50 and 28 OR 50 and 35?

50 and 28 OR 50 and 35?

  • 50mm and 35mm

    Votes: 96 39.0%

  • 50mm and 28mm

    Votes: 110 44.7%

  • 50mm and even wider than 28mm

    Votes: 40 16.3%
  • Total voters
    246
I went throught the same dilema , with 35mm being my prefered focal length.

In the end I opted for a 28cron and a 50lux , both render similarly , and there is suffucient distance between the focal lengths to justify carrying them around.

James
 
PatrickONeill said:
I'm kind of weird, but a 35 and 24 would be perfect.

a 40 and 21 combo would be even more interesting to try.
Click to expand...

I don't know that that's very weird. 40/21 is a traditional favorite setup of mine. Maybe we're both weird. :)

I'm rolling on this trip with 50/35/90 and it's working well.

G
 
I use 35-50, plus 90. I primarily use the 35 and will move from there for specific contexts, distances. I find 35mm and 50mm fields of view to be dramatically different. With a 35mm, I shoot people AND their setting. With a 50mm, I tend to be shooting a person with a much lesser focus on setting. I have shot some with a 28mm on FF, but found that my results had sort of an unappealing distant feel to them. (I know, Get closer. But I didn't seem to get that with the 28mm.)
 
The viewfinder magnification of the camera has a important saying on this. In the .72 the 35mm feels more like a normal lens, the 28 a wide and the 50 a small tele.

In my case I use a .85 M6 so my choice is 35 which feels like wide angle and a 50 which feels more like a normal lens, also because I like to use the in camera framelines.
My choice is a sharp, modern 35 - the summarit in this case - and a faster, classic rendering 50 for close shots of people or low light situations - the C Sonnar.
I have tried other focal lenghts (25mm, 40mm, 90mm and 105mm) and never felt really comfortable until I recently stettled with this 35 - 50 combination.
 
Lately I've been walking around with a 28 and a 21 or a 28 and a 16. For years I shot 45/28, then 50/35, then 50/28 almost exclusively. I vacillate. Regularly.
 
I thought a concrete example of the differences between FoVs might be helpful, using the three lenses I have with me. All taken with the Leica M9:

8622661606_b182dcd920_o.jpg

Color Skopar 35mm f/2.5

8622664172_60dd15e517_o.jpg

Nokton 50mm f/1.5 ASPH (ltm)

8622667160_e34ab005e5_o.jpg

M-Rokkor 90mm f/4​

For those who feel there isn't much difference between 35mm and 50mm, well, I beg to differ — although it is a matter of opinion as to how much difference you feel is important to you. In this range (28 to 60 mm), even the difference of 5mm seems to make a lot of difference to me!. :)

G
 
I am most comfortable with a 50mm lens, so I will choose a 35/50 combo for an upcoming trip. It will keep me away from "safe" shots with very wide angle lenses, and it will force me to get closer to people. There is less distortion too.
 
My 50mm Summilux and my 28mm Summicron cover abut 90% of my subjects and shooting situations.

I chose the 28 for my wide angle lens ten years ago. Back then, I shot mostly landscapes. Now I shoot mostly documentary and street. I like the 28mm for those applications and for interior shooting. When I read that Garry Winogrand preferred the 28mm for street photography, I felt vindicated in my choice, even though many prefer the 35mm for street and documentary applications. In my experience, you can't go wrong with the 28mm.

If you are forced for whatever reason to live with just one wide lens, the 28mm is the one to get.
 
Godfrey said:
For those who feel there isn't much difference between 35mm and 50mm, well, I beg to differ...

G
Click to expand...
The 35mm and 28mm are pretty close in terms of angle of view. I have used a 28mm so much that I have come to regard it as my "normal" lens.
By compairson, the 50mm seems almost like a short telephoto - there is a HUGE difference in the angle of view compared to a 28mm lens.

The difference between a 35mm and a 50mm is not as pronounced as the 28 vs 50, but is still significant nonetheless.
 
I voted 50 + 35.

I've always been curious about a 28 but haven't gone for it since the fastest is a Summicron which I think is too slow indoors.

Now I'm seriously considering the 21 Ultron which seems incredibly nice.
 
I think 50 & 28 is ideal if you're doing street shooting. The 50 for people and the 28 for wide angles. I'm kind of rebuilding a setup after some rough times and think I will have a 50 & 85 on my M body and then use my Contax T1 for now as my wide angle (I believe i is a 38, so really not as wide as I'd like).
 
I would say 50 + 35 or 28 would be the most versatile. 28 is very nice but I think the 35 is generally more useful/flexible. You cannot go wrong with either combo.

I currently just have 35 and it is fine on its own. Yesterday I did think a 50 would have been useful for one particular shot, but ended up just moving closer to the subject!
 
35 and 50 is kind of tight, too close to each other, and I wouldn't ever carry that combination. My favorite combo is 28/50. I'll use the 35, only, if I want to take just one lens AND carry my camera under a jacket; otherwise, 28/50, one on the camera, one in a pocket. For SLR, I find 24/50 to be my favorite combo--I have no idea why, since I could never get along with a 25 on a RF camera.

If I could choose to own only one lens, it would definitely be a 50--I would say that 80% of my favorite shots are with a 50.
 
50 and 35mm, for me. 28mm is too wide for me, and i find 35mm
perfect for street photography. 50mm because the lens choices
are many and the quality very good and affordable. i also have a
90mm which i am trying to learn to use it.
 
Hey, this is RFF, where's the option for 28, 35mm AND 50mm. Different lenses render different ways, so you'll want at least two versions of each, as well as a svelte lightweight version, to compliment the bulkier wide aperture versions of each focal length.

And bags, we haven't even touched on those yet, not to mention a second (third, fourth, fifth ?) body..

:D
 
I was always in favour of a 35/50 set-up but am now using a 28mm and 50mm. This is due to switching from Leica M9 to Fuji X-Pro so the lenses were pretty much thrust upon me, though its worked out well. I will get the 35mm lens eventually and be happy with, what is to me the ultimate lens kit, a 28/35/50mm kit.
 
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