Is 28mm the new 35mm?

after long overlooking the 28mm lens I finally decided to give it a go myself and see what kind of results i could produce with this focal length, having been almost exclusivley a 35mm lens shooter

[raksh]

28 and 50 are a staple combination for many photographers. 35 is cool for just one lens, but 28 captures more context and multiple subjects, which can be important depending on your compositions.

[ktct]

For me, 28mm, 50mm, and 85mm are the three must-have primes. Throw in a 24-120mm zoom and your all set. But, if we're talking about just owning one lens only, I would pick a 40mm.

[john_murch]

Interesting seeing the trends. Been rocking a Carl Zeiss 28 F2.8 (C/Y) on Contax since '84, it's been by far my most used SLR lens...

[hywel]

Thanks for your interesting video. I agree with the points you make. It's strange that the 28mm is relatively unloved on cameras when it is hugely popular with millions of smartphone users.
I've used a Canon 6D for around a year, mostly using the 24-105 and 70-200 L lenses. 
I used the 24-105 on different zoom settings, to help decide which primes to get as a lightweight all day carry/travel option.
After some experimenting I settled on a 28mm f/2.8 and a 50mm f/1.8 and these two lenses seem to be a versatile and powerful combination for me.
I suppose opinions will vary on the 28mm, especially if you want to shoot unobtrusively, but I use the 28mm for landscape and wide scenes and the 50mm for environmental portraits, and used in this way the combination works well for me.

[petrvokurek]

28mm has been my most favourite personal stuff lens for years. I have the Canon 28mm f2, 8 IS which is very nice but as I´ve moved to Fuji lately I bought the 18mm f2 as a 28mm equivalent. Extremely happy with lens- very, very small and f2...Paired with an xt-1, 2, 3 it´s just perfect. If you add the 35mm f1, 4 or f2 you have a combo that can handle most things. Thanks for sharing this video.

[rhbraly]

If you like 28mm the Nikkor 28mm 2.8 ais is a fantastic lens. Almost zero distortion and super sharp. I little more expensive than the e series but it really is a special lens. Ken Rockwell has a great review of it.

[sarboza]

When i shoot on both of my SLR film cameras (Canon T90 and Nikon FE) I use a 28mm lens. It's extremely versatile. Portraits come out great because of how much of the background you can see.

[MrNoodle]

If you look back at the legends of the past, most have two out of these 3 lenses, 28 35 or 50, it all depended on ones taste, so depending on how you like to shoot will dictate which two of the three which suits. These days things change and i wouldn't be surprised if you add a 85 or a 24 into the mix.

[mrca]

For street, when zone focusing I'm at f/11 or f/8 minimum. From 6' to at least where I need focus. So although I have back button focus on f100/ 6, can just park it at 9' and with matrix metering, it's a point and shoot. Its even easy to shoot from the hip. But when i have time, can hit the bbfocus to nail focus perfectly. I like the 28 equiv in 645 as well.

[bobsykes]

Great shots in your examples! I ended up finding this is my favorite focal length for walking around shots, street photography, and quite a bit of landscape shooting.

[YesImZane]

I think a 50mm and a 28mm are a good combination of lenses. I recently got the Nikon 28mm 2.8 Ais, cant wait to put it through it's paces!


Also, I think it would be cool to see a camera collection video from you. Keep up the great work mate

[BCatOccult]

Kamlan 28 1.4 is amazing. For apsc but works on full frame 4x3 little vignette when shooting 3x2.

I put it up against my voightlander any day.

[philhodgkinson]

Got a soligor 28mm but just getting a Kiron f2 is same as Vivitar...
It apparently gets better 2 stops down for sharpness and

[dopexmc]

I have an Ursa12k with S35 and a Takumar 28mm lens.
What can I do so that the image section is a real 28mm and not so zoomed in? I really want to have the “real” 28mm look on the camera.
Should I buy a 20mm lens so that it looks like a real 28mm thanks to the crop / FF to S35 conversion?
Unfortunately I don't understand.

[ccoppola]

Lots of great photographers used 28mm. Mary Ellen Mark, Winogrand, koudelka (25mm on Gypsies I think), PLENTY of fantastic 28mm shooters. I usually care a 28/50 combo in all my systems.

[levisimpson]

I moved to shooting with a Ricoh GRII and I have to say, if you're not seasoned in shooting, or kind of new, learning to compose with a 28 is not easy right off. It's so nice to have something where you don't have to get so close. But after a while, after you use it, and shoot with it, and keep shooting, it starts to make sense and it's a great lens to shoot with.

I just think it's kind of hard to get into, when I look through a 35 or 50, something about them make me feel more comfortable, 28 makes me feel like I need to try harder. If that makes sense.

[TheBinoyVudi]

28 mm gives me a "Reality" look. while I look at a screen that only occupies a part of my field of view, if the video on that screen was shot in 28mm, it somehow looks like reality, like I am watching the real world with my own eyes. There is a good reason why the 28m lens is the gold standard of some of the most iconic shots we remember.

[huntercreatesthings]

I almost always shoot street with a Pentax 28mm f/2.8 - the main reason I got it is to zone focus. Like most people, my camera came with a nifty fifty and I figured 35 wasn't enough of a change.

[Narsuitus]

Over the decades, I have tried 21, 24, 28, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55mm for one lens/one body street photography. All worked well.

My personal favorite 35 was the 35mm f/1.4 Zeiss Distagon ZM for my Leica M6.

My personal favorite 28 was the 28mm f/2 Zeiss Distagon ZF for my Nikon SLRs.

[Aiproductions]

Man this is a great and informative video. Just got my first 28 mm and it’s a pancake. Looking forward to seeing how it differs from my 35 which has been my precious all purpose.