50 mm as preferred focal length for anyone nowadays?

You need to frame things more tightly than this?

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<img src="http://mikedixonphotography.com/reneecol29.jpg">

For me, 50mm is a useful focal length and sees its fair share of use

on my cameras in the form of Tri-Elmar and Summilux lenses. 50mm

offers, to me, the most natural angle of view and is ideal for

selective composition of near- to middle-distance subjects. I've

achieved most of my favourite shots with 50mm. It's my focal length

of choice for "available light" and for most landscape/cityscape use.

However, the good old "standard" lens does have its limitations.

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I much prefer using 90mm for close-cropped portraits, since it allows

me to be farther from the subject and offers good control of DoF. I

find the 90mm Elmarit-M to be superb in this role, now that I'm used

to using it. I wouldn't ask for more. IMHO, whoever designed this

simple, reasonably priced but superb lens was truly inspired!

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I also find 28mm and 35mm essential, on occasions, to include the

surroundings of the subject and for photography in confined spaces.

I'm content to use the Tri-Elmar for both these focal lengths, since

it does everything I want in this respect.

Nice picture Mike.

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I find the 50 a breath of fresh air whenever I pick it up, but then I

hardly ever use it. I always want to be wider or longer.

David, I myself may be a bit off but I don't completely prefer the 50.

(Maybe I will someday.) Everybody is always talking about the natural

angle etc and if there was a 42 mm then I might prefer that instead.

But I somewhat prefer the 35 because it is more "natural" to me. Maybe

it's due to the fact that I like wide-angle shots in the first place.

My 21A is nice and wide, but sometimes too wide. What I like about the

35 too is it's width-to-distance relationship (being about 1-to-1).

Still -- and as usual Al Smith sums it all up very nicely -- I use my

35 and my 50 <i>each</i> about 45% of the time.

Mike,

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Great photograph; wonderful expression. May I ask which 50 you used?

Like most everybody here, I love 50 mm. But there is something that is not mentioned, and that

is value for money. For some reason, 50 mm's (at least Leica or Nikon) always seem to be the

cheapest high quality lenses in any brand's line of lenses. Of course, I'm not talking about the

fastest models, but the standard ones. Nikon has a wonderful f:1,8 and Leica has the no less

wonderful f:2 Summicron. Both for like half the price of the next lower priced. That counts also.

50mm cron i use alot because i can juge composition on sight and do

not need to decide when lookin trough a camera. the 45 degree angle

(natural sight) of the leica's are unique (sofar i know), most others

are 46 degrees. This is a great advantage when taking pictures in

busy/chaotic situations. 35mm and 90mm i use alot too.

Olivier, (a) Leica's M 2/50, 2/35 and 2/90 are <i>all</i> about 60% of

the price of the next lower priced. (b) If money is the greatest

problem, one should get an Elmar.

Michael, recent price check, one on-line store: 50 mm Summicron, $995.00, 35 mm Summicron,

$1,495.00, 90 mm Summicron, $1,895.00. They don'tseem to be «all» half the price of the

next lower.

David,

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Sorry for the late reply to your follow-up question. I used the next

to last version (same optics as the newest) of the 50mm Summicron.

That portrait was shot at f/2.0 @1/15th handheld.

In our Circle of the Leica Portfolio over 80% of the pictures are

still taken with a 50mm of some sort. 135s are slightly more popular

and wide angles reducing. 90s have not moved. This info. covers the

last 24 months.

What's the Circle of Leica Portfolio? I have never heard of it and it

sounds interesting to me.

Summicron 50 is the best!

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<img src="http://www.subtleimages.com/scripts/getimg?

q=100&subject=7&img=9">

I have rediscovered the Summicron 50 DR on the M6, after

having used a Summicron 35 for a long time.

And I always put the Voigtlander 25 mm in the bag, sometimes

an elmarit 90. This makes for a complete set, for all situations,

which remains light.

On the IIIf, the Elmar 50 is on 90% of the time.