Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2016/09/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In the 1960's getting into the 1970's buying a 35mm format camera often a Leica or Nikon was sold as a package with a lens and that lens was a 50mm called a normal. By the way in the new PC world of language today "normal" is high on the list the PC Police will repel down ropes with Uzis and do you in for less. "Standard" is the world you find in the camera lens ads now. I have to draw the line somewhere and if I ever use that world please ill me. I'd prefer strangulation. I'd read about 5 years ago 4am on the internet that actually determining what is normal by taking its diagonal is a rather arbitrary decision. They had to get a number from somewhere. So I was disillusioned for about five seconds. In the late 70's the word was out that you don't buy a 50 for your new 35mm camera body as your "normal" you buy a 35mm. So I saw a lot of people do that. I find the revered 50mm lens on a 35mm camera body to be a bit tough to work with with a 35mm lens being more more friendly and more liable to "bring home the shot"... And with the right stuff in focus. And the right stuff in the frame. And at a better distance to the subject. And with fewer intrusions between you and the subject. And with a nice heightening of perspective. But the 80's camera bodies were being sold and bought with normal cheap dumb slow plastic zooms. A camera teacher would tell you to buy a 50 or a 35 though they were "Non zoomable". I have drunk the cool aid on the 43mm diagonal being the real normal for the 35mm format and the diagonal being the way to figure out out with any format of any size and shape. It just rings true for me. Most of all I love shooting an 80mm lens on square format twin lens Rolleiflex. -- Mark William Rabiner Photographer http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/