I find myself shooting 50 mm lenses much more often vertically, but 35 mm lenses nearly always in landscape format. I am more often shooting wide, but with 50 mm I tend to shoot more wide open for unique depth-of-field compositions. For street photography, I prefer 35 mm focal length over 50 mm. 50 mm is a bit too compressed in view for my eye here.
I could vacillate over and over trying to decide whether to take out a 35mm or 50mm for a one lens kit for the day. It was "paralysis by analysis" trying to decide. This all changed when I got a 40mm. It can do the job of either with some movement and you quickly find yourself in the right spot for the framing when you are not changing lenses frequently. Less choices can be liberating.
I think this is one of my favourite videos on photography ever. Really interesting to hear your thoughts around focal lengths. Personally I like the 50mm FOV (I shoot APS-C so really 35mm but y'know…) because I feel I can isolate and avoid getting to much in the frame. I remember street photographer Stockezy talked about how with 50mm FOV you can ”craft compositions” while with 35mm FOV it's more about capturing what's there and you might get less choice in what to get in. Now, I rarely do street photography (and even then it's more architecture really), more in the line of event work, and there I find the 35mm FOV to be perfect as I it's not so wide it distorts people's face too much, but I can still get groups of people doing things which is 75% of what I want in event work (I usually pair that lens with a 50mm FOV or even a 75mm FOV lens if I can't get close). Also really agree about the zoom. I find they're too slow in use, by the time I've decided on what zoom length the moment has passed.
I think the 50 suits black and white better. Its much harder to compose a wide scene that looks good without colour so I tend to focus more on subjects and portraits where I can enjoy the subject the 50 offers. Which ever lens you take out there will always be that 10% of shots where you wish you had a different focal length. The best lens to have with you is the one your eye has recently spent several hours peering through! Recently went from a canon 40 to a nikon 50 but even this switch was jarring for a while...
Yeah, whole heartedly agree with everything you say. You make really good points and points I wish I'd included in the vlog. Thanks for your insightful thoughts. BTW which Nikon 50mm?
Fantastic content as ever but on the subject of not wanting to crop. I also used to think li this until I realised that by just raising the camera to your eye you are cropping what you saw anyway regardless. Plus a picture can ALWAYS be improved by cropping as its never perfectly straight and when printing on 8x10 paper you need to lose a percentage at the edges anyway...
Valid points indeed. I just prefer full frame and never go edge to edge on the paper so the image is alway inside the edges of the paper what ever dimension it might be. What the viewer sees is what I saw through the viewfinder.
Im not a street photographer. Im just an amateur that’s been enjoying photography since I was a teenager. I own a lot of lenses, more than I really needed. If I look back on decades of photographs it’s obvious to me that I hardly ever went wider than 35mm and never tighter than 50mm. If I could only have one lens it would be my 40mm. For me it’s the perfect balance between wide and standard.
Right, the 50 is spot on. I bought my first SLR together with a 50mm/1.4 prime 23 years ago and had nothing else the first years, still have it. I also like the 21mm on a 1.3x crop body or the 35mm on a second body when it is necessary.
Excellent thoughts on the two. Oddly I realized that for some unknown reason I tend to use only a 50mm when shooting film. When I use digital, I use a wide lens much more, I’ve never thought of why I tend to those preferences before. Maybe subconsciously a 50mm feels safer & that’s why I use it on film but I know I have more leeway on digital & am willing to take chances.
Thanks very much. Interesting what you say but why is does a 50mm fell safer and then why does that mean film is the better choice and why is there more leeway with digital? I'm not questioning what you say I'm simply interested in why that trail of thinking?
Few of them mention that in the range finder at 50mm you have a lot more space to observe the surroundings and to react to it. By the way, thank you for the valuable thoughts, I always like to listen.
I live in a small town,so for me 50mm is my preference.Summer time,when is crowded,I prefer 35mm.I personal don’t like much 28mm,because of two key resins: 1)you have to go very close to your subject 2)when you put your subject at the corners of your framelines and you are very close there is more distortion to your subject which I don’t really like.There are sometimes i need more air,or in some invents,or in too crowded places with not a lot o space around,or indoor,I prefer 28mm.I shoot 50mm,35mm and 28mm 99%.50mm about 60%,35mm about 30%,28mm about 10%.For travel I prefer 35mm,for portraits of course 50mm.
Basically they made wide angle because photographer could not step backward anymore in some situation. So I still love 50 as when I see things and point the camera result matches what I saw. With 35mm, often result is uninteresting because subjects is too far(too small). However I have not managed to get summicron or summilux as yet!
I’d probably be good with three lenses. 24/28, 35, 50. 24/28 for travel, 35 for documentary, 50 for framing/portraiture. For rangefinder cameras, I tend to use 35 because it’s easier to nail focus. I tend to pick up SLR’s for 50 for critical focus.
Personally, if someone is starting out, I think the 50mm is a better choice. It’s just a bit easier to work with. It is less of a struggle to compose an image with a 50, because you have less visual elements to manage. You can also shoot portraits without too much distortion of the facial features.
For me the best compromise is a fast 35mm F1.4 for a one lens kit. I can isolate the subject and shoot portraits, work up close and personal but still capture the scene. If I need to get tighter then I can always crop after the fact.
When I purchased my first 35mm SLR, the 50mm lens was the first lens I used on it. I loved the 50mm focal length when shooting live theatre. I usually flanked the 50mm f/1.4 with the 105mm f/2.5 and the 28mm f/2.8. Over time, I tried 28mm, 35mm, 40mm, 45mm 50mm and 55mm focal lengths lenses as my one prime lens for general subjects. All of them worked. However, for general subjects, the 50 and 55 were too telephoto for my taste and the 28 was too wide for my taste. My personal favorite was the 35mm. The 40mm was my second personal favorite. One thing I really liked about the 35 was that when I was competing with other news photographers for a shot, since most of them were using 50mm, I was able to step in front of them and capture the image with my 35. On my Nikon 35mm SLRs, I flank the 35mm f/1.4 with the 85mm f/1.4 and the 24mm f/2. On my Leica M6 and M10 rangefinders, I flank the 35mm f/1.4 with the 90mm f/2 and the 21mm f/1.4.
Just found your channel and I enjoy it immensely; just subscribed. I use Leica cameras too, an M10 and an M7; I have a selection of lenses but invariably use a 35mm. The strange thing is, I always end up cropping the image and end up with the equivalent of a 50. I often ask myself, why didn’t I just use the 50 in the first place? One of those mysteries of life I suppose!
Thanks Pants, really appreciate it. I think maybe the 35mm is associated with safety maybe...? Why not try only using your 50mm for 6 months? Its amazing how you'll adapt and your days of cropping will be over :)
I’ve not used my cameras for a week or two but have analysed what I actually do. I realised that I only crop the image to put it on Instagram. I am attempting to produce a self-published book and I don’t crop the images at all for it. I find using the 50mm on my M7 not quite as straightforward as it should be because I have the 0.58 viewfinder which is totally ideal for the 35mm lens.
@@timoplants5869 Why do you happen to crop for insta as a matter of interest? As for .58 V finders, I cant really comment as Ive never used one. What was your thinking behind having one in first place I'm wondering..? I've always used the standard 0.72 and it seems to work pretty well for me for the 50mm and the 35mm on the odd occasion I use it. When I'm shooting my 50mm I have an area of space around the periphery of the frame lines. When shooting 35mm I use the whole of the viewfinder. It can be a little strange going from one to the other but your brain quickly assimilates because it has to. I'd be interested to learn what your thoughts were with the 0.58 choice of VF.
The 0.58 was recommended by a well known independent Leica retailer in London. It is meant to be the ideal magnification if you wear glasses and just use a wide angle lens, which indeed, is the case in my…errr…case! My M10 has a standard viewfinder, I think it’s around 0.73 and is suitable for my 50mm; the 35mm framelines almost fill the viewfinder; the 28mm framelines are almost out of the viewing area. One has to crop the vertical image in Instagram; otherwise, it is cropped for you by the program. Horizontal images are cropped to give a larger presence.
I've no choice: I was fed up with the 57/1.7 from Minolta, later I tasted the Summicron R 50/2.0 and now I enjoy the Summilux 50/1.4. All superb lenses. 80% of my press photography is shot with the 50, 15% with the Summilux 28/17 (Q) and the rest with a number of Leica R-lenses, a single Angenieux and a Voigtländer. I've never been a great fan of the 35 mm. It's too narrow to be a real wide angle lens. But good to listen to your thoughts.
Back when I was a avid fan of street photography, 35mm was my favorite. Now I prefer tighter "normal perspective" (like 80mm on 6x6)... so yeah 50mm. Of course if you want to shoot a group of people (say 5 persons), 50mm is crappy. Gotta pick 35mm or wider. Bottom line: won't hurt having a few primes. On the other side, this is why I thankful about SLR: using zoom lens is verryyy easyyyy :D
35mm focal length is very useful on a 35mm film camera. It's wide enough view for most applications, yet not so wide as to distort the perspective as much as shorter focal length lenses. When I don't want or need to use more than one lens; I invariably use a 35-70mm zoom lens and that covers a lot of ground. If I need a wider field of view I bring along a 28mm lens.
You seem to be British. Perhaps you are from the South of Britain because you speak like someone from the South of the US. I know that you are headed someplace and I am intriged enough to wait until you get there. Just an observation. Love both photos Matt.
I totally agree with you I don't like getting too close and the 50mm is perfect for me. I did a recent video where I contemplate selling my Harley for a Leica M and a 50mm Lux. If you have 4 minutes I'd appreciate your thoughts on it.
I have done much of my photography on holiday. A wider lens tends to work better for me when in new cities, new landscapes, etc. I've tried and tried with 50mm but it always seems to constraining except at night. Then I read that actually a normal lens on 135 format (full frame) is 43mm (See wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_lens), which means that a 35mm is a wide-normal and a 50mm is a long-normal. I keep trying with 50mm but it doesn't often work for me. Actually happier with 50mm lenses on APS-C cameras. I don't understand that. Anyway - good video and some very good points in here. Thanks for putting in the effort.
Hi Joe, many thanks for your comments. I'm intrigued. You say you 'try and try' with a 50mm lens but you're happy with a 35mm. Why do you keep trying with a 50mm. It sounds although you've found the ideal lens for you.
For two years I have been deciding between 35mm and 50mm and between Rangefinder and slr Why I would like to use one camera and one lens for my next projects And thanks to you I finally clarified and I think I will go with the 50mm. Now I have to decide between slr and Rangefinder 😅 thank you so much
Youre more than welcome and thanks so much for your comment. It's why I do these Vlogs. As for the camera..depends on your budget and what you shoot in the main.
@@mattbentley-walls3106 i have a pentax me super (i use in manual mode) with the 50mm/1.7 and 40mm pancake (Almost a 35mm right?) for travels and a canon 7 but i must buy a lens because the one supplied (industar 61 is too ruined). Since you use both nikon and leica, what do you find more natural to use? I dare to ask you because I agree with all 44 minutes of the video.
@@tomobistrot195 Aaah the Pentax ME Super, My very first camera! OK so there's no one simple answer. If you wanted one and you shoot film I'd say simply the Leica MP, if youre a digital man, the M10 or M10 R (if you want 40 mp's). I learnt everything on my ME Super and Nikon F3 and love these cameras in a sentimental sort of way. That said, when I stepped up to Leica I found it very disconcerting initially but after a week or so I didn't look back. I still have my F3 but it remains sadly in bag and seldom gets used. The Leica is the camera I use all of the time. It's the perfect camera for me. I shoot reportage/street most of the time and its the perfect tool for this but obviously very expensive yet completely worth it, for me. That said, if I shot sport I wouldn't dream of using a Leica, it would be a Nikon or Canon with a long telephoto lens every time. What do you shoot?
@@tomobistrot195 I'm literally about to upload a video on some prints I had made. These were all shot on a Leica. It'll most likely be ready to view this afternoon.
@@mattbentley-walls3106 i like street photography and i wanna make aome documentary / reportage projects. I like the bright viewfinder of pentax and when i use 50mm i can shoot whit all two eyes open. I love the slr but i bought the canon 7 (because it's something similar of the leica m3) because i wanted to try rangefinder world like my grest masters (elliott erwitt, manos, etc). I don't interested in sports and tele lenses
I once took a 20mm to portrait duty at work and quickly realised I owed everyone an apology! When your eye is fixed to the viewfinder in wonder you can forget what an arse you are being.
23mm crop sensor 40mm approx…. Then a 35mm approx 58mm…. Get a Jupiter 85mm and bobs your angle… Got a Leica 23mm Vioglander 35mm got a m42 Adaptor for my CL….. So much stuff a girl can do with a lens….
"Always shoot wide open no matter what" might work for a very specific style of shooting, but is horrible general advice. This is a great way to miss focus, and you can't compose multiple elements at different distances in the same frame.
Thanks for the vids, enjoying all so far, inc. the free-wheeling natural feel. Currently wish-listing for a second film M to go alongside my M3 with 50 DR summicron, for a wider lens option and different film. Currently no idea whether I'd be able to see 28mm framelines or not with a standard 0.72, or the extent to which that's even an issue. Not particularly keen on external viewfinders but also know that 0.58 film Ms are (even more) premium items.
Thanks so much for the support and encouragement. In answer to your question I'm firstly not an expert on wide angle lenses as I hardly ever use them. From what I understand, the 0.72 accommodates the 35mm lens adequately but not a 28mm and so the 0.58 seems the only other option unless you're prepared to go the bolt on external vf way. That said, critical focusing on the 0.58 isn't great but then you could argue it doesn't need to be given a 28mm depth of field where pretty much everything will be in focus anyway. The 35mm Summicron is even very difficult to put out of focus. As for a body, I guess it depends on your budget and load of other preferences and variable but I personally love the MP which I think comes with the 0.58 option but I think you might have to order from Germany direct. And yes, there's a price for it. Second hand I honestly think the M7 is a fantastic option. Also, I know people say the 50mm is too close to a 35mm & visa versa but this is my combo and I wouldn't have it any other way. A 28mm is too wide for me, a 35mm is plenty wide enough. Honestly, I would keep to one lens and forget a second because as Ken Rockwell says - 1 prime is best, a second always has you wondering which to use instead of just getting the all important shot. Hope this helps.
@@mattbentley-walls3106 Thanks for this. 50 DR is of course already two lenses in one! There are times when I think a meter in the camera would be a good idea; loving the MP...
Also perhaps worth saying that I use 35mm film not only for reportage/documentary but for the 'butter notes' in projects that I mainly work on via large format and hope to continue with much more extensively in future (when I can find the time/opportunity!). I have found myself needing wider than 50mm reasonably frequently. Very much point taken re. virtues of working with one focal length.
@@davidfearn8635 I guess there are so many variables and I totally get what you're saying. The bottom line is that it all depends on the project maybe.
I find myself shooting 50 mm lenses much more often vertically, but 35 mm lenses nearly always in landscape format. I am more often shooting wide, but with 50 mm I tend to shoot more wide open for unique depth-of-field compositions. For street photography, I prefer 35 mm focal length over 50 mm. 50 mm is a bit too compressed in view for my eye here.
There’s a 50mm day and a 35mm day…and guess what? Sometimes there’s even a 28mm day.🤷♂️😁
Lee Jefferies' favorate lens for his portraits is a 24mm.
I could vacillate over and over trying to decide whether to take out a 35mm or 50mm for a one lens kit for the day. It was "paralysis by analysis" trying to decide.
This all changed when I got a 40mm. It can do the job of either with some movement and you quickly find yourself in the right spot for the framing when you are not changing lenses frequently.
Less choices can be liberating.
The wider the lens the better the rangefinder system works for accurate composition and keeping the lines right.
I think this is one of my favourite videos on photography ever. Really interesting to hear your thoughts around focal lengths.
Personally I like the 50mm FOV (I shoot APS-C so really 35mm but y'know…) because I feel I can isolate and avoid getting to much in the frame. I remember street photographer Stockezy talked about how with 50mm FOV you can ”craft compositions” while with 35mm FOV it's more about capturing what's there and you might get less choice in what to get in.
Now, I rarely do street photography (and even then it's more architecture really), more in the line of event work, and there I find the 35mm FOV to be perfect as I it's not so wide it distorts people's face too much, but I can still get groups of people doing things which is 75% of what I want in event work (I usually pair that lens with a 50mm FOV or even a 75mm FOV lens if I can't get close).
Also really agree about the zoom. I find they're too slow in use, by the time I've decided on what zoom length the moment has passed.
Hi praise indeed. You make some excellent points yourself. Thanks so much for your support.
I think the 50 suits black and white better. Its much harder to compose a wide scene that looks good without colour so I tend to focus more on subjects and portraits where I can enjoy the subject the 50 offers. Which ever lens you take out there will always be that 10% of shots where you wish you had a different focal length. The best lens to have with you is the one your eye has recently spent several hours peering through! Recently went from a canon 40 to a nikon 50 but even this switch was jarring for a while...
Yeah, whole heartedly agree with everything you say. You make really good points and points I wish I'd included in the vlog. Thanks for your insightful thoughts. BTW which Nikon 50mm?
A wonderfully thought provoking video. Many thanks Mr. Bentley-Walls.
Thanks very much Miss Nanji.
GREAT INFORMATION! I started out with a nifty 50mm 1.8 and eventually moved up to a 24-70mm but I STILL OVE my 50mm! Thanks for this
Fantastic content as ever but on the subject of not wanting to crop. I also used to think li this until I realised that by just raising the camera to your eye you are cropping what you saw anyway regardless. Plus a picture can ALWAYS be improved by cropping as its never perfectly straight and when printing on 8x10 paper you need to lose a percentage at the edges anyway...
Valid points indeed. I just prefer full frame and never go edge to edge on the paper so the image is alway inside the edges of the paper what ever dimension it might be. What the viewer sees is what I saw through the viewfinder.
Im not a street photographer. Im just an amateur that’s been enjoying photography since I was a teenager. I own a lot of lenses, more than I really needed. If I look back on decades of photographs it’s obvious to me that I hardly ever went wider than 35mm and never tighter than 50mm. If I could only have one lens it would be my 40mm. For me it’s the perfect balance between wide and standard.
I have tried all the focal lengths you can imagine. Trying them all out helped me
Figure out how i see. Great video. Thanks.
Right, the 50 is spot on. I bought my first SLR together with a 50mm/1.4 prime 23 years ago and had nothing else the first years, still have it. I also like the 21mm on a 1.3x crop body or the 35mm on a second body when it is necessary.
It's great to see and hear critical analysis in some detail, very enjoyable and engrossing. Thank you so much.
Excellent thoughts on the two. Oddly I realized that for some unknown reason I tend to use only a 50mm when shooting film. When I use digital, I use a wide lens much more, I’ve never thought of why I tend to those preferences before. Maybe subconsciously a 50mm feels safer & that’s why I use it on film but I know I have more leeway on digital & am willing to take chances.
Thanks very much. Interesting what you say but why is does a 50mm fell safer and then why does that mean film is the better choice and why is there more leeway with digital? I'm not questioning what you say I'm simply interested in why that trail of thinking?
Really enjoy your videos, inspire me to get my cameras out more.
That's what they're there for, enjoy!! Thanks so much.
I'm watching this one now.... I'm almost ready to make a move... an expensive one.. and i think this will help me
Thanks Man.
Purchased the 35 Summilux.. I might even try the 50 of the same line. I think i'll be good. Thank you.
Few of them mention that in the range finder at 50mm you have a lot more space to observe the surroundings and to react to it.
By the way, thank you for the valuable thoughts, I always like to listen.
Indeed sir and thank you for yours.
This is one of the main reasons I like 50s on rangefinders.
👍👍Amen Brother👍👍 " Spot on "
Thanks Lloyd.
I live in a small town,so for me 50mm is my preference.Summer time,when is crowded,I prefer 35mm.I personal don’t like much 28mm,because of two key resins: 1)you have to go very close to your subject 2)when you put your subject at the corners of your framelines and you are very close there is more distortion to your subject which I don’t really like.There are sometimes i need more air,or in some invents,or in too crowded places with not a lot o space around,or indoor,I prefer 28mm.I shoot 50mm,35mm and 28mm 99%.50mm about 60%,35mm about 30%,28mm about 10%.For travel I prefer 35mm,for portraits of course 50mm.
Basically they made wide angle because photographer could not step backward anymore in some situation. So I still love 50 as when I see things and point the camera result matches what I saw. With 35mm, often result is uninteresting because subjects is too far(too small). However I have not managed to get summicron or summilux as yet!
My point exactly.
I’d probably be good with three lenses. 24/28, 35, 50. 24/28 for travel, 35 for documentary, 50 for framing/portraiture. For rangefinder cameras, I tend to use 35 because it’s easier to nail focus. I tend to pick up SLR’s for 50 for critical focus.
Good points
Personally, if someone is starting out, I think the 50mm is a better choice. It’s just a bit easier to work with. It is less of a struggle to compose an image with a 50, because you have less visual elements to manage. You can also shoot portraits without too much distortion of the facial features.
I couldn't agree more.
The 50 is the dependable wife where as the wide angle is like the exciting mistress. We know which one is the right choice 🤪
Well said!
For me the best compromise is a fast 35mm F1.4 for a one lens kit. I can isolate the subject and shoot portraits, work up close and personal but still capture the scene. If I need to get tighter then I can always crop after the fact.
Winogrand 28mm, Cartier Bresson 35 & 50mm.
When I purchased my first 35mm SLR, the 50mm lens was the first lens I used on it. I loved the 50mm focal length when shooting live theatre. I usually flanked the 50mm f/1.4 with the 105mm f/2.5 and the 28mm f/2.8.
Over time, I tried 28mm, 35mm, 40mm, 45mm 50mm and 55mm focal lengths lenses as my one prime lens for general subjects. All of them worked. However, for general subjects, the 50 and 55 were too telephoto for my taste and the 28 was too wide for my taste. My personal favorite was the 35mm. The 40mm was my second personal favorite. One thing I really liked about the 35 was that when I was competing with other news photographers for a shot, since most of them were using 50mm, I was able to step in front of them and capture the image with my 35.
On my Nikon 35mm SLRs, I flank the 35mm f/1.4 with the 85mm f/1.4 and the 24mm f/2.
On my Leica M6 and M10 rangefinders, I flank the 35mm f/1.4 with the 90mm f/2 and the 21mm f/1.4.
Just found your channel and I enjoy it immensely; just subscribed. I use Leica cameras too, an M10 and an M7; I have a selection of lenses but invariably use a 35mm. The strange thing is, I always end up cropping the image and end up with the equivalent of a 50. I often ask myself, why didn’t I just use the 50 in the first place? One of those mysteries of life I suppose!
Thanks Pants, really appreciate it. I think maybe the 35mm is associated with safety maybe...? Why not try only using your 50mm for 6 months? Its amazing how you'll adapt and your days of cropping will be over :)
Its a great way of putting it and kinda my point really plus with a 50mm you have so much more choice of throwing your background out of focus.
I’ve not used my cameras for a week or two but have analysed what I actually do. I realised that I only crop the image to put it on Instagram. I am attempting to produce a self-published book and I don’t crop the images at all for it. I find using the 50mm on my M7 not quite as straightforward as it should be because I have the 0.58 viewfinder which is totally ideal for the 35mm lens.
@@timoplants5869 Why do you happen to crop for insta as a matter of interest? As for .58 V finders, I cant really comment as Ive never used one. What was your thinking behind having one in first place I'm wondering..? I've always used the standard 0.72 and it seems to work pretty well for me for the 50mm and the 35mm on the odd occasion I use it. When I'm shooting my 50mm I have an area of space around the periphery of the frame lines. When shooting 35mm I use the whole of the viewfinder. It can be a little strange going from one to the other but your brain quickly assimilates because it has to. I'd be interested to learn what your thoughts were with the 0.58 choice of VF.
The 0.58 was recommended by a well known independent Leica retailer in London. It is meant to be the ideal magnification if you wear glasses and just use a wide angle lens, which indeed, is the case in my…errr…case! My M10 has a standard viewfinder, I think it’s around 0.73 and is suitable for my 50mm; the 35mm framelines almost fill the viewfinder; the 28mm framelines are almost out of the viewing area.
One has to crop the vertical image in Instagram; otherwise, it is cropped for you by the program. Horizontal images are cropped to give a larger presence.
I've no choice: I was fed up with the 57/1.7 from Minolta, later I tasted the Summicron R 50/2.0 and now I enjoy the Summilux 50/1.4. All superb lenses. 80% of my press photography is shot with the 50, 15% with the Summilux 28/17 (Q) and the rest with a number of Leica R-lenses, a single Angenieux and a Voigtländer. I've never been a great fan of the 35 mm. It's too narrow to be a real wide angle lens. But good to listen to your thoughts.
Back when I was a avid fan of street photography, 35mm was my favorite. Now I prefer tighter "normal perspective" (like 80mm on 6x6)... so yeah 50mm.
Of course if you want to shoot a group of people (say 5 persons), 50mm is crappy. Gotta pick 35mm or wider.
Bottom line: won't hurt having a few primes. On the other side, this is why I thankful about SLR: using zoom lens is verryyy easyyyy :D
35mm focal length is very useful on a 35mm film camera. It's wide enough view for most applications, yet not so wide as to distort the perspective as much as shorter focal length lenses. When I don't want or need to use more than one lens; I invariably use a 35-70mm zoom lens and that covers a lot of ground. If I need a wider field of view I bring along a 28mm lens.
I’ll one up you... 28mm! 🤣
You seem to be British. Perhaps you are from the South of Britain because you speak like someone from the South of the US. I know that you are headed someplace and I am intriged enough to wait until you get there. Just an observation. Love both photos Matt.
50mm is my lens, too
I love to shoot 35 and i barely ever shoot 50.
I totally agree with you I don't like getting too close and the 50mm is perfect for me. I did a recent video where I contemplate selling my Harley for a Leica M and a 50mm Lux. If you have 4 minutes I'd appreciate your thoughts on it.
Hi Jay, thanks for your comment. My thoughts on your video or whether you should sell your Harley?
@@mattbentley-walls3106 not necessarily, just your thoughts on video in general.
@@jayespinal I really liked it. A great idea..a Harley or a Leica. A nice problem to have. Avoid the M11 if you do take the plunge.
@@mattbentley-walls3106 true, yeah I heard a few having issues with the M11. I’m going with the M10-P and a 50mm lux.
I have done much of my photography on holiday. A wider lens tends to work better for me when in new cities, new landscapes, etc. I've tried and tried with 50mm but it always seems to constraining except at night. Then I read that actually a normal lens on 135 format (full frame) is 43mm (See wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_lens), which means that a 35mm is a wide-normal and a 50mm is a long-normal. I keep trying with 50mm but it doesn't often work for me. Actually happier with 50mm lenses on APS-C cameras. I don't understand that. Anyway - good video and some very good points in here. Thanks for putting in the effort.
Hi Joe, many thanks for your comments. I'm intrigued. You say you 'try and try' with a 50mm lens but you're happy with a 35mm. Why do you keep trying with a 50mm. It sounds although you've found the ideal lens for you.
Good rant!
I love my 50 summilux 1.4😊
For two years I have been deciding between 35mm and 50mm and between Rangefinder and slr Why I would like to use one camera and one lens for my next projects And thanks to you I finally clarified and I think I will go with the 50mm. Now I have to decide between slr and Rangefinder 😅 thank you so much
Youre more than welcome and thanks so much for your comment. It's why I do these Vlogs. As for the camera..depends on your budget and what you shoot in the main.
@@mattbentley-walls3106 i have a pentax me super (i use in manual mode) with the 50mm/1.7 and 40mm pancake (Almost a 35mm right?) for travels and a canon 7 but i must buy a lens because the one supplied (industar 61 is too ruined). Since you use both nikon and leica, what do you find more natural to use? I dare to ask you because I agree with all 44 minutes of the video.
@@tomobistrot195 Aaah the Pentax ME Super, My very first camera! OK so there's no one simple answer. If you wanted one and you shoot film I'd say simply the Leica MP, if youre a digital man, the M10 or M10 R (if you want 40 mp's). I learnt everything on my ME Super and Nikon F3 and love these cameras in a sentimental sort of way. That said, when I stepped up to Leica I found it very disconcerting initially but after a week or so I didn't look back. I still have my F3 but it remains sadly in bag and seldom gets used. The Leica is the camera I use all of the time. It's the perfect camera for me. I shoot reportage/street most of the time and its the perfect tool for this but obviously very expensive yet completely worth it, for me. That said, if I shot sport I wouldn't dream of using a Leica, it would be a Nikon or Canon with a long telephoto lens every time. What do you shoot?
@@tomobistrot195 I'm literally about to upload a video on some prints I had made. These were all shot on a Leica. It'll most likely be ready to view this afternoon.
@@mattbentley-walls3106 i like street photography and i wanna make aome documentary / reportage projects. I like the bright viewfinder of pentax and when i use 50mm i can shoot whit all two eyes open. I love the slr but i bought the canon 7 (because it's something similar of the leica m3) because i wanted to try rangefinder world like my grest masters (elliott erwitt, manos, etc). I don't interested in sports and tele lenses
I once took a 20mm to portrait duty at work and quickly realised I owed everyone an apology! When your eye is fixed to the viewfinder in wonder you can forget what an arse you are being.
Haha - we've all been there! :)
50 mm cron
Excellent lens
23mm crop sensor 40mm approx…. Then a 35mm approx 58mm…. Get a Jupiter 85mm and bobs your angle…
Got a Leica 23mm Vioglander 35mm got a m42 Adaptor for my CL…..
So much stuff a girl can do with a lens….
you see 50mm, I see 24mm, but I want to buy 28mm because Leica don't have 24mm :(
Neither 35 nor 50mm. Choose the Leica summicron C 40mm f2.0. You can get it budget friendly for around 600 Dollars, 500 Euros or 400 Pounds.
It is a good compromise, the best of both but you loose the frame lines which is an issue if you are picky with framing
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Why not both?
Always shoot wide open no matter what ‼️ And learn to use all focal lengths.
I understand your intentions are good and did your best ❗️
Peace 🙏🏻🙏🏻
"Always shoot wide open no matter what" might work for a very specific style of shooting, but is horrible general advice. This is a great way to miss focus, and you can't compose multiple elements at different distances in the same frame.
😂😂😂
how do you spell "katia?" i cant figure out the spelling.
Katia? Hi Joel, sorry could you clarify. I'm not sure to what you're referring..
The famous 50mm photographer that you were Refrencing in the video :)
@@Jgheiler The three most important words in Reportage photography - Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Thank you!
@@mattbentley-walls3106 Forgot to ask, what camera and lens do you use? Is that a Leica?
Thanks for the vids, enjoying all so far, inc. the free-wheeling natural feel.
Currently wish-listing for a second film M to go alongside my M3 with 50 DR summicron, for a wider lens option and different film. Currently no idea whether I'd be able to see 28mm framelines or not with a standard 0.72, or the extent to which that's even an issue. Not particularly keen on external viewfinders but also know that 0.58 film Ms are (even more) premium items.
Thanks so much for the support and encouragement. In answer to your question I'm firstly not an expert on wide angle lenses as I hardly ever use them. From what I understand, the 0.72 accommodates the 35mm lens adequately but not a 28mm and so the 0.58 seems the only other option unless you're prepared to go the bolt on external vf way. That said, critical focusing on the 0.58 isn't great but then you could argue it doesn't need to be given a 28mm depth of field where pretty much everything will be in focus anyway. The 35mm Summicron is even very difficult to put out of focus. As for a body, I guess it depends on your budget and load of other preferences and variable but I personally love the MP which I think comes with the 0.58 option but I think you might have to order from Germany direct. And yes, there's a price for it. Second hand I honestly think the M7 is a fantastic option. Also, I know people say the 50mm is too close to a 35mm & visa versa but this is my combo and I wouldn't have it any other way. A 28mm is too wide for me, a 35mm is plenty wide enough. Honestly, I would keep to one lens and forget a second because as Ken Rockwell says - 1 prime is best, a second always has you wondering which to use instead of just getting the all important shot. Hope this helps.
PS you currently have the best lens and Leica Viewfinder possible. It doesn't get better than that.
@@mattbentley-walls3106 Thanks for this. 50 DR is of course already two lenses in one! There are times when I think a meter in the camera would be a good idea; loving the MP...
Also perhaps worth saying that I use 35mm film not only for reportage/documentary but for the 'butter notes' in projects that I mainly work on via large format and hope to continue with much more extensively in future (when I can find the time/opportunity!). I have found myself needing wider than 50mm reasonably frequently. Very much point taken re. virtues of working with one focal length.
@@davidfearn8635 I guess there are so many variables and I totally get what you're saying. The bottom line is that it all depends on the project maybe.