54.4 degrees of magic
Has anyone tried the 35mm focal length? It’s pretty good.
Ok so you might want to take a seat for this one because a photographer is about to have a strong opinion.
I've always thought that the 35 mm focal length has been a bit of a plain focal length in my opinion, it's not as wide and expansive as a 28 mm and not as intentional as a 50 mm. This coming from someone who has shot 90% of their work through a 50 mm field of view might not shock you that it's easily my favourite focal length.
It really has been a case of starting as I mean to go on with the 50 mm. I absolutely fell in love with Henri Cartier-Bresson's work when I first got into photography, and he had a 50 mm as his go to focal length and if it was good enough for Cartier-Bresson then it will be more than enough for me.
This is not to say that I've never shot the 35 mm for any extended periods of time. I had a Fujifilm X100F as my sole camera from 2018 till I sold it in 2021. I took a lot of really nice shots on the X100F, it was a great camera. But I missed my 50 mm lenses.
When I got my Lumix S1 the first and only lens I had for years was the 50 mm f1.8 and it is a stunner of a lens. I've adapted some vintage glass to it as well of varying long or wide focal lengths for a bit of fun over the years as well.
When I got the M246 Monochrom I knew I just wanted a 50 mm which is how the Voigtlander 50 mm f2 APO ended up more or less glued to the front of it. This could easily be one of the optically best lenses I have ever used, it's sharp, has its own character to it and stands up in every situation I have thrown at it.
A good friend Iain has an absolute obsession with the 35mm focal length, don't even get him started on the Zeiss Biogon-C 35mm f2.8, I can hear him from all the way in Australia keen as mustard to tell anyone who will listen about it. He also has a lovely 50mm Summicron and this brilliant quote to go with it.
“50 mm is lovely but it kind of feels like it's cheating. 35 mm challenges me to think more”
- Iain Farrell Prime lenses podcast
This thought has stuck with me for the most part in an annoying level of accuracy. Looking at bodies of my work shot on 50mm lenses compared to those shot on 35mm lenses and I think the hit rate for me is higher on the 50mm side. Could that be because I have shot a lot more on 50mm and my eye is a lot more tuned to it? Maybe. Could it be because I have to work harder when using 35mm? Maybe. Am I now thinking about that because of Iain's quote? Absolutely.
I dipped my toe into 35mm lenses with the 7Artisans 35mm f2 Wen and it's a truly brilliant lens even before you consider the price point of it. It does have its own character, and it needs to be double checked for calibration as it doesn't come calibrated out of the factory. But if you can work through that you have one hell of a lens in the kit.
As all things go with starting at the entry point, I more or less immediately started looking at the 'whats next' lens and ended up with the Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron II in the bag. It has been a great little lens that as all good lenses should, stands up to any situation you throw at it. It has very much been a lens that has cemented the 35mm focal length into my kit.
This then also leads to the lust for finding the 'last one I promise' lens. The kind of lens that if you ever own a similar focal length it will be as a second or variation to your grail lens. For the 50mm focal length I think that will always be a Leica Summilux 50mm f1.4 ASPH as I have wanted one of those lenses for more than a decade.
Second to owning that the 50 APO from Voigtlander is my number one and the Nikkor 5cm f2 LTM has been an absolute gem to have as an alternative. Tiny, impressively sharp for a lens that 70+ years old and the added bonus of close focus really does make it a great choice if you're in the market for a surprisingly budget friendly LTM mount lens.
So then what is the "ok look after this one I won't buy anymore" for the 35mm options? Well over the last 10 years we really have been spoilt for choice when it comes to offerings in M mount that don't come from the big three of Leica, Voigtlander and Zeiss. Companies like 7Artisans, TT Artisans, Mandler, Artizlab, and the manufacturer of the one I think could be 'the one', Light Lens Lab.
In the last few months there has been the steady stream of reviews on the Light Lens Lab 35mm f1.4 AA or the 11873 as some might call it, referring to the Leica lens it is modeled after. This one to me piques my interest because of the effort that went into it from the LLL team. Hand polishing the aspherical elements, making their own lanthanide-infused elements to give it as authentic a feel as possible while also taking steps to update their design to better suit modern digital sensors really shows just how skilled the team is.
To me this screams 'the one' because of how special it is in both the homage of a lens that would be absolutely impossible to obtain outside of a very serious collectors piece, but also the effort and dedication to make such a true recreation, ever so slightly improved for the modern world it's made for. One of these will go into my bag eventually, it's just a case of when. (P.S if you're from Light Lens Lab or know someone who is from there that wants to help make that happen quicker I am all ears.)
So where is this rant finishing then? Well I think it is a testament to the journey of trying and trying again things that put you 'out of my comfort zone'. For a long time I felt that the 35mm focal length just wasn't for me, but now I think it has very much become clear why it's such a popular focal length and committing to learning and adapting to it has been a great improvement to my photography.
So go out and try a new focal length, then keep trying it, even if it's not for you in the end I guarantee that there will be some parts that latch on and improve any other focal length you work with.
See you next month,
Tom
