Why 35mm vs 50mm

With fewer "obstacles" for light to get through, the result is often sharper photos. Additionally, prime lenses have much wider apertures, which means they can collect far more light than their zoom counterparts.

With all that extra light, you can take low-light photos with far more confidence and better results! That wide aperture also helps blur the background of images, which comes in handy for portraits. Another distinct advantage of prime lenses over zooms is that they tend to be smaller and lighterweight. With a smaller lens, you've got a greater ability to work lean and mean, which is great for things like street photography or travel photography where having a big zoom lens on your camera could make it difficult to find your way through crowds or take photos without drawing everyone's attention.

It's also worth noting that many prime lenses are quite inexpensive as lenses go. Something else that's important to realize is that prime lenses are extremely versatile.

That goes for 35mm lenses and 50mm lenses as well. You can use them for still images or video, portraits or landscapes, day or night photography And while 35mm lenses and 50mm lenses have all these things in common, there are some distinct differences of which you should be aware.

When deciding between a 35mm vs 50mm lens, one thing to bear in mind is the field of view. Naturally, a 35mm lens offers a wider view of the subject, which makes it perhaps a little more versatile of the two. This is particularly true of situations in which you're shooting in tight spaces or close quarters - that extra real estate from left to right that's captured by a 35mm lens makes tight shots much easier to get.

The 35mm focal length is very practical as well. It's a great walkaround lens for day-to-day shooting - you can photograph varied subjects all day long without ever having to swap out your lens. This is due to the shallower depth of field the wide apertures produce. The focal length of a 50mm is pretty close to the human experience. This means, what you see in front of you with your own eyes, is basically what the lens sees and captures.

This helps you to capture scenes the way you, as the photographer, see them. The 50mm helps you capture images that will allow your viewers to see things the way you did when shooting them, which is great for storytelling through images. The 50mm lens is also very lightweight and compact. It will be comfortable to hold when you are shooting for long periods of time. Lastly, this lens is inexpensive and affordable.

If you are a beginner who takes baby steps with your upgrades as you progress and learn, this affordable lens should be something you consider, no matter what camera brand you use. The 35mm is great for street photography. It allows you to mingle with the crowds and get up close and personal. You can get in on the action to get the shots you want from a short distance. This means you do not have to try to find spots to shoot in to avoid distractions in the image, because you can get really close to what you are trying to capture.

This is great for intimate portraits because it makes it easier to connect with your subject. Not only does the lens force you to get close to your subject, but it also forces your subject to connect more with you.

This can help you evoke more natural emotion in your images. With the shorter focal length and a wider field of view, you are not limited to portraits and street photography. You can comfortably capture much wider scenes you encounter as a travel photographer. Lots of these areas overlap — both are great for shooting people, for example — but there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

It might be that you end up deciding to buy a 35mm and a 50mm, and fortunately there are some very affordable options that will keep the price down. Arguably a shade more versatile than the 50mm, the 35mm prime is a classic walkaround lens that can adapt to a wide range of shooting situations. While a 50mm prime lens will give you a field of view of just under 40 degrees, the 35mm prime lens gives you If you happen to have small, unpredictable, fast-moving subjects — small children being an excellent example!

This focal length is also ideal for group shots and is often the lens of choice for shooting environmental portraits — i. Big landscapes typically demand wide angles, and 35mm is a much better choice.

The wider the lens, the greater the depth of field, and the more of your image is going to be in focus. This makes the 35mm lens a better choice for candid moments, such as street photography or capturing children as they play.

It also lends itself well to general day-to-day shots, giving you a versatile point-and-shoot experience where you just want to capture the moment and not worry too much about whether your shot is going to be in focus.

See: what is distortion in lenses? This is part of why some photographers regard 35mm as being close to our own vision — though others will argue the same for the 50mm focal length!

For this reason, 35mm is used extensively by photojournalists and street photographers.