On Fri, 28 Jan 2000, Joseph wrote:
> again it is ratio of angle of view that matters, not actual degrees.
> when a lens has an angle of view of 100 degrees, an extra 29 either
> way is nowhere near as significant as a lens with a 50 degree angle
> of view.
As with everything, this depends on the situation or type of work
one is doing. In a crowded interior, the difference between 71 & 100
degrees in AOV can be critical. For that matter, so can the few degrees
between a 20 & a 17.
> Whether to pair a 21mm or 24mm lens with a 35mm lens is
> largely a decision of whether you would use a 21mm or 24mm lens more
> often, but in terms of ideal sequence of focal lengths, the 21mm lens
> is an ideal pair to a 24mm lens.
This depends so much on one's situation and way of working. I have
been looking through a book titled _American Color_, by
Magnum Photographer Constantine Manos. All the shots in the book
are with 28 & 35mm lenses (M-series), and it's superb work.
David Alan Harvey (also Magnum) shot the entire spread on Vietnam for
NG about 5 years ago using 28-35-50 (M-series) lenses, and said he rarely
used the 50 (!).
The advice given in this post is good in a general sense, but
the reality is that almost no one (save for small-town newspaper shooters)
is a generalist. Review your work, and you'll see that certain subjects
and kinds of photography are represented in a higher frequency than
others. Plus, one will find that even if one has a wide array of lenses,
that a disproportionate percentage of one's best imagery is made with just
2-3 lenses. Let your own work speak to you, tell you what is working
and what isn't.
> I think if you sell your 35/2 and buy a 35-80, the day will come that
> you will regret the decision.
Of course. It will happen, no matter what lens he chooses. But the
number of "bad lens days" depends on how good you are at anticipating
your own needs/working methodology. For some people, a 35-80 is the better
choice, for others the 35/2.
Photographer, Know Thyself.
*= Doris Fang =*
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