The 50 being to tight for street is probably people who live in dense cities or outside of North America where things generally closer together. I can't use my 24 very easily in Denver, but a 35 is almost too tight for Tokyo of that makes sense. ✌️

I’m in the ballpark, but despite also being a nifty fifty lover, my favorite walkaround steer prime is around the 40mm mark….. the 27mm Fujifilm pancake for APS-C, the 20mm f1.7 Lumix pancake for my Micro 4/3 shooting, and the vintage legacy Konica Hexanon 40mm f1.8 & 45mm Samyang f1.8 on my Sony A7II for Full Frame work.

I appreciate the touch of mentioning the 110 weather and having a sweater on for the bit at the beginning lol.

My first camera, a Minolta XG-7, came with a 50mm lens, and it was the only lens I have for many years. I loved it and learned much about photography with that lens.

Thanks for such a thorough explanation and illustration of why 50mm is so effective and contrasting it with other focal lengths. I've heard the argument for 50mm forever, but yours is among the best...

Totally agree with you.....remember the days of film photography, when I saw photographers shoot events with only one camera body and 2 lenses, a 50 mm and a 28 mm, the quality of the pictures was awesome !!!!

There were a number of good reasons why almost all camera manufacturers used to always include a 50mm f/1.8 lens with all new 35mm camera bodies.

Some years ago I was lugging DSLR with zooms or couple of big primes. Nowadays it's my Fuji X-E3 + 35 f1.4 and I do everything with that single lens : landscape, portraits, street, general travel / documentary staff and video as well. Love it !

🤷🏻 you know you love 50mm when you have more than one.

I like this, it’s always great to hear someone else’s opinion and their thinking. You’ve really encouraged me to get the 50 out again.

40mm has to be the most versatile. It's literally inbetween standard and wide. a lot of the time 50mm feels kinda weird. headshots are still kinda distorted. only issue with 40mm is that lens selection is always 2.8 or slower

I appreciate your strong point of view. It's actually refreshing, so thank you for putting it out there! I've been running with a 35mm fixed lens on my RX1 for 12 years now. However, I shoot seeing my crop in frame depending on situation, so often with the crop in post, I can find myself near 50mm FF FOV. I feel your video is a good reminder to not get stuck in any dogma, but to have a handle on intent and tools to achieve that intent. Well done.

As an amateur who only started shooting with a 50mm equivalent recently, I find it frustrating both for single subjects (not close enough) and for groups, landscape or environmental shots (not wide enough). I’ll probably try a 40mm equivalent to see if that works a bit better for me. Dee's recommendation for Fujifilm X is 16mm + 35mm + 56mm (roughly 24-50-85 equivalents). I’m guessing my preference is similar but shifted to be a tad wider: 16mm + 27mm + 50mm (24-40-75). Or maybe that's just the force of habit (I've mostly used 35mm and 75mm equivalent lenses for 15 years), and I need to shoot 50mm more to get used to it and learn how and when to use it.

Back in the film days I carried a 24/2.8, 50/1.4 and sometimes a 135 - but mostly 24 and 50. So with digital I now carry a 16/2.8 and 35/2 and an adapted old Takumar 50 with my Fuji system but mostly the compact 16 and 35. I like your way of thinking.

That sweaty intro w/ the exposure adjustment got me. Great work.

Love the 35mm fast lens but now am thinking of getting a 75mm and seeing it how that works.

I absolutely agree with you ! I go back to film cameras. For decades I had pretty much 3 lenses--a 28mm, 50mm, and 135mm. Loved them! For most of the photos that I took , that's all I needed. And yes. About 85-90% of the photos were taken by my 50mm lens! Thanks for your videos!!

The favourite lens that I own is the Fuji 33mm 1.4, which has a 50mm field of view. I just love it to bits! So yes. I agree with you. Great video.

Your editing is awesome on this one. 50mm is still my favorite field of view. The only thing that rivals it for me is my fuji 18 f2. For the longest time I only had the 35 f2, which is still my favorite lens.

I love a 40-45mm, but I have to concede that a 50mm is super versatile. I recently bought a Canon 6D but the only two lenses I have for it are a 40 and 50mm. I don't feel the need for any more. I shoot mainly scenes with a 40mm when out and about and that is why I love it so much as I find it better than the narrower view of a 50, but the 50 is much better for pictures of things and people IMO, and you can still take a decent scene with one. It might not be the best lens for any given situation, but it can cope with most situations really well, excels in low light and is great for people and things. Oh, and unless you want a super fast, super sharp wide open 50, it will be light, compact, have great IQ and be very affordable to boot. I would not be without one.

Spot on with this video bro. I LOVE my 55 1.8 Zeiss on my Sony. The 50 is a much better portrait lens than the 35mm. 50 is more than enough when you know how to use it correctly for weddings, events, sports, etc.

You mentioned this in the video essentially, and I feel pretty lucky now, looking back, that I started on a nifty 50. Through the years I've dabbled and worked with other focal lengths and all that jazz, but it always starts to feel like those are missing *something*, and when I come back to 50...it makes me feel like I'm sitting in the scene of whatever photo I make with it. Which, I would say people may find kinda "boring", but it's true, and at least for me, they feel the most emotive and personal. Great video dude, cheers!

Started off shooting 35. Then went to 28. Now I shoot 50 and I have to say, it is my favorite focal length. It’s what I keep on my camera 99% of the time. If I need to go wider and don’t have the room to back up, I slap on the 28.

35mm is the jack of all trades and master of none. This is why i own a very large collection of 50mm lenses, probably 35 and counting.

My all time favourite ever is the 50mm focal length do it all length !! I love my 33mm .4

Perfect rendition of this Texas heat! Hollar from San Marcos, TX! Just discovered street photography and your channel and truly enjoying the content!

Choosing the right lens for the situation is like choosing attire for the right temperature! 👍

I do have 35mm f1.4 for my fuji system, a cheap ttartisan 25mm f2 for my edc olympus camera, and canon ltm 50mm f1.4 for my vintage rangefinder. 50mm is simply destined to be a do-it-all lens since day one 👍

Good video. Traditionally 50mm hasn't been my favorite but I do find it useful as a solo portrait lens. In my book 24-35mm is my general purpose/street photography range preference and 50-135mm is my portrait focal length range.

Love your videos. It’s funny when I switched with fuji I only had money for one lens… I opted for the 35mm f2. While I’ve now acquired other lenses this is still my first choice when I leave the house. It’s small and I love it.

I love this video. I appreciate your perspective, but i would offer that the style of shooting, subject matter and how one's photography journey started would impact one's preferred focal lengths. I personally like a 35mm (story telling lens) and a portrait lens like an 85mm - 105mm (portraits/headshots). However, it is true that a two lens setup that you describe (if you know what you are doing) is probably the best, most practical and most affordable way for new photogs to get started. Keep up the good work.

Yup, 50 is my favorite! My eyes seem to naturally compose for that focal length. 😊

What is layering? Have you done a video on layering or do you recommend one to watch?

Notifications on demon time 💪🏾🔥 🔥

What focal length are you using for the talking head?

43mm on 35mm format is by far the best. FoV is that of the human eye. Only Pentax make one, the Pentax FA 43mm f/1.9 Limited. It was also availabe in Leica mount. So it really is that good. The character is unique and sublime. Had one for years. Sold it last year as part of a huge sale of Pentax gear. Got the Samyang AF 1.8/45 to replace it. Great lens for tiny money (£195 as new, used).

this is so strange cause I was regretting buying the other fuji lenses instead of going with the 35mm f2, this makes me feel better :)

Dee, I still shoot a Fuji xt-1 and the 35mm 1.4. I also acquired a couple full-frame cameras. I was tempted to get the Leica Q with a Summicron-M 50mm f/2 but opted for the Nikon d700 and Canon 5d, both with 50mm lenses instead. I saved a couple bucks :) Both cameras are phenomenal and I am really enjoying the 50mm focal length. It works really well with my product shots :) Great video. Stay cool and hydrated !!!!! pete

I love 50mm macro lens, a bit smaller aperture, but add another layer of insect photography and product photography.

I agree 100 %. 50 mm is also my number one. 90 mm number two and 24 mm number three. Since I got a Minolta SRT-101 in 1969, a 50 mm has been my companion on all my photo jobs around the World. 🤓

PS: I also love that fact that you gave a ‘shout out’ to Gordon Parks and his photography.

Thanks 👍😁 best video on this topic ever!!!

Agreed. When people tell me they are versatile with one lens that too me they are fine doing the same thing. Over and over. Portrait with a 35 up close will deform faces rendering them goofy. Unless they stand back a lot but hence you can do the same with a 50 at a more comfortable distance for both. In fact my favorite focal length has become 40mm. The extra 5mm makes the difference. But nothing beat lens versatility. I need to own a 24 or 28, 35, 50, 85 and if you can sling the cost a 135mm. Of course 24-70 and 70-200 for the perfect glass collection 😅

There's a reason that fixed-lens cameras in the "early days" (until 35 mm film compact cameras came along) had "normal" lenses: 50 mm on 35 mm film, 75 or 80 mm on 6x6, 105 mm on 6x9.

I totally agree - my wedding kit is 28/50/135 (Fuji 18/35/90)

Keep up do good work chief 50mm is my favorite.

Highly agree with you, 50mm is great! I use 35mm lenses because I think (or it feels like) it's the worst focal legth to use on almost every situations. I like the challenge and I am just that stubborn.

50mm is the best, I wish phones would have it, the trend to go wider and/or longer is a pandemic, just go with the middle it’s solid and won’t fail you

“But what do I know, I just do this shit for real for real on god for real“ 😂

50 when I'm shy 28 when I'm fly

For general work the Fuji 16-55 is honestly super solid. Sadly my Fuji 35/1.4 feels a little too soft to me on my xt5 so it hasn’t seen any love recently. Thinking about updating it to the 35 fujicron instead.

100% agree with you. I am not a fan of 35mm personally and feel same thing about the 50mm....like the compression.

Thank you for an interesting video. Fun too.

I like that 27mm 41ishmm on Fuji. Nice in between range

Dee I also live in South Texas. In Brownsville to be exact. The heat ain't no joke!!!! I can totally relate to that piece of the video....TOO FUNNY!!!! I literally LOL when I saw that part.....

Agree but I am really falling for the 40mm (and equivalents) now.

Dee acting like the heat made him sweat like that. No no, he just saw Doriyan in a tank top is all.

I've been shopping for an XF35 f2 for a while now for my X-T3(I'm a slow shopper who waits patiently. LOL!). But, are there any good vintage 35mm lenses you're familiar with that I could shop for as well? Keep cool down there Dee!!! Have a great weekend.

Well-done!

When I shoot street photography, I favour two kinds of shots: 1) Combination of people and architecture, and 2) Focus on specific street scenes. For 1) I typically use a 28mm lens. For 2) I use a 50mm lens. Could I use a zoom instead? Maybe, but I hate zooms because they're generally big and heavy, and because they slow me down. I prefer the constraints of two separate focal lengths, each specific for a certain perspective. Could I use just a 24 or 28mm lens and then crop when I want a particular scene to stand out? I could, but I hate editing and post-processing. I strive to do almost everything right in-camera, and edit only if/when necessary. Anyway, I've loved the 50mm since I started shooting film in the late 1980s - my first two cameras had a 40mm and 50mm lens respectively, so I 'grew up' with that focal length/field of view. :-) Great video, Dee. Keep it up. Cheers! //Rick

what is anyone to say what is too tight a lens for any case, if I go to 250mm to shoot, is it wrong? and yes 50mm is really good for everything.

Texas heat ! Haha so true ! I'm in Austin. (Chillin' inside.)

So because I'm in love with my 35 mm 1.4 fuiji I'm really in love with a 50mm. Quick question why don't put the equivalent on the box ?

50mm just gives a more refined look. Whenever you can get that space to shoot.

Dude, I live in Texas and I have never felt so seen!

Thats why I use a 45mm and a 24mm when I'm out shooting street.

50mm is awesome. I allways use 50mm. Its underappreciated. Btw. if you want the most "normal" perspective get a 40mm. 41mm would be (on fullframe) exactly what yout eyes do (Not in fov. We almost see 180°. But remember we have two eyes.)

Dee, call me crazy, but I own five nifty fifties. And not just any 50mm lens but five Leica 50mm lenses. Two LTM fifties for my two Barnack bodies. The 50 DR for my M3. And the Noct 50mm f1.2 and the 50mm f0.95. My other lenses are the 75 which is my favorite Leica focal length and the Lux 28mm f1.4. So call me crazy but this Photography enthusiast agrees with Pro Photog from… Well you know where you’re from. I can’t say the ‘t’ ‘x’ word. Continued happiness and success to you and yours. Be Blessed, Doc Chaps

Just want to Tell you that i absolut agree.

35mm all day but you’re still my homie 💖

"I do this shit fr fr on God bruh" is why I'm subscribed to ya now 🤞🏾 🤣

What am I supposed to order at Whataburger? Going to Houston next week

XF 35 1.4 bringing the sauce

Mmmhh not wide enough, mmmhhh not close enough

Was it difficult to match that audio transition at 2:40 ? Really effective

I hate how photography internet can’t just listen to someone’s opinions on a focal length, and just enjoy the video that they clicked on ha. If you f with 35 like I do, I don’t care that homie loves 50 more. I know the limits of my 35, and everything you’re saying is right… for my Sony “professional on job kit” I bring the 50 1.2. Didn’t buy a 85 and didn’t buy a 35.. 50 is everything and easily the best tool for most things. On my Leica, and when I was first starting I got a 35 and I use 35 when im not doing client work. Because it’s my favorite. Lol let homie enjoy his 50 without blowing up his comments about 35. Haha there’s no right answer for lens choice, theres always pros and cons.

Laws should be passed to ensure that only one nifty fifty video is published on KZfaq per annum. Massive fan of the focal length, but do we really need to be told time after time that it's useful?

14:22 Man, I miss Whataburger

I don’t like the 50 and I certainly don’t regret not having one in my bag lol all comes down to preference

😍😍😍😍

Perfect kit for full frame 35 = 28mm 50mm 90mm Leave the 50 on the camera 75% of the time.. 28 for wider environmental stuff.. 90 for sneaky up close and portraits.. END OF

I shot 50mm on full frame for years. I got a 35 and never went back.

Mannn I must say I used to truly hate the 50mm. Why? Because I had the Sony 50mm 1.8 bih was louder than a ratchet trying to get in the club for free 🤣🤣🤣. Granted I have a 50mm fd lens that I use with my xpro1 along with my 35mm.

I prefer either the 35mm or the 85mm. For me, the 50mm feels generic... not too wide nor too tight

Over the decades, I have used 40, 45, 50, and 55mm normal lenses on 35mm film cameras. My personal favorite 50mm lens was the 8-element 50mm f/1.4 Pentax Takumar.

San Antonio heat sucks!

Anyone who says “50mm is too tight for street photography” knows 0 about street photography. May be to tight for THEM. That’s another thing. 50mm is the king of all lenses. You just have to go out and shoot for a few years and see what works for you. 35mm is a good companion to 50mm. So is 28mm depending on whether you focus on environments or more subject centric photos. Like Bresson says (regarding this street photography baloney) he said talking about wide angle lenses, that people who use them are short of statements. They have nothing to say, so they have to scream any ole’ nonsense with wide angle lenses. This is why you see so many posers on KZfaq calling themselves “street photographers” getting 1 foot away from people and snapping away any crap and calling it great. Actually 28mm is the new 35 because 35 just isn’t wide enough anymore. I feel for me 90% of my photos are on my 50mm. But I do need a 35mm. I need that because you just don’t have the room a lot of the time and also you just are somewhere where you have to be close to the subject, but the good thing is that it’s easy to transition and compose it the same way you would a 50mm. A 28mm is funkier. You can tell is 28mm. 35 and 50 can nicely blend into each other. 28-35-50 would be an ideal trio of lenses. But if you’re a 50 guy and pretty much all your photos are 50mm, i would say a 35mm would be a great companion. You can say the same thing about Erwitt like Bresson, they both preferred 50mm but if you asked them, they said they also had a 35mm, but if you looked at their work you couldn’t tell which was which. You can’t hide a shitty photo when you shoot it at 50mm. It keeps you honest. With a 50mm if you suck it’s obvious you suck.

It's called "Nifty 50" for a reason.

50 ml

I assume you are talking about "full frame" format !? Yes, the 50mm is VERY boring for "full frame". I have done Photography since 1979, the 50mm was never "popular" ! it was a kit Lens you often could not avoid to get, so a uge amount of 50mm Lenses was parked in a box on the attic, that is why it is easy to find an analog old 50mm Lens for "full frame" i very good condition today ! The 50mm Lens got popular when digital APSC format came around, that make sense, because a 50mm 1.4 is a great portrait Lens for the APSC format. I will say, for "full frame" format ANY Lens shorter or Longer than 50mm can be used, so 45mm or shorter or 55mm or Longer !

I often get seduced by the allure of wider or longer but in the end I always to back to 50mm

#40mmLivesMatter 😂 just saying… definitely my favourite but YMMV…!

Sweatshirt ?😮

😂😂