Re: More 50 mm fun

[dlevy@worldy.com]

Since I use the 40mm, which I think Leica developed as a compromise between
making the CL work with a 28 and having also the 35 and 50 (only my guess,
never read anything which has lead me to this conclusion), I don't have the
benefit of the 50mm with the Leica. Yes I know the CL is made to use the 50,
but I haven't been able to justify internally having both the 40 and 50mm.

Since most of my cameras have been fixed lens until actually not many years
ago I am used to working with the 45 - 58mm range. And since I like to
travel light, I tend not to carry optional lenses for my ETRS even to this
day, though I do have from 40 through 250mm & 2X. 

Will, you wrote below that since the 35mm have become the commonplace and, I
presume this infers that it is becoming the defacto standard lens, then why
wouldn't the 50m be moved to the low end of the tele range? When the 50mm
was the standard, the 75 was considered tele.

As to 'boring', I haven't found the length to be so since I don't care for
the compression of anything over 90mm for most things and with what I shoot,
I seldom dream about having anything wider than the 35mm. The 40/90 of the
CL is very close to my standard on the ETRS which are 75 & 150 (which equate
to 45 and 90 for 35mm). I do use the 75 for portraiture which tend to be
full length rather than head and sholder only.


At 11:58  15/10/96 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi All,
>
>OK, one more vote for the lowly 50mm lens, especially on the Leica M. An
>observation:
>
>Yes, when a lot of us started in photography the 50mm was the standard lens,
>for all the reasons we've read over the years; its "natural" perspective, the
>fact that it was the first common 35mm format lens, etc. But think about the
>last 10 years, at least, in consumer 35mm photography. Most point and shoot
>cameras, including those made by Leica, come with 35mm focal length lenses as
>standard. I maintain that whatever the relative merits of that focal length,
>most people are now used to the 35mm perspective and coverage, which makes
>the 50mm considerably less common - boring, if you will - than it once was. 
>
>When I run out the door with only one camera and lens, which is admitedly
>rare, it will almost always be my M6 and new collapsible 50mm Elmar. Before
>acquiring that lens, the various 50mm Summicrons (I believe I have owned all
>of the variants) were my standard lens. I still prefer it for group
>portraits, ie more than one person, when space limitations allow it.
>
>Interesting thread.
>
>Will
>
>
Brian Levy, J.D.
Toronto, Ont.
dlevy@worldy.com