35mm BEATS 50mm! Here's Why... 

What's your favorite lens? (There are NO wrong answers! 🙃)

I had a 35mm and 85mm combo which was nice at first but I got tired of changing the lenses. The 50mm is the perfect sweetpot and has been glued to my camera since I got it. More versatile and useful than people give credit for

The thing about 35mm is that it is really close to the normal area of human sight with two eyes. That’s the reason 35mm feels so comfortable, relatable and aesthetic. 50mm is like one eye closed and more focused and intimate, but still very versatile. It depends on how you see the world. None of these lenses are better than the other. 85mm is something I really like, it’s very concentrated and on the edge of everyday usability. 24 on the other hand is also a very strong if not the strongest Storytelling lens.

The 50mm is kind of a boring focal length for me. The 35 and the 85 combo has always been the best for portraits and street photography from my experience. If I were to just have one lens, it’s definitely the 35mm.

I’ve bought the 50mm 1.2 GM as my first prime and i think Joris is right. I find myself needing a wider lens a lot. BUT, i only think this view holds up if you’re just going to use one lens all the way. I’m now saving up for a 24mm to go alongside the 50 and will eventually round the primes out with a 135mm. That way i can swap them out to whatever the shot needs just like i did with my two zooms. I don’t think i’d ever ditch the 50mm because the look of it is just *chef’s kiss*

Finally! I thought I was alone in thinking the 35mm is better and more versatile than the 50mm. And I agree, the 35mm is not really a wide-angle but it’s still wide enough. I was so disappointed with myself the other night when I went to a friend’s going-away and I only brought my 50mm to document the occasion. Well, it was terribly tight inside the space and getting shots was difficult. I’ve got a new 35mm on my Christmas list - but I might have to get it a little bit early. 😆

Had to learn this lesson the hard and expensive way on a friend’s wedding day. Fortunately it was his third ceremony (don’t ask) and I didn’t give up my day job. Thank you for making my learning clear, Joris!

Man I have canon M6 and bought a 22mm F2 based on your suggestions with M50. I am still a beginner but that lens gave me every reason to use it whenever I want. From beautiful portraits to banger wide lens images and videos. That's how I became a fan of your suggestions.

I fully agree. The 50 is always too narrow for me, unless I need something narrow, than it becomes too wide….

At some point in my journey I started preferring the 35mm as well. Your video is the most comprehensive material I've seen on this topic. It makes a lot of sense too the part about indoor vs outdoor, and having a lens that works in bright light and low light. Thanks!

What beginning photographers don’t realize is that near-far perspective is function of relative DISTANCE to near and far object not focal length. For example if photographing a subject who has one eye that is noticeably larger than than the other in full face view I will instead pose the face obliquely to the camera with the larger eye further way then move in and out from the face until the near-far perspective changed via distance makes the two eyes look the same size in the photo. It is a technique I learned back in 1972 apprenticing with Monte Zucker who was a Zen Master at analyzing faces like that finding the most flattering facial angle - full / oblique left or right / profile left or right. What focal length does after finding the ideal near-far perspective via shooting distance is control the in-camera crop. Cinematographers are much more aware of this because they much crop in camera. Because I understand the actual cause and effect my favorite portrait lens is a 24-70mm zoom. For most faces the most flattering near far perspective is from around 8-9 feet from the tip of the nose. A 24-70mm allows capturing in-camera crops from full-length to head and shoulders from that same distance so the size relationship between nose and ears and size of cranium behind the eyes stays the same in all crops. If needing a tighter crop I switch to my 70-200mm if the goal making the face look as slim and symmetrical as possible. When the goal isn’t to make a face look as slim and symmetrical as a super model when it is actually lopsided the none of that applies. But if learning to shoot portraits of ordinary people with less than perfectly symmetrical faces what I suggest above, which I learned from my mentor many years ago is a good starting BASELINE for understanding how to use near-far perspective to flatter a face, or not depending on on the intended body language you want the subject to project in the photo.

I like 35mm for video, 50mm works pretty good for very general photography. But yea you need space. If you’re just walking around or traveling, 28 or 35mm is going to get most if not everything you want.

Joris, I agree with you, choose the focal length that works best with your style of shooting, the environments you're shooting in, and your subject matter of choice. Like you, I do a lot of documentary, photojournalism, and street photography. I shoot Leica and Fujifilm in those instances and I've found that 40mm and 42mm respectively work best for me with those camera systems. I shoot with the Voightlander NOKTON Classic 40mm f1.4 on my Leica M240 and the Voightlander Ultron 28mm f2 on my Fujifilm X-Pro3. Most photographers don't talk about the 40mm focal length except when discussing vintage lenses. I think that's largely due to there not being too many lens manufacturers making 40mm lenses. Voightlander is the only company I know still making new 40mm lenses. If you haven't tried that focal length you should let us know what you think about it compared to 35mm.

You just answered all the questions I had. I have a 50mm which I love. But I struggle indoors.. Could not decide 35mm or 25mm.. And you just gave me the answer

You explained the 35mm perfectly and really helped me with my lens choices when doing video. I used two cameras on one gimbal: one cam has a 50mm 1.8 and the other has a 35mm 1.8. The 35 gets everything but the 50 does not. And using an 35 with an 85 is a better choice but again, no need for the 85 unless you want really close and personal shots which the 85 is perfect for. So that said, you r so correct, a 35mm 1.8 is all you really need. It took me a while to figure this out and now watching you my choice will be the 35mm only. It is so nice to see others, such as your self, choose the 35mm over all the other lenses. Through trial and error, i did the same. Its 35mm for life for me. Great job and thank you for all your work...

Good discussion and I agree. 35mm is my alternative to a standard zoom when I want keep size down for personal shoots. For events I'll use a standard zoom along with a flash for versatility.

I agree with most arguments - a 35mm/1.8 is very versatile for environmental portraits, because you can go relatively close to a person, and displaying also their close close surroundings. On the other hand: Remembger Henri Cartier-Bresson who became a world famous photographer with his images from the street mostly taken with the Leica 50mm F2.0 Summicron ...

I don't think, I like distortion in a person's face - so I don't use the 35mm for portraits of ppl period. Cityscapes, landscapes, street photography it is good for that, but I still prefer the 50mm; even though, I own both. Also, to come-back and fix it in Photoshop seems to me like you're creating an extra step for yourself that you could just avoid by switching to a 50mm when your doing portraits / close-up of people. Again, it's not flattering to distort a person's face, in my opinion. I agree no lens is perfect, and no lens is a 'One Size Fits All' situations.

This makes a lot of sense to me, my Brother!! Awesome talk, and my favorite lens at the moment is the Helios 44-3 58mm. 😎 Many Thanks, Joris

Recently I needed to choose only one lens to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Weight restriction is important when walking 15-20 miles a day over mountains, and you don't have sensor cleaning equipment. Dust or rain on the sensor is not acceptable. So it was 23 mm ( 35 equivalent ) on a APS-C Fuji all the way. One observation: When you carry only a 35 mm lens, you start to approach the scene with 35mm options popping up in your brain. It changes how you see the scene, which I found to be a revealing experience..

You had me with the thumbnail 🤣🤣🤣 I personally love the 35mm - although I am currently in the middle of a 365 day photo challenge...and I can only use a kit lens!! I am also using a Canon M50 (Mark II...which means absolutely noting 🤣) so one of your earlier videos on getting good shots with a kit lens has been awesome #thankyou Great video as always, Joris - cheers man 🙏🏻🤟

I like your talks about photography, I always learn something new. Thanks!! ✨

I gotta agree. I've been using a 50mm equivalent for a year now since I've been doing photography on my Canon M50. I upgraded to the Sony A7IV and got a sony branded nifty fifty. 🤣I enjoy the standard look of the 50mm for many types of photography portraits included. Once I've switched to a vintage zoom lens that had 35mm as its lowest focal length. The look of the 35mm looked so different in a way I enjoyed. Its like wide but not that wide and it feels like a balance. Once I'm able to get my hands on a true 35mm prime I'll be using it way more than my 50mm

Good info , I’m considering getting a prime I can use for my videos . For the Sony autofocus issue you had ; have you tried “ face registration “ in the settings ?

as a photographer with an a7r3, I can get away with just having a 35mm and just cropping in to sorta have a 50mm. I still love 50mm though for portrait or more focused on a single subject

This was very helpful, and addressed some of my uneducated suspicions. I feel more free filming on my phone indoors, compared to something better with a larger lens. I will upgrade when it makes sense for my goals. Thank you for helping me not waste money.

For me, the holy trinity for all day walk around are the 24mm, 40mm and 85mm, in FF terms (or a zoom that covers this range). In APS-C that's 16mm, 27mm and 56mm. But for only one lens for me it's the 40mm FF equal. But what anyone will chose for their 'one lens' will be determined on how they 'see' the subject.

As much as I love the 50, I have to agree with you, Joris. There’s something very special about the 35mm focal length. Love your style, too. New sub here from Australia. 👍🦘

I love my 50! I also love my 35. Each have their place and best-use scenario.

Got a new camera lately - fast 50 and 35 equivalent primes were the first 2 lenses in the bag. Can easily bring both with compact APS-C.

As someone who did documentary too, i agree. I could shoot an entire video with 35mm FF equivalent (except maybe for shooting wild animals which i never got any job within). And like you said, moving forward isnt a problem, but moving backward is hell of a problem. We cant spend too much time arrange the ambients or room around us, or maybe we just cant do it. 35mm is a perfect spot for wide enough and we can get closer to get close up enough.

I do enjoy the 50mm. Sold my 35mm for the f/1.2 One of my favorite combos has always been a good 40mm and a 28mm. Rarely see those compared or even brought up.

Great video, good info in a lighthearted way, love it.

Which lens do you recommend to shoot videos in concerts (low light) with a Sony a7iii, is this one a good option?

Since switching brands, my only prime is a 50mm. I do love the focal length and it works well for myself with Street, but I can understand and do mostly agree that 35mm is ideal. I recently picked up a 24-70mm, so I should spend some time with it at just 35mm. Main issue in getting a 35mm Prime right now is price. The 35mm 1.8 S (nikon z) is around $1000CAD, and I'm more interested in investing in either a good telephoto or ultra wide (since I enjoy both Landscape and Wildlife). My previous camera (Canon SL3), my favourite lens on that turned out to be the tiny pancake lens at 24mm, which multiplied by 1.6 is 38mm. Some of my favourite photos were all taken at that length.

Because of your videos I'm thinking of buying the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM Lens for my Canon EOS RP. My question is the lens has a f/1.8 which will give me a nice shallow depth of field... but what about the maximum depth of field? I take pictures and videos of outdoor products (product reviews) and many times in the video I want to show the beautiful surroundings so I don't want the shallow depth, I want to take in everything behind me or the product. Why don't they list what the maximum depth of field is for that current lens? Thank you for all your videos, they've helped me out a great deal.

Your humor is on point! Love the info in this vid too!

Great review ! Am finally experimenting with the photography side of my Sony a7iii and a7Siii and the only prime lens I have that I've never really used is Zeiss 25mm/2. I learned video recording Musicians and concerts and got away with using a versatile zoom. Am wanting to get back to my roots of recording live shows but this time with taking stills. Was debating the 24mm or the 35mm but was leaning more to the 35mm ... Joris this king vs poop video pushed me over the edge to the 35mm. Thanks ! Plus I use the gimbal a lot shooting video and the 35 is probably going to be a plus since it tip toes into wide angle which seems to work well for gimbal style shots.

Great video! Love to see more content like this!

When i go simple, i use my 35 and 85 primes. If i need versatility i go with my canon 28-70 f2 which is the best zoom lens i have ever used any system, and my 85 1.2

yessss ive been legit thinking about this lately cause I wanna get a DZO vespid prime and I don't have the budget to snag multiple focal lengths and ive been thinking buying the 35mm is the best option for all around workhorse lens and then renting a wider/tigheter lens as needed - and then normally my go to lens is the sigma 24-70 which I realized I normally bump it to 35mm anyways for most any shoot for the exact reason you said, distortion; it just adds a little too much warping if you get too close, but 35 mm seems to be a nice fall out where you can move around more and not worry

Nice point about zooming with the feet inside a room. Sometimes you just have space to walk in

Favorite lens - the Canon EF 85mm f1.8. Most used lens - Canon EF-M 32mm f1.4. I use crop sensor cameras so the 85mm isn't an everyday lens but is allowed out on special occasions like when I'm photographing horses. The 32mm is a better allrounder and gets used for a lot of product photography.

35mm is the most versatile for indoors and better for video movement, 50mm is more versatile for outdoors :) if I could use only 1 focal length, probably ~43mm would be my choice :)

Thanks Joris for sharing your proactive. I've moved recently to vidéo. And because I wanted to bé as light as possible with a reasonable investment, I adopted MFT format, which has a 2 crop factor. As I'll soon Make a one month trip to Japan, I 'm on a trial and error dynamic. For each document I forced myself to use a différent prime or zoom. AT this point, I admit that if I have to go outside and indoor, m'y 16 mm f1.4 (32 mm frame eq.) is my choice, and when I want good bokeh as well. But for street & landscape videos with daylight, I love my 8-25 mm f4.0 (16-50 mm ff eq). Reasons : différent focal length makes m'y life easier in "run and gun" conditions while traveling.

I did a photoshoot of a Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba Party in low light in a small indoor dance hall. For lessons the space is OK for 20 people. But when there is a "Social" (party) you get 2.5-3 times more people. I had my Lumix 35mm f/1.8 lens. It was perfect even though the physical space was small. I could focus on 1 dance couple and still have other couples visible in the background.

Great video. Love your style. You won another subscriber.

Great input! I have been using a 50 mm lens with my trusty Nikon d5300. I use it for portraits and arranged or "fixed" situations but when I want to move more freely or the room is too small, the 50 mm is more or less useless. Even if I back up against a wall I still won't get it all within the frame. I have thought about getting a 20 mm lens but I am afraid that the distortion will be too significant and also, for my budget they seem quite expensive. What you say in your video is definitely making me think about going for a 35 mm lens.

I acknowledge that this is a subjective personal thing, but I've had two 'nifty fifties' in the past 40+ years - I still have one - and I must have used them half a dozen times, at most, during those four decades. I've just never got the 50mm focal length, and every time I dig it out of the mothballs and try it again, I'm just completely at a loss as to why it's so beloved. 35mm is by far my favourite focal length for general use, and yes, you're right, it's just MUCH more versatile.

I currently use the Sony 14mm 1.8 GM. Finding it really good for video so far. Slight distortion on edges if close to objects or doing vertical. But I found once you enable a7iv 4k60 crop, active stabilization etc. You can push it to around roughly 24mm-ish and still get more pixels than you'd typically need to edit with for 1080p/social media. Also have the Sony 90mm Macro 2.8 lens for portrait stuff. Looking for a good in-between prime. Tour video has me leaning for the 35mm as it seems more versatile (can push it close to the 50mm in crop mode too). That 50mm 1.2 seems dreamy for night photography though. Hard choices lol

1:55 I think there's a kind of odd thinking around distortion that's reinforced by the way it's talked about in this video: that distortion is somehow a "bad thing" when it comes to portraiture. For fashion, and commercial work, where the objective is to get the most flattering proportions and look possible, I can understand why distortion is something to be avoided. However, the subtext of a 35mm kind of distortion (even up close) vs 50mm, is that you are more intimately in the space of that subject. I, myself, absolutely love and prefer a 50mm, but I often notice a slight sense of "distance", coldness and objectification of the subject - like there is an invisible wall between the viewer and the subject. THAT'S the benefit of wider angle distortion when it comes to portraiture - it subconsciously signals to the viewer a sense of closeness, intimacy and presence that is lost with longer focal lengths.

When I started to shoot in the mid-80s all I had was a Takumar 35mmf3.5 and I used it exclusively for about a decade before buying any other lenses. Still think it's the best all-round focal length for street and most things. But a nifty fifty is also a great all rounder, as is a 28mm.

I use the Nikon 40mm f2 in that range. Super light, sharp and dirt cheap. My favorite prime lens is the 85mm f1.8. My favorite all time is the 70-200mm f2.8.

Hello sir, I have sony zve10 with kit lense I shoot youtube videos like you are making,talking head vids,and some time reels and outdoor My room size is 12×12 feet Which lense should i buy?plz reply? 35mm f1.8 or 50mm f1.8 or 15mm f1.8? I can buy one lense only Which lense should i buy

I love your video and your personality!!! I am convinced. Now I will buy a 35mm just for that reason of giving you more space than the 50mm. Thank you for the tips!

As a strong Bressonian/geometric composition lover, I think I'll stick to my 50mm lenses. I think 35mm is great as you said, but it is not my style when it comes to making strong geometric composition.

Is this in the context of a full frame or crop sensor camera? I use APS-C and I'm looking to buy the 35mm f1.8 but I'm not sure if I should go for a 24mm instead

In this video you are referring in the backgroung to full sensor not an APS-C sensor ?

Loved your take on the 35mm prime, you are dead on..

I own the 50MM lens and can’t seem to drop it for another so best thing I’d do is save up for a wider lens to use along side the 50mm

Great video again! How would you rate m50’s 22mm prime as a 35mm equivalent? Do the same distortion rules apply in your opinion?

I've used 35 & 50 for mirrorless camera. I love them, but because i'm was a cosplay photographer, i wish i had 85mm lens back then..

I would like to shoot scenery, buildings, food and cafes and places in potrait mode for instagrams. Can you Suggest one lens? For Sony zv E10 camera.

Could you make a video where you show how to take a product video sequence or a short b roll with almost no gear? I want to do unboxings/reviews and put brolls in the start to show off the product but i have no clue how to do it:( all i have is a iphone 13 pro or a budget of 600€ to buy a camera

The thumbnail made me laugh before I watched the video I'm sure it's a great vid.

50mm fans are generally just photographers and not filmmakers, lol. 35 mm is the most telephoto you can do while still showing the environment. Also, I shoot 50mm on medium format, so it fixes the distortion problem quite nicely with the same field of view!

You're right, moving closer isn't a problem, just walk closer. Tried to shoot the moon, reached it.

A wide angle lens is any lens in which the focal length is less than the longest side of the negative (or sensor). As 35mm negatives are 36mm by 24mm, a 35mm just scrapes into the category of wide angle. A modern FF sensor is the same size as a 35mm film negs. An ultra-wide is categorised by the focal length being less than the short side of the negative. So 24mm and under. When you have smaller sensors, the same rules apply to the physical dimensions of the sensor - on Canon APS-C for example (22.3×14.9), it means FF lenses in focal length of 22mm and under are wide, and those 15mm and under are ultra-wide.

Tbh,a 35mm,85mm & 135 mm is the right way to go as it makes you extremely versatile. The 50 mm difference between all these focal lengths give you a perfect spot to change the nature of the photo completely. Difference between a 35 mm to a 50 mm is too small in terms of a drastic change,atleast that's what I feel:) I like to keep the 50 mm gap between the focal lengths to change up the variety of my shots. For me too,I deem the 50 mm as something useful but not extremely necessary for most situations:)

Absolutley correct !!! agree with you 100%. I use a Fuji X100T with a fixed 35 mm f 2.0 lens on it. Love it.!!! Thanks for the video.

Take a 35mm gmaster ( my favorite) put any a7r series camera in crop mode and voila you get a 50mm perspective. Ots muych easier to do it in camera and using your feet than guessing what it will look like in post cropped

I agree with everything you said about the 35 mm being more versatile. I bought a 35 before I bought a 50 for that very reason

I just had a look at my photos, and I would say that the 35mm would be better for me 🙂 I think it really falls on what type of photography you do, so have a look at your portfolio!

Which camera and lens did you used to make this video and what is the distance between you and camera

i own a 50mm and a 24mm aaand a 75mm. oh i forgot the 112.5mm but somehow for my last weeding i should almost everything with a borred 35mm and it was my first time using this focal length. the experience was great.

35mm F1.8 is almost glued to my Sony A7IV. It's my go to lens.

Subscribed , not because I love 35mm but I find this dude very entertaining 😂

Personally, I want a 35mm for shooting outdoors and getting more in my frame. Depending on how much room I have, the 50mm doesn't do very well in tight spaces. HOWEVER, the 50mm reigns supreme when taking concert shots. A LOT of venues have guard rails now to keep people back. If you are allowed to bring your camera in, but you don't have a press pass, chances are that you aren't able to pass that threshold. The 50mm gives those nice close up shots for focusing on 1-2 people on stage. When shooting the whole band, the 35mm is better. Long story short, it really depends on the type of work you are doing. There is no wrong way, and as someone said on another video, you can zoom in with your feet towards the subject, even in tight spaces. You can't zoom out depending on how tight the space is.

What if im using an original black magic pocket cinema camera that has super 16 crop factor of 2.8 that makes my 35mm a 70mm?😢

I loved this natural video!

Since 1985, my standard lens is the 35mm; recently I use also a 40mm, but never felt comfortable with the 50mm.

Doesn't lens correction fix the distortion anyway?

I'm a beginer and I have the 35mm and the 55-210mm with sony a6600 and I love the lenses and the camera.

Nothing wrong you said. 35mm is definitely more versatile than 50mm. Bcos of shorter focal length, more field of view and... Not so much distortion as 24mm. It depends upon usage after all.

This video does help. I have a K10D Pentax body only that I've owned but never used because at the time I was Canon guy. Tried selling it at various garage sales and found it recently during this old camera resurgence so I was stoked. I've been mixed between getting a 35mm or a 50mm and with your explination I think for me and what I want to use it for, the 35mm is the better choice if I just want one lens. Thank you.

wyt 35 mm for street and landscape photography?

Well concluded! If I were to keep only one (prime) lens, it’s gonna be a 35mm. And an all-rounder 24-70mm.

What are you using to shoot this video???

Just curious what lens are you using for this video?

Hey, Joris. I know we've only interacted due to your frame rate videos and that this video has nothing to do with that, but I was thinking the other day... Why do you choose 24 over 25 especially when being in a PAL country, anyway? If you went with 25, not only would ALL shutter speeds work for you without flickering, but you also wouldn't have any encoding weirdness when uploading 23.976 to RU-vid. (which I've heard re-encodes to true 24) Not only that but in my experience, YES, even that ONE extra frame makes a tiny difference in subconscious smoothness without affecting the filmic look, in this case AT ALL as compared to 30p's noticeable (beneficial to me with no downgrades) smoothness gain. Also, 25 is technically more versatile for post-production than 24 and especially 23.976. If you ever NEED it to be 24 decimal, you can re-encode it from 24 (dropped frame from 25) and send it off. If it needs to be 25, it's already there and won't suffer any audio bugs by being played at 25 when it was intended to be 24. Quick note, if your camera by some miracle shoots true 24, then you can ignore the encoding part of my question, but everything else still stands. Aside from that, I really like your reasoning for 35mm lenses. Sometimes, especially when traveling, simplicity is king. I mean, society made a whole acronym around simplicity; KISS, so there's probably some photographer or videographer out there who needed to hear this.

Some people “see” the works at 35, others at 50. Personally, I’m a 35 guy but I totally get that it’s not for everyone. I don’t use my 35GM often enough.

some people just like exert their point of view. i also like 35mm and also using Sony camera. As i don't have enough budget i just opt for 50mm as it is cheap. 35mm is stil expensive for me. hahahaha. I do agree 35mm is practical. you are right. so to hell others' opinion. there is no right or wrong. lens is just a lens. the main thing is the image you capture or the video you take. Does it make a good story to tell or relatable to the audience?

I like both. But if I can only bring one lens only, it will probably the 35mm.

you are right no wrong answers. informative lens based 7.5mins.

i agree to YOUR opinion and 35mm. is my fav beside 16-55mm

Hi, I want to create makeup and fashion content, and I was advised to get a 50mm for a Nikon d5200 dslr. What kind of budget friendly lens will you recommend?

28mm summilux f1.4 for conventions mostly 90 macro elmar f/4 for mostly portraits

I also agree with Joris. I bought a relatively inexpensive nifty fifty for a Canon dlsr many years ago and very quickly realised that it was only usable in very limited scenarios. It spent most of the time in the bag and rarely saw the light of day. I now have a Sony A7 iii and am looking to add a prime lens to my collection and will almost certainly opt for the 35mm option. The image is high resolution and cropping an option if required with no loss of detail.

Thx 😂 Smacked like 500 🎉

yeah.. I seriously watch every video of you till the end... till after you decompressed.... lol... Sony is so smart that even faces with sunglasses can be detected whilst my M50 couldn't even detect faces with reading glasses... Is there any suggestion for the setting in M50 for better face detection? I already bought the 30mm Sigma prime f1.4.... Updated the firmware...