most of us own a few lenses...

[back alley]

...but do we mostly use one favourite?

or maybe 2?

i have a small but pretty good (i would say) collection of lenses for my use.
i have settled on the smaller cv lenses along with the small rollei 40.

yet, i seem to mostly use the 40 lately with the occasional 75 thrown into the mix.

do you use your lens kit about equally or do you tend to concentrate on one or 2 lenses that you favour?

curious minds want to know...:angel:

[SciAggie]

If you were to grab one of my cameras it's a 50/50 chance there is either a 35 or 50mm lens attached. I have quite a few other lenses that I do use, but those two focal lengths are the workhorses.

[f16sunshine]

50 mostly on full frame. 40 in digital m. And 80 on 66. Boring I know ;)

[paulfish4570]

gotta say i'm starting to see in the 35mm FL because of the cv 35/2.5 color skopar i have for my r2m. i'm starting to like what i see in the images produced by the kit. the cv 50/2.5 has been languishing a couple of weeks because of this, but it will see the light on the iiif to arrive early next week.

[astro8]

I seem to be using my Canon 35/1.8 on my r-d1, not nearly as much as I should be but far more than my 28 and 50's.

Note to self...I gotta get out more and just shoot stuff, change lenses, get the feel of them and get stuck into it instead of waiting for the 'shot'. I'm all thumbs and procrastination at the moment....:o

[andredossantos]

Over the past year: I shoot a 35mm on my M5, a 55mm on my film SLR, a 50mm on my DSLR, 75mm on my Rolleiflex, and 100mm on my Fujica 6x9.

I don't own any other lenses except for a recently acquired 50mm f2 Nippon Kogaku LTM that is being repaired.

[StillKicking]

Judging from my photo archive, over the last 12 months I seem to use my:
35mm Summaron f3.5 most.. then it's any one of several 50mm lens

[tbarker13]

Depends on what I am doing. Just normal usage - it would be a 35 summicron on my M8.
If I am doing portraits, it would be a 50 - but I cannot say I have a favorite.

[DennisPT]

28-40-50 but who know what happens tomorrow.

[jky]

Just a 35mm for me although I have a 28mm VC sitting in the cabinet. Reason is I jsut prefer the 35 FL.

[Brian Legge]

I've been trying to focus on 50mm as I like older MF cameras and sticking to a single focal length as much as possible seems like a good idea. Its tough though, coming from fixed lens rangefinders with 40mm lenses.

I need to get one of my 35mm LTM lenses in better condition and hopefully I'll be set. The Summaron is dirty and the J12 focus is way off. The former I'll leave to tech but the later I just need to take some time to fix myself. Maybe that will become my go-to focal length eventually.

[Rico]

It's strange that, with 28 Elmarit ASPH and 50 'lux v2 at my disposal, I always choose the Summaron 35/2.8 and classic Elmar 50/2.8.

[sonofdanang]

Joe, you know me to be a bad, bad, man: The only rangefinder I use is on a 4x5 and for most work I use one lens - a 28-300 zoom on a D3. Everybody be falling down when I say it is light, and, with the speed of the D-series sensors and my predilection for depth-of-field and telephoto field-compression, perfect. I don't worry about putting it in my pocket because the thing seems permanently attached to my face.

There is a fast 50 and a 20-30 zoom in the bag that almost never come out. The fifty is a left over from the film days when I needed the speed. But now, with the Nikon's low-light performance....

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I use a 50mm Summicron the most, followed by 28mm Biogon ZM. My others don't get much use, but they're nice to have when needed.

[ricnak]

As a newbie to RF my fav lens was the 35 lux - it is forgiving. I almost sold all my other lenses because I rarely used them.

Then....

I read a thread here once about FL's and someone stated that 35mm was for slobs (not the exact words but you get the general feeling). I did not want to be a slob (even though I am one) so, I now use the 50, 75 and 35mm in equal proportions. The 21 and 90 for special occasions.

[HuubL]

35 (v4) and 50 (latest) summicrons about equal on an M6 and M7. The 21 SA never leaves the M4. I have other lenses (DR50, 35 v1, 2.8 summarons) but hardly use them. They're just sitting pretty on the other M4, M3 and M2. I know it's a waste, but I'm too much of a collector to sell them.

[Doug]

My lenses have formed a union and negotiated a "fair use" doctrine. Egalitarianism has been compromised though by a mid-pack voting cabal in the 35-50 range...

[Damaso]

50mm on my M6 and 35 cv on my M8. The 90mm summarit comes into play about 15% of the time....

[noimmunity]

My usage breaks down into the following pairs:

21 plus a normal and/or a tele when hiking.
35 and 75 for candid portraits in town/low light.
28 and 50 for ultimate ease and portability.

With the M8 crop factor, I can do all of the above with just three lenses, heh-heh. (The M8 actually messed me up and I can no longer tell if I'm a 35/75, a 28/50 or what).

But I'd rather have FF on both digital and film. I'm thinking about selling some lenses and getting an M9, or maybe just saving the dough for a rainy day.

[peterm1]

My choices change over time. In general I am much more a longer rather than a wider lens lover. At the moment I am experimenting with and loving the Voigtlander 50mm f1.1 Nokton having aslo recently readed in a few older camera and lenses for a 75mm f1.8 of the same marque. But I have a full complement of modern(ish) Leica glass - Summicron 50 and 35, TeleElmarit 90 all from the 1980s era plus some classic lenses from the 50s and 60s - Summitar 50, Elmar 50, Summaron 35mm f3.5 and Tele Elmar 90. Some how I find that I struggle with wide lenses but have more success with the longer variety. So that is my one constant. Long works for me.

[sepiareverb]

I too tend toward one main lens, though it shifts over time. I shot with a 50 by far the most for years, then was using the 28 almost exclusively for quite a while. Just seem to be done with the 35/1.4 pre-ASPH as my main lens and am moving back to the 50, but I've been shooting with a 21 a fair bit of late as well.

[mfogiel]

It comes down to several factors. I try to learn the strong points of each FL, and of each lens in the group. Then, I tend to chose the lenses best suited for the particular type of shots I want to do. However, as walk around lenses, I use most often compact lenses with strong universal qualities. In 50mm I would take the Summilux 2 out most of the time, but I will swap it for the DR Summicron if I am thinking of landscape or architecture, and with the C Sonnar or Canon 50/1.2 for portraits. In 35mm I have fallen lately for the Summicron V3 for its out of focus and great grayscale rendering. I will swap it for the 35/2.8 Summaron for landscape or architecture and with 35/1.2 Nokton for the low light. Both the Summicron and the Nokton are also gret for portraits, but the rendering is distinctly different. In 28mm the Summicron is my universal lens, but I will swap it with the 1.9 ultron for landscape. In 21mm I like the rendering of Super Angulon 3.4, but I will often swap it wih the C Zeiss because of AE compatibility and more compact dimensions. The Zeiss ZM line, C Sonnar apart, is great for a more biting, higher contrast look, and generally for colour. I seldom use 90mm lenses, and in this FL I use the V1 and the last Elmarit together with the ZF Planar 85 and Makro Planar 100, according to circumstances.

[Brian Sweeney]

Sometimes it's really hard to decide if I need a 50, 53, 55, 57, 58, or 60. But I eventually settle on a choice.

[umcelinho]

I think it all comes down to your personal preference or the moment. I have a few lenses, but most of them are either 35mm or 50mm. There are a few that I will pick up to shoot much more often due to their characteristics: if I want a classic look, I'll take X, if I need speed I'll take Y, and so on...

[helenhill]

For the longest Time
It was the 50 (probably always will be)
with around 10% to the 21SA

Now I am Dedicating my Time w/ the 35
Need to Grow & 'see 'differently
Have Fallen hard for the 35 Asph Cron
And am Experimenting With
trying to PUSH Shadow/Light Play with the asph glass

Am Amazed at how WIDE 35 is
Regards-H

[MCTuomey]

a fifty most of the time, a 21 to 25 for tight spaces and crowds, a 75-90 for landscapes and head/shoulders

[back alley]

For the longest Time
It was the 50 (probably always will be)
with around 10% to the 21SA

Now I am Dedicating my Time w/ the 35
Need to Grow & 'see 'differently
Have Fallen hard for the 35 Asph Cron
And am Experimenting With
trying to PUSH Shadow/Light Play with the asph glass

Am Amazed at how WIDE 35 is
Regards-H

helen, is the 40 gone?

[Tompas]

2/28mm on my Bessa R4m for my 'normal' photography,
4/25mm on my Bessa L for 'street'.
2/24mm or 8/500mm on my digital Pentax (1.5 crop factor).
All other lenses I only use from time to time, when I just feel like it.

[Spyro]

CV28/3.5 and rokkor 40/2
I like small and old school :)

sometimes I chase my daughter around the house with a cv50/1.5

[chrismoret]

Got a 35 Biogon ZM, a 50mm Summicron, and a 28 Elmarit. But the 35mm is most used. But sometimes I kind of force myself to use the 50mm instead. Just to keeping me from getting to attached to the Biogon.

[rbiemer]

50mm is closest to how I see so I use that most often. I could be pretty content with only that but I do use--in about equal proportions--a 21mm and a 90mm fairly often.
So, to answer your question, yes I do mostly use one favorite with the other lenses coming out occasionally as I perceive the need for a different view.
Rob

[tjh]

For the longest Time
It was the 50 (probably always will be)
with around 10% to the 21SA

Now I am Dedicating my Time w/ the 35
Need to Grow & 'see 'differently
Have Fallen hard for the 35 Asph Cron
And am Experimenting With
trying to PUSH Shadow/Light Play with the asph glass

Am Amazed at how WIDE 35 is
Regards-H

I just bought the 50 Lux ASPH and I'm amazed at how long the 50mm length is - Really not too amazed but I usually only go up to 50mm for people shots.

To respond to the original thread, I find that 35mm is an ideal single focal length. With that said, I find I need a 28mm or wider for many of the pictures I like to take in cities, especially grafitti.

I think I'm going to take the 28 and 50 on an upcoming trip to Europe, though I'm really tempted to go light and just take the 35 Cron (on full frame).

[back alley]

i head out more and more without a bag and just the rd1 with 40 attached, no safety net (more lenses in a bag) just an extra battery in my pocket.
i have been thinking about carrying the second rd1 body with another lens attached.

[Spyro]

50mm is closest to how I see so I use that most often.

how is that though? it does have the same magnification as the human vision, ie if you hold an slr vertically with the other eye open and see through a 50mm lens, things do have the same magnification. But it's narrow!

So I use 50 on medium format, then it has the same magnification and almost the same field of view as my vision. But 50mm medium format lenses are slow!

I cant win :mad:

[paapoopa]

I usually limit myself to stick to 1 lens for 1 roll of film.
and I rotate among my lenses for each roll of film that I finish.

almost equal attention given to each of my lens.

[helenhill]

helen, is the 40 gone?


still have the 40....:D
Its compactness& STELLAR rendering make it hard to let go
Depends on how much the 35 cron Amazes me
& if I want that Burberry Raincoat....:eek:
Yes very Girly ...i know

[ndnik]

24 - 35 - 50 for me for the last 20 years. The 35 sees most use. Every attempt to pair this down to 28 - 50 has been unsucessful so far ...

- N.

[maddoc]

still have the 40....:D
Its compactness& STELLAR rendering make it hard to let go
Depends on how much the 35 cron Amazes me
& if I want that Burberry Raincoat....:eek:
Yes very Girly ...i know

35/2.0 ASPH <-> Burberry Raincoat ... choices ... :eek::D

I left my original M4-P, M7, 21SA, 35 Summilux-M, Noctilux all back in Germany so my lens choices became limited. :) Recently, it is mostly the M4-P (the red one, soon to be sold) and the 40mm M-Rokkor, the 28mm AVENON and occasionaly the 90mm Summicron-M or 135 Elmarit-M.

My IIIf usually takes the 50/3.5 or 35/3.5, 90/4 or 135/4.5. The latter is challening on a Barnack but nevertheless fun to use.

Speaking about the lenses staying in Germany, I hardly miss them ..

[helenhill]

35/2.0 ASPH <-> Burberry Raincoat ... choices ... :eek::D

I left my original M4-P, M7, 21SA, 35 Summilux-M, Noctilux all back in Germany so my lens choices became limited. :) Recently, it is mostly the M4-P (the red one, soon to be sold) and the 40mm M-Rokkor, the 28mm AVENON and occasionaly the 90mm Summicron-M or 135 Elmarit-M.

My IIIf usually takes the 50/3.5 or 35/3.5, 90/4 or 135/4.5. The latter is challening on a Barnack but nevertheless fun to use.

Speaking about the lenses staying in Germany, I hardly miss them ..



WOW Gabor, Mighty Daring of YOU to leave your 35 lux & Nocti
in Germany / once your main standard...though probably Good to shake things up abit :)
40 rokkor is Supreme ... must peek at your 28 avenon
I don't know anything about that lens

Who knows maybe the lenses will play some Magic and Transport You and the Family back to Germany

[FrankS]

Nothing exotic (except for the custom Sonnar) or super expensive:
21 (f4 CV)
28 (f3.5 Canon)
35 (f2.8 Summaron)
35 (f3.5 Summaron)
40 (f1.4 CV)
50 (f2 coll Summicron)
50 (f2 Sweenyfied Zeiss Sonnar)
50 (f2 Summar)
50 (f2.5 CV)
50 (f3.5 Elmar)
50 (f3.5 FED)
85 (f2 Canon)
90 (f4 Elmar)
135 (f5.6 Hector)

The widest 5 get 90% of my attention.

[rbiemer]

how is that though? it does have the same magnification as the human vision, ie if you hold an slr vertically with the other eye open and see through a 50mm lens, things do have the same magnification. But it's narrow!

So I use 50 on medium format, then it has the same magnification and almost the same field of view as my vision. But 50mm medium format lenses are slow!

I cant win :mad:

The key word there was "I". I wear glasses so I always look through a frame. And while 35mm is probably close to what my field of view is without my glasses, 50 is pretty close to what I see through them.
A 40mm lens might be a better approximation of my FOV but I have not had a chance--nor, frankly, much inclination--to try one yet.
And, waaay back when I was first learning this hobby of mine, I shot with an Argus C-3 then a Pentax K 1000 [both with 50mm lenses] so 50 is how I best relate to the world with a camera. I do use and enjoy other focal lengths but 50 is my main stay.
Rob

[Spyro]

Thanks Rob, that makes sense

I envy you in a way, I still haven't solved the "lens that matches the way I see" problem, at least not in the small format. 28 has perspective/magnification issues, 50 is too narrow, 40 is a good jack of both trades, but master of none... I keep going back and forth between those three.

Maybe I should wear glasses too :D

[ferider]

My lenses have formed a union and negotiated a "fair use" doctrine. Egalitarianism has been compromised though by a mid-pack voting cabal in the 35-50 range...

Mine have a union like this too :) All I need is a wide and a tele, and a normal for fun.

Roland.

[nikon_sam]

When using 35mm SLRs and while shooting most events I'll have two bodies (F4 & F5) and will mostly be using the 180mm, 85mm & 35mm..also in my pocket will be a 50mm and a 24mm that will sometimes get used...
My favorite lens would be the Nikon 180mm AF...it comes with the crinkle paint finish and I've worn the crinkle finish smooth from using it so much...I can do a lot with the first three lenses mentioned...it's interesting to see which lenses you do use most of the time...
I had to learn to like the 85mm...when I first got it I thought I would use it a lot but for the longest time it stayed in my pocket...lately I'll start with the 180 & 85 and then go from there...

[retnull]

I avoid the concept "the lens matches the way I see" -- the camera and I see differently, and that's fine.

[FrankS]

I avoid the concept "the lens matches the way I see" -- the camera and I see differently, and that's fine.

Me too. I choose a lens to match what/how I intend to shoot.

[DNG]

On my Leica, all I have is ZM 50mm f/1.5 now. But with my Panasonic G1, I use the O/14/42 ED more than the P/20mm... But, I also use the 135mm on my G1 more and more., My Favorite (s).....

The ZM 50 f/1.5 of course on the M5,
The O/14/42 ED and 135mm f/2.8 Q Nikkor on the Pany G1
I do shoot with the P/20mm when I just want a great indoor combo, and a fast street combo.

[huntjump]

CV 35mm f/1.2 (chrome)
CV 50mm f/1.5
Leica 35mm f/3.5 (Summaron)
50mm f/2 (5th, tabbed)

[fuwen]

For range finder system the minimum I will bring is 28/2.8 and 50/2. Very often I will bring along also 21/1.8 and 85/2. Depending on situation sometimes the 15/2.8 goes along.

If I only want to bring one lens then it will be 35/2 or 40/2.8.

For SLR system it is 28/2.8, 50/1.4 and 135/2.8. Sometimes the 135/2.8 is replaced by 100/2.8 macro or 135/2. The rest get little use: 16/2.8 fisheye, 18/4, 180/2.8, 300/4 and 500/5.6.

[semordnilap]

28 & 50 on M8, or 40 cron from time to time, mostly for walking around when I don't want to carry a bag.

I'll shoot the cv 15 from time to time as well, but not as often as the others.

[efirmage]

35 Biogon 2.8 and a 50 1.8 on my Nikon. The 35 gets much more use cause it's on my M6, I'm newer to this length than 50, but I think I like it more :P

[klapka]

Well, "what FL do I use most" is the question that bothers me every time I buy a new lens.
Today my lens line looks like this: 28-35-40-50-50-50-75.
Looking at the previous line I should be a 50mm man and I used to be it untill recently..
Twice I tried to move to 35mm for general shooting. My first attempt with preasph summicron failed - I stayed a 50 mm shooter. But a couple of months ago after reading forums and watching flikr I made myself believe the 35 mm f2 Biogon ZM to be the greatest lens on this Planet. So I bought one. Tried it.. and it is already the sixth roll of my being a 35 mm FL guy!
So.. I think I ruther choose the lens then the FL.

The least used is 28 mm FL. Too wide for me.
The most suitable for everything is 40 mm FL - could do all the job with 40mm alone.
The one used oftener than I could imagine when was buying it is 75 mm.

[kehng]

21mm elmarit is normally on the M7 with motor
35mm asph is normally on the M9
50mm lux is normally on the M3

I have a couple of other lenses that see daylight on an intermittent basis

[Bruin]

I tried 35 and 40 for a one-lens kit at different times in the past, but I keep coming back to 28 & 50. I get lazy about lens changes and often shoot sequences with one lens, though I have the other available. Admittedly I simply *like* my 28 and 50 more than any of my other lenses... just solid, smooth, and a joy to use.

If the RF genie gave me three wishes, one of them would be a 21-24-28 Tri-Ultron. Having to work with just the 28 makes me more disciplined about composition, though.

[Brian Sweeney]

I have a favorite 50. I have a lot more lenses than that, but only 50 of them would classify as favorites.

[RanceEric]

I have a decent sized collection of Nikon rangefinder (5 lenses) and F-mount (7 lenses) lenses, but seems to use the 3.5 f/3.5 and 8.5 f/2 for RF and 35 f/2 for F-mount the most

[retnull]

I have a favorite 50. I have a lot more lenses than that, but only 50 of them would classify as favorites.

!!!
LOL

fave RFF post ever

[jsrockit]

50mm - 55%
35mm - 45%

[shadowfox]

1 lens - 35/1.7 Ultron 99% of the time.

I do have a pristine Jupiter 8 that now stays on my Canon P.

[rogerzilla]

They get pretty even use. If I had a really good 35mm that would be the one, but as my Summaron needs a clean out (sharp, but flares badly) it's not a great universal lens. The Summicron DR gets used a bit less than I would expect because of its size and weight; if the light is good the Elmar red scale does the job (except close focus) just as well.

[barnwulf]

I mostly use my 35mm and 50mm lenses, but also use 28mm and 21mm often enough that I usually carry them along at least they are in my car. Jim

[RayPA]

For me, the lens depends on the particular camera kit, and I have several kits. For example, my RF kits include a low-light kit, a street kit, a compact kit. I have certain lenses that I really like using, but I'm not married to a particular brand of lens as much as I am to the focal length. I'll only use focal length if I have a frame line for it. Every RF kit has a 35 FL lens. That's my main FL, but I usually carry a 28 and a 50 and sometimes a 90.






/

[shadowfox]

For me, the lens depends on the particular camera kit,
/

Definitely true.

If we're talking SLR (not RF), I usually have two lenses with me, one wide (either 24 or 35mm) and long (135mm).

If we're talking TLR, the closeup lenses are always in my bag.

[benlees]

28mm is the choice these days. Could be the GR1, the GA645W, or the Crown with the 90mm Wollensak!