What's your favorite sunrise/sunset lens?

MFstooges

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Joined
Feb 10, 2010
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955
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35mm
Hi All,
I'm curious, what's your favorite lens to shoot sunrise/sunset? I like sunrise shot that includes sun peeking with rays and resemble starlight filter. The kind that narrows before they disappear.
Many years ago I used Nikkor 35mm and cheap 35-70mm. I don't exactly remember which one produced the nicest sunrise/sunset but there were some nice pictures. Then I used a 70-210mm and got bad results, I think it had internal flare which created the second sun on the negative. When I moved to digital I tried nikkor DX 17-55mm but don't like the sun rays. It widens before they disappear. I call it Japanese Sunrise type
Now I use 55mm on Pentax 67ii, the result is quite good but I wonder if there are better lenses in 35mm format.

:munch:
 
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
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A 45mm f4 on Pentax 67, or 17-40 on 35mm (17mm with very strong lead-in foreground anchor).
I don't actually shoot sunrise or sunsets (stopped that years ago), but the foreglow and afterglow of the event, that is to say, the camera has its back to the Sun.
The super-wide angles (17mm and lower) are good if have a sweeping, detail-rich landscape, quite aside from the Sun e.g. a beach with striking rock formations, backlit clouds on the horizon and the Sun placed somewhere in balance. But in 35mm, the wider you go, the further and further scenic content is pushed back. Probably better to stick with medium format and fit the scene to that frame. Personal choice.
 
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