35mm or 50mm, which is your main lens?

[Chazzy]

I'm always happy to see questions from Marko. He keeps the rest of us young.

 

[benjiboy]

Remember.

Will this thread never die? I feel like I am reading Popular Photography circa 1978. "Open up your vision... shoot with a 28mm lens! Story on page 37"
(and of course on page 38 is the advertisement for a Spirotone 28mm lens, only 27.95 in all popular mounts)

tim in san jose

I remember Tim, although I live in the U.K I used to read Popular photography, and Petersons Photographic in those days.

 

[selenium96]

My first serious 35mm camera was a Minolta SRT101 that had a 58mm f1.4 normal lens. I still have both the camera and lens and have used it more than all the other lenses I own. Lately I have been using a Minolta X570 with a 35-70mm Minolta zoom.

 

[panastasia]

My first serious 35mm camera was a Minolta SRT101 that had a 58mm f1.4 normal lens. ...

This was also my first 35mm camera (same lens). I next bought a 200mm & 35mm lens - too long and not wide enough - and later found that a 28mm & 85mm was a better combination. The 35 and 58 were not used much, I actually gave the 35 & 200 away to a friend - then wished I had kept the 200.

Live and learn!

I now have a Canon AE-1 w/28-100 zoom, it replaced the Minolta w/fixed focal length lenses, but I rarely use it, I prefer MF now.

 

[benjiboy]

Zoom, zoom

One person below mentioned a zoom, how many here often grab a camera with zoom so as to be ready for what ever comes rather than a bag full of lenses?

It depends on the circumstances, with me, I now have both, to cover from 35-150 ( the focal lengths I use the most ), since I recently got a FDn 35-70 on a Canon T90, I'm reserving my judgement on the 35-70 until I've used it more, but so far its very tempting as a walk around lens, with it and my 70-150 I could carry only one body and two lenses in a very small bag , but I would never get rid of my primes.

 

[benjiboy]

Zoom, zoom

One person below mentioned a zoom, how many here often grab a camera with zoom so as to be ready for what ever comes rather than a bag full of lenses?

It depends on the circumstances, with me, I now have both, to cover from 35-150 ( the focal lengths I use the most ), since I recently got a FDn 35-70 on a Canon T90, I'm reserving my judgement on the 35-70 until I've used it more, but so far its very tempting as a walk around lens, with it and my 70-150 I could carry only one body and two lenses in a very small bag , but I would never get rid of my primes.

 

[hansutrecht]

My wife always complains I have 'too much' on the shot, so I tend to get closer to my subject these days, and 50mm helps...
Also started years ago with a Zenit B with the Helios 58mm, and I have always been more comfortable with tele than with wide.
Hans.

 

[Renzz]

35 or 50

I read this thread last week and it got me thinking. I went up to Sydney for the weekend and wanted a simple camera set up so I packed my ME , 50/1.7 and 35/2. The majority, by a long way were shot with the 35mm but I was left wishing I had chosen the 28 or 24 as well and on occassion my 16mm. I think in future I will go with a 24, 35-70 and either the 50/1.4 or 50/1.7. In essence I guess what you use is mainly determined by what you shoot. For land and city scapes I like wide. Now all I need to do is finish the roll still in the camera and send them all to Dwaynes.

Regards

Renzz

 

[michael9793]

leica 28 and a 90 great street combo

mike andersen

 

[TheDreadPirateRobins]

I mainly use a 55mm Takumar lens as my main walking around lens, but that's partially on availability. I have been toying with the idea of getting a 105 mm lens or something in the 80 range.

 

[Bill Mitchell]

40mm Summicron on the Leica CL, and 43mm SMCP on the Pentax LX.

 

[ajuk]

I have a 28 and 50mm lens for my OM's and I find 50 too long and 28 too wide, I think I could settle for 35mm but I think I prefer 40mm, but I would want f2, thats why I like the Canonet.

 

[benjiboy]

I've been using a new to me Canon FDn 35-70 for about a month as a walk round lens mainly for street photography, I find it produces very acceptable results, in a lens that isn't much bigger than the 50,and lighter than my 35mm f2, I'm very pleasantly surprised at how convenient it is, especially since I didn't want to buy it, in the first place I only got it because, the shop wouldn't sell the Canon T90 body only, I'm now just carrying this and my 28mm f2.8.

 

[IloveTLRs]

Would it be funny to use a $20 camera on a almost $500 tripod?

It can't be funnier than using a Pentax Auto 110 on a tripod ...

 

[2F/2F]

Believe it or not, I have used my Auto 110 on my Bogen 3051.

 

[One_DaveT]

Usually 24mm or else 105mm.

 

[fmajor]

This is a great question!

My favorite lens, between the 35mm and 50mm, is most likely the 50mm (most specifically a MC Rokkor-X PG f1.4 50mm OR a MD Rokkor-X f1.4 50mm either of which have the standard 55mm filter diameter).

I like it because it is a nice balance in focal length. While not as wide as the 35mm, it provides a splendid length to separate my subject from their surrounding without getting too close and still acceptably filling the frame. It can also get a "reasonable" perspective (substitute for width) if i am willing to step back from the subject and get either below or above the center of the chosen focal point of my subject (be it a landscape, building, or whatever).

I have a lovely Minolta MD W Rokkor-X 35mm f2.8 which is fabulously sharp (color rendition is the standard superb Minolta stuff) and diminutive to carry about. However, it has some very tough competition from my cherished Minolta MD W Rokkor-X 24mm f2.8 (a Leica collaboration design) as well as an "as yet untested by me" Minolta MD W Rokkor-X 28mm f2.8.

Outside of the proposed focal lengths, i prefer 135mm. I find the 135mm to be great for portraiture (fills the frame without having to be in the subjects face).

Incidently, if you hadn't noticed, i'm fond of Minolta Rokkor-X glass.

HTH,

frank

 

[John_Nikon_F]

Currently using a Nikkormat EL as my main body, now that my F3P is empty. Anyway, the lens that it's currently wearing is a 50f2 Nikkor-HC. Sometimes I'll use that, a 35f2 Nikkor-O, a 55f2.8 Micro-Nikkor AIS, or an 85f1.8 Nikkor. My favorite lens is the 85mm...

-J

 

[srosenow_98]

I mainly use a 50mm on my Konica AutoreflexTC.

 

[Joe Grodis]

I do mostly outdoor stuff so I have (2) lens I use the most. My 17mm-35mm wide angle is a lot of fun but the 28mm-135mm zoom really gets a lot of use. I think its a good idea to get a couple high quality prime lens for specific uses. I picked up a 28mm /f1.8 Nikkor a couple weeks a go which is super nice.

-Joe

 

[SilverGlow]

On my 35mm film body, I use 50mm F1.2 75% of the time, and a 35mm F1.4 25% of the time. I zoom with my feet and nearly never use a tripod.

 

[Jerry Thirsty]

I split the difference and go with a 43mm. My standard kit is 28/43/77, with the 43 getting the most use and the 77 second.

 

[JBrunner]

I shoot mostly with the TR triple 300mm f9-64, a bit less with 500mm and least of all 700mm. When I want wide I go to the 210mm G-Claron 9-64. Portraits I use my 350mm Heliar because it's super fast vs. the 300 (f4.5), and a little tighter FOV (than the 300). Sometimes it's still a little wider than I wish. I have a 480mm (real slow though, f11-128) that I want to try out for portraits and even more so for 1:1 stuff, but I haven't got a round tuit.

 

[Paul Jenkin]

On my F100, I tend to have my 24/f2.8 (but can also vary between 50mm/f1.8 and 85mm/f1.8).

On my SQ-B, it's a 50/50 call between the 40mm PS or 80mm PS-B.

On my D300, it's almost always my 17-55m/f2.8.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Accidentally opening the camera while it is loaded with precious images is one of the most horrible events a photographer can witness. Anger, chiefly, and uncertainty. It happened to me while wrangling the brute into vertical format; inexplicably opening the camera back at frame 14 of a client shoot on Provia 100F. When I found out what I'd done I snapped the back shut, jamming my finger, which didn't help my general demeanour... Second attempt ok. As it transpired only frames 14, 15, 16 were a little light-spoilt ... nothing a bit of scanning and tweaking in Pshop couldn't fix (sometimes you have to be grateful for the power of Pshop...).

I am happy with a 20, 28, 24, 35 or 40mm lens. My prime lens is a 24mm perspective control lens. Digi has a 35mm equivalent f/length and that's fine by me.

My EOS 1N is rarely used off-tripod; I have a Manfrotto bought in 2003 (after the first one was stolen), fitted with a Manfrotto trigger grip, which has saved me with many a difficult scene in terms of setting the camera left, right, up or down. It is 5kg to carry around but I'm used to that after 18 years or so...

Nothing wrong to my ears putting a $20 camera on a tripod.

.:: PDJ ::.