"Normal" lens

[peter_sanders2]

<p>Hello. My question is very short.<br>

If one wanted a "normal" lens but didn't use it enough to justify a normal price, what lens make and focal length should be used for Pentax? would my 28mm/2.8 work?<br>

Thank you in advance.</p>

[clay2]

<p>Film camera or cropped digital camera ?<br>

Best regards,<br>

/Clay</p>

[htarragon]

<p>Depends on how you define "normal". Street shooters like Javier like a 28mm on a film camera to take in the environment. The 28 is wide angle in film cameras and what used to be the 43mm (in film). It's supposedly the closest to what the eye sees in 35mm film.<br>

For myself, my "normal" is a 50-200mm zoom tending toward the long end. Depends on what you want to see with the lens. And of course it depends on your answer to Bruce's question above.</p>

 

[peter_sanders2]

<p>Cropped digital. I forgot to mention that, you see I just got a K20d. It is literally not even here yet, but I need only a normal digital lens.</p>

[clay2]

<p>Have a look at this link:<br>

http://www.panoramafactory.com/equiv35/equiv35.html<br>

Best regards,<br>

/clay</p>

[tom_bronaugh]

<p>I have always read that a 50mm lens was the closest thing to "normal" when attached to a film camera, meaning it approximates the human visual field. If this is true, for an APS sensor, which usually adds 1.6x to the focal length, a 35mm or 40mm lens would approximate a "normal" lens on digital. I will tell you though, on my Pentax K200d, it seems that my 50mm Pentax-FA lens looks really quite normal, and my 40mm limited definitely gives a mild "wide angle" effect, even though in theory, it should no be so. Does anyone else think this is true? Or maybe I have not shot enough film in the past to remember what effect these different focal lengths really have.</p>

[paul_noble]

<p>The rule of thumb that is most commonly used is that a "normal" lens is one with a focal length equal to the diagonal length of the image.</p>

<p>For APS-C (approx. 16x24mm) that is about 28mm.</p>

<p>For 35mm or "full-frame" dslr, that is about 43mm. In film days, cameras were usually sold with a 50 or 55mm "normal" lens.</p>

<p>For 6x4.5cm medium format film that is 75mm.</p>

<p>For 6x6cm medium format film, that is about 80 or 85mm.</p>

<p>For 6x7cm medium format that is about 90mm.</p>

<p> </p>

[stewart1]

<p>I picked up an old 28mm 2.8 manual lens for my K20D and I barely even use anything else anymore. I don't know what "normal" is but for me the 28 is a beautiful lens and I use it way more than anything else.</p>

[JDMvW]

<blockquote>

<p>Does anyone else think this is true?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>no. ;)<br>

24 to 35mm is the rough range for 'normal' on APS-C-sized sensor cameras.<br>

50mm is a short telephoto and so on.</p>

[jean_yves_mead]

From my limited experience I'd suggest Pentax's 35mm f/2.4 SMC DA AL. Not super fast, nor super expensive; but light, compact, cheap, reasonably sharp, draws prettily, and fast enough for my needs. All it lacks is a lens hood out-of-the-box; but given its 49mm filter thread, finding a suitable match is no problem.

[mountainvisions]

<p>28mm X1.5= 42mm or precisely NORMAL FOV. </p>

<p>If you have a 28mm, you have a normal lens. The 52mm FOV of the 35mm is a little to tele for my taste, but your needs might vary.</p>

<p>I still don't know why Pentax won't make a 24mm or 28mm (I'd prefer 28mm), but we've discussed this before (for several years) and still no lens, no point in beating a dead horse! </p>

[russel_yee]

<p>I'll take a comprimise of 27mm 1.6 (that sounds just random enough to be a LTD right?)....<br>

Take that dead horse! =)<br>

you never know pentax might listen.</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>If you have the auto-focus Pentax-F or Pentax-FA 28/2.8, you should be very happy, it's an excellent lens. (You would also be lucky, since it's a quite rare lens.)<br>

If you have the manual-focus Pentax-A 28/2.8, you will be learning the modest frustrations of using a manual-focus lens on an autofocus camera. (The focusing screens are designed to make cheap slow zoom lenses not look dark, at the cost of not having good "snap" for manual focus,) This lens also has a less-than-stellar reputation in terms of sharpness.<br>

If you have the manual-focus Pentax-M 28/2.8, you have the added frustration of using the "green button" approach to stop-down metering, which isn't really always accurate either.</p>

[peter_sanders2]

<p>Thank you. It arrived today, and I tried on the 50mm lens, with both eyes open. It was indistinguishable. The 28mm was almost indistinguishable, but there was a definite wide-angle effect. Either could be used as a normal in a pinch, but I prefer the 50mm/1.7, because I've attached so much (useful) junk to it, and it is the only lens with a 52mm filter diameter.<br>

I would like AF <em>and </em>an aperture ring. What lens should I use?</p>

[r.t. dowling]

<blockquote>

<p><em>"I would like AF and an aperture ring. What lens should I use?"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Your options in the 50mm category would be as follows:</p>

<p>Pentax F 50/1.7<br>

Pentax FA 50/1.7<br>

Pentax F 50/1.4<br>

Pentax FA 50/1.4</p>

<p>You could also consider the FA 35/2, the F 28/2.8, and the FA 28/2.8.</p>

<p>All of the above have AF and aperture rings.</p>

[miserere_mei]

<p>A 50mm lens is normal because, by definition and design, a 50mm lens offers no magnification (or a magnification of 1x, if you want to look at it a different way). The term "normal" has nothing to do with our natural FoV, which is actually around 160°; this would require a 2mm (that's <em>two</em>!) lens on a cropped sensor, by the way.</p>

<p>Another way to define "normal" lens is that which has a focal length equal to the sensor's diagonal, which is why Justin told you 28mm was normal on APS-C (and 43mm is normal on full frame).</p>

[peter_sanders2]

<p>That does explain it, but I read in The Best Book of Useless Information that an average human has 200 degrees on the horizontal axis. that would require a lens that actually bubbles around where the focusing ring should be.</p>

[michael_kuhne]

<p>Your 28mm f/2.8 would make a fine "normal" lens. More versatile than a 35mm, as as 28mm would come off as a semi-wide normal on a DSLR. </p>

[les_lammers]

<p>Use the 28. 50mm is a 'normal' lens because that is what the industry gave us. I'm with Justin on the where is the Pentax DA 24 or 28. I really wanted the vaporware DA* 30mm f1.4 but methinks it was shelved because of the cult status that the FA 31 has risen to.</p>