Favorite focal length when you can only take one lens

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Not sure if a similar thread was ever started, but I asked myself the other day what prime lens do I reach for the most if I go out with a CMC and only have the lens that is mounted on the camera? Of course, I'm referring the 35mm cameras initially, but this could apply to any format. Fixed lens members can play too. For example, if you have three fixed lens rangefinders (a Canonet GIII 17 with 40mm, Konica Auto S2 with 45mm, and Olympus 35RC with 42mm) you could simply tell which one you reach for the most.<br>

Why reach for a zoom? While I've got a number of excellent zooms, the compactness and extra speed of a prime usually wins.<br>

My favorite focal length to take along: 35 mm. For Minolta it's either the compact Celtic MD 35mm f2.8 or MC Rokkor 35mm f2.8. For my OM-1 I have a Zuiko 35mm f2.8. For the Pentax Spotmatic I have a Takumar 35mm f3.5.<br>

BTW, I find my Minolta SRT's easier to focus than my Spotmatic so the Takumar often gets attached to an SRT via an M42 adapter.</p><div></div>

[ant_nio_marques]

I'm not a photographer. I like wide without distortion and portrait. I don't like normal lenses because they're always either

not wide enough or not long enough for what I want to do. That said, the are normal shots I like a lot. Those just tend to

happen. When I'm actually trying to compose, then normal is no good.

[Andy Collins]

<p>I prefer 35mm if I had to limit myself to one prime lens. 35mm f/2 or faster.</p>

[john_robison3]

<p>A 50mm, not too long not too short. <br>

When I bought my OM-1 in Feburay, 1974 a 50mm f1.8 was all I had for about 2 years. I then purchased a used 28mm f3.5 Zuiko. In the meantime I had bought a Vivitar 2X but I didn't consider it a lens although with the 50 1.8 it gave me a 100mm f3.6 that was plenty mushy wide open. But for those two years I went everywhere and photographed almost everything with that 50 and I didn't feel deprived at all. Of course there were sometimes when I ran out of space to back up to take more of the scene. That informed my decision that the next lens would be a 28mm. </p>

<p>Now a small kit is a body, 25mm f4, 38mm f1.8, and a 100mm f3.5, all Zuikos. </p>

<p>That's right, it's a Pen F. </p>

[dave_s]

<p>My usual go-to lens for anything serious is the 75 Planar on my Rolleiflex. That has partly to do with the camera more than the lens (light, backpackable, not battery dependent). But for me it would always be a normal lens, whatever the format.</p>

[winfried_buechsenschuetz1]

<p>it depends ... I think one can get used to any focal length if it is not too extreme (to both ends). I mostly use fixed-lens rangefinder cameras with focal lengths between 35mm and 50mm. Many years ago I strolled around with my LeicaIIIa and the 90mm A.Schacht lens for some days, and after some time you get comfortable with the view of that lens and take it for normal. Once you know where your given focal length works best, you know which shooting opportunities to look for. <br>

BTW I once showed quite a few slides to a good friend who knows a bit about photography, too. After the show I told her that all thes shots were taken with the same lens and she was quite astonished. If you know a bit what to do with a lens it becomes more and more versatile. </p>

 

[lex_jenkins]

<p>Probably a moderately wide angle like the 35mm on the 35mm film format. I often wished for a 60mm or so lens on my 6x6cm format folder and TLRs. On many occasions I needed just a smidge more width in urban areas to encompass the view I wanted. Same with my teensy sensor P&S digicams. My default turn-on setting for the zoom is usually the 35mm lens equivalent. It just seems about right for everything from candid pix at home or in public to carefully composed photos of stationary subjects.</p>

[jean_yves_mead]

In 135 format: normally (hah!) a 50mm; sometimes a 105mm; occasionally a 12mm. I like 28mm but that field of

view is usually covered by my Ricoh GRD4.

[colin carron]

<p>I can get it down to two lenses quite easily : a 20mm ultra-wide and a 85mm short tele. This was my standard kit for a while until I went to the dark side with zooms. If forced to choose these days it would probably now be a 100mm macro lens.</p>

[Rick_van_Nooij]

<p>I prefer anything around 50mm for 135 film.</p>

 

[Jochen_S]

<p>6x6: 135 or 120, or a 90mm on 35mm body. - Why? I seem into picking details in the everyday environment or after portraits of people. Being shown 3 rolls of "vacation with a fixed 35mm" somehow drives me nuts perspective wise. Carrying pocketable folders with fixed 50 / 75mm lens feels frustrating due to lack of subjects.<br>

Yes, I usually took more than one lens out to trips or assignments, but I hope tossing my short telephoto stuff into everybody else's fixed 35mm experience could enrich the world.</p>

[User_502260]

<p>For general picture taking it's a 35/2 although the 35/2.8 Rokkor and Celtic lenses (very compact models) are nice with an X-700. If I am walking or hiking and I think there will be subjects of interest in the close-up to macro range I will take a 50-55 macro.</p>

[robert_marvin]

<p>Normal, 80mm for 6X6. My favorite camera, a Rolleiflex 2.8E doesn't offer an alternative. When I do need one I lug around my VERY heavy MF SLR.</p>

[DWScott]

<p>43mm.</p>

<p>I have taken just the 43mm with me to New York to shoot for a week. Even though the Pentax FA Limited 43mm is an autofocus lens, the metal construction, aperture ring, and dampened focus ring make it perfect for use on the classic manual focus Pentaxen.</p>

<p>I knew this focal length (+ or -) was perfect for me after shooting with a Canonet 28 with fixed 40mm/2.8.</p>

 

[Rick Helmke]

<p>I figured this one out years ago. A 28mm, preferably a Nikkor and preferably on an F2.</p>

<p>Rick H.</p>

[SCL]

<p>I went for about 10 years shooting almost exclusively with a 35mm on my Leica body, once in a great while substituting a 90 or 135. These days, with my film bodies, I am prone to use a 50mm about 2/3 of the time, a 28 or 35 most of the rest, and occasionally a 90 macro. Ditto on my Nikon D300.</p>

[nicolas_renon]

<p>75mm for a 6x6 and the equivalent (40-45mm?) for 35mm camera. The perspective is still rather natural but it gives some space to the pictures.</p>

[q.g._de_bakker]

Depends on what photo(s) i would want to come back with.

[Troll]

<p>43mm Pentax Limited Edition on ME Super,<br>

or,<br>

40mm Summicron on Leica CL (with a 90mm in my pocket),<br>

or,<br>

38mm on Konica S3,<br>

or,<br>

30mm Sigma on Canon DSLR.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Primes?<br>

generally? 35mm to 50mm, depending on what.</p>

<p>For out in the streets, knowing that was what I was going to be doing, I'd go with a 58 to 85mm for people.</p>

[chuck_foreman1]

<p>I too like those just under 50mm lenses that come often on the fixed focus RFs like the Canonet or my 42mm Contessamat / Contessa. I have The Jupiter 12 35mm and I like that too. EVen though I am satisfied with a 50mm as well. These sizes correspond to how we see things though so many have said they think in 135mm This is too much for me too often!</p>

<p> </p>

[john_narsuitus]

<p>35mm f/1.4 on a classical manual 35mm film camera</p>

<p>

<div></div>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Great variety of answers here, thanks. While I can use my Pentax M42 to K adapter to use my Takumar 35mm f3.5 on my Pentax MX, I also have the compact 40 mm f2.8 which is wide enough for some subject matter and allows the MX to fit in a coat pocket. One problem, the lens is so thin that when the MX is mounted on certain tripods you cannot turn the focusing ring unless you have the supplied Pentax tripod spacer.</p>

[q.g._de_bakker]

One thing to ponder is that the question presupposes that we have a choice of lenses to pick a favourite from. And that will be a correct supposition, which itself shows that we generally have come to the conclusion that we can't really do what we want with just one lens.

[tony_lockerbie]

<p>I just can't seem to do just one...really can't! I have often got down to just two, much like the above pic, a 35mm F2 and 85mm 1.8.</p>