[Leica] How did 50mm become the "normal" lens for 35mm cameras?

[Jayanand Govindaraj]

I have a Retinette as well, with a 45mm Schneider lens. Nikon used to make a 45mm f2.8 pancake lens, Fuji has a 27mm f2.8 pancake lens for their X mount (40.5mm equivalent), and if memory serves me right, Pentax used to make a 43mm f1.8 lens.
Cheers
Jayanand

Sent from my iPad

> On 17-Sep-2016, at 05:04, Douglas Barry <imra at iol.ie> wrote:
> 
> According to my list, I have a Halina 35X somewhere in the attic with a 45mm, a couple of Kodak Retinette 1s with 45mms, and a Yashica Minister also with a 45mm.
> 
> Douglas
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Adam Bridge" <abridge683 at fastmail.com>
> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org>
> Sent: Friday, September 16, 2016 10:45 PM
> Subject: [Leica] How did 50mm become the "normal" lens for 35mm cameras?
> 
> 
>> Let me back up a moment.
>> 
>> I was taught that a “normal” lens is one whose focal length matches the diagonal of the film/sensor frame.
>> 
>> For 35mm film as shot by, say, a Leica M6, that turns out to be 43mm - midway between a wide 35mm lens and a 50mm lens which I have sometimes seen called a “short telephoto” perhaps even by B&H.
>> 
>> Now as I remember from my cinema days 35mm movies are shot at the same aspect ratio as still but have different dimensions since they are shot with the long edge running across the film instead of the short edge as is the case for full frame 35mm film photography (except, I’m guessing, half-frame 35mm but now I’m totally out of school having never seen one of these cameras.
>> 
>> That’s where I’m coming from. And wondering why we don’t see more 40-something focal length lenses. I know that there 48’s out there? Nikon maybe from the old days? Mark Rabiner, you talked about this at some point, I think.
>> 
>> Thanks
>> 
>> Adam
>> 
>> 
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> 
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