Masters of the 35mm lens

<p>35mm (equivalent focal length on a 24 x 36 film/sensor) has never been my personal favorite to use, even though I love the work of HCB. As an owner of the Fuji X100 I am now shooting much 35mm work, despite 85mm and 50mm being my favorite focal lengths. I've been happy with much of my work with the Fuji, it forces me to see things from a difference perspective and to be careful to frame properly so as not to bring out some of the exaggeration a wider lens can show. I do know that these "exaggerational aspects can be used creatively, but that is not my style. </p>

<p>I'm curious to see your favorite masters of this focal length, excluding HCB (so as to become familiar with other masters and new images, most of us have seen the better HCB images already) whose work I do love.</p>

<p>A similar post on 28mm masters intrigued me and caused me to think about this post on 35mm masters. I love using the Fuji X100 and seeing great work with the focal length would give me more persepctive on using this focal length with which I have little experience.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>I could be wrong, but I always thought HCB used a 50mm lens for most if not all his work. </p>

<p>Raymond Depardon (35 and 50),<br>

The old color Leica M guy at NatGeo, did all this cowboy life stuff and much more ..Harvey, or Allard?)<br>

Michael Ackermann (35, probably 28, too)<br>

Paolo Pellegrin, Alex Majoli, Alex Webb, Larry Towell, Abbas<br>

Max Pam (most of it is 50mm in medium format: more like 30mm in 24x36)<br>

Manuel Bauer (28,35,50 rather equally, it seams)<br>

There are many more.<br>

Go closer and have fun!<br>

Cheers, Pete </p>

 

<p>Cartier-Bresson is known to have used various focal lengths, but he is not associated specially with 35mm. A master photographer, to my mind, would use all focal lengths with equal skill.</p>

<p>Jeanloupe Seiffe, Ralph Gibson</p>

<p>To me this is like asking about artists who did all their work only with a fan brush or something. It's well worth seeing the results with different focal lengths because all are more versatile than rough categorization would make them -- but the focal lengths used often have much more to do with what was available than anything else. 28 was a rare and expensive focal length up until the mid-1960s, for example.</p>

<p>HCB was known to use WA's occasionally. But his principle focal was the 50MM.</p>

<p>David Alan Harvey, who did many National Geo articles using mostly 35mm, including Viet Nam, The Mexican Border, Cuba, and NASCAR. He also did an entire book on Cuba almost exclusively with the 35mm.</p>

<p>Early Eggleston to about the mid-90's.</p>

<p>Harry Guyaert from Magnum.</p>

<p>Alex Webb</p>

<p>Charles Harbutt</p>

<p> </p>

Jeanloup Sieff was a master of the 21 but how he used it is instructive for how to transition to a 35 from a 50. I never

properly understood my 50 till I had a 35. And only really understand that since using a 25. Get a 25 for your film

camera and you'll love the medium telephoto of the X100.

<p>I like<a href="http://www.citysnaps.net/blog/bw-gallery-1/"> this guy,</a> all 35...</p>

<p>Bob, what Richard says!<br>

And when I recently met Ralph Gibson in Barcelona after a conference, sharing some jamon belota and beers in his hotel lobby at the Ramblas, he insisted in the 50mm.<br>

"Try it, it helps!" was his comment when he saw an M with a 35 on my shoulder.<br>

He excused himself and came back from his room after a few minutes with a black chrome M6 with his signature engraved in the top plate. He handed it over to me and said: "See, additional frames are removed!" (cluttery 75mm inside the 50 frame, I didn't check the other settings, as... ) ... the frame preview lever was also missing on his customized M6.<br>

I came up with the usual argument that 43mm or so is the correct "normal" FL for 24x36 and 50mm just an industrial standard, than he said: "Koudelka had the same opinion. But, again, try the 50 , it helps composing!"<br>

As he is very concerned about architecture, I can see his point.<br>

He had the 50mm Asph Lux mounted, time set on 1/1000! I asked why he would use a 1/1000 at all, and he said that he loves Neopan 1600 for BW, and though it is discontinued, he's buying his new old stock via internet.<br>

At this point, I didn't ask why he was using a 0.72 finder instead of a 0.85 or an M3 rightaway. There were other people around.<br>

He had another M6 for color work, which I didn't see.<br>

But he is really no 35mm guru, if that helps.</p>

<p>Disclaimer: Dear Mr Gibson, if you ever happen to stumble over this post,<br>

I hope not to have offended you in any way by publishing this!</p>

<p>I do love "The Somnambulist". For me, most inspiring work.<br>

Everything is REDUCED to the maximum.<br>

This is how I understand his advice: 50mm helps you substracting superfluous things.<br>

And, still, for just going out, I'm more a 35 kind of guy.</p>

<p>Good light to you all!</p>

<p>Knut</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>Graham says "To me this is like asking about artists who did all their work only with a fan brush or something", but I think this analogy is misleading. A brush doesn't change the composition of what you look at; a focal length does. To learn how to use a wide focal length (or an ultra-wide, or a portrait focal length), it makes sense to look at the work of an artist who was known for using that, much as we might look at Ansel Adams if we want to improve our b&w work, and Ernst Haas if we want to improve our use of color.</p>

<p>I am not a big 50mm fan but I do like the fact that you can see more of what is outside the frame (and about to enter it) with the 50mm than with the 35mm</p>

<p>I don't believe that anyone "masters" a particular focal length. They just happen to like using it and then get into the habit, simply because they can make nice pictures with it.</p>

<p>Thanks for the input so far. I have no idea how I spaced it with HCB, I have so many books by him and certainly <em>used</em> to know he shot mostly 50mm! Too many formats, so many equivalent focal lengths and actual focal lengths, I guess I've blurred them! But I do know that my Fuji has a 35 equivalent and I am surprised how well it fits me once I got adjusted in a week or so.</p>

<p>Jeff, thanks for that link, nice work. </p>

<p>I'm hoping to see more of anyone's work that uses 35mm. How about opening it up to <em>your</em> work, everyone, and show your own favorite work with the 35mm lens? </p>

<p>Anton Kusters just did a book titled "Odo Yakuza Tokyo". It's shot entirely with an M9 and a 35mm lens. Brilliant book. David Alan Harvey wrote the intro. </p>

<p>Another 'master' of the 35mm lens is Bill Cunningham, the street photographer of fashion who was recently the subject of a film documentary.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Knut...Is it possible that Mr. Gibson's "black chrome M6 with his signature engraved in the top plate" was actually a Ralph Gibson Signature Leica MP?<br /><br /><a href="http://ralphgibson.myshopify.com/products/ralph-gibson-signature-leica-mp">http://ralphgibson.myshopify.com/products/ralph-gibson-signature-leica-mp</a><br /><br />In any case, your story is very interesting...and I agree with his observation that it can be easier to compose with a 50mm lens than a 35mm lens, although your photo taken with a 35mm lens is excellent!</p><div></div>

<p>I could be wrong, but I think both Erwitt and Frank used 35's extensively.</p>

<p>Some examples recycled from another thread:</p>

<p>Eisenstaedt used a 35 for '95%' of his work:<br />http://digitaljournalist.org/issue9911/eisieintro.htm<br /><br />David Alan Harvey has used a 35 for most of his:<br />http://betterphotography.in/2011/08/03/dream-lens-david-alan-harvey/<br /><br />Alex Webb shot Istanbul and the Mexican border with a 35:<br />http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essay/istanbul<br />http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essay/crossings<br /><br />Costa Manos shot his Boston project with a 35:<br />http://www.magnumphotos.com/c.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.BookDetail_VPage&pid=2K7O3R9ACJFY<br /><br />Stella Johnson's 'Al Sol' is a 15 year project shot with a 35:<br />http://stellajohnson.com/events/media/johnson_LFI-03-2010.pdf<br /><br /></p>

<p>Hi Steve and all,<br>

yes, it was this camera, I'm quite shure!<br>

I didn't know that this edition exists!<br>

I remember it brown tan, here it appears to be bordeaux red...<br>

Anyway:<br>

He told me that he did let take out superfluous RF masks,<br>

like the 75mm, which I could proof looking through,<br>

and it makes perfect sense to me, I also like it uncluttered; <br>

OTOH I could not see if he surpressed the 28 in favor of the 90 frame,<br>

and likely the 135 in favor of the 35, or vice versa,<br>

because the frame preview lever was also eliminated, as one can observe in the pic you provided.<br>

Now, there was no time to ask him about the omission of this feature,<br>

wich in my humble experience never was in the way, nor causes the slightest interference when working; furthermore,<br>

this lever is the easiest way to check a Leica without lens about the frame projection,which can become faulty over the years:<br>

In fact, I had several Ms in my hands with an inoperative frameline movement, mostly those with a 50mm attached from day one and never other lenses, and curing this issue was about actuating the FPL and with a little luck the frames moved again into place. I didn't wanted to be heretic, neither.<br>

Surely it isn't a cost cutting idea of Mr Gibson.<br>

Any enlightment?!</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>One notable New York City photographer who is known for his work in color is Jeff Mermelstein; Jeff works almost exclusively with a 35mm Summicron lens (I think it's the ASPH version.).</p>

<p>Knut,<br>

This is what Leica's 2005 announcement of the Gibson SE MP said about the framelines:<br>

"Gibson configured his personal Leica MP with only the 35, 50 and 90 mm frame lines, visible one at a time and without a preview lever, allowing fingertips of one?s left hand to have no obstruction and allowing more sensitivity to the mechanism of the camera."<br>

It had the 0.85 finder, therefore no 28mm frame. It sounds like the one he showed you differed from the one Leica sold.<br>

Here's more info from the B&H website:<br>

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/413441-USA/Leica_10364_MP_0_85_Black_Body.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/413441-USA/Leica_10364_MP_0_85_Black_Body.html</a></p><div></div>

<p>Steve,</p>

<p>I dunno, but I think he was using the exact camera you introduced to my knowledge.</p>

<p>Good light,</p>

<p>Knut</p>

<p>I always thought HCB used a 50mm lens for most of his work only rarely using 35mm. He was of the school 'if you want a wider view take acouple of steps back'. He didn't like distortion so 50mm was his favourite.</p>