hours ago, Anthony MD said: The 50mm lens is closest to the perception of the human eye with the least possible distortion…🥸 How do you know how I see things? The optics of the eye distort badly but software/firmware in our brain sorts this out although whether it does so the same way in all our brains is another question. Perception is a very vague word when applied to imagery. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
evikne Posted May 9 Share #37 Posted May 9 When I see a wide landscape with my eyes, I subconsciously focus several times while turning my head. Perhaps that's why a stitched image with several 50mm shots feels very natural. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derbyshire Man Posted May 9 Share #38 Posted May 9 As you say Ernst, 3'ish 50's stitched together is the requisite 120 degree of field of view and natural perspective delivered by the 40-50mm lens. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted May 9 Share #39 Posted May 9 (edited) When i use a zoom lens, i unconsciously set it to 50mm, or 35mm in APSC. It's because of things like this that i know that i "see" at 50mm. The only focal length i can use both eyes opened. Also, my default lens has always been a 50mm, the "standard" lens as we used to say in the past. The lens with which most if not all 24x36 photo kits were sold in the film days, namely a Summicron 50 or an Elmar 50 at Leica, or a Planar 50 or a Tessar 50 at Zeiss. I use many other M-mount lenses at present, from 12mm to 135mm, and i never felt the need to limit my choice to 50mm, but as a great photographer used to say, « the 50mm is my life ». YMMV. Edited May 9 by lct 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted May 9 Share #40 Posted May 9 How many times have you shot a 'standard' lens (50mm for 135film) and later looked at the image and decided to crop it? It is that common fact that urged me to think in terms of a longer lens, eg. 75mm for 135film, or 100 or even 110mm for medium format. If 'normal' is your intent, note that when looking at a motif you are usually looking at the centre of your vision. This centre is best captured by a slightly longer lens than so called normal. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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