Do I need a 35mm lens if I have a 50mm?

Bluebird 65

Bluebird 65

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Paul
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A bit of background, I have a nifty fifty and a telephoto (Nikon 3100 fit) and going on hols to Oz in a months time. I want a lens that will be a 'good travel lens' and the reviews I have read seem to suggest a 35mm for both landscape and city photography, but I am wondering as I already have the 50mm, would I be better equip with a wide angle or A.N Other?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.
 
I know nowt of Nikon but think yours is a crop sensor.

Therefore, a 35mm is approx Full Frame equivalent to a 50mm so that would be one argument to get it for its FoV ?

I note in your profile an 18-55mm, what is wrong with that for a good short zoom walkabout lens?

HTH :)
 
You're using a crop sensor Nikon? 50mm is a big long, being a short telephoto with that sensor size. If you want a prime for general use then 35mm would be the longest I'd recommend, and would prefer something around 20-28mm.

OTOH you could pick up a kit zoom for £50ish that would cover 18-55 and be good for walking round. Better still 16-80.
 
Personally I've found the two focal lengths too close and the effort to change lens isn't worth it. I'd rather spend more time concentrating on my composition with the focal length available to me rather than think about switching lens.
 
Irrespective of crop factor, if you need the FOV of a 35mm lens on your camera, a 50mm lens is a very poor substitute.
If you have a kit zoom you'll have the focal length covered there, and duplicating it with a prime is only really necessary if you need faster apertures or smaller size.

I would find even a 35mm on APSC too narrow a FOV for most city photography, but the kit zoom would be acceptable in most cases, a 10-20 type usually being ideal when the kit isn't wide enough.
 
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Just some insight in regard to what lens for travel.......it depends on the what and the where.

Back I had my Canon crop body I had my "go to" 24 - 105mm but we were going to Venice again and I felt the widest at 24 that I had was not wide enough i.e. 50mm FoV on FF terms.

So I hired a 10-22mm wide angle......with the intention of swapping to my 24-105 as needed. I never swapped, the 10-22 stayed on and the zoom range was ideal for aiding composition on those narrow alleys as well as the wider lagoon/canal vistas.
 
Bluebird 65 said:
A bit of background, I have a nifty fifty and a telephoto (Nikon 3100 fit) and going on hols to Oz in a months time. I want a lens that will be a 'good travel lens' and the reviews I have read seem to suggest a 35mm for both landscape and city photography, but I am wondering as I already have the 50mm, would I be better equip with a wide angle or A.N Other?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.
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I've never really understood the urge to fit a 50mm to an APS-C camera as the attraction is/was to the field of view you'd get on a FF camera and once you fit the 50mm to an APS-C camera it doesn't give the same FoV. You'd need a 35mm or there abouts on APS-C to get the 50mm on FF experience. Ditto 35mm on FF, you'll need a 24mm or there abouts lens on APS-C to get the same experience.

When I had Canon APS-C DSLR's (x1.6 crop) I had a Sigma 20mm f1.8 and a 30mm f1.4 which I thought were pretty good. That's the sort of focal length prime I'd be looking at for APS-C if going for primes.
 
must admit i barely ever used my 35mm prime when i had a crop sensor camera, just felt like a nothing sort of focal length (worked out at 52mm on a crop body). Since switching to full frame i have found the 35mm to be much more useful in its uncropped perspective
 
TBH, a "good travel lens" in a one lens system would be an 10-200 or similar - covers most bases and reduces the chances for dust ingress during lens changes. Yes, any "superzoom" will be a compromise in terms of ultimate IQ but IMO the versatility of the wide range outweighs the reduction.
 
There’s no right focal length just preference. That being said 50mm on a Nikon crop body gives a 75mm fov which I think is too long for a general walkabout lens, especially if you want to take architecture and landscapes.

I personally prefer the 50mm fov to 35mm (on full frame) but also prefer a short zoom as a walkabout lens as it gives you more flexibility.
 
Just another thought.

On holiday I like to have a quality camera with a 35mm prime and a quality compact for the wider and longer shots. For me it's my A7 with a 35mm and a Panasonic TZ100 which has a 25-250mm lens. It's nice to have something half decent for when a largish camera like even an A7 and lens seems too intrusive.
 
A 35mm and 85mm make for a better duo IMO, regardless of format
 
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