I’m a 73 year old, old school street shooter who flunctuates between the 28mm & 40mm-ish views as my mainstays, dancing around the more utilized 35mm street “standard”. As far as 50mm being the vintage standard, you didn’t go back far enough, for back beyond the nifty fifty era lies the mostly non interchangeable era of decades of folding cameras of one sort and another, when the “normal” fixed lenses were almost invariably in the 40-43mm range, which was and is still considered to be the normal point of view by many, including myself, today. Anyway, I do agree that if I had to have only one lens, it would likely, for me, be the 28 (although I do, like you, love and do a good deal of shooting on the 24, or 16 for APS-C, & a 50 or so when called for) ~
P.S. - Since most of my shooting is done with vintage manual glass, my 28s do double duty in service of my 2 favorite focal lengths, 28 on my full frame Sony & 42 on my Fujifilms 😎
Disagree! The "standard" or "normal" focal length is equal to the diagonal of the image format. For a 35mm film camera, the diagonal is 43mm (the diagonal of a 24x36mm image). Traditionally, 40, 45, 50, and 55mm lenses have been considered normal focal lengths for 24x36mm images. The 35mm focal length lens has been considered slightly wide and the 28mm focal length lens has been considered wide.
This is correct. "Standard" and "Normal" don't refer to "common" or "popular." You might be able to say that 50mm is/was more common over 40mm, 45mm, and so on because of lens design and manufacturing but I don't know enough of the specifics to speak on that.
My eyes don’t function normally due to be short sighted and right eye dominant. This was important for me because all the focal length confused me. 50mm on a full frame to my right eyes “feels” wide but the 40mm “feels” correct in terms of spatial correctness. I see wide and long so my natural focal length is from 24mm to 35mm with 28mm being my sweet spot. 70mm full frame is my normal vision - tight and yet feels to match what I see with no optical trickery. So my two Lens on my Fuji are the 18mmf2 and 50mm on my XT1. The XF18-55mm is my favourite zoom it covers my NATURAL spatial and telephoto. Good video thanks👍🏽
Larger screens or prints are the reason for the wider focal lengths used I think. If you only have small prints due to cost I former times you don't want to waste it for surroundings of a portrait. On the other hand: If you have a high resolution picture on a 40+ inch screen there is no problem with having the face only a small part of the whole picture. An then you can use a wide angle lens… Just my 2 cents.
I've noticed that too. people prefer the look and feel of 28mm because that's what they mostly see on social media. There used to distortion and depth as opposed to compression like many photographers.
i agree that more and more people are using 28mm - however the reason I love the 50mm is that it avoids distortion. Its not so much that it sees the same angle of view as that the 50mm sees relationships in your frame in the same way.
The 50mm does not "avoid distortion", as the lens is not what is creating the perspective of the subject. It is strictly the subject-lens distance that provides the perspective. If you really do not like how people appear in real life at only 2' away, then you will not like portrait images shot from 2' away. It's as simple as that, and it is not because of the lens whether it be a 24, a 28, or a 35. It is the DISTANCE.
Good video i bought Canon r5 with 50mm 1.8 i like it but last month i bought canon 28mm f 2.8 and i really really like the 28mm more than the 50 . so i agree with you
Standards can change. We haven’t had any other devices as prevalent as a phone that can also act as a camera. There is also the prevalence of social media that drives the type of “photography” that a regular person does. I suppose it also depends on the person. For me, when I picked up photography, I started on a phone. I mainly focused on composition. It only had a fixed lens and digital zoom so there wasn’t that much experimentation with focal lengths. Once I got my Fujifilm XH1 with the 18-55 kit lens,I shot at all lengths. I quickly learned that I prefer the wider angles. But this is also because I shoot landscape, architecture and Astro. For landscape I LOVE dwarfing the human experience. Nothing compares to level of scale that natural landscapes have and wide angle lenses have given me the ability to express that. But in all honesty no picture I’ve taken or seen compares to the human eye when you are there in person. For architecture it’s a similar experience but it’s also technical. The wider I go the less I have to crop when i correct verticals. For Astro I need more light so wider is better. I tried the 16-55 as well as the 16 1.4 and fell in love. I’m getting into street photography now and am noticing that I am leaning towards the 35-50 range tho. Sorry for the long comment but it will give your video engagement.
I appreciate your comment! I find that I love shooting wide most of the time I absolutely love my 16mm f/1.4. Of course I use longer focal lengths like 35mm, 56mm, 85mm for portraits and where it’s otherwise appropriate
I really enjoyed your video. When I got my first SLR back in 1973 I also purchased 3 lenses. 35mm,50mm and 135mm. Pretty much the standard trio for that time. The 35mm never came off my camera. Fast forward almost 50 years and using a Fuji crop sensor, the 23mm is on my camera 90% of the time. It's how I view the world. For me, it's 35mm. But I can certainly see how the 28mm would be the choice for a lot of people.
With the time i love more and more 28 mm. I have grown with 35 mm at film time, but i feel less confortable now with this focal for group or interior photos. Cell phones had a real influence with their main lens between 24 and 28mm. This made me buy a Ricoh GRIII to get the same field of view, with a light but clever real camera. It's now one of my favorite camera ever. I see that leica has also a long tradition in 28mm, now with Q serie and before with several very good lenses. 28mm is easy to use for many purposes landscape, street, interior, groups, and even environnemental portrait. Close up can be also fun and dynamic if you play with distorsion. Il prefer it on 24 mm that become often more tricky with human picture because of distorsion. 28mm is a good balance.
I think when talking about equivalent human eye focal length, I think for me the 50 mm accurately represents the compression of which we see from an image appropriately and may not have the right field of view edge to edge picture but the compression of the picture I think is the closest on a 50mm
Good info! The nifty fifty D F1.8 is still the most versatile and I think is most popular. I also have a 12-24mm DX zoom lens that gives me an 18-35mm perspective on my full-frame camera and is a GREAT walkaround lens for my street photography!. Thanls for the video...
If nearly all cell phone photos are 28mm, why the heck would I want to make my work look like the crap every hamburger with a cell phone is calling photography? But for street, 400 iso, f11 28 mm I have a point and shoot with high quality sensor/film stock and great lens. With matrix metering, It is bring it to my eye zone focused at about 10 feet and shoot, no focusing. I do have auto focus on my film slrs but have the option with this lens to just point and shoot... or shoot from the hip and burst with power winder to be sure I have it.
I'm still struggling with 28mm. Wide angle lenses mean you can easily cram more stuffs in your frame (not always good), so typically you'll stand closer, which makes the object closest to the lens looks bigger (not always good). I'm happy enough with 40 or 50mm. Or if I really want something "wide": XPan mode. Unfortunately, Hasselblad XPan is expensive, and I think the closest one to that in digital world is Fuji GFX with the 64:24 mode.
I really want to disagree because I love the "old standard" better. But, it's undeniable that most cameras sold nowadays, which is phone cameras, are using 24mm to 28mm lenses. So if standard means that it's the norm, then you are correct, the standard has changed.
Photography is an art form very heavily based in tradition, so I honestly expected a lot of wholehearted disagreement in the comment section from seasoned photographers. I think you’re right though, it comes down to your definition of “standard.” If you want to be traditional for the sake of being traditional, it is and always will be 50mm. Based on the definition of standard, it is the general norm, which is why I argue it’s now 28mm. Lots of standards of changed over time in photography; film to digital, manual focus to autofocus, etc.
I'm an old dog learning new tricks when it comes to digital photography. To my way of thinking you've got it backwards when it come to the 50mm lens. I don't think the 50mm was popular because it was available. I think the 50mm was manufactured because it more closely matched the magnification of the human eye...which is zero magnification...when used on a 35mm camera. The 50mm focal length was not just plucked out of the air. There is a reason for it. In my opinion that's why the 50mm became the standard.
Agree with you that the standard focal length is different due to cell phones. The object of 28mm was to capture travel and lifestyle photography. The 28mm is a better choice if you have limited photography skills or convenience is important to you.
People have claimed both 50 and 35mm are normal. Now increasingly people say the same for 28 in part of its prevalence in smart phones. It depends how much peripheral vision one includes in a “normal” field of view. 50mm is considered normal because it’s a close approximation to human vision but it was also just simply the easiest kind of lens to make for years, solidifying it’s place in popular culture. Perhaps saying new “standard” instead of new “normal” would have been more apt. Just trying to have a conversation, appreciate your ever so constructive feedback 😊😊😊
There really is no standard or most appropriate lens. If you enjoy the way people look with broad fat heads, small noses, and big ears, then use longer lenses and shoot from greater subject-lens distances. If you like the way people look with narrow heads, big noses and tiny ears then use shorter lenses and shoot from a closer subject-lens distance. The subject-lens distance is the most critical decision in portrait photography. If you have a 28mm lens, but like the perspective provided by the subject-lens distance used when shooting the 50mm, then simply take the photo from that same distance using the 28mm and crop into the image on the computer. Stop wasting money on your gear addiction and instead put the money toward photographic workshops.
I’m a 73 year old, old school street shooter who flunctuates between the 28mm & 40mm-ish views as my mainstays, dancing around the more utilized 35mm street “standard”. As far as 50mm being the vintage standard, you didn’t go back far enough, for back beyond the nifty fifty era lies the mostly non interchangeable era of decades of folding cameras of one sort and another, when the “normal” fixed lenses were almost invariably in the 40-43mm range, which was and is still considered to be the normal point of view by many, including myself, today. Anyway, I do agree that if I had to have only one lens, it would likely, for me, be the 28 (although I do, like you, love and do a good deal of shooting on the 24, or 16 for APS-C, & a 50 or so when called for) ~
P.S. - Since most of my shooting is done with vintage manual glass, my 28s do double duty in service of my 2 favorite focal lengths, 28 on my full frame Sony & 42 on my Fujifilms 😎
@raymeedc Thank you for the insight sir! I would love to see your photos!!
I thought it was 35mm.
Disagree!
The "standard" or "normal" focal length is equal to the diagonal of the image format. For a 35mm film camera, the diagonal is 43mm (the diagonal of a 24x36mm image).
Traditionally, 40, 45, 50, and 55mm lenses have been considered normal focal lengths for 24x36mm images. The 35mm focal length lens has been considered slightly wide and the 28mm focal length lens has been considered wide.
This is correct. "Standard" and "Normal" don't refer to "common" or "popular." You might be able to say that 50mm is/was more common over 40mm, 45mm, and so on because of lens design and manufacturing but I don't know enough of the specifics to speak on that.
"Standard focal length" only stands for equivalent human eye focal length, not what focal length is preferred or used more frequently.
My two most used FOV's are 40mm and 80mm but that is because they suit my photography style best.
My eyes don’t function normally due to be short sighted and right eye dominant. This was important for me because all the focal length confused me. 50mm on a full frame to my right eyes “feels” wide but the 40mm “feels” correct in terms of spatial correctness. I see wide and long so my natural focal length is from 24mm to 35mm with 28mm being my sweet spot. 70mm full frame is my normal vision - tight and yet feels to match what I see with no optical trickery. So my two Lens on my Fuji are the 18mmf2 and 50mm on my XT1. The XF18-55mm is my favourite zoom it covers my NATURAL spatial and telephoto. Good video thanks👍🏽
Larger screens or prints are the reason for the wider focal lengths used I think.
If you only have small prints due to cost I former times you don't want to waste it for surroundings of a portrait.
On the other hand: If you have a high resolution picture on a 40+ inch screen there is no problem with having the face only a small part of the whole picture. An then you can use a wide angle lens…
Just my 2 cents.
I've noticed that too. people prefer the look and feel of 28mm because that's what they mostly see on social media. There used to distortion and depth as opposed to compression like many photographers.
i agree that more and more people are using 28mm - however the reason I love the 50mm is that it avoids distortion. Its not so much that it sees the same angle of view as that the 50mm sees relationships in your frame in the same way.
I also love 50mm, just sparking a conversation over whether it still reigns as the “standard”
The 50mm does not "avoid distortion", as the lens is not what is creating the perspective of the subject. It is strictly the subject-lens distance that provides the perspective. If you really do not like how people appear in real life at only 2' away, then you will not like portrait images shot from 2' away. It's as simple as that, and it is not because of the lens whether it be a 24, a 28, or a 35. It is the DISTANCE.
Replaced 50mm with 28mm recently. Reason being the 50mm is too tight as an all-around lens
Good video i bought Canon r5 with 50mm 1.8 i like it but last month i bought canon 28mm f 2.8 and i really really like the 28mm more than the 50 . so i agree with you
Actually 42mm is the "normal view"
Standards can change. We haven’t had any other devices as prevalent as a phone that can also act as a camera. There is also the prevalence of social media that drives the type of “photography” that a regular person does.
I suppose it also depends on the person.
For me, when I picked up photography, I started on a phone. I mainly focused on composition. It only had a fixed lens and digital zoom so there wasn’t that much experimentation with focal lengths. Once I got my Fujifilm XH1 with the 18-55 kit lens,I shot at all lengths. I quickly learned that I prefer the wider angles. But this is also because I shoot landscape, architecture and Astro.
For landscape I LOVE dwarfing the human experience. Nothing compares to level of scale that natural landscapes have and wide angle lenses have given me the ability to express that. But in all honesty no picture I’ve taken or seen compares to the human eye when you are there in person.
For architecture it’s a similar experience but it’s also technical. The wider I go the less I have to crop when i correct verticals.
For Astro I need more light so wider is better.
I tried the 16-55 as well as the 16 1.4 and fell in love.
I’m getting into street photography now and am noticing that I am leaning towards the 35-50 range tho.
Sorry for the long comment but it will give your video engagement.
I appreciate your comment! I find that I love shooting wide most of the time I absolutely love my 16mm f/1.4. Of course I use longer focal lengths like 35mm, 56mm, 85mm for portraits and where it’s otherwise appropriate
I really enjoyed your video. When I got my first SLR back in 1973 I also purchased 3 lenses. 35mm,50mm and 135mm.
Pretty much the standard trio for that time. The 35mm never came off my camera. Fast forward almost 50 years and using a Fuji crop sensor, the 23mm is on my camera 90% of the time. It's how I view the world. For me, it's 35mm. But I can certainly see how the 28mm would be the choice for a lot of people.
Thanks for sharing!
With the time i love more and more 28 mm. I have grown with 35 mm at film time, but i feel less confortable now with this focal for group or interior photos. Cell phones had a real influence with their main lens between 24 and 28mm. This made me buy a Ricoh GRIII to get the same field of view, with a light but clever real camera. It's now one of my favorite camera ever. I see that leica has also a long tradition in 28mm, now with Q serie and before with several very good lenses. 28mm is easy to use for many purposes landscape, street, interior, groups, and even environnemental portrait. Close up can be also fun and dynamic if you play with distorsion. Il prefer it on 24 mm that become often more tricky with human picture because of distorsion. 28mm is a good balance.
If you close one eye and zoom to what you see it ends up being about 40-41mm. That seems to be "normal view."
I think when talking about equivalent human eye focal length, I think for me the 50 mm accurately represents the compression of which we see from an image appropriately and may not have the right field of view edge to edge picture but the compression of the picture I think is the closest on a 50mm
Good info! The nifty fifty D F1.8 is still the most versatile and I think is most popular. I also have a 12-24mm DX zoom lens that gives me an 18-35mm perspective on my full-frame camera and is a GREAT walkaround lens for my street photography!. Thanls for the video...
If nearly all cell phone photos are 28mm, why the heck would I want to make my work look like the crap every hamburger with a cell phone is calling photography? But for street, 400 iso, f11 28 mm I have a point and shoot with high quality sensor/film stock and great lens. With matrix metering, It is bring it to my eye zone focused at about 10 feet and shoot, no focusing. I do have auto focus on my film slrs but have the option with this lens to just point and shoot... or shoot from the hip and burst with power winder to be sure I have it.
I started preferring 50mm more now that phone pics at 28mm are so common. 50mm helps it stand out as not a phone pic
I'm still struggling with 28mm. Wide angle lenses mean you can easily cram more stuffs in your frame (not always good), so typically you'll stand closer, which makes the object closest to the lens looks bigger (not always good). I'm happy enough with 40 or 50mm. Or if I really want something "wide": XPan mode. Unfortunately, Hasselblad XPan is expensive, and I think the closest one to that in digital world is Fuji GFX with the 64:24 mode.
First time I have seen someone delve into this subject
Awesome!
@@MattJacobs Good subject to introduce.
Love my 16mm Fuji lens!
Me too!
I really want to disagree because I love the "old standard" better. But, it's undeniable that most cameras sold nowadays, which is phone cameras, are using 24mm to 28mm lenses. So if standard means that it's the norm, then you are correct, the standard has changed.
Photography is an art form very heavily based in tradition, so I honestly expected a lot of wholehearted disagreement in the comment section from seasoned photographers. I think you’re right though, it comes down to your definition of “standard.” If you want to be traditional for the sake of being traditional, it is and always will be 50mm. Based on the definition of standard, it is the general norm, which is why I argue it’s now 28mm. Lots of standards of changed over time in photography; film to digital, manual focus to autofocus, etc.
@@MattJacobs Yup, I agree. Interesting topic, and also nice presentation. Great video!
I'm an old dog learning new tricks when it comes to digital photography. To my way of thinking you've got it backwards when it come to the 50mm lens. I don't think the 50mm was popular because it was available. I think the 50mm was manufactured because it more closely matched the magnification of the human eye...which is zero magnification...when used on a 35mm camera. The 50mm focal length was not just plucked out of the air. There is a reason for it. In my opinion that's why the 50mm became the standard.
I also mentioned that but did imply it was because what was available. It was likely both
Agree with you that the standard focal length is different due to cell phones. The object of 28mm was to capture travel and lifestyle photography. The 28mm is a better choice if you have limited photography skills or convenience is important to you.
Happy you made this video , it takes courage to say theses things. But it is not that simple... 👍🏽👊🏽
What do you mean?
Interesting topic.
Thanks!
It does not matter what you think . It depends on what your eyes perceive .....😊😊😊 50mm is normal not 28 ....😊😊😊
People have claimed both 50 and 35mm are normal. Now increasingly people say the same for 28 in part of its prevalence in smart phones. It depends how much peripheral vision one includes in a “normal” field of view. 50mm is considered normal because it’s a close approximation to human vision but it was also just simply the easiest kind of lens to make for years, solidifying it’s place in popular culture.
Perhaps saying new “standard” instead of new “normal” would have been more apt. Just trying to have a conversation, appreciate your ever so constructive feedback 😊😊😊
There really is no standard or most appropriate lens. If you enjoy the way people look with broad fat heads, small noses, and big ears, then use longer lenses and shoot from greater subject-lens distances. If you like the way people look with narrow heads, big noses and tiny ears then use shorter lenses and shoot from a closer subject-lens distance. The subject-lens distance is the most critical decision in portrait photography. If you have a 28mm lens, but like the perspective provided by the subject-lens distance used when shooting the 50mm, then simply take the photo from that same distance using the 28mm and crop into the image on the computer. Stop wasting money on your gear addiction and instead put the money toward photographic workshops.
Awful background music. Is it absolutely necessary?