135 to 120, and lens choice

[Samouraï]

For as long as I have shot with a 135 camera, most recently a Leica M3, I have always preferred the 50mm lens to any other length.

I have recently been testing and shooting some medium format cameras. I have a 75mm lens and a 50mm lens. And while I understand the 75/80 have a similar field of view as my favorite 135-50s, I really have been loving the 50mm lens on the larger format. I find myself shooting similar kinds of photographs, but just loving them more.

I have always preferred the 50 as it appears more natural and elegant to me, but I find it so odd that the field of view isn't an issue, and that I prefer it to other lenses, again, in a different format

Has anyone else found themselves preferring a specific focal length, regardless of format?

ps Mamiya 6 and Leica M3

[zachary]

Call me boring but I've got the same focal lengths for 35/6x6 + 6x7/4x5.

I love 21mm on 35, 50 & 75 too.

[nathan96]

Interesting - most likely due to the reduced horizontal length compared to vertical vith 35mm (1:1.5) vs 6x6 (1:1) and 6:7 (1:1.2)

[Dan Daniel]

Can't say that I've had the same experience! I have a preferred 'field of view' for the overall image, and tend to gravitate toward the same view in different formats (40mm in 135 film equiv.). I recently tried a Hasselblad with a 50mm lens and it was too wide for me.

Do you end up with more width in your shots? I mean, for example, let's say you were shooting someone sitting on the front porch of a building. Would you stand in the same spot with any camera? If so, then all that using a 50mm on 6x6 or 6x9 gives you is more width, but the perspective and placement of everything will match your 50mm with 135.

Whereas I know what I do in such a situation- I move closer and frame the edges, which loses the 'normal' lens perspective.

[Samouraï]

I have a real preference for flatly shooting what I might call scenes, or even full length candid portraits. The style especially lends itself to street photography, I think. I think that a 6x6 or 6x7 camera allows for some more flexibility with this style, while retaining my preferred focal length of 50mm. And for some strange reason, I don't enjoy a 35mm lens on a 135 camera as much as my 50mm--maybe I just haven't used a 35mm Leica lens.

I would really like to do some studio portrait work with a 6x9 camera (or wider). It seems like a really fun format to fill up with the human form.

Anyway, I think that I can see myself sooner reaching for my 135 and 120 cameras fitted with 50s than I might simply bring along multiple lenses for just one camera on a day out.

(of course this isn't to say that I don't enjoy playing with a range of focal lengths and all styles of photography. i just really prefer a simple 50mm lens, even though i'd say my tastes fall into the realms of art and occasionally the avant garde.)

[keytarjunkie]

gotta say I like the ~80-90mm focal length on 135, 6x7, and 4x5.