Calling 35mm Full Frame Users

monkeyleader

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Howdy,

So I'm looking for a new everyday walk about general purpose lens .... considering a prime at 35mm ... I hear such good things about forcing ones self into a prime mode in terms of working composition etc and think the 35mm would be a very good place to start (although I have my little trusty 50mm f/1.8 never too far from hand)

Any other Full Frame (body) users out there who shoot with a 35mm lens - care to comment on their thoughts? Do you know this combo works well for you? Has using a 35mm fixed prime improved your photography?

I see the new(ish) Sigma 35mm f/1.4 gets pretty good write-ups as does the (more $$) Zeiss 35mm f/2 .... (a mate of mine has the Zeiss and I have to admit on his 5D the colours, saturation and contrast straight out of camera are nothing short of jaw dropping) ...

cheers,

Nige
 
As I mentioned in your other thread, I use a Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 as my main lens (on a FF Sony A900), and find it does most of what I want.

I do have a 50 f/1.4 which I used a lot when I had the slower Zeiss 16-80 f/4-5.6 on a APS-C body, but since getting the constant f/2.8 I find I only occasionally reach for the 50, as f/2.8 is fast enough 90% of the time.

What I do use a lot is my Minolta 85 f/1.4 - but that is adding a bit more reach as well as the faster aperture.

Not sure if the above helps you at all - just my observation that the quality and speed of a 24-70 f/2.8 is 'sufficient' that I'm not switching to the 50 f/1.4, so it might be an option to consider.
 
Improve photography no, most definitely not.

Do I like that focal length and does it suite my self, oh yes most definitely...
 
I use an Nikon 24-70mm to be honest I can't see myself going back to primes,does just using primes improve your photography no.

The best way to improve your photography is just to get out their and take photos no matter what lens or camera you have :)
 
Big zooms like a 28-300mm can make you lazy. Primes can cause shots being lost, but offer top lens quality. The top zooms though, like the 24-70mm and 70-200mm are better or as good as most primes, but are darn heavier.

The weight is why I would never buy a FX camera with a 70-200mmF2.8 for portraits, I much prefer my DX D7100 and 85mmF1.8. Though I would for a 35mm, hence why I'm heavily considering an RX1s, best of both worlds.
 
I use an Nikon 24-70mm to be honest I can't see myself going back to primes,does just using primes improve your photography no.

The best way to improve your photography is just to get out their and take photos no matter what lens or camera you have :)

Oh don't you worry I'm out there .. pretty much all the time .. it's just quite interesting that I read quite a few 35mm owners who independent of each other say shooting consistently with the focal length has improved their eye... and in turn their own photography ..
 
I personally think once you're stuck with a prime you get use to what works for the focal length, which in turn makes you think about your shot more, thats where it has improved my photography.
 
Why do you say no to improve your photography - kinda against pretty much everything I've been reading?

Because lets face it, equipment never does improve your photography. It can make it easier. The unit and the focal length need to work with you, fit your style.

Now I'm not saying at all that 35mm is not fantastic, I love it for street especially. But you can't be afraid to get up close and personal :D I just fail to see how a 35mm lens will improve your photography. Each focal length has got its benefits/disadvantage depending on the shot you create.
 
Because lets face it, equipment never does improve your photography. It can make it easier. The unit and the focal length need to work with you, fit your style.

Now I'm not saying at all that 35mm is not fantastic, I love it for street especially. But you can't be afraid to get up close and personal :D I just fail to see how a 35mm lens will improve your photography. Each focal length has got its benefits/disadvantage depending on the shot you create.

In agreement i cant see how an 35mm lens is going to improve anybody photos,as dejongi said each focal length to its own.
I know it very trendy these days to go back to prime lens,like all things give it a couple of years and people will be back to zooms.
Saying that the prime is still used a lot in say nature & sport photography,at the longer end of the range 300mm upward.
:)
 
Because lets face it, equipment never does improve your photography. It can make it easier. The unit and the focal length need to work with you, fit your style.

Now I'm not saying at all that 35mm is not fantastic, I love it for street especially. But you can't be afraid to get up close and personal :D I just fail to see how a 35mm lens will improve your photography. Each focal length has got its benefits/disadvantage depending on the shot you create.

I guess the many folks who do are coming from a piece that perhaps it's not just the focal length (35mm) but rather putting yourself into the prime mode, therefore going in search of composition rather than standing in one stop and zooming ... I tend to agree .. the only prime (apart from my 105mm macro) that I own is the little 50mm f/1.8 which, when it's on the camera, has me thinking a bit more before I take the shot ...

I was chatting to a mate the other day and he had actually commented that the Zeiss 35mm has had him going in search of certain situations to really show what the Zeiss can do in terms of colour rendition, the beautiful bokeh it exhibits and of course the natural bit of vignetting common with the Zeiss range of lens.

I'd say that is one particular instance when kit has improved his photography - and in fact as a test we headed out and played a little with 35mm situations comparing my 24-105mm (@35mm) and his .... we chose the same composition .... in 95% of the cases when I looked at the shot on the back of my camera it was an almost instance delete, whereas in his case at least 70% of the time you were drooling .... I see photographic opportunities all around me but there are some which I naturally walk past as I know the kit I have at present won't be able to present it in the way it should feel ...

I do however agree that in some cases too much importance (especially for those just starting out) is put on kit and these comments are in no way meant to undermine that ....
 
I think we are in agreement actually I based my comment on your original post. You already got a prime, why would a 35mm prime improve your photography over the 50mm prime? Further more, why buy more kit. All the things you do with a prime you should do with any lens. And the zoom lenses aren't stopping you from doing so either. Hence my response to your clear question; no it doesn't improve your photography.

Don't get me wrong I love my primes, and I also love my fast zooms. There is a time and place for either, yet neither improves it. Now I get what you mean like your friend with the zeiss. But again it is something you can do with any lens. I often go out and set myself a challenge, but what you mustn't forget, it isn't the kit that is improving your photography, it is you doing that ;)
 
You often hear questions on 'will xxx improve my photography?', when what people are really asking is 'will xxx let me get better photos?'.

And the answer depends on what you regard as 'better'.

For example, will a sharper lens capture sharper images? Yes, but only if they photographer get them in focus and has the camera on a tripod (or uses a high shutter speed).

Will a better lens give better composition. No, that's the photographer.
 
The 35mm may improve his photography as its a different focal length to the 50, in slightly tighter situations it may mean the difference between getting a shot or not (composition). Zooms are all fine BUT generally you're stuck with a 2.8 aperture or much slower.

Kit does quite a bit to improve the look you're trying to achieve, Im not going to use a compact or a phone camera to achieve the type of shots I like (shallow DOF portraits), it aint gonna happen.

Ive owned a lot of the fast zooms by most manufacturers yet I still go back to my prime only setup every time for the IQ and look they provide. IMO the only benefit of a zoom is convenience.

Why buy more kit? Thats a silly question like why buy nice things for your house or nice clothes, asda make clothes, that'll do.

The Sigma is an amazing lens, if I used 35mm more often Id buy it without even thinking about it.
 
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Reading between the lines it seem to me it's more about where your going with your photography than about equipment.
It's a place that most of us come to,a photographer block don't try to compare your photos with others,think more about what you want to say with your photos then you will know what equipment work for you,rather than the other way round.

:)
 
I tend to use my Fuji x100 exclusively these days with it's fixed 23mm lens (35mm equiv). Has it made me a better photog? - probably not but it does make me think more about my subject and how to shoot within the constraints of the lens.

I find I am now looking more before I shoot than I used to previously when using zooms and I do enjoy my photography more these days but that may be down to not having to hump around all that gear.
 
I only use primes and have a number from 21-75, I didn't get on with 90mm or above so sold those and I'm looking for a 18 at the moment. My order of use is (ie how often I fit the lens and use it)

35,50,28,24,75,21 if that helps. There is a notable difference between a 50 and a 35, the same goes for 35 an 28. I also tend to choose different lenses for different situations, so have some smaller slower lenses for quick focusing outdoor use and some older glass because I love it.
 
The Samyang 35mm f1.4 (manual focus) gets good reviews and is comparatively cheap.
 
Get the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART. The Zeiss is nice, the colours are nice, but manual focus can be a pain after a while especially walking about.
 
I have been taking photos for years with zooms ... my wife is a professional photographer and I have the opportunity to buy and use kit I would never normally be able to get past the wife normally :D

After using zooms on my 5D she talked me into getting and trying just shooting with primes. As someone has mentioned it makes you look for composition and think more ! I used to go to where I thought was best and pic a focal length on say a 24-70 or 70-300.

I rented a 50, 85 and 135 lens recently and ended up buying them all having had the first day in ages when I was really stretching myself looking for stuff suited to the focal length and shallow depths of field.

I am learning but the results so far are pleasing :) I have found the focal lengths restrictive in a good way but I am now after a 35 for the true street stuff ...
 
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I get the Primes thing, i do enjoy using my 50mm and 100mm when im bored, but after spending all this money on gear i dont really want anything "restricting" me, so i'd also vote for a short zoom.
If you have a zoom like a 24-70 you get all those lovely prime focal lengths, without the hassle of missing a shot due to the aforementioned "restrictions", having to change lenses etc.
If you are going to impose a self restriction by using a prime, when not have the same discipline and just not touch the zoom ring as much ;-)
 
I get the Primes thing, i do enjoy using my 50mm and 100mm when im bored, but after spending all this money on gear i dont really want anything "restricting" me, so i'd also vote for a short zoom.
If you have a zoom like a 24-70 you get all those lovely prime focal lengths, without the hassle of missing a shot due to the aforementioned "restrictions", having to change lenses etc.
If you are going to impose a self restriction by using a prime, when not have the same discipline and just not touch the zoom ring as much ;-)

You could say that but you could also say, Ive spent all this money on a good camera and now I want the best IQ, so you buy some primes. Changing lenses isnt a restriction or everyone would own a bridge camera and say the same thing.
 
Well not all primes offer equal IQ, and some zooms offer better IQ than some primes.
I would rather get the shot on a lower IQ lens, than miss it due to me changing lenses at the time, or missing that special moment because im too close to get it all in as my lens is too long etc, and this has happened quite a lot.

You could also argue if primes are so good why doesn't everyone just stick to using them?

I do understand that some like the self imposed challenge, or just like working that way, and of course if a narrower DOf is required then a prime will probably do a better job, but i prefer the versatility, and the almost always ready for anything feeling a zoom gives me.

This is just how i see it though.
 

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