The Perfect Focal Length?
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
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In photography, each focal length of lens has a unique visual signature. What is yours? How do you see the world? How do you communicate most effectively. The 50mm lens has taken more famous photographs than just about any other focal length. I'd argue it's nearly essential that any photographer be able to compose with and use a 50mm effectively but what about other focal lengths? Do you own lenses because they are tools that serve a purpose or are camera company marketing departments telling you you need the latest and greatest?
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Ted Forbes
The Art of Photography
2830 S. Hulen, Studio 133
Fort Worth, TX 76109
US of A
A while back you challenged viewers to spend a month with one focal length. My choice then was an 85mm, primarily due to the fact that I had just purchased it to upgrade an older 85mm. Today it would be easy for me to focus on a 50 because I use it so often. I periodically will buy new (or used) glass and experiment with it, etc. You know what's on right now? The 50mm 1.8 I bought with the body.
Thank you, Ted, for being the art in the Art of Photography. I feel like who you are comes through in each video. It inspires me to focus less on the technical aspects of an image and put more of me into an image. I definitely have a long way to go but am enjoying the journey. Thanks for the inspiration!
Love your analogy - jazz instrumental to camera - thanks Ted really great imagining
It's interesting to hear of your experimenting with lenses. Stanley Kubrick did that a lot. He was a photographer (as well) who understood the language between art and technology. Nowadays a lot of photographers are camera geeks or artistes with ostensible denial of the technology. It seems that the overall trend has been towards wider angles because they force immersion. This makes the connection with the subject more intimate.
Fewer reviews. More of this, please. Meaningful discussion about how we can improve as photographers. Thanks, Ted!
PS: As a photojournalist, I have always been about zooms, particularly the 16-35 and the 70-200. Now moving toward focusing on the 50 and 35mm focal lengths. I used to think the 35mm was the most boring. I must be getting old. LOL.
I smiled when you mentioned your old Nikon F3. Made me think of my beloved old Canon AE1, which I first got in 1977, and accompanied me all through art school, all over Europe, and everywhere else I went. When I finally gave it up and upgraded to digital photography, around 2004 or so, it was like saying goodbye to an old friend.
I really miss my Nikon F3. But to be honest, I don't miss film too much, even though it was a great educator.
I love my ae1. Still use it to this day
I was a wedding photographer for 23 years. I decided to trawl through a selection of my photos during the digital era to see what focal length I used the most. 35mm was the most used and I realised that’s probably why my go to camera is the Fujifilm X100T with the 23mm/35mm equivalent lens. Second came out as 50mm. So now I am shooting film cameras for my personal work with 2 primes, my 35mm and 50mm. My street photography is shot exclusively with both these focal lengths. Great video btw!!
Thanks for the focus on the “Art” of photography! My 28, 50, 85 trio has just been validated!
25, 50 and 85 here. Felt guilty having so many but those just seem to be the basics that cover most of my needs
Hi there! Ive just seen this vídeo today but i think it resumes very well a need that i believe almost all photographers (namely the ones using digital) feel… in the journey of life we get trough different stages, we need to experiment, we need to find our way, our path… same happens with photography, when you have tried cameras, Lenses, genres, editing styles and tecnhiques, etc., etc., you start to feel the need for the simple things… a simple camera, a “simple” lens (can be a prime!), not spending hours editing… Thats when i think you are finally ready to give photography a chance, when you become more focused on the subject and less in the equipment…. Less is (most of the times!) more! Congrats on the videos!
I love this "geeky" talk that nobody else like to discuss... Thanks for sharing.
My first real camera was a rollei 35, Age 16. I still have it. After that the spending spree started. I never could get that feel and love I had with the Rollei. Enter Fuji x100. I have the love again. I did finally get the x100v, for the reliability but the love is still back. At age 65 my pocket book and back are so happy now. Thank you for your great views!!
Absolutely beautiful video. I am so glad you are doing more art again rather than equipment, editing. I like those and learn from them. But I love your episodes on artistic considerations!!!!!😀
Thank you for these liberating words. I tried the limitation to one lens and one focal lenght - it was indeed the 50 - for myself. I don't know, if my photography went better because of this but my shooting experience was that much relaxter, more mindful and in the end more satisfying. The psychological pressure coming out of my camerabag was completely gone and I loved it!
Early in the pandemic looking to jolt my creativity, I pulled out an old Nikon FE and FM and paired them with a 50mm 1.8 and a 28mm f2.8. I would sometimes go out with one or the other and sometimes carry them together. I was really happy with my results from this experience.
These were my only two lenses when I started in photography 50 years ago and are still my favorite focal lengths. If I had to choose one it would be the 28 but I love the look from each of them. I’m finding since my pandemic experiment I am more likely to go out with one of these two primes and my photography is better for it
Great upload. Took me years to get there, but I've narrowed it down to two focal lengths; 28mm and 85mm. I can get most things done with just those two.
My favorite focal lengths as well. I like the Nikkor 28mm F2.0 and the Tamron SP 90mm Macro f2.5. These are my go to lenses for backpacking.
@@carlosmcse 28 and 50 is a great alternative for documentary or on the street. 👍🏿
@@carlosmcse I tend to use 35 as a general stand-alone lens when I don't want to carry two. Step in closer and it's like 50, step back and it acts like 28…
@@carlosmcse Agree, agree, agree… However, if you're going to carry three lenses, then I'd use a zoom, as too much switching becomes the problem. If I'm going into the unknown, then I'd bring 24-70. If I'm doing a street photography photowalk, then it's two bodies with 28 and 50, (or 85). If i'm just milling about on a general, then I carry 35mm. Works for me… 😎
thank you for this subject, "back in the day" (the early 70s') when I purchased my first 35mm camera, like most it came with a 50mm lens. It become my standard for shooting until I purchased a 35mm lens in 1976. Up to that point about 90% of my shooting was with a 50mm lens. It worked really well for me for various situations, if it be portraits, architectural or landscapes. I still use one from time to time on my range finder camera, I love the versatility of it.
I'm always so pleased when I see you fired up and back to basics - back to the art of photography. I understand the why of the gear reviews, and share the enthusiasm for some of the new stuff. But essentially its much more about the sort of thing you discussed today. It's what got me tuned into your channel almost 10 years ago! I hope that your big 50mm assignment with RG leads to a book and some prints we can buy to support, and enjoy with you. Big thumbs up from me Ted. Also, please do circle back to discuss what you have learnt about the 50mm fl in this exercise. you touched on it here, but I'd love to see you really drill down on it.
Great video! I've thought about this a lot recently and without much thought, I realize that I gravitate heavily to the 40mm focal length. My contax t2 at 38mm and my (future) 500c/m with the 40mm equiv really produce an image I am most happy with.
I am really heartened with your personal evolution and what you bring to your videos. Trust me, I was blown away with you in the past and now even more so. Thank you for doing what you do how you do it. I am relatively new to photography. I ended up buying more lenses (expensive ones) than I am interested in using. Slowly I’ve sold them off wanting more and more to work with just my 50. There are a couple others I like… nonetheless, I understand focal length signature and I am learning to see. Your work is growing me. Thank you. As an aside, when I can I will get a Leica M10 Monochrom. It fits my nature in a similar way I wear high quality old style, old technology, watches. Thanks again.
My favourite lens due to its signature is my 85 1.8 G lens from Nikon. It has a nice look without correction and I usually shoot it at f/2.8-f/4 to exaggerate the effect for most of the photo. I have tried the more expensive 85mm lenses from many other brands, but this one just has that magic I love
Well, well, well... this video has summed up my past week. I had not taken a photo with my Fuji camera gear in such a long time. I had bought too much equipment over the past few years that the choices became overwhelming. At the start of the week I decided to sell everything and just keep one body, a secondhand X-Pro 2, and one lens, the Fuji 35mm f1.4 (50mm equivalent) - also bought secondhand. The reason for this is straightforward: it's a focal length I am comfortable with and also a set up that has given me some of my best and most enjoyable work. Today I took it out to snap a few shots and was automatically at ease. I didn't need to think or worry about having brought the wrong kit or kick myself for poor lens choice for the occasion. I now only have one system and will adapt to take the photos the kit is capable of.
I was a photographer in the Marines in the early 90’s and the standard issue camera was the Nikon F3, you could beat the crap out of it and keep shooting. Then along came the F4 with all it’s bells and whistles, and a little bit of dust was all it took to ruin your day.
I live near the Morton Arboretum and on a couple trips this year I took just one lens to push the creativity a bit.
Absolutely agree. As a sax player, I really enjoyed the saxophone analogy. This got me to think about the equivalences: 85mm is baritone, 50mm is tenor, 35mm is alto and 28mm is soprano, at least that’s how I perceive them.
I think that, in the same way that in Harry Potter the wand chooses the wizard, the lens also chooses the photographer.
I like your channel because you are one of the few people on UA-cam who talks about the artistic approach of photography from a theoretical perspective.
I dig your equivalents!
Great Topic! When i started my transition from photography to videography, i intentionally went out with only one lens rather than my whole bag for a documentation style video idea. To get the coverage you really start to get creative. It helped me a lot, to get more out of each lens and adapt back to my photography. What´s important to mention, i´m a hobbyist and did not experiment while trying to match expectations of any customer.
Still love my D7200, most used lens, is the DX 35mm 1.8. Approximately 52mm in full frame terms. So often I’ll try looking at a scene with 3 different lenses, then end up back at the 35mm.
Love your take on things.
According to his interviews, HCB above all hated obvious lens “effects” (signature). That’s why he shot a 35mm occasionally, but nothing wider. The 50mm also has the background to foreground size ratio similar to what you see with your eye, so he could accurately visualize the image without putting the camera to his eye.
He also used a 90mm for portraits.
Eugene Smith sometimes carried 6 Leicas with 6 different focal lengths attached. He would have adored today’s zooms.
I think once you get to a certain level of experience you just know how a scene will look in a certain focal length and framing. Spending time with each for a while to get that familiarity is a good idea. I think a nice f/2.8 24-70 zoom is probably a more economical way to get that education. But it’s heavier, less romantic and nostalgic.
I thinner you are absolutely right. Twenty years ago, when I was a analog photographer, I sold all my gear and bought a Leica mp with a summilux 50. I was released, felt great and used that equipment for the comming ten years. 50 mm is my absolutely favorit focal lenght.
Thank’s for a always interesting and stimulating channel 😊
As a photographer learning about all of this ... And not taking enough time to limit .y options ... Simply trying everything and always taking out all lenses I've made it difficult to register the different nuances of these various signatures ... I've started thinking before leaving for that day what am I likely to shoot and limiting myself to one lens per day or per roll and I am forced to create within the confines of that piece of equipment ... As a sax player and fellow Coltrane fan you have really hammered the message home as I've never attempted to play more than one saxophone at once and despite being a Coltrane fan I know myself to be an alto player .... Thanks for an incredible insight into this topic ....
I’m 51, and I started learning photography at age 13 on a Nikon FE and all I had was a 50mm and it was great. I remember the series E lenses!
I shot a whole wedding on just a 50mm and it was fantastic. I recently shot a family session on only a Fuji X100V (35mm equivalent) and it was fantastic. I shoot almost all my paid portraits & headshots on an 85. Now, after discovering Garry Winogrand, I’m saving for a 28 to expand my street work and personal projects. Primes are my weapon of choice and I love working in one focal length. Great photos btw, I love your work.
Right on about the saxophone. I’ve played soprano, alto, tenor - now only play tenor! I’m a retired architect. We went through school rendering our designs in their entirety, thus it was only natural to photograph buildings the same way. A close friend and biology professor took a Signet 35 I gave him to Europe and came back with some terrific architectural shots. None were of the entire building. Ergo, 50mm is just fine for a lot of architectural work (not all). These days I shoot a lot of film and use vintage cameras that only have a fixed normal lens. Where I have a choice, I use 40mm because I can crop it to different final formats.
I've been shooting 50 all of 2021, new camera system and only lens. I'd like to add 100-105 macro, then 28 or 35. I used to have 24-85 on a crop sensor. I shoot mostly nature and travel. Recently expanding into street photography due to pandemic limitations. I love your giddy excitement in the middle of the video. I could see your inner child.
This is kinda funny. I couldn't stop watching your video because about 6 months ago I put 3 of the 4 lenses I own for my Sony a7r 3 on a shelf and decided I would keep only my 50mm lens on my camera. That focal length was the same as was on my very first camera, over 45 years ago. After shooting for about a week, I fell in love with this lens all over again. I love how it lets the camera see what the human eye sees with hardly any distortion. I feel like once again I am gaining a personal connection with my subjects as if I gained a passport into a scene as a member instead of a visiting reporter.
Preaching truth here my guy.
We all get caught up in the shiny objects.
I know I did. I had 5 lenses at one point.
Now I’m just one body, and 3 primes; 24/55/135, and I love the freedom. It’s never a decision; I know what prime I’m on for each given day. I almost wish I could be on just 1 prime, but I think I have it perfect with these 3. Love the perspective in your chat man.
Your a great speaker, not mono tone, but lively. As a retired photographer, who had many cameras and lenses, I’m down to a Leica m6 and a 50mm f,2 lens. It’s how I started and how I will finish. Keeping it simple is much more creative and fun ! Thanks, Rick….. 📷
The saxophone analogy is spot on, the various differences in tone is do to the physics of sound resonating in a certain size tube. Similarly, various resolved images are the result of the physics of light moving through a tubes of various lengths , the focal length.
I'm not a photographer but a 3D artist, I've set up my software camera to 50mm lens (you can change that obviously), but for some reason I feel like if I were a photographer I would go primarily for a 50mm lens...
If you're interested in art, this video is an excellent analogy. But for me as if you If you're interested in art, this video is an excellent analogy. But for me as a Jazz lover, "ex-saxophonist" and now with this feeling of changing equipment in photography, this video hits you very hard ❤️
Hey Ted,
I'm doing the same thing but with a 35mm lens. When I started photography I gravitated to 28mm and tried to get EVERYTHING in and as a result had very cluttered compositions. Switching to the 35mm prevents this and so I am must ask myself "Where is the story?". This has led to more focused compositions. It also has the added benefit of being able to "see" in 35mm before I raise the VF to my eye. I really appreciate your channel and the wisdom you share with all of us! Thank you.
Love this channel! Great work and insight. One thought i want to offer on the subject of focal lengths is the choice between 2 methodologies: composing the picture vs formatting a picture. Of the two, composing the picture is harder one and as the wording suggest it deals with composition of objects in the photo. To get good at this it is important to remove other variables, which is why sticking to 1 focal length helps. This 1 focal length may be different for different people. On the other hand the act of formatting the picture deals with everything else other than composition. Size of the background, depth of field, color saturation, sharpness etc. So, when composition is set or is outside of photographers control, like 90% of sports or news reporting, then photographer can spend the time end energy to format the picture with depth of field, subject size (focal length) etc. I am an amateur and every time i use a zoom lens i always find myself second guessing my choice of focal length instead of worrying more about composition, but when i shoot prime lenses, i have the mental resources available to think about composition more.
Oh, man...only 15 minutes? I could watch this all night long. Thank you!
A much deeper message in this video . I really like the discussion.
I totally agree!
Making a living from it is very difficult, and t having to shoot everything everywhere and being master of none prevents us from really getting to know each piece of equipment, aspect of photography and our own art.
On a personal artistic level, I find no reason at all to play with everything at once instead of taking time to enjoy, learn and get good at it.
Thank you so much for this very precious statement! I agree - but not to 100 percent ... My favorite focal lens also has always been the 50mm: The Leica Summicron 50mm F2.0 when I used to shoot Kodak Tri-X film with my Leica M6, and now the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.8 S, which is an outstanding lens. It's perfect for general use, people, street photography and so on.
But there is a BUT: Because I am also a nature- and landscape photographer, I need other lenses too, mainly 24mm, 105mm Macro, and a 70-200mm. And for some sceneries I even need the Nikkor Z 14-30mm at 14-20mm, just to emphasize or even overemphasize the foreground, given that it is worth to be included into the image. With only a 50mm I couldn't shoot impressively enough all those awesome scenes in nature.
Nevertheless from time to time I go on excursion with only the 50mm, and it's always a great creative pleasure.
Kind regards from Switzerland.
HEY, thank you for sharing your years of experience with the UA-cam family 👪
I had an instructor who said to use one focal length for a year. One of the problems with zooms is that it's harder to anticipate what focal length to use, because you haven't spent the time to learn how it affects your photo. I recently bought a 40mm for my Z6II and brought it on vacation in order to learn about it. The zoom lens has stayed in the bag.
Thanks for another great video!
What a great, great video. I've been struggling with this very issue for a long time. I shoot a sony. I have an 85 1.8 which I rarely use, a 55 1.8 which I love but...rarely use, and a 24 gm which is basically on the camera body all the time. It is, as you know.wonderful. And I have never felt it was right for me. My favorite focal length from when I shot film was a 35 and yet..I don't have one for the A7. I am going to try the 55 for awhile, like you. Then I will try the 24 in crop and see how I do. It'll get me taking the camera out more, not dragging the other gear around. By the way, I am a musician and recording engineer for a lot of years. Your analogies are spot on. Really connected with those..so..much appreciation.
My first cameras had very basic controls and not the highest quality, so getting results I liked took time and education to get to the place I wanted. I got a handful of lenses at one point, but have recently sold most everything off. I have 1 mirrorless camera and a Nikon FE. I decided I wanted to go back to more basics by getting that FE, having had the opportunity to learn what having all the settings in the world can do for me.
I have wanted to drop the FE and get a rangefinder film camera, a Canon P or 7, so that I can really simplify the process and focus on what I'm putting in the frame. I appreciate these types of videos and look forward to a photo assignment!
I use my 35 DX all the time, which is a 50mm focal length on an FX lens. I will change lenses when need to. But 50 has been my go to lens
Great video as always, Ted! I can say that I feel like I am wearing someone else's leather boots every time I use anything other than my 120mm (on the medium format system). For the past decade or more, I have tried to switch it up to help push myself into new photographic experiences, but I always end up feeling like lost star floating in a large universe, searching for the comfort of the tighter focused compression, and finding my way back to my "visual signature". I always love your perspective on things. -DB
You're absolutely right! I started photography with a 50mm f1.8 Nikon series E. After almost 20 years of photography, this focal length and this particular lens are my favorite. The saxophone analogy is great!
Ted, there are gear guys, and there is you. You teach about the value of the art and for that I am grateful. Your worth as an artist has nothing to do with your gear.
First time visitor - I love that concept of limiting oneself (at the same time collecting all kinds of lenses, and it seems that I am coming back to 50mm all over again). And yes, I do love the 28mm, too, but I have come to love this focal length only recently when I got a Ricoh GRIII.
I’m starting to shoot with the Nikkor 55mm f/1.2 much lately. Not so much the focal length but the creativity I can do with this lens itself.
I love primes and carry a bag full . And struggle when working to use just one .
28mm is actually one that’s on my cameras more than any other .
It’s just so darn useful and I think it’s much how we see . Our fov with our eyes.
Our mind see close to far depending upon our engagement and what’s happening. With our feet the 28 can do all this .
I use 28 for all my video gimbal work .
I’ve been shooting a small room interview and using 28 and 40. The same room taking photos I have on the 55 f/1.2 .
I love the new Sigma 65mm f/2.0 I series. What a great focal length .
I see in multiple fov as situations change in real time .
My job is live music. Photography, videography and capturing it with the emotions of the sounds that illicit it .
I have tried the just one focal length and then as the sounds and the shows move through their progression I see so much emotion coming at me in at all these different fov .
I’ll rotationally shoot in these different focal lengths. It’ll vary from show to show and there is always one focal length that’ll dominate at the end .
That’s me
I rarely make it to the end of these type videos. This time no problem interesting take. I often cary a bag with 3-4 lenses. But pretty regularly, I will put the Sony A7R3 in a single camera, bag with the just the lens attached, either a Leica40mmcl, a 50ml Voigtlander or a vintage 55 lens. Really good to work unencumbered. Thanks, Reid Yalom
I loved this video! When I started out making photos, I gravitated to the 50mm because it always seemed like the best value for money, especially where aperture is concerned! And what was a first a necessity of cost, has now become part of my photography needs; anytime I get a new camera the first lens I buy is a 50mm, for the exact reason you outlined in this film! Thanks Ted
Music, I'm a jazz musician been playing since about 1958, I have a few clarinets but the one I use most was made in 1929 I've been palying since I was given it in the late 1950's in fact it's on a stand next to where I'm sitting I just pick it up and have a blow when I feel like it!
The music analogy is so true - there are many ways to play around and spend time with gear setup instead of playing....
I think you are absolutely right about this. I am working more with primes 35, 50 (I have two) and 85mm. Working with one or only a few focal lengths helps to build a cohesive look to your photos. For me, each of these focal lengths has a purpose, a look and a visual tone. Yes I love music and photography.
Great episode. As a musician and a photographer I am so glad you brought up the analogy. There are so many more, gear vs talent, digital vs analog, processing/mixing vs live capture, it goes on and on. Ralph gave me the sam advice about shooting with a 50mm exclusively for a couple of years, but after about 6 months I did some tracks for a friend and he paid me with a Leitz Wetzlar Elmar 135mm f4. I am beginning to think that may be my signature-still experimenting.
I agree with everything you said re the 50mm lens on a film SLR, which is all I used for my first 3 years with my first SLR a Pentax Spotmatic II back in January ‘73. I’m a working professional using all sorts of DSLRs and lenses, but just by chance, today I’m taking some b&w portraits of a photographer friend on a recently purchased mint condition Nikon F801S which I believe is numbered an N801S in the USA (I’m in Sydney Australia). . So it was great seeing your video just now confirming what my photographer mate and I think of the 50mm film SLR setup as well. Keep up the good work!
Ian - Sydney
As a musician who recently started dabbling into photography, you're so right.. Coltrane had that tenor sax for years, Paul Chambers had one DBass those jazz greats weren't infected with the GAS disease but improving themselves.. I noticed it's all changed these days especially in the world we live in now with many options and distractions.. we've got to be very disciplined.
I spent a year in New Zealand back in 2004/05, right on the cusp of the digital age, and had only an Olympus OM-2 and a 50/1.8 with me the entire time. Now you’d think in a country with such spectacular landscapes etc I’d miss having a 35 or 28 looking over my negatives still today I’m happy with everything I took, and I still use both to this day.
I have watched this video many times and I am sure I will watch it again and again. It is so amazing and also very comfortable to watch. Thanks!
Terrific subject, this. And thoughtful. When I look through my own work, I see that the majority of my favourite images were shot with the old Canon EF 50 1.2. The image quality pales compared to the new RF version; flaring and CA are everywhere, and it’s soft wide open, but those “imperfections” lend themselves to the feel and mood of my portraits. The 50 is my go-to, although I’ve recently started shooting portraits at 28, and while it feels completely different to me and requires a very different approach, I love the look. For my storytelling, I don’t want much else. I toss in an old 135 f/2 occasionally when I want that dreamy look to a portrait and I’ve got the working space, but 99% of what I do now is 50 or 28 depending on the situation. Thanks for giving us such intelligent content.
I am a 35mm man! Used one forever. It is also my go-to lens on S35 cinema cameras as well. Just something pulls me to the image feel. My lens of choice these days is a 1970 okc 1-35-1 Lomo cine lens ... it is great in my opinion. Thanks for the video content - great discussion!
I totally get what you’re saying and many commenters are saying. There is something very appealing about ‘forcing’ yourself to shoot with one or maybe two prime lenses. I’ve never had the courage to try that myself. I come from a news videographer background and I forever feel stuck in that mode that’s the photography version of FOMO. Because sometimes I want to capture the whole scene (24mm, 28mm). Sometimes I want to eliminate some of the background ‘clutter’ and get the heart of whatever it is I’m shooting (50mm, 85mm). And then often times, I really like compression shots where I am tight in on the details (200mm, 300mm). So that’s either a lot of primes to carry around. Or the compromise I’ve made, willingly, is to use pretty exclusively a Nikon 28-300. Granted, it’s a slow lens with variable f-stop. But I’ve learned how to work around its limitations in terms of light gathering, which is a discipline of another sort (and a full frame sensor and Nikon’s great dynamic range certainly helps). Maybe someday I’ll have the nerve to risk missing a shot I know I’d really like by not having a zoom to see if I fall in love with really learning to see the world through one focal length. Great video as always. Thanks for your work.
Great video to inspire serious thoughts about our photography and how to simplify picture taking. Over the past months I have been giving a lot of thought to this very same issue. This all came about after a long weekend break, I had a camera bag full of lenses and we went out on a long country walk. Needless to say the bag got heavier with each step and in the end I didn't actually shoot much. The next day I limited myself to one camera one lens and I shot just about everything I came across. It was a liberation!. I have now set up a FaceBook group devoted to "One camera - One lens" and have found a new passion for photography. Yes, less can mean more. Keep up the good work, I enjoy your videos.
Yes. In 2000 I worked on a series of photo books MILK - family, love, laughter - which was a result of a world wide photo competition. Best 300 or so images out of 30,000 submissions ended up in the books. I worked on the section with the photographers names and technical details, which included what focal length was used for each photograph. Surprise surprise: the majority were shot with 50mm. Yes, it was the standard lens that came with most camera’s, but it’s so versatile you can tell the story of humanity with it very well. AND it’s hard(er) to be creative if you have no limitations!
Just getting back to photography; when I was in high school, I had a Nikon 35mm camera and it was the best! It was so old that the seals were cracked in some places which gave the images I took certain light streaks. I love shooting on film because you have to take your time to compose the shot and you only had 24 frames to get it right. Now, I have a decent digital mirror less camera with an APS-C sensor (Sony), but I use vintage Nikon glass and the go to lens for me is the 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5 Macro Telephoto Zoom. On a crop sensor the focal range is 42-135mm, which makes it a good multi purpose lens.
Thank you very much for this exceptional class that you have given here. I think it is one of those talks capable of awakening creativity and opening the mind.
It is one of the best videos on the lenses. It freed me from so many lenses and let me concentrate on a few, therefore have more time to enjoy photography itself.
Big fan here, Ted. I love your photo of the girl w/American flag. Very bold, almost daring composition. Also, thank you for keeping the "art" in a craft filled more and more with UA-cam gear salesman.
I am in love with 28mm lens for around 5 years with absolutely no complaints, the Nikkor 28mm f2.8 Ai-s is probably my lifetime affair.
I cannot put my finger on exactly why I enjoyed this video; quite possibly because of the thoughts around my images and my "visual signature". I am in love with the 85mm as it is my go-to for what feels like everything. I look forward to continuing to think about this and hear more - Thanks for the video and question(s) to ponder about our own work.
Really thought provoking. Thank you. I am guilty of rushing my image making and the discipline you suggest will, clearly, force greater thought and work to achieve results and my own visual signature.
This feels like alot of the older videos on your channel which first grabbed my attention.
One great way to simplify your photography and get very familiar with a focal length is to get into TLRs.
An excellent point raised here, which I find really hits home with your note about your friend’s drum set. I was shooting a lot using an Exakta VXii and a set of very nice prime lenses during the 1980s and ‘90s. I got away from photography for a while, but decided to maybe get back in a couple of years ago. Cameras have changed over time, and for my move to digital I made the mistake of getting talked into a 4/3 camera and a couple of zoom lenses. Not to belittle crop sensors at all: The camera is excellent and takes great pictures, and the modern zooms are much less quirky than the zooms of old. But they can also get really annoying for an older guy like me, because when compared with what I used to be so comfortable with, the format is all wrong, the focal lengths have to be translated and can still be off, the depth of field is all wrong, bellows settings are all wrong, and all the rest of it. Not to mention the sheer cost that might be involved for putting together a whole new kit to work with said new camera the way the old kit worked with the old camera. In the meantime, I still have a set of nice primes and other bits and pieces I was using all of the time with often superb results, in storage waiting to get back to work. Adapters are available, but not a fix for the mismatch in depths of field and such. The latest and greatest stuff now is amazing, and can sometimes do marvellous things which may not have been possible with older equipment. But I see merit in being able to pull out what you already have and are used to, and focus on the image you are making rather than the trying to figure out how to make everything work nicely together. If there is a chance to minimize the changes from what you already have, it is good to do so.
This video made me think back to 1970... the year I bought my first 35mm camera. I used it exclusively for thirty years. It is a Konica Auto reflex T with their 52mm (1.8) lens. I had a great deal of fun with that camera. I still use it once in a while. I just thought it funny for me to see this video. Good stuff.
May latest purchase was the 35mm f2 for my old trusty 7D Mark II. It changed the way I was doing photography, specially street. I have several other lenses for specific situations, like video or portrait photography, but now I'm really enjoying my new lens. I think I'm going to stick to it for a long time. Great video!
Agree with the analogy that its the picture that counts not the tech spec of a given lens. Everyone seems to be hung up on specs, comparisons etc. but a strong image can be achieved on even the very basic of equipment. I downsized to one camera, one lens many years ago and found i had developed my own 'style'. My lens of choice is 35mm as I like to get in close on the streets.
I know this is odd but your videos have such a deep bass line from your voice that my subwoofer goes off. You’re the only channel where voice does that. It’s just to let you know. Thanks for the content. 👍
Thank you so much for this. I realized now why I think my 35mm film photos, with 50mm lens, are better than photos on my cropped sensor DSLR. I invested much more time thinking with film than with with digital. Also full frame with 50mm feels better for me. Recently I bought full frame mirrorless and it kind of brought me that feeling.
Great video! I just did this yesterday - went out with a 50mm equivalent (25mm on my Olympus MFT) and shot in monochrome jpg (and of course raw). I see the monochrome through the EVF. Then I processed all the images in Photoshop after converting the raw files back to monochrome with Nik Silver Effects. I cropped very little, and did very few adjustments. Great fun and I will try it again with my 32mm (16mm Sigma 1.4 on MFT). I am really enjoying the look. Thanks.
I completely agree, and understand what you are saying; I also love the 50mm(ish) range, I include down to 40mm and up to 58mm in this category. I love the overall look of that 50mm(ish) range, that character of that range is so diverse, and from lens to lens that character can change, even though it shares to same focal length. Long story short, I own a lot of lenses between 40mm and up to 58mm, but there are a lot of times I only go out with the single lens, to allow myself to focus on the image, not the gear I am using.
Thanks for this video; very interesting. Only because of the fact that Leica is so expensive, as a student, I restricted my gear to one body, a 35mm and a 90 mm. It became my go-to equipment for dozens of years. I saw the world, as it were through a mild wide angle and a mild telephoto lens, and I think I made the best photographs in my life.The set had really grown on me. Thorsten Overgaard talks about this as well in his UA-cam video "Which lens are you."
Actually I've spent more than 15 years with my Yashica TL-Electro X and it's superb Yashinon 50 mm f/1.7 DS-M. I have adapted it to a Canon 5D a while ago and these things are still in use. In fact I spent a few hours last weekend and realised how much inspiring it is to re-use this lens. It's almost like using film again. At least the feel of it and that is what counts, I guess. The familiar feel with a certain lens is what makes you slow down and refocus on your subject.
The Yashinon is definitely not sharp corner to corner wide open (but also definitely is razor sharp at 5.6), but it's the character of the lens that inspires me.
I can certainly agree that modern lenses technically - often - outperform vintage lenses, but they also often lack the power to inspire. This said, I'd prefer a lens with lesser optical performance when it's results give me the pleasure of seeing the result on my monitor or prints. Luckily this Yashinon beats a lot of modern 50 mm lenses. And lucky me still having it.
I’m just getting started, and I found this very informative for me. Plus, the Scat lounge is such a great spot.
I'm thinking of Joni Mitchell at the moment. She crossed genres to the point where she created her own. She played piano, guitar and other funky instruments. Was going to say her voice was the consistency throughout but that changed too because of heavy smoking. Her lyrics.. no.. she matured and changed and grew throughout her career. I can understand the love of a 50mm lens and sticking to it and building signature around it. I did that for a few years. I can also understand embracing change for the sake of change and seeing what's over the next mountain. Right now I'm in the second camp. Pure play, experimentation and wonder. Back to Joni, everything she does is 100% her own and hers no matter what it is. She paints too.
and thank you it made me think.
I used to shoot 50 mm for many years, it was the only lens I had, actually the camera didn't even have interchangeable lenses. Do you remember the emotion with your first 70-210? Or your first 24? Your talk is inspirational, I like it. On the other hand, definitively, I don't wish to return to only one lens.
Love this. I’ve done a few bike trips with just my 50, and I find that it pushes me to take images I wouldn’t have thought of.
You have 100% right. Photography process is creating on 99% in our brains. Gear which we are using is the last 1%. Some people can create great photos using only pinhole camera. 35mm lens user here ;-).
I was just thinking about this. 6:14 sums it up for me. If I had to pick one lens.. it would be a 50mm but I have options so I can explore different renderings of the world. I shoot vintage glass and usually leave it as-is.
Love it. Great to think about and be aware of.
Love this kind of introspection. I'm using the D850 which is perfect for my professional needs. I have a number of great fast sharp lenses but I recently bought a used Nikon 50mm 1.8 G just because it's so small and light. Not a bad lens but clearly not on par with anything else I own, yet I'm enjoying it the most, partly because of its focal length but mostly because it's often all I bring with me for personal work. So much fun.
The reason I hear mentioned a lot, and agree with, to shoot for some time with just one focal length is you learn how the lens "sees" so well you know what you're gonna get even before you take the viewfinder to your eye. I guess you could say you get intimate with its visual signature, though I had always only thought about framing.
everyone has a different eye. Started hobbyist photography in ‘71 with Canon A-1, 50mm, film. Soon switched to 70-210 zoom exclusively, rarely found it too long. These days I lean to 600mm on APS-C for nature. But for travel, 24mm full-frame equivalent is my most-used focal length.
It’s so easy to use a 50mm, it’s been my main lens from 1975 pretty much through now, both film and digital. I never relied on zoom or wide lenses, I just took a few steps forward or a few steps back. Simple. Even so, I do have a lot of other lenses, old and new but basically a 50 is great on all my cameras. It’s what I learned on when young and poor, and it’s just stuck with me
My favourite lens in terms of visual signature is my 40mm F1.2 Voigtlander which has a real medium format feel wide open… a tighter 35 but wider 50 but with a shallow depth of field to isolate a subject
Your video was thought provoking and maybe THAT's what it's all about. As a (former?) sax player, I found your analogy very interesting as I rarely have the opportunity transfer those sensibilities to photography. I have the 4 saxes and I always had an affinity for the Tenor which I then adapted to the others. I think my "Tenor" is the 50mm. I'm going to retry shooting with it for awhile and see how it feels... Thanks for the interesting points well made :-).
I had always used a Leica M or a Nikon of some sort with a 35 mm and an 85/90 mm. Now my favorite lenses are the 50mmf1.4 and the 60 Micro Nikon lenses . I photographed professionally for over 30 years. I'm 68 years old now. I remember reading Henri Cartier Bresson talking about why he liked the 50 so much (and he did use other focal lengths)> he said it gave his photos the perspective that a "painter " would have. (This is a paraphrase I made). He said that wide angles yell at the viewer. I agree and now I really find that I like the 50/60mm focal lengths and I really feel that I have re-discovered the beauty and simplicity that this focal length offers. And, as you said, you can spend as little or as much as you want on them. My only criterion is that I try to find the most compact F1.4 that I can. That can be a challenge these days. Thank you for your fine video.
For the last 2 years I’ve been shooting with a Leica m10d and a 50mm summilux. It’s been my only focal length. This year I finally changed it up. I sold the 50 and bought a 35mm summilux. I usually just photograph my family and our life growing up. With the 35mm I can get more of a story out of my photos.
I agree. And love Film Photography!! I shoot a FM2 mostly... with 50mm & 135mm.
I’m finding more and more that I’m also gravitating to shooting with a 50 or 35. It feels just right in my hand and my body becomes accustomed to moving in a way to get the right shot. I’ve been using an old nifty 50 with a Z6 with a convertor and it’s my favorite. Nice and light and it fit in my bag. I loved the results.
Loved this video. I still only have one native lens for my camera body and it's a zoom. But, I've been doing shoots where I set it to one focal length and shoot as though it's a prime. I was viewing a photographer I follow who shoots farm homestead images. One day I slowed down and thought about why her images were "pleasing" to my eye. The reason was there was more context to the image. I also realized all of her images were basically the same focal length. She doesn't constantly change it up. Finally, it's a focal length that looks a lot like what the human eye would see if you just stood at the spot where the image was shot. The reason this hit me so hard was that I realized how much I liked it even though I had been shooting the way I thought I had to and bringing subjects in close with the zoom. Makes me think that companies should stop bundling zoom lenses as the "kit" lens and go back to a prime. Now, my 18-55 is a good lens, it's a Fuji. But, I think I really would have benefited from starting with a single focal length. Now, I do have an old Canon FD 50mm f 1.8 with an adapter. Need to spend some time with that! Thanks for a great video!