35mm BEATS 50mm! Here's Why...

In this video, I explain why I prefer a 35mm lens over the 50mm lens for both photography and videography. Of course, it's not because the 50mm is a bad lens or focal length; 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, ... they all have their purpose but for me 35mm is king!

My favourite 35mm lenses:

MY CREATOR ESSENTIALS

MY GEAR ↓↓↓

00:00 Intro
00:35 50mm VS 35mm
01:28 35mm is NOT perfect
03:10 Why not use a zoom lens?
04:02 Why do I prefer a 35mm?
05:24 Zoom with your feet?
06:04 Why no 24mm?
07:01 Conclusion

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[JorisHermans]

What's your favorite lens? (There are NO wrong answers! 🙃)

[Dgtothepoint]

I had a 35mm and 85mm combo which was nice at first but I got tired of changing the lenses. The 50mm is the perfect sweetpot and has been glued to my camera since I got it. More versatile and useful than people give credit for

[urba.cinematics]

I’ve bought the 50mm 1.2 GM as my first prime and i think Joris is right. I find myself needing a wider lens a lot. BUT, i only think this view holds up if you’re just going to use one lens all the way. I’m now saving up for a 24mm to go alongside the 50 and will eventually round the primes out with a 135mm. That way i can swap them out to whatever the shot needs just like i did with my two zooms. I don’t think i’d ever ditch the 50mm because the look of it is just *chef’s kiss*

[christianvolkner]

The thing about 35mm is that it is really close to the normal area of human sight with two eyes. That’s the reason 35mm feels so comfortable, relatable and aesthetic.

50mm is like one eye closed and more focused and intimate, but still very versatile. It depends on how you see the world. None of these lenses are better than the other.

85mm is something I really like, it’s very concentrated and on the edge of everyday usability. 24 on the other hand is also a very strong if not the strongest Storytelling lens.

[beau__]

The 50mm is kind of a boring focal length for me. The 35 and the 85 combo has always been the best for portraits and street photography from my experience. If I were to just have one lens, it’s definitely the 35mm.

[bartoszpajak]

I fully agree. The 50 is always too narrow for me, unless I need something narrow, than it becomes too wide….

[Photovintageguy]

I like 35mm for video, 50mm works pretty good for very general photography. But yea you need space. If you’re just walking around or traveling, 28 or 35mm is going to get most if not everything you want.

[usmvnjaved]

Man I have canon M6 and bought a 22mm F2 based on your suggestions with M50. I am still a beginner but that lens gave me every reason to use it whenever I want. From beautiful portraits to banger wide lens images and videos. That's how I became a fan of your suggestions.

[willemdebeer]

You just answered all the questions I had. I have a 50mm which I love. But I struggle indoors.. Could not decide 35mm or 25mm.. And you just gave me the answer

[JayFingers]

Finally! I thought I was alone in thinking the 35mm is better and more versatile than the 50mm. And I agree, the 35mm is not really a wide-angle but it’s still wide enough. I was so disappointed with myself the other night when I went to a friend’s going-away and I only brought my 50mm to document the occasion. Well, it was terribly tight inside the space and getting shots was difficult. I’ve got a new 35mm on my Christmas list — but I might have to get it a little bit early. 😆

[markusbolliger]

I agree with most arguments - a 35mm/1.8 is very versatile for environmental portraits, because you can go relatively close to a person, and displaying also their close close surroundings. On the other hand: Remembger Henri Cartier-Bresson who became a world famous photographer with his images from the street mostly taken with the Leica 50mm F2.0 Summicron ...

[LevyCarneiro]

At some point in my journey I started preferring the 35mm as well. Your video is the most comprehensive material I've seen on this topic. It makes a lot of sense too the part about indoor vs outdoor, and having a lens that works in bright light and low light. Thanks!

[ebouwens]

Recently I needed to choose only one lens to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Weight restriction is important when walking 15-20 miles a day over mountains, and you don't have sensor cleaning equipment. Dust or rain on the sensor is not acceptable. So it was 23 mm ( 35 equivalent ) on a APS-C Fuji all the way. One observation: When you carry only a 35 mm lens, you start to approach the scene with 35mm options popping up in your brain. It changes how you see the scene, which I found to be a revealing experience..

[azuki]

I gotta agree. I've been using a 50mm equivalent for a year now since I've been doing photography on my Canon M50. I upgraded to the Sony A7IV and got a sony branded nifty fifty. 🤣I enjoy the standard look of the 50mm for many types of photography portraits included. Once I've switched to a vintage zoom lens that had 35mm as its lowest focal length. The look of the 35mm looked so different in a way I enjoyed. Its like wide but not that wide and it feels like a balance. Once I'm able to get my hands on a true 35mm prime I'll be using it way more than my 50mm

[TeddyCavachon]

What beginning photographers don’t realize is that near-far perspective is function of relative DISTANCE to near and far object not focal length. For example if photographing a subject who has one eye that is noticeably larger than than the other in full face view I will instead pose the face obliquely to the camera with the larger eye further way then move in and out from the face until the near-far perspective changed via distance makes the two eyes look the same size in the photo. It is a technique I learned back in 1972 apprenticing with Monte Zucker who was a Zen Master at analyzing faces like that finding the most flattering facial angle — full / oblique left or right / profile left or right.

What focal length does after finding the ideal near-far perspective via shooting distance is control the in-camera crop. Cinematographers are much more aware of this because they much crop in camera.

Because I understand the actual cause and effect my favorite portrait lens is a 24-70mm zoom. For most faces the most flattering near far perspective is from around 8-9 feet from the tip of the nose. A 24-70mm allows capturing in-camera crops from full-length to head and shoulders from that same distance so the size relationship between nose and ears and size of cranium behind the eyes stays the same in all crops. If needing a tighter crop I switch to my 70-200mm if the goal making the face look as slim and symmetrical as possible.

When the goal isn’t to make a face look as slim and symmetrical as a super model when it is actually lopsided the none of that applies. But if learning to shoot portraits of ordinary people with less than perfectly symmetrical faces what I suggest above, which I learned from my mentor many years ago is a good starting BASELINE for understanding how to use near-far perspective to flatter a face, or not depending on on the intended body language you want the subject to project in the photo.

[d.idowuolutosin]

Joris, I agree with you, choose the focal length that works best with your style of shooting, the environments you're shooting in, and your subject matter of choice. Like you, I do a lot of documentary, photojournalism, and street photography. I shoot Leica and Fujifilm in those instances and I've found that 40mm and 42mm respectively work best for me with those camera systems. I shoot with the Voightlander NOKTON Classic 40mm f1.4 on my Leica M240 and the Voightlander Ultron 28mm f2 on my Fujifilm X-Pro3.

Most photographers don't talk about the 40mm focal length except when discussing vintage lenses. I think that's largely due to there not being too many lens manufacturers making 40mm lenses. Voightlander is the only company I know still making new 40mm lenses. If you haven't tried that focal length you should let us know what you think about it compared to 35mm.

[onlysublime]

When i go simple, i use my 35 and 85 primes. If i need versatility i go with my canon 28-70 f2 which is the best zoom lens i have ever used any system, and my 85 1.2

[HaiTomVlog]

I love my 50! I also love my 35. Each have their place and best-use scenario.

[DemonOnhz]

Tbh, a 35mm, 85mm & 135 mm is the right way to go as it makes you extremely versatile.
The 50 mm difference between all these focal lengths give you a perfect spot to change the nature of the photo completely.
Difference between a 35 mm to a 50 mm is too small in terms of a drastic change, atleast that's what I feel:)
I like to keep the 50 mm gap between the focal lengths to change up the variety of my shots.
For me too, I deem the 50 mm as something useful but not extremely necessary for most situations:)

[DrRussell]

Had to learn this lesson the hard and expensive way on a friend’s wedding day. Fortunately it was his third ceremony (don’t ask) and I didn’t give up my day job. Thank you for making my learning clear, Joris!