Today I would submit 85mm as my favorite focal length. This is because most of what I'm doing right now is almost perfect for this length. A year or so ago, I would have said 35mm, it seemed to be what was best for what I was shooting at the time. Overall though, I have to admit that I could have done most of everything with 50mm. I'd just have to frame the old fashioned way - move closer or move back. (Yeah, yeah, I know, perspective change and all that. Most things I shoot aren't all that sensitive to all that.) This would actually be the most versatile prime for me, and even an extremely fast one is reasonably light. It really has nothing to do with "best work" for me. Mentioning my name and "best work" in the same sentence usually results in snickers and occasional guffaws!
Regards, Bob... -------------------- "Let us contemplate our forefathers, and posterity, and resolve to maintain the rights bequeathed to us from the former, for the sake of the latter. The necessity of the times, more than ever, calls for our utmost circumspection, deliberation, fortitude, and perseverance. Let us remember that 'if we suffer tamely a lawless attack upon our liberty, we encourage it, and involve others in our doom.' It is a very serious consideration that millions yet unborn may be the miserable sharers of the event." - Samuel Adams, 1771 From: "Timothy Sherburne" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Interesting, Dan. Perhaps part of the reason for the 50 as a favorite is > that it's considered the "standard" for 35mm photography? Manufacturers have > engineered this focal length to death, and samples of it are at the top of > the resolution/MTF/sharpness charts. > > I've always been a little curious about the results of the Surveys. Is there > a difference between what we imagine is our favorite lens/body/film and what > we actually use to get our best work? > > For this month's (January) PUG, I decided to see what folks really use to > shoot with by compiling a tally of camera bodies, lenses and film. Here's > what I discovered as far as lenses are concerned: > > 25 zooms > 42 primes > 10 wide (< 43mm) > 12 normal (43-50mm) > 15 short tele (77-135mm) > 5 long tele (> 135mm) > > Note that this is far from comprehensive as only one month's PUG is > considered. If someone is really ambitious, one could do this for a year's > worth of PUGs to get a really good sample. > > I'll post all the results of the tally if anyone is interested. > > t > > On 1/23/02 11:23 AM, Dan Scott wrote: > > > 50mm ---> 27 votes > > 24mm ---> 16 votes > > 100mm ---> 15 votes > > 85mm ---> 14 votes > > 200mm ---> 8 votes > > 28mm ---> 5 votes > > 300mm ---> 5 votes > > 35mm ---> 4 votes > > 40mm ---> 4 votes > > 55mm ---> 4 votes > > 15mm ---> 3 votes > > 77mm ---> 3 votes > > 135mm ---> 3 votes > > 43mm ---> 2 votes > > 105mm ---> 2 votes > > 20mm ---> 1 votes > > 400mm ---> 1 votes > > > > So that would mean the favorite focal length voted for by Pentax "prime" > > lovers (excluding medium format) is the boring 50mm?? > > > > Or would the above indicate prime fans prefer a "normal" field of view > > (*37 votes) rather than the "concentrated" perspective of a telephoto (34 > > votes), or the "big picture" favored by wide users (29 votes)? > > > > Or is it something else, like affordability, availability, size, weight, > > looks, or ease of replacement? > > > > Dan Scott (dangerously unproductive today)** > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > *That's if you include the 40-43mm lenses with the 50mm. If not, then the > > "normal" vote drops into last with 31 votes, the "big picture" vaults into > > the lead with 35 votes, and the "concentrated" telephoto lovers are still > > in second. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
