I shot with a 50mm for over 15 years. As a way of self improvement I set myself a "1 year only 35mm + f8" challenge. As you, I learned a lot about composition / framing. Now I shoot mainly with a 40mm lens, which has been my ideal focal length for the last 5+ years.
@@bogdan.g6403 Canon R5 with Canon EF 35mm f1.4L USM II lens for most of my work. Also carry a 100mm macro for tighter shots. Also use a Ricoh GR III (Street Edition).
This is by far the best video on this topic for me. Very simply explained, it can only be done by someone with great experience and talent. Perfect guidelines and it made it a lot easier for me personally to find my way around, helping any of us who have not yet clearly established our photographic techniques and preferences. A big thank you
This is really the best how-to-choose-a-focal-length video I've seen. Your approach to making a choice is very helpful. I thought the phrase "I went from looking for subjects to looking for scenes" was very well put when comparing something like an 85mm with a 35mm.
I use a 16-35 zoom on a full frame camera. I probably use it around 24mm the most. I like taking photos of buildings, and I like photos where I have small things in the foreground. Like a flower up close, with a mountain in the background.
This was the most helpful video for figuring out what lens I want. The way you described the focus on a subject vs the context made so much more sense than any other video or review of focal lengths I have seen or read. Thank you.
"wrangle all the elements together" - what a great way to describe the almost frenzied effort of keeping everything under control in a 28mm composition.
At 65, It's easy to seperate wheat from the chaff. I've retired all my gear. Now, it's the vintage Nikon 50mm 1.2 AIs that stays glued to my Nikon DSLR. This vintage lens with the nikon D600 renders colours that are easy to tweak in post to mimick grainy Kodkchrome colours. My old brain seems to connect with the lens. It has a reassuring heft of metal with a clickable aperture ring and it's all manual. The f1.2 helps with the out of focus, portraits and low light. Step back, it's a 35mm, crop and it's an 85 while still maintaining the 50mm depth of field which for me is the key to the 50. Sean, thank you. Choice!
For the last few years I have been around the 24mm area. I love the flexibility that it provides in street shots allowing a bit of openness and give things a sense of scale as well as the ability to move closer to subjects in order to get something more intimate.
This is such a balanced approach to discussing focal length. I shoot 75% at 50mm and the rest at 35mm but I keep a 28-80mm zoom handy just in case. If I had to have just one lens it would be 50mm, it’s just so versatile for portraits, documentary, street, family and even landscape with some stitching in lightroom.
“Scene” (35) and “Subject” (50); perfect definition. Better than “environmental” and “portrait”. After decades and review my pics, 35 & 50 do, or could, cover nearly everything on the street and travel.
A friend turned me on to your channel and I have to say it's wonderful. I'm a semi-pro/serious amateur photog (meaning I shoot anything interesting -- except weddings -- and periodically exhibit and sell prints) but don't shoot a lot of street despite its being my favorite genre to look at. My focal length is 24mm, colored by my primary genres of architecture, cityscapes, and travel. That said my 24s aren't great so primewise I shoot 28 more, with 50 and 24 next. Even with people I gravitate to wides, influenced heavily by cinema. I really enjoy space and context, but even when I push in I like the 3-d feel that wides bring. Tricky on close-up portraits, but wonderful when you nail it. Happy shooting!
May I suggest, when and if you start doing merch, use the scribbled diagram at 6:30 on a t-shirt! 😊 My most used focal lengths, in descending order, are 35, 50, 24, and 85.
I quite like an 18-55mm lens, I'm not on the streets everyday and don't like to be limited to a certain perspective or be messing around changing lenses so this works for me when the light is good and I dont need a fast prime.
I generally prefer longer focal lengths. I don't like to be up in people's business. I like 85, but if I had to choose an all-around focal length, it'd probably be 50.
This is by far, without a doubt the best video I have seen that illustrates the different focal lengths for full-frame and crop-sensors cameras. I just purchased my Sony FX30 (APS-C) and plan to do a ton of street videography with it. I've yet to purchase a lens because there are so many out there that it has become slightly overwhelming. Watching this video has allowed me to narrow my options down to a 35mm lens and a 50mm lens after days of deliberation. I've been stuck in a state of analysis paralysis, neglecting to explore my videography style. Your video allowed me to recognize the importance of experimenting for myself and purchase a damn lens already.
50mm here, for almost everything. It's just the perfect fit for me. I'm kind of a shy guy, I realized recently that it unconsciously forces me to stay halfway from my subject, without getting too far away neither, at least for the kind of compositions I like... Thanks for the great content, as usual ;)
Last year my mother died, at the respectable age of 92, and she left me some money. I wanted to buy something that would last and would be special to me. She liked my photography and bought me my first full frame camera years ago. I decided to buy a Zeiss lens, they last a lifetime and feel so nice when used. I was struggling a bit to decide on the focal length, 85 or 35 , in the end I decided on 35 and I’m very happy I did. It is such a nice focal length and so versatile. When I go on my daily walk I always take the 35. If I had to live with just one lens, that Zeiss 35 would be it.
@@bijosna Distagon 35mm f2 might be the lens this person loves, or a Biogon 35mm f2. Both renders beautiful pictures. When an artist photographer loves a lens its mainly due to the rendering, color, contrast this lens gives, regardles of MTF charts sharpness etc.
Great video, as always it's truly enriching to hear about your experience and your point of view Sean. For me my favorite lengths are the 85mm and the 35mm, as for the 50mm it's a bit of a love hate relationship. For the 85mm, I love how it allows me to isolate a subject, to make it stand out, to bring it closer to the "eye", to only focus on details and to be more creative with the depth of field. For instance, the video you've done featuring Maarten Rots inspired me to try to keep an eye out for any smaller details or "narrower" abstract compositions in the urban landscapes. Then the 35mm, is my sweet spot for when I want to focus in larger scenes, to get more of the context in my picture, to capture crowd movements... Anything wider than that feels awkward and only works for me on a case to case basis. While the bigger frame is great to use in some instances, it feel more often like I'm facing a discrepancy between the frame that I have and the picture I want to frame. But that may also be originate from the fact that I'm more drawn to telephoto lengths than wide ones, as I love how those lengths can the things that are far closer to the eye and make them keep their immensity. Finally, the 50mm, is a lenght I keep on trying to get more comfortable with. While some of my own favorite shots were taken with it, more than often I feel like I'm stuck in an awkward position, somewhere halfway between having a field of view that's to wide for me to isolate or get as close as I'd like, but at the same time too narrow to capture the scene.
This is great advice. I was using a 50mm equivalent but kept feeling like I had to back up all the time to get what I “saw” in the frame, so I got a 35mm equivalent lens, and all of the sudden I was able to get more of what I “saw”. The only caveat is I jump around a lot - so I got a nice zoom lens for when I don’t have a plan and just want to capture whatever catches my attention. I’m on M43 with only 16mp (Olympus E-m1 mark 1) so every pixel counts when trying to avoid cropping in post - so being able to zoom in and out to get the perfect frame as I see it helps.
Thank you for detailing your journey in such a crisp and succinct summary. I shoot with an aps-c camera Canon 200Dii. Lately I’ve been using the 50mm for children portraiture project at my place of work. When photographing children, I realised very quickly that it’s better if I were playing with them, and constantly chatting with them, esp toddlers. Using a longer lens is useless when they are sitting within arms length. So the nifty fifty became my lens of choice in this project. It is light enough for me to hold with one hand, and its focal length is just wide enough for me to get the details on the child’s face even when only an arms length away. It’s also my favourite street photography lens nowadays because of its lightweight. I can walk and shoot for 2-3 hrs with this lens. I’ve used the 24mm in nightscape and I love the simplicity it projects. The Nikkor 35mm remained my most loved lens of all time when I used to own a Nikon aps-c. It was so easy to “see” with that lens what I wanted to shoot and how I wanted to shoot even back in those days when I didn’t know anything about photography. I thought that lens was magic. 😂
Kind of late to the conversation, I guess, but I more and more I just use a 50mm equivalent for my camera format. It's limited, often not wide enough or long enough in any given situation. But it seems like when I get it right with that focal length, it really nails it. I do a lot of landscape photography and use other focal lengths too, but the flexibility of a the field of view you get with a 50-mil or its equivalent is worth the frustration of its limitations. Also, the size, weight simplicity of using a simpler kit is increasingly worth it to me. As I think about this, it strikes me that an informative exercise might be to find 25 or 50 of the most satisfying photographs I've made in the last five or ten years and see if they've been made with a consistent focal length. Anyway, really enjoy your videos.
My most used for well over a year now are 50mm and 40mm. I have 40mm fixed on a rangefinder film camera that I feel I appreciate more because of it being that slight bit wider than 50 without completely altering my perspective. I plan to get 40 on my mirrorless and stick with that. I also love how compact 40 is. I'm more likely to use it instead of my phone, which I appreciate
Out walking, I use a 30mm macro lens on a Micro Four Thirds camera (60mm equivalent). I like how it both constrains the view a bit and also brings in more context than I initially expected. It's my go-to for urban landscapes. Since it's a macro lens, I can get very close when that's what has my attention. ... Sean's journey with the different lenses and cameras is a good reminder of how I've learned what works for me through the circumstances of particular cameras, their default lenses, and purposeful experimentation. I enjoy the combination of personal, philosophical and practical in the videos. Thanks!
I have three focal-length sweet spots: 135, 70, and 35mm. Today, I am learning my way around 45mm. It is stretching me. But, my composition skills have been steadily improving along the way. Sean, your videos and approach to photography are such a breath of fresh air! Thank you!
40mm for me. It is wide enough for context and narrow enough for isolation. It's closest to a "normal" view for me. Your method for determining which focal length is a good and practical one. As always your content and images are first rate.
I've recently started using a 11 to 16 for street photography in crowded streets in small town India during my travels.. hugely rewarding in capturing the large canvas .. some distortion does add charm.. depending on the composition. Loved your talk and sharing.. more power to you brother 🙏🏽
After my camera was stolen, I took on the challenge to use my phone as my main camera. It was quite frustrating at the begging, I was so used to my 35mm lens on my Fuji X T1. And after 5 years I was able to see the photos in my head, I got used to my phone’s limitations and found a way around them. I loved the 2X zoom it offered as I also love street photography. Now I have a new phone and I’ve lost that 2X zoom, I’m faced with the endeavour to work with a wide and super wide angle lens. Looking forward to the photos! Thank you for your videos, I always come back to your channel when I’m losing inspiration! 😊
This is great, really confirmed why I like the 35mm focal length. I went through the work by these and many others and then looked to see what focal length they used and it was the 35mm almost every time that caught my eye, not too impersonal, and not too personal yet gives the sense of being involved with the subject just enough. It also includes enough of the surrounding environment to complete the story without the subject being lost in it.
I could so associate with your story, as I underwent almost the exact same process from first camera to present day. Truly Love your genuine and honest advice, love your channel! thank You!
If you're not sure which focal length you choose, first look to your lightroom catalogue. You may be surprised what you use the most. As ever a great video, Sean.
This might be the smoothest and clear video I've seen on focal lengths. I've been shooting in a zoom lens on digital and started shooting film with my moms old pentax camera that I found on my grandpa's house. I found a 50mm and a 28mm that both were in good shape still and decided to start with the 50mm. That was my first experience with a prime lens, making each shot worth it. When I switched to the 28mm I realized it felt really good for me. This made me start shooting even more in this focal length and practicing it by keeping my zoom lens wide open at 18mm (27mm eq.). I really enjoy shooting wide open because composition is what attracts me to photography. I had been doing this for a while now, exploring the wide view and getting better at balancing, composing and getting the feeling of the 28 images. Recently I bought the Sigma 16mm 1.4 (24mm eq, slightly wider than what I got used to) in a effort of getting sharper images and more light. I'm excited and grateful for this way of approaching focal lengths that you just described here: how do you actually see the world and which focal lengths represents that more accurately for you. I'll have that more present in mind whenever switching lenses. Thank you, Sean. PS. This is the first video I have seen from you. New subscriber here
An outstanding video, delivered so eloquently. Thank you. I started in the 1980s with my father’s SLR and a 50mm. It’s all we had. Looking back at those shots, I was clearly drawn to shooting portraits, as they seem to make up most of my early portfolio. Later adding a 35mm my portfolio started to move towards landscapes and urban scenes. Now, like yourself I’m in the 35-50 range and my pocket cameras in both film 35mm film and digital tend to be 38mm and 40mm.
Nice vid Sean. There’s something, as you said, about your proximity to the subject; a tangible intimacy if you do a head shot at 35-50mm. Portrait sessions with a 135 can be anodyne and unobtrusive. Which is fine with corporate stuff. But if you need to get inside your subject’s head or to at least be more present as an observer, you need to get into their ‘space’. I’m using the Sigma 35 1.2 on a Sony FF so I get the opportunity, if I shoot wide open, to isolate my subject or to close down and include the environment. It’s bloody heavy though!
For close to 35 years I reported news throughout Africa with 17-35mm f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8. I am no longer working as a news photographer but as caregiver in Seattle. I am struggling to "unlearn" photojournalism and to learn to shoot "for myself". I am using Nikon D610 with 28mm f2.8 and 35mm f2.8. For years, the focus had to be sharp, exposure correct with details clear in all the photo. I worked to show faces and emotions, I worked hard for action photos, tight without wasting frame space...now I have to purge that off my photography. its an exciting journey and glad Seattle is the take off point. Does anyone here any know how I can go about this? or anyone who has done this in the past?
I loved my Nikkor 35mm when I used to shoot Nikon. It is still my most favourite lens in my memory. I don’t know how to unlearn photojournalism but maybe you can join a camera club and I’ll explain why. My husband I joined a camera club last year. Apart from the social activities, workshops and presentations to grow our techniques and skills, there’s the monthly competition with set subjects. One year ago I was just happily photographing my garden and roses. That was the limit of my skills 😂. Being in the club challenged me to try other genre, develop new skills and crank up my creativity. The most challenging for me was the subject “Stairs/Staircase/Escalator” how do I go from shooting pretty roses to ugly industrial looking stairwells? It was a huge leap for me if you know what I mean. In the end I was lucky enough to find a pretty set of stairs in a public place that I could shoot with some creative flair 😜 So in my humble opinion, joining a club which sets you monthly challenge will in a way force you to move out of your comfort zone, seek genre outside of photojournalism and provide you with a platform to showcase your work. Good luck! 😊 P.S. We have recently signed up with a second club as social members, meaning we go in for the gatherings to learn, socialise and shoot together but we just don’t compete there. I explain to everyone that asked “Why two clubs?” that we have fun in one club while we compete in the other club, the best of both worlds. 😂
As an ex press photographer I can totally relate to your comment. I decided to start posting to Instagram as my scrapbook. This may puzzle some viewers as my images don't necessarily follow any theme or style. It's just a collection of ideas and moods of how I feel on a given day or time. The rules are no rules. Have fun.
I'd say it's like increasing your skill in any other area of photography. The best way is to do some learning, shoot frame after frame with intentionality, review your images to see how close you got to what you were looking for, and then repeat. Eventually, your images will get to the place you want them to be!
This is a fantastic video! You have really explained the differences very clearly. I especially like the comparison to other photographers and their own work.
I'm actually on the 85mm spectrum. The main reason is that I'm a very abstract photographer in my day-to-day-work and often times I have to get very close to subjects when walking through Munich!
Excellent breakdown on your journey with focal lengths. I'm honestly a 50mm guy; I just click with that field of view. Yet I found over the years that is was something...Stale about it. Clean. Straightforward. Easy to get images that I liked. But I noticed the photos that I LOVED were when I'd experiment with something wider. 35, 28, even 24mm would offer something dynamic when everything came together. So after much deliberation I got a Fuji X100V and shot with just that body for 8 months. Absolutely hated it the first month. But after that, I started loving the extra bit of context and messiness that needed to be navigated. I started doing crowd photos and came out with bangers that would have been impossible to get with how tight a 50mm is. The intimacy of wider lenses is really appealing. I love the work of others who use 28/24 but that feels a bit "much" for now. 35 is like a wide 50. Gets you the context without having to stand far - or overly distorting the subject by being close. Still working on 35mm portraiture as I keep reaching for that 50mm, haha. But I think everyone should consider how to be intentional with focal lengths in this way. Committing to 35mm for those months was one of the best things I ever did for my work.
I really liked how to understand and untangle the angle of view. Best acknowledged!!! On the contrary, I've used 28mm for over 10 years, from Rico GRD to GXR to GR2, and it's expanded to 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm order. My favorite angles of view right now are 50mm and 35mm. I don't have a zoom lens, thank you.
Sean, your content is so rich and meaningful. Been following your channel for years. Oh, and I'm a 24mm weirdo. I've always been a 24 to 35 sort of guy. I like the environmental context, I like the distortion, I like getting in close and interacting with my subject.
It definitely depends on the architecture of your place and what you want to show. Sadly I feel bored shooting with one focal lenght all the time which makes the hobby really costly... haha
I love the classic 50mm… but i’m learning to love 28mm as well. I used to do real state shots… love the 16mm for that… and wider lenses. I really want a tele to play now.
I have only started my photographic journey with a 24-64 eq. kit lens. And am finding myself getting more keepers from around 50 mm most of the time and 35 in tighter spaces. I think that the space available affects a lot on focal lens suiting at that particular place. Am a shy guy and am not comfortable going closer to people but am trying to wirk on it. Hence 40 to 50mm makes be much comfortable. Am planing to follow the method of leaving my zoom lens on one focal length at the tighter end and work with for a while and understand hiw it works and gradually widen it to 28 and analyse how all of that is affecting my shooting style and results i get. Then only am gonna get a prime. That the plan now😂 And this video was really helpfull for me. Really appreciate what you are doing. Thank you
May I offer some heartfelt thanks. Recently retired from a (too) long career in corporate america, I'm looking forward to spreading my wings.. and capturing my journey through photography. So it is that I'm just learning the craft.. I recently got my first ILC and a couple of lenses (with a couple more on my wish list) and am learning some of the technicalities around what makes a kit wide or bright or fast and what makes a composition engaging. Still, I wanted to thank you for this video.. it brought the discussion of focal lengths down to a very human level while acknowledging the technicalities of the effect that focal length has on perspective. Through all the technical discussion I've encountered about 16mm architectural photography or 50mm portrait photography or 600mm telephoto action photography, yours made the concept of focal length real for me.. something organic and personal.. more in keeping with what I imagine photography ought to be.. and while I will likely be experimenting with different focal lengths on this journey, I wanted to thank you for your very personal perspective.. for suggesting that it's not all about the science and technicalities.. that sometimes it's about finding yourself in the craft... 🥲
I’m in love with the focal length 85mm f/1.4 ❤ It gives me the possibility to take ownership over what I want to draw attention to, and just that. I’m moving a lot around if I want more in the frame though, and that’s just fine! If it’s in the frame, it’s there because I put it there.
Same!!!! I want to be deliberate and specific with what I’m conveying to the audience and using my composition and subject matter to bring the abstraction and uniqueness.
The Canon 350d was my very first camera as well.!! I brought it with its standard kits lens (18-55 and 55-200?) It was the camera i grew with - and it lasted me a good 10 odd years before i fell off the wagon; and since then have owned a number of other digital cameras - all of which i've never really fallen in love with as much as I had with the 350d. My personal favourite go-to focal lens have always been 18mm (28mm full frame) and 55mm (85mm full frame). I have recently purchased the Fujifilm XT3 with their 18-55mm premium kit lens (a wonderful all-round lens indeed). But i agree - i still only use the 18mm and 55mm ends of this lens and hardly (if ever) anything in between. I just wish now i could own the 18mm f1.4 and the 56mm f1.4 lens separately. Great episode Sean, thanks for sharing.
I really like diff lens for different items. I love my 70-200 for most shots 16-35 f2.8 for landscape and now 35mm 1.4 for almost everything day to day.
Since 1979 my primary lens has been the Nikkor 20 f 3.5 UD and it's AIS successor. I have two for my D3/D700 and D300. When I picked up a couple Canon VT Deluxe rangefinders for black and white film, I bought a couple Voightlander 21mmf4 Color Skopar and 25mm f4 Snapshot Skopar ltm lenses. I LOVE the opportunities for Foreground/Background relationship compositions. I love bringing in more elements to incorporate into my field of view. I love trees and love clouds. Expansive joy.
As mostly a travel photographer, I use 16-35, 55 and 100-400. The great mosque or the opera house in Muscat, Oman, are so rich and have that spatial feel I can only capture at 20mm. Insects and plants (macro) and birds (far away) come out just great at 300-400mm. But for almost anything else, I trust my 55mm. This focal length forces me to make a clear choice of what I want in my picture, more than a 35. Yet let’s me connect to my subjects more closely than an 85.
Over the decades, I have tried 21, 24, 28, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55mm for one lens/one body street photography. All worked well. I rarely use the 35mm and the 50mm in the same lens kit. My favorite street three-lens kit for my Leica rangefinder is: 21/35/90mm. My favorite street three-lens kit for my SLR is: 24/50/105mm.
A well-developed presentation. Thanks. When I walked around doing film "street photography", ie. no set purpose, just walking, looking for a shot, I had two bodies - one with a 35mm f2 and the other with a 85mm f2. I loved it. That was with film. Don't know what I would do today. I should also mention that I began with a 50mm f1.4 and a 200mm f4.
I am a street photography. I vary between 35 & 50mm. There isn’t much of a difference between them. If I want the subject larger in my frame I take a step or two closer. If I want more background I reverse the process. I focus with my feet. This is so different from using 28 or 85mm field of view. They are both so extreme the simple process of focusing with my feet simply doesn’t work. Sometimes I simply use a zoom lens to deal with the difference in perspective. Other times I carry two bodies. One with an 85mm lens and the other with a 35mm lens. It is faster to switch bodies than switch lenses. Things happen so fast on the street I can’t be bothered switching lenses all the time. Unlike you Sean, I haven’t committed to one focal length. Committing to one focal length means carrying less weight and spending less money on lenses I use occationally. Thank you for highlighting Ernst Hass and Saul Leiter. Two of my photography heros. I didn’t realize those images were taken at 85mm. Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)
Anyone struggling with gear acquisition syndrome (new lens addiction) needs to watch this video. Such good points about the gut feeling of how you see the world and considering if you always back up vs have to crop images
always a great day when another sean tucker video comes up. oh, and I'm a nifty fifty kinda guy - I find it always works for me in numerous situations and it's been my go-to for years now.
I had a similar journey. Started with 50mm (85mm) on apsc, moved to 35mm (50mm), then to X100T 23mm (35mm). Now I own all 3 focal lengths as primes. I'm wanting to switch to 28/50 or 35/85 set up though for lifestyle, walk around, portrait, plus I think you need a workhorse 24-70 and maybe even a 70-200 if your into outdoors/landscape. Photography is expensive!
I just saw your video while looking into the differences of 35/50/85mm, I like the way how you explained the struggles of choosing the right lens for your own use and make it as your go to lens most of the time. I am a portrait and landscape type of guy, when I shoot I want my subject to be close enough so I can separate my subject from the background, and that brings me to either 85/50mm with f1.2/1.4/1.8 and wide enough to capture the whole picture that I want, from 16/24/28mm f2.8 and up. I beleive that when I do find that sweet spot for me I would be happy with it, so I decided to go 16-35mm for wide and perhaps 28-105mm f2.8 for the rest. And perhaps 85mm f1.2/1.4
I wish I had a teacher like you during my school days. The way you explain things explains so much and so nicely. Thanks. I like 105mm, it's let me concentrate on lesser details and focus more on singular objects.
I find I gravitate toward t'hree of my lenses the most. They're not great lenses, but the kit 18-55 for landscapes. Usually at the 18 end. The 55-250 for animals and tight composed scenes, at the 250 end. And a 50 prime for portraits.
It’s great to watch this video again Sean. I recently acquired the Viltrox 27mm 1.2. That Lens feels so perfect for my eyes. 40mm is a beautiful frame. Great video 👍🏽
120-300mm equivalent was a revelation! Living in Japan, I was quite conscious about respecting people's privacy here, it allows me to be further away without disturbing the scene. I also love being able to pick out details of the daily life that people might not have seen. You don't need to travel to a famous IG spot to find beauty :)
Yes, I shoot video and I find that at times, a bigger focal lens allows me to shoot people without them getting uptight [as we all do when the cameras come out]
35 mm was at one time a standard…when people differentiated from a point and shoot 50 years ago they would say “I shot that on a 35mm”- just some history from an old guy
@@jsaproductions5That's funny. In my era when people said, "I shot that on a 35mm" they were actually referring to the 35mm film they were shooting with not the focal length.
@@JiminSC strangely: In motion pictures that record on film, 35 mm is the most commonly used gauge. The name of the gauge is not a direct measurement, and refers to the nominal width of the 35 mm format photographic film, which consists of strips 1.377 ± 0.001 inches (34.976 ± 0.025 mm) wide.
Im just starting out with my first camera and only have a 35mm. I was feeling a bit discouraged and overwhelmed trying to compose a full scene at that width. It was really reassuring to hear your guess that you'd started narrow because you were intimidated by composing at that focal length. I'm going to keep working and figure out how to make this focal length work for me before i try narrowing things.
I shoot with all focal lengths from 16 to 200 on different cameras and lenses from canon and Nikons and today I only shoot 28 with Leica Q2. I think it’s not the focal length, but what you choose to use, that teaches you the most. Coming further or closer will solve most of the problems with how you see it, but sticking with one lens whatever it is will teach you to just keep focusing on what’s matter, the images that you’ll be able to produce. Great worrier will fight equally well with sword, arrows, fist and bad one will aways be afraid to fight. Great tips of how you tell if you like the distance, thank you Sean🙏🏻
I'm a 24-70mm (full frame equivalent) zoom sucker like the next guy, but for the same reason: bulkiness, weight, unnoticed-factor and price on the line (if visiting a sketchy place), I moved to 35mm on a fuji, and recently I bought a GR with the 28mm and learning to use it properly.
I'd say I'm a 35 mm person, especially since getting the X100V. It quite often matches what I see, it offers great versatility for street, portraits and landscapes, and I don't usually need to crop. All that said, I can't say it would be my *only* focal length. I'm becoming quite happy with the fact that I have different preferences (or self-assigned projects) at different times and I'm always looking for different ways of seeing things. Turning to the video, great job as always; intriguing -- and unlike you -- to invite people to jump to the comments section -- but so like you for the purpose it serves, to inspire others and try to get people to learn from one another. Hope you'll be able to keep up the good work -- all the best!
Great video! I love your journey through the different focal lengths. I mainly use an 85mm for just about anything as I love to shoot candid photos of people in the streets. I sometimes use it with the crop mode on my full frame camera for that extra reach. Lately, I've been wanting to include more of the scene around the subject and have been considering getting a 35mm for this. Your video might just have pushed me to pull the trigger on it.
Very good video! For decades I only took analog photos with 50mm because it didn't distort and the quality was very good with cheap lenses. The lens determines how you see the world, that's really true. For me today it's 45mm or 85mm.
I shoot my Fuji XE4 almost exclusively with the 27mm/f2.8 pancake (I love the compactness and portability of this kit, as well as the focal length) together with the 23mm/f1.4 in more challenging conditions or whenever the slightly wider angle/glass quality is needed. My 56mm (portrait) and 16mm (architecture and narrow spaces) are used for special tasks only. The first lens I bought for my Fuji was the 35mm/f2, but It didn't fit me at all - it was not wide enough most of the time.
I absolutely love that you talk about what lens choice does for one’s visual communication as opposed to meaningless specs like sharpness and speed. Poor photos shot with an ultra sharp lens are still poor photos. Thanks for talking about what matters.
24mm on the street and 35mm for most of my journalism. I use the 24mm because not only dose it challenge me to get closer and get out of my comfort zone, it makes me see more around the one thing I focus on. 24mm is the perfect scene in a photograph and 35mm is the best for everything.
I use a 2005 8.1 megapixel Ricoh GR digital with a 28mm equivalent f2. 4 lens and shoot in black and white mostly. I love the filmic look. Reminds me of Kadak Trix film.
Back in the film days I did street and race track photography. I carried a Nikon F2 with 105 and a Nikkormat F with a 28. Now I find myself swapping mostly between a Q2Monochrom (28) and an X-Pro2 with a 16-80, giving me essentially the same focal lengths. Must be the way I see the world. Thank you for your excellent content!
Excellent video describing your journey. Much appreciated. I’ve been a photographer for 24yrs and never used a prime until a year ago. I went with a 50mm and have liked it but thinking a 35mm might be best, as I often find myself scooting back. Thanks for the advice!
My favourite focal length is 35mm on APSC. My passion is woodland photography and that 35mm (50mm full frame equivalent) is somehow the way I see those woodland scenes in front of me. Now and then I use the 50mm (75mm full frame equivalent) when I do not have the possibilty to get close enough when composing the scene. Both focal length do give me the feel that I can create a image of a woodland scene that can give the viewer the sense to being in the scene.
35mm lens because that is how I see the world...50mm too narrow. I do have a 28mm that I use from time to time when I want wider inclusive photographs. But my 95% go-to lens is the 35mm on my rangefinder full frame camera. Love the book, The Meaning in the Making, and the videos. Well done!
It really depends on subject matter. I often shoot ultra-wide 20mm to shoot cityscapes/landscapes, but I always carry a 24-240mm telephoto lens too for flexibility.
I'm still on my photo journey. Guess I always will be. I've been up and down with my photography. I currently use an APS-C Pentax K-5 II. I have bunch of lenses from different eras. M42 screw mounts up to the K mounts. I have a few zooms but I seem to prefer primes. I like to do events, architecture, landscape, and close up nature. My most used focal length 50mm. But lately I started using 35mm.
I had the 18-55mm kit lens for ages and I felt like 35-50mm is what the eyes see anyway. And as you mentioned, a lot of Photographers swear by it. I guess I got bored of similar looking vistas. And I went on the opposite journey. I realised that I love finding beauty in insignificant random things and a telephoto zoom is great for creating abstract compositions of nature or on the street.
I needed to hear this, so thanks for the episode Sean. When I started in 1972 ( I know scary isn’t it), 50mm is what my Minolta SRT101 came with. It was a while before I could afford anything else. A new photo mag came out in about 1976 called “Photo Technique”. An early edition featured Henri CB and his 50mm theory. So, I was addicted, but saved up and bought a 28mm. Frightened the life out of me and ran back to my 50 ( can’t believe I’m revealing this). Anyway, I’m still there it’s 50 all the way, but it would seem, for neither artistic nor technical reasons.
I normally use 2.8 zooms for my work and always been a telephoto guy. But on my recent trip to Rome, I could not bring my big full frame kit, so I challenged myself with a 28 mm equivalent compact. I struggled in the start but found comfort in Sean’s old gr videos where I learned to look for scenes with interesting lighting instead of only subjects.
Thanks for another outstanding thought-provoking video. I don't have a favorite focal length. I favor using a zoom lens, i.e. 16-50 or an 18-135 on an APS-C camera, so that I can choose the focal length appropriate to how I am seeing the scene before me.
Back in the day, when I were a lad and we only used film (remember that?), if you bought an SLR, it came with a 50mm lens. That was probably the best lens you had. Zoom lenses were expensive and pretty awful. Until recently, I used a Panasonic G7 (from MPB), and ended up with a drawer full of lenses, most of which have been used once or twice. I ended up using a Sigma 19mm (equiv. 38mm full-frame) nearly all the time. So, I've recently got a X100F (from MPB). The Panasonic gear will, hopefully, be going to MPB in the New Year. A good video, as usual. Merry Christmas, and have a Happy New Year.
I shoot olympus m43 with adapted Zuiko primes. Still working on Zuiko 50mm f1.8 or 28mm f2.8. 50mm adapted 100mm too much, 28mm adapted 56mm sometimes to wide....
Brought the GRIIIx as well because of the 40mm equiv. It matches the geometry of the 80mm medium format cameras. 42mm to be precise but I don’t be too picky on this.
My focal length: I've moved to 40 mm ....it's a F1.2 Voigtlander Nokton... I'm loving the dreamy look when shot wide open and the sharpness of the images in the smaller aperture range.
I believe It's more important to determine which photographic genre piques a photographer's attention. Generally speaking, determining a photographer's preferred style of photography takes time. In my situation, I reviewed my Lightroom history and discovered that I have primarily used 35-50mm lenses and am more interested in people than in nature. I spent a good amount on portrait lenses, particularly 50mm lens. I do, however, also have zoom, wide-angle, and macro lenses in case I wish to take a photo of something different. The Canon xsi and 50mm f/1.8 were also my first camera and lens. I believe that for a novice learner, the 50mm f1.8 makes more sense as a kit lens than the 18-55mm. Great video like always. =)
I use a Nikon 24-120 mm f.4 as a go-to lens for more reasons than I can put here. I carry a second body with the 14-24 mm f. 2.8 lens because I sometimes need a wider perspective than 24 mm will give me. Go-to f. stop is f. 8, but that varies. Aperture priority is normal, or manual. I don't have one focal lenght I go to most. I range between 30 mm and 90 mm most of the time. But, I did find that 24 mm wasn't quite wide enough sometimes, particularly if I intended to correct the persective, which uses up part of the image area.
Like you, I went with Fujifilm back in the day. Still there. The 35f1.4 (50mm full frame) quickly became my favourite. I haven’t used it since early Covid, but as I took the kid to a museum today, I grabbed the proper camera (as opposed to the iPhone) and the 35mm. As I was shooting, I found myself taking a step forward or back to frame, before I put the camera to my eye. I just knew what would fit into the frame and where I needed to be to get the perfect composition. That’s what you get from using a single focal length for some time. You instinctively know what it looks like. Moral of the story (and that’s pretty munch what you’re saying) is, live with a single lens for a while and learn to understand the focal length.
Thank you Sean for sharing that .. Just like you said when I putt camera with 35mm lens to my eye I don't have to move and just taking a shot.. It's all about angle you see the world through.. Using different lens is good fun though ..
I used 50mm f2.8 equiv because that is the only prime I had. I have a 90mm f3.6 equiv and recently am thinking about trying that out on the street. I enjoy the 'problem solving' of getting a photo...
I have been shooting seriously for 11 years first starting with a 24-70mm lens and found that frustrating...do I zoom in....do I stay wide? Within a year I went to a prime 35mm lens for my full frame camera and never sought to use another length as my go-to lens. I do occasionally (actually rarely) shoot with a 50mm and 75mm lenses but it does not replicate my vision as the 35mm f/2 lens does...it is how I see and the resulting photographs emulate that vision. If I need to focus in I move closer; but I really never have to make large adjustments. The photograph I make is how I saw that picture. Well done, Sean!
I shot with a 50mm for over 15 years. As a way of self improvement I set myself a "1 year only 35mm + f8" challenge. As you, I learned a lot about composition / framing. Now I shoot mainly with a 40mm lens, which has been my ideal focal length for the last 5+ years.
For my street photography, which is all I do now, I’ve whittled my kit down to the Canon R5 and Ricoh GR II, the 35mm and 100mm (macro).
I use a 70-200 zoom. I prefer a longer lens for all my photography.
Hello, what setup you use for street? thanks
@@bogdan.g6403 Canon R5 with Canon EF 35mm f1.4L USM II lens for most of my work. Also carry a 100mm macro for tighter shots. Also use a Ricoh GR III (Street Edition).
what's the reason behind F8 only?
I like 85 mm. To show the small things that no one sees, but tell a story is what I love most at all the moment.
For me i prefer 100 macro
I find it hard to believe how a photo taken with a 85mm lens can tell a story, for context one would need a 28-35mm focal-length.
@@FART-REPELLENT 85 can. But more personal. Try it.
@PSYCHIC_PSYCHO 28-35 is completely wrong for me, 85mm can have all the context if you have the imagination
This is by far the best video on this topic for me. Very simply explained, it can only be done by someone with great experience and talent. Perfect guidelines and it made it a lot easier for me personally to find my way around, helping any of us who have not yet clearly established our photographic techniques and preferences. A big thank you
This is really the best how-to-choose-a-focal-length video I've seen. Your approach to making a choice is very helpful. I thought the phrase "I went from looking for subjects to looking for scenes" was very well put when comparing something like an 85mm with a 35mm.
I use a 16-35 zoom on a full frame camera. I probably use it around 24mm the most. I like taking photos of buildings, and I like photos where I have small things in the foreground. Like a flower up close, with a mountain in the background.
This was the most helpful video for figuring out what lens I want. The way you described the focus on a subject vs the context made so much more sense than any other video or review of focal lengths I have seen or read. Thank you.
"wrangle all the elements together" - what a great way to describe the almost frenzied effort of keeping everything under control in a 28mm composition.
At 65, It's easy to seperate wheat from the chaff. I've retired all my gear. Now, it's the vintage Nikon 50mm 1.2 AIs that stays glued to my Nikon DSLR. This vintage lens with the nikon D600 renders colours that are easy to tweak in post to mimick grainy Kodkchrome colours. My old brain seems to connect with the lens. It has a reassuring heft of metal with a clickable aperture ring and it's all manual. The f1.2 helps with the out of focus, portraits and low light. Step back, it's a 35mm, crop and it's an 85 while still maintaining the 50mm depth of field which for me is the key to the 50. Sean, thank you. Choice!
For the last few years I have been around the 24mm area. I love the flexibility that it provides in street shots allowing a bit of openness and give things a sense of scale as well as the ability to move closer to subjects in order to get something more intimate.
This is such a balanced approach to discussing focal length. I shoot 75% at 50mm and the rest at 35mm but I keep a 28-80mm zoom handy just in case. If I had to have just one lens it would be 50mm, it’s just so versatile for portraits, documentary, street, family and even landscape with some stitching in lightroom.
“Scene” (35) and “Subject” (50); perfect definition. Better than “environmental” and “portrait”. After decades and review my pics, 35 & 50 do, or could, cover nearly everything on the street and travel.
A friend turned me on to your channel and I have to say it's wonderful. I'm a semi-pro/serious amateur photog (meaning I shoot anything interesting -- except weddings -- and periodically exhibit and sell prints) but don't shoot a lot of street despite its being my favorite genre to look at. My focal length is 24mm, colored by my primary genres of architecture, cityscapes, and travel. That said my 24s aren't great so primewise I shoot 28 more, with 50 and 24 next. Even with people I gravitate to wides, influenced heavily by cinema. I really enjoy space and context, but even when I push in I like the 3-d feel that wides bring. Tricky on close-up portraits, but wonderful when you nail it. Happy shooting!
May I suggest, when and if you start doing merch, use the scribbled diagram at 6:30 on a t-shirt! 😊 My most used focal lengths, in descending order, are 35, 50, 24, and 85.
I use 30mm macro lens on my Fuji for street. Sits nicely between 35 and 50mm equivalent and great for close up to.
I quite like an 18-55mm lens, I'm not on the streets everyday and don't like to be limited to a certain perspective or be messing around changing lenses so this works for me when the light is good and I dont need a fast prime.
I generally prefer longer focal lengths. I don't like to be up in people's business. I like 85, but if I had to choose an all-around focal length, it'd probably be 50.
This is by far, without a doubt the best video I have seen that illustrates the different focal lengths for full-frame and crop-sensors cameras.
I just purchased my Sony FX30 (APS-C) and plan to do a ton of street videography with it. I've yet to purchase a lens because there are so many out there that it has become slightly overwhelming. Watching this video has allowed me to narrow my options down to a 35mm lens and a 50mm lens after days of deliberation.
I've been stuck in a state of analysis paralysis, neglecting to explore my videography style. Your video allowed me to recognize the importance of experimenting for myself and purchase a damn lens already.
50mm here, for almost everything. It's just the perfect fit for me. I'm kind of a shy guy, I realized recently that it unconsciously forces me to stay halfway from my subject, without getting too far away neither, at least for the kind of compositions I like... Thanks for the great content, as usual ;)
Last year my mother died, at the respectable age of 92, and she left me some money. I wanted to buy something that would last and would be special to me. She liked my photography and bought me my first full frame camera years ago. I decided to buy a Zeiss lens, they last a lifetime and feel so nice when used. I was struggling a bit to decide on the focal length, 85 or 35 , in the end I decided on 35 and I’m very happy I did. It is such a nice focal length and so versatile. When I go on my daily walk I always take the 35. If I had to live with just one lens, that Zeiss 35 would be it.
Which zeiss is it?
@@bijosnThe one made by Carl.....Carl Zeiss 😉
@@bijosna Distagon 35mm f2 might be the lens this person loves, or a Biogon 35mm f2. Both renders beautiful pictures. When an artist photographer loves a lens its mainly due to the rendering, color, contrast this lens gives, regardles of MTF charts sharpness etc.
Great video, as always it's truly enriching to hear about your experience and your point of view Sean.
For me my favorite lengths are the 85mm and the 35mm, as for the 50mm it's a bit of a love hate relationship. For the 85mm, I love how it allows me to isolate a subject, to make it stand out, to bring it closer to the "eye", to only focus on details and to be more creative with the depth of field. For instance, the video you've done featuring Maarten Rots inspired me to try to keep an eye out for any smaller details or "narrower" abstract compositions in the urban landscapes.
Then the 35mm, is my sweet spot for when I want to focus in larger scenes, to get more of the context in my picture, to capture crowd movements... Anything wider than that feels awkward and only works for me on a case to case basis. While the bigger frame is great to use in some instances, it feel more often like I'm facing a discrepancy between the frame that I have and the picture I want to frame. But that may also be originate from the fact that I'm more drawn to telephoto lengths than wide ones, as I love how those lengths can the things that are far closer to the eye and make them keep their immensity.
Finally, the 50mm, is a lenght I keep on trying to get more comfortable with. While some of my own favorite shots were taken with it, more than often I feel like I'm stuck in an awkward position, somewhere halfway between having a field of view that's to wide for me to isolate or get as close as I'd like, but at the same time too narrow to capture the scene.
This is great advice. I was using a 50mm equivalent but kept feeling like I had to back up all the time to get what I “saw” in the frame, so I got a 35mm equivalent lens, and all of the sudden I was able to get more of what I “saw”. The only caveat is I jump around a lot - so I got a nice zoom lens for when I don’t have a plan and just want to capture whatever catches my attention. I’m on M43 with only 16mp (Olympus E-m1 mark 1) so every pixel counts when trying to avoid cropping in post - so being able to zoom in and out to get the perfect frame as I see it helps.
Danke!
Thank you for detailing your journey in such a crisp and succinct summary. I shoot with an aps-c camera Canon 200Dii. Lately I’ve been using the 50mm for children portraiture project at my place of work. When photographing children, I realised very quickly that it’s better if I were playing with them, and constantly chatting with them, esp toddlers. Using a longer lens is useless when they are sitting within arms length. So the nifty fifty became my lens of choice in this project. It is light enough for me to hold with one hand, and its focal length is just wide enough for me to get the details on the child’s face even when only an arms length away. It’s also my favourite street photography lens nowadays because of its lightweight. I can walk and shoot for 2-3 hrs with this lens. I’ve used the 24mm in nightscape and I love the simplicity it projects. The Nikkor 35mm remained my most loved lens of all time when I used to own a Nikon aps-c. It was so easy to “see” with that lens what I wanted to shoot and how I wanted to shoot even back in those days when I didn’t know anything about photography. I thought that lens was magic. 😂
One of the most well articulated and well explained videos I have seen on photography.
Kind of late to the conversation, I guess, but I more and more I just use a 50mm equivalent for my camera format. It's limited, often not wide enough or long enough in any given situation. But it seems like when I get it right with that focal length, it really nails it. I do a lot of landscape photography and use other focal lengths too, but the flexibility of a the field of view you get with a 50-mil or its equivalent is worth the frustration of its limitations. Also, the size, weight simplicity of using a simpler kit is increasingly worth it to me. As I think about this, it strikes me that an informative exercise might be to find 25 or 50 of the most satisfying photographs I've made in the last five or ten years and see if they've been made with a consistent focal length. Anyway, really enjoy your videos.
My most used for well over a year now are 50mm and 40mm. I have 40mm fixed on a rangefinder film camera that I feel I appreciate more because of it being that slight bit wider than 50 without completely altering my perspective. I plan to get 40 on my mirrorless and stick with that. I also love how compact 40 is. I'm more likely to use it instead of my phone, which I appreciate
Out walking, I use a 30mm macro lens on a Micro Four Thirds camera (60mm equivalent). I like how it both constrains the view a bit and also brings in more context than I initially expected. It's my go-to for urban landscapes. Since it's a macro lens, I can get very close when that's what has my attention. ... Sean's journey with the different lenses and cameras is a good reminder of how I've learned what works for me through the circumstances of particular cameras, their default lenses, and purposeful experimentation. I enjoy the combination of personal, philosophical and practical in the videos. Thanks!
I have three focal-length sweet spots: 135, 70, and 35mm. Today, I am learning my way around 45mm. It is stretching me. But, my composition skills have been steadily improving along the way.
Sean, your videos and approach to photography are such a breath of fresh air! Thank you!
40mm for me. It is wide enough for context and narrow enough for isolation. It's closest to a "normal" view for me. Your method for determining which focal length is a good and practical one. As always your content and images are first rate.
I've recently started using a 11 to 16 for street photography in crowded streets in small town India during my travels.. hugely rewarding in capturing the large canvas .. some distortion does add charm.. depending on the composition. Loved your talk and sharing.. more power to you brother 🙏🏽
After my camera was stolen, I took on the challenge to use my phone as my main camera. It was quite frustrating at the begging, I was so used to my 35mm lens on my Fuji X T1. And after 5 years I was able to see the photos in my head, I got used to my phone’s limitations and found a way around them. I loved the 2X zoom it offered as I also love street photography.
Now I have a new phone and I’ve lost that 2X zoom, I’m faced with the endeavour to work with a wide and super wide angle lens. Looking forward to the photos!
Thank you for your videos, I always come back to your channel when I’m losing inspiration! 😊
This is great, really confirmed why I like the 35mm focal length. I went through the work by these and many others and then looked to see what focal length they used and it was the 35mm almost every time that caught my eye, not too impersonal, and not too personal yet gives the sense of being involved with the subject just enough. It also includes enough of the surrounding environment to complete the story without the subject being lost in it.
I could so associate with your story, as I underwent almost the exact same process from first camera to present day. Truly Love your genuine and honest advice, love your channel! thank You!
If you're not sure which focal length you choose, first look to your lightroom catalogue. You may be surprised what you use the most. As ever a great video, Sean.
Thanks!
This might be the smoothest and clear video I've seen on focal lengths. I've been shooting in a zoom lens on digital and started shooting film with my moms old pentax camera that I found on my grandpa's house. I found a 50mm and a 28mm that both were in good shape still and decided to start with the 50mm. That was my first experience with a prime lens, making each shot worth it. When I switched to the 28mm I realized it felt really good for me. This made me start shooting even more in this focal length and practicing it by keeping my zoom lens wide open at 18mm (27mm eq.). I really enjoy shooting wide open because composition is what attracts me to photography. I had been doing this for a while now, exploring the wide view and getting better at balancing, composing and getting the feeling of the 28 images. Recently I bought the Sigma 16mm 1.4 (24mm eq, slightly wider than what I got used to) in a effort of getting sharper images and more light. I'm excited and grateful for this way of approaching focal lengths that you just described here: how do you actually see the world and which focal lengths represents that more accurately for you. I'll have that more present in mind whenever switching lenses. Thank you, Sean.
PS. This is the first video I have seen from you. New subscriber here
33mm has been almost glued onto my X-T4 for over a year - that's how I see the world!
An outstanding video, delivered so eloquently. Thank you. I started in the 1980s with my father’s SLR and a 50mm. It’s all we had. Looking back at those shots, I was clearly drawn to shooting portraits, as they seem to make up most of my early portfolio. Later adding a 35mm my portfolio started to move towards landscapes and urban scenes. Now, like yourself I’m in the 35-50 range and my pocket cameras in both film 35mm film and digital tend to be 38mm and 40mm.
I love the Gary Winogrand image @6:47, first time I've seen it or any of his work. The girl on the left makes the image for me.
Nice vid Sean. There’s something, as you said, about your proximity to the subject; a tangible intimacy if you do a head shot at 35-50mm. Portrait sessions with a 135 can be anodyne and unobtrusive. Which is fine with corporate stuff. But if you need to get inside your subject’s head or to at least be more present as an observer, you need to get into their ‘space’. I’m using the Sigma 35 1.2 on a Sony FF so I get the opportunity, if I shoot wide open, to isolate my subject or to close down and include the environment. It’s bloody heavy though!
For close to 35 years I reported news throughout Africa with 17-35mm f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8. I am no longer working as a news photographer but as caregiver in Seattle. I am struggling to "unlearn" photojournalism and to learn to shoot "for myself". I am using Nikon D610 with 28mm f2.8 and 35mm f2.8. For years, the focus had to be sharp, exposure correct with details clear in all the photo. I worked to show faces and emotions, I worked hard for action photos, tight without wasting frame space...now I have to purge that off my photography. its an exciting journey and glad Seattle is the take off point. Does anyone here any know how I can go about this? or anyone who has done this in the past?
I loved my Nikkor 35mm when I used to shoot Nikon. It is still my most favourite lens in my memory. I don’t know how to unlearn photojournalism but maybe you can join a camera club and I’ll explain why. My husband I joined a camera club last year. Apart from the social activities, workshops and presentations to grow our techniques and skills, there’s the monthly competition with set subjects. One year ago I was just happily photographing my garden and roses. That was the limit of my skills 😂. Being in the club challenged me to try other genre, develop new skills and crank up my creativity. The most challenging for me was the subject “Stairs/Staircase/Escalator” how do I go from shooting pretty roses to ugly industrial looking stairwells? It was a huge leap for me if you know what I mean. In the end I was lucky enough to find a pretty set of stairs in a public place that I could shoot with some creative flair 😜 So in my humble opinion, joining a club which sets you monthly challenge will in a way force you to move out of your comfort zone, seek genre outside of photojournalism and provide you with a platform to showcase your work. Good luck! 😊 P.S. We have recently signed up with a second club as social members, meaning we go in for the gatherings to learn, socialise and shoot together but we just don’t compete there. I explain to everyone that asked “Why two clubs?” that we have fun in one club while we compete in the other club, the best of both worlds. 😂
As an ex press photographer I can totally relate to your comment.
I decided to start posting to Instagram as my scrapbook. This may puzzle some viewers as my images don't necessarily follow any theme or style. It's just a collection of ideas and moods of how I feel on a given day or time. The rules are no rules.
Have fun.
I'd say it's like increasing your skill in any other area of photography. The best way is to do some learning, shoot frame after frame with intentionality, review your images to see how close you got to what you were looking for, and then repeat. Eventually, your images will get to the place you want them to be!
This is a fantastic video! You have really explained the differences very clearly. I especially like the comparison to other photographers and their own work.
I'm actually on the 85mm spectrum. The main reason is that I'm a very abstract photographer in my day-to-day-work and often times I have to get very close to subjects when walking through Munich!
Excellent breakdown on your journey with focal lengths. I'm honestly a 50mm guy; I just click with that field of view. Yet I found over the years that is was something...Stale about it. Clean. Straightforward. Easy to get images that I liked. But I noticed the photos that I LOVED were when I'd experiment with something wider. 35, 28, even 24mm would offer something dynamic when everything came together.
So after much deliberation I got a Fuji X100V and shot with just that body for 8 months. Absolutely hated it the first month. But after that, I started loving the extra bit of context and messiness that needed to be navigated. I started doing crowd photos and came out with bangers that would have been impossible to get with how tight a 50mm is. The intimacy of wider lenses is really appealing. I love the work of others who use 28/24 but that feels a bit "much" for now. 35 is like a wide 50. Gets you the context without having to stand far - or overly distorting the subject by being close.
Still working on 35mm portraiture as I keep reaching for that 50mm, haha. But I think everyone should consider how to be intentional with focal lengths in this way. Committing to 35mm for those months was one of the best things I ever did for my work.
I really liked how to understand and untangle the angle of view. Best acknowledged!!! On the contrary, I've used 28mm for over 10 years, from Rico GRD to GXR to GR2, and it's expanded to 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm order. My favorite angles of view right now are 50mm and 35mm. I don't have a zoom lens, thank you.
Sean, your content is so rich and meaningful. Been following your channel for years.
Oh, and I'm a 24mm weirdo. I've always been a 24 to 35 sort of guy. I like the environmental context, I like the distortion, I like getting in close and interacting with my subject.
I believe Alan Schaller is also a 24mm guy! His work is really interesting.
It definitely depends on the architecture of your place and what you want to show. Sadly I feel bored shooting with one focal lenght all the time which makes the hobby really costly... haha
I love 24mm too. I can't get along with 35 or 50 unless I'm doing street portraits but I'm always on 24mm.
@@jaredgotcher I just bought a 16mm (24mm eq) after shooting a lot on 18mm (28mm eq). Thanks for the insight
I love the classic 50mm… but i’m learning to love 28mm as well. I used to do real state shots… love the 16mm for that… and wider lenses. I really want a tele to play now.
Agreed with you totally the 35mm is the idea lens.I am an urban sketcher and most of my sketches are like the 35mm focal length. Thanks for sharing.
Your compositions are as clear as your way to speak. Thanks a lot for the video ! I pick a 35mm first, regularly next to it is a 75mm.
I have only started my photographic journey with a 24-64 eq. kit lens. And am finding myself getting more keepers from around 50 mm most of the time and 35 in tighter spaces. I think that the space available affects a lot on focal lens suiting at that particular place. Am a shy guy and am not comfortable going closer to people but am trying to wirk on it. Hence 40 to 50mm makes be much comfortable. Am planing to follow the method of leaving my zoom lens on one focal length at the tighter end and work with for a while and understand hiw it works and gradually widen it to 28 and analyse how all of that is affecting my shooting style and results i get. Then only am gonna get a prime. That the plan now😂
And this video was really helpfull for me. Really appreciate what you are doing. Thank you
May I offer some heartfelt thanks. Recently retired from a (too) long career in corporate america, I'm looking forward to spreading my wings.. and capturing my journey through photography. So it is that I'm just learning the craft.. I recently got my first ILC and a couple of lenses (with a couple more on my wish list) and am learning some of the technicalities around what makes a kit wide or bright or fast and what makes a composition engaging. Still, I wanted to thank you for this video.. it brought the discussion of focal lengths down to a very human level while acknowledging the technicalities of the effect that focal length has on perspective. Through all the technical discussion I've encountered about 16mm architectural photography or 50mm portrait photography or 600mm telephoto action photography, yours made the concept of focal length real for me.. something organic and personal.. more in keeping with what I imagine photography ought to be.. and while I will likely be experimenting with different focal lengths on this journey, I wanted to thank you for your very personal perspective.. for suggesting that it's not all about the science and technicalities.. that sometimes it's about finding yourself in the craft... 🥲
I’m in love with the focal length 85mm f/1.4 ❤
It gives me the possibility to take ownership over what I want to draw attention to, and just that. I’m moving a lot around if I want more in the frame though, and that’s just fine! If it’s in the frame, it’s there because I put it there.
Hi. I’ve just invested in an 85mm lens being a 35mm guy. I’d love to see how you use it for things other than portraits. Are you on instagram?
Same!!!! I want to be deliberate and specific with what I’m conveying to the audience and using my composition and subject matter to bring the abstraction and uniqueness.
The Canon 350d was my very first camera as well.!! I brought it with its standard kits lens (18-55 and 55-200?) It was the camera i grew with - and it lasted me a good 10 odd years before i fell off the wagon; and since then have owned a number of other digital cameras - all of which i've never really fallen in love with as much as I had with the 350d.
My personal favourite go-to focal lens have always been 18mm (28mm full frame) and 55mm (85mm full frame).
I have recently purchased the Fujifilm XT3 with their 18-55mm premium kit lens (a wonderful all-round lens indeed).
But i agree - i still only use the 18mm and 55mm ends of this lens and hardly (if ever) anything in between.
I just wish now i could own the 18mm f1.4 and the 56mm f1.4 lens separately.
Great episode Sean, thanks for sharing.
I really like diff lens for different items. I love my 70-200 for most shots 16-35 f2.8 for landscape and now 35mm 1.4 for almost everything day to day.
Since 1979 my primary lens has been the Nikkor 20 f 3.5 UD and it's AIS successor. I have two for my D3/D700 and D300. When I picked up a couple Canon VT Deluxe rangefinders for black and white film, I bought a couple Voightlander 21mmf4 Color Skopar and 25mm f4 Snapshot Skopar ltm lenses. I LOVE the opportunities for Foreground/Background relationship compositions. I love bringing in more elements to incorporate into my field of view. I love trees and love clouds. Expansive joy.
As mostly a travel photographer, I use 16-35, 55 and 100-400. The great mosque or the opera house in Muscat, Oman, are so rich and have that spatial feel I can only capture at 20mm. Insects and plants (macro) and birds (far away) come out just great at 300-400mm.
But for almost anything else, I trust my 55mm. This focal length forces me to make a clear choice of what I want in my picture, more than a 35. Yet let’s me connect to my subjects more closely than an 85.
Over the decades, I have tried 21, 24, 28, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55mm for one lens/one body street photography. All worked well.
I rarely use the 35mm and the 50mm in the same lens kit.
My favorite street three-lens kit for my Leica rangefinder is: 21/35/90mm.
My favorite street three-lens kit for my SLR is: 24/50/105mm.
A well-developed presentation. Thanks. When I walked around doing film "street photography", ie. no set purpose, just walking, looking for a shot, I had two bodies - one with a 35mm f2 and the other with a 85mm f2. I loved it. That was with film. Don't know what I would do today. I should also mention that I began with a 50mm f1.4 and a 200mm f4.
I am a street photography. I vary between 35 & 50mm. There isn’t much of a difference between them. If I want the subject larger in my frame I take a step or two closer. If I want more background I reverse the process. I focus with my feet.
This is so different from using 28 or 85mm field of view. They are both so extreme the simple process of focusing with my feet simply doesn’t work. Sometimes I simply use a zoom lens to deal with the difference in perspective. Other times I carry two bodies. One with an 85mm lens and the other with a 35mm lens. It is faster to switch bodies than switch lenses. Things happen so fast on the street I can’t be bothered switching lenses all the time.
Unlike you Sean, I haven’t committed to one focal length. Committing to one focal length means carrying less weight and spending less money on lenses I use occationally.
Thank you for highlighting Ernst Hass and Saul Leiter. Two of my photography heros. I didn’t realize those images were taken at 85mm.
Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)
Anyone struggling with gear acquisition syndrome (new lens addiction) needs to watch this video. Such good points about the gut feeling of how you see the world and considering if you always back up vs have to crop images
always a great day when another sean tucker video comes up.
oh, and I'm a nifty fifty kinda guy - I find it always works for me in numerous situations and it's been my go-to for years now.
I had a similar journey. Started with 50mm (85mm) on apsc, moved to 35mm (50mm), then to X100T 23mm (35mm). Now I own all 3 focal lengths as primes. I'm wanting to switch to 28/50 or 35/85 set up though for lifestyle, walk around, portrait, plus I think you need a workhorse 24-70 and maybe even a 70-200 if your into outdoors/landscape. Photography is expensive!
I just saw your video while looking into the differences of 35/50/85mm, I like the way how you explained the struggles of choosing the right lens for your own use and make it as your go to lens most of the time. I am a portrait and landscape type of guy, when I shoot I want my subject to be close enough so I can separate my subject from the background, and that brings me to either 85/50mm with f1.2/1.4/1.8 and wide enough to capture the whole picture that I want, from 16/24/28mm f2.8 and up. I beleive that when I do find that sweet spot for me I would be happy with it, so I decided to go 16-35mm for wide and perhaps 28-105mm f2.8 for the rest. And perhaps 85mm f1.2/1.4
I wish I had a teacher like you during my school days. The way you explain things explains so much and so nicely. Thanks. I like 105mm, it's let me concentrate on lesser details and focus more on singular objects.
I find I gravitate toward t'hree of my lenses the most. They're not great lenses, but the kit 18-55 for landscapes. Usually at the 18 end. The 55-250 for animals and tight composed scenes, at the 250 end. And a 50 prime for portraits.
It’s great to watch this video again Sean. I recently acquired the Viltrox 27mm 1.2. That Lens feels so perfect for my eyes. 40mm is a beautiful frame. Great video 👍🏽
120-300mm equivalent was a revelation! Living in Japan, I was quite conscious about respecting people's privacy here, it allows me to be further away without disturbing the scene.
I also love being able to pick out details of the daily life that people might not have seen. You don't need to travel to a famous IG spot to find beauty :)
Yes, I shoot video and I find that at times, a bigger focal lens allows me to shoot people without them getting uptight [as we all do when the cameras come out]
35 mm was at one time a standard…when people differentiated from a point and shoot 50 years ago they would say “I shot that on a 35mm”- just some history from an old guy
@@jsaproductions5That's funny. In my era when people said, "I shot that on a 35mm" they were actually referring to the 35mm film they were shooting with not the focal length.
@@JiminSC yeah. It was both actually. Strange
@@JiminSC strangely: In motion pictures that record on film, 35 mm is the most commonly used gauge. The name of the gauge is not a direct measurement, and refers to the nominal width of the 35 mm format photographic film, which consists of strips 1.377 ± 0.001 inches (34.976 ± 0.025 mm) wide.
Im just starting out with my first camera and only have a 35mm. I was feeling a bit discouraged and overwhelmed trying to compose a full scene at that width.
It was really reassuring to hear your guess that you'd started narrow because you were intimidated by composing at that focal length.
I'm going to keep working and figure out how to make this focal length work for me before i try narrowing things.
I shoot with all focal lengths from 16 to 200 on different cameras and lenses from canon and Nikons and today I only shoot 28 with Leica Q2. I think it’s not the focal length, but what you choose to use, that teaches you the most. Coming further or closer will solve most of the problems with how you see it, but sticking with one lens whatever it is will teach you to just keep focusing on what’s matter, the images that you’ll be able to produce.
Great worrier will fight equally well with sword, arrows, fist and bad one will aways be afraid to fight.
Great tips of how you tell if you like the distance, thank you Sean🙏🏻
I'm a 24-70mm (full frame equivalent) zoom sucker like the next guy, but for the same reason: bulkiness, weight, unnoticed-factor and price on the line (if visiting a sketchy place), I moved to 35mm on a fuji, and recently I bought a GR with the 28mm and learning to use it properly.
I'd say I'm a 35 mm person, especially since getting the X100V. It quite often matches what I see, it offers great versatility for street, portraits and landscapes, and I don't usually need to crop. All that said, I can't say it would be my *only* focal length. I'm becoming quite happy with the fact that I have different preferences (or self-assigned projects) at different times and I'm always looking for different ways of seeing things.
Turning to the video, great job as always; intriguing -- and unlike you -- to invite people to jump to the comments section -- but so like you for the purpose it serves, to inspire others and try to get people to learn from one another.
Hope you'll be able to keep up the good work -- all the best!
Great video! I love your journey through the different focal lengths.
I mainly use an 85mm for just about anything as I love to shoot candid photos of people in the streets. I sometimes use it with the crop mode on my full frame camera for that extra reach.
Lately, I've been wanting to include more of the scene around the subject and have been considering getting a 35mm for this. Your video might just have pushed me to pull the trigger on it.
Very good video! For decades I only took analog photos with 50mm because it didn't distort and the quality was very good with cheap lenses. The lens determines how you see the world, that's really true. For me today it's 45mm or 85mm.
I shoot my Fuji XE4 almost exclusively with the 27mm/f2.8 pancake (I love the compactness and portability of this kit, as well as the focal length) together with the 23mm/f1.4 in more challenging conditions or whenever the slightly wider angle/glass quality is needed. My 56mm (portrait) and 16mm (architecture and narrow spaces) are used for special tasks only. The first lens I bought for my Fuji was the 35mm/f2, but It didn't fit me at all - it was not wide enough most of the time.
I absolutely love that you talk about what lens choice does for one’s visual communication as opposed to meaningless specs like sharpness and speed. Poor photos shot with an ultra sharp lens are still poor photos. Thanks for talking about what matters.
24mm on the street and 35mm for most of my journalism. I use the 24mm because not only dose it challenge me to get closer and get out of my comfort zone, it makes me see more around the one thing I focus on. 24mm is the perfect scene in a photograph and 35mm is the best for everything.
I use a 2005 8.1 megapixel Ricoh GR digital with a 28mm equivalent f2. 4 lens and shoot in black and white mostly. I love the filmic look. Reminds me of Kadak Trix film.
Back in the film days I did street and race track photography. I carried a Nikon F2 with 105 and a Nikkormat F with a 28. Now I find myself swapping mostly between a Q2Monochrom (28) and an X-Pro2 with a 16-80, giving me essentially the same focal lengths. Must be the way I see the world. Thank you for your excellent content!
Excellent video describing your journey. Much appreciated. I’ve been a photographer for 24yrs and never used a prime until a year ago. I went with a 50mm and have liked it but thinking a 35mm might be best, as I often find myself scooting back. Thanks for the advice!
My favourite focal length is 35mm on APSC. My passion is woodland photography and that 35mm (50mm full frame equivalent) is somehow the way I see those woodland scenes in front of me. Now and then I use the 50mm (75mm full frame equivalent) when I do not have the possibilty to get close enough when composing the scene. Both focal length do give me the feel that I can create a image of a woodland scene that can give the viewer the sense to being in the scene.
35mm lens because that is how I see the world...50mm too narrow. I do have a 28mm that I use from time to time when I want wider inclusive photographs. But my 95% go-to lens is the 35mm on my rangefinder full frame camera. Love the book, The Meaning in the Making, and the videos. Well done!
It really depends on subject matter. I often shoot ultra-wide 20mm to shoot cityscapes/landscapes, but I always carry a 24-240mm telephoto lens too for flexibility.
Your photos combine with your choice of music gives me goosebump. You are special.
I'm still on my photo journey. Guess I always will be. I've been up and down with my photography. I currently use an APS-C Pentax K-5 II. I have bunch of lenses from different eras. M42 screw mounts up to the K mounts. I have a few zooms but I seem to prefer primes. I like to do events, architecture, landscape, and close up nature. My most used focal length 50mm. But lately I started using 35mm.
I had the 18-55mm kit lens for ages and I felt like 35-50mm is what the eyes see anyway. And as you mentioned, a lot of Photographers swear by it. I guess I got bored of similar looking vistas. And I went on the opposite journey.
I realised that I love finding beauty in insignificant random things and a telephoto zoom is great for creating abstract compositions of nature or on the street.
I needed to hear this, so thanks for the episode Sean. When I started in 1972 ( I know scary isn’t it), 50mm is what my Minolta SRT101 came with. It was a while before I could afford anything else. A new photo mag came out in about 1976 called “Photo Technique”. An early edition featured Henri CB and his 50mm theory. So, I was addicted, but saved up and bought a 28mm. Frightened the life out of me and ran back to my 50 ( can’t believe I’m revealing this). Anyway, I’m still there it’s 50 all the way, but it would seem, for neither artistic nor technical reasons.
I normally use 2.8 zooms for my work and always been a telephoto guy. But on my recent trip to Rome, I could not bring my big full frame kit, so I challenged myself with a 28 mm equivalent compact. I struggled in the start but found comfort in Sean’s old gr videos where I learned to look for scenes with interesting lighting instead of only subjects.
Thanks for another outstanding thought-provoking video. I don't have a favorite focal length. I favor using a zoom lens, i.e. 16-50 or an 18-135 on an APS-C camera, so that I can choose the focal length appropriate to how I am seeing the scene before me.
Back in the day, when I were a lad and we only used film (remember that?), if you bought an SLR, it came with a 50mm lens. That was probably the best lens you had. Zoom lenses were expensive and pretty awful.
Until recently, I used a Panasonic G7 (from MPB), and ended up with a drawer full of lenses, most of which have been used once or twice. I ended up using a Sigma 19mm (equiv. 38mm full-frame) nearly all the time. So, I've recently got a X100F (from MPB). The Panasonic gear will, hopefully, be going to MPB in the New Year.
A good video, as usual. Merry Christmas, and have a Happy New Year.
I shoot olympus m43 with adapted Zuiko primes. Still working on Zuiko 50mm f1.8 or 28mm f2.8.
50mm adapted 100mm too much, 28mm adapted 56mm sometimes to wide....
Brought the GRIIIx as well because of the 40mm equiv. It matches the geometry of the 80mm medium format cameras. 42mm to be precise but I don’t be too picky on this.
I like the 50mm. The 46° viewing angle is almost always ideal for me. It's easy to step back or forward to adjust the framing from there.
My focal length: I've moved to 40 mm ....it's a F1.2 Voigtlander Nokton... I'm loving the dreamy look when shot wide open and the sharpness of the images in the smaller aperture range.
I believe It's more important to determine which photographic genre piques a photographer's attention. Generally speaking, determining a photographer's preferred style of photography takes time. In my situation, I reviewed my Lightroom history and discovered that I have primarily used 35-50mm lenses and am more interested in people than in nature. I spent a good amount on portrait lenses, particularly 50mm lens. I do, however, also have zoom, wide-angle, and macro lenses in case I wish to take a photo of something different. The Canon xsi and 50mm f/1.8 were also my first camera and lens. I believe that for a novice learner, the 50mm f1.8 makes more sense as a kit lens than the 18-55mm. Great video like always. =)
Same for me. 35mm and 50mm is all I need. If I could only keep one, it would be 35mm. Most versatile focal length.
I use a Nikon 24-120 mm f.4 as a go-to lens for more reasons than I can put here. I carry a second body with the 14-24 mm f. 2.8 lens because I sometimes need a wider perspective than 24 mm will give me. Go-to f. stop is f. 8, but that varies. Aperture priority is normal, or manual. I don't have one focal lenght I go to most. I range between 30 mm and 90 mm most of the time. But, I did find that 24 mm wasn't quite wide enough sometimes, particularly if I intended to correct the persective, which uses up part of the image area.
Like you, I went with Fujifilm back in the day. Still there. The 35f1.4 (50mm full frame) quickly became my favourite. I haven’t used it since early Covid, but as I took the kid to a museum today, I grabbed the proper camera (as opposed to the iPhone) and the 35mm. As I was shooting, I found myself taking a step forward or back to frame, before I put the camera to my eye. I just knew what would fit into the frame and where I needed to be to get the perfect composition. That’s what you get from using a single focal length for some time. You instinctively know what it looks like. Moral of the story (and that’s pretty munch what you’re saying) is, live with a single lens for a while and learn to understand the focal length.
Thank you Sean for sharing that .. Just like you said when I putt camera with 35mm lens to my eye I don't have to move and just taking a shot.. It's all about angle you see the world through.. Using different lens is good fun though ..
I used 50mm f2.8 equiv because that is the only prime I had. I have a 90mm f3.6 equiv and recently am thinking about trying that out on the street. I enjoy the 'problem solving' of getting a photo...
I have been shooting seriously for 11 years first starting with a 24-70mm lens and found that frustrating...do I zoom in....do I stay wide? Within a year I went to a prime 35mm lens for my full frame camera and never sought to use another length as my go-to lens. I do occasionally (actually rarely) shoot with a 50mm and 75mm lenses but it does not replicate my vision as the 35mm f/2 lens does...it is how I see and the resulting photographs emulate that vision. If I need to focus in I move closer; but I really never have to make large adjustments. The photograph I make is how I saw that picture. Well done, Sean!