The 50mm and the 35mm are prime camera lenses and have a cult following among photographers. The main reason why many photographers prefer to use these lenses is because of the strong image quality. Prime lens manufacturers can focus on the optical quality of the lens rather than their zooming capabilities. But the two focal lengths also have pros and cons, as we’ll see in this discussion. So, which one do you think will emerge victorious between this matchup of the 35mm vs. 50mm primes? Let’s find out.
Advantages of the 35mm lens
The 35mm has a wider field of view. While the 50mm offers a field of view of 40 degrees, the 35mm offers a field of view of 54 degrees, which is much more than that of the 50mm. In simple words, you can fit in more using the 35mm prime than the 50mm prime.
The 35mm is better for shooting landscapes, cityscapes, and urban photography. The 35mm is also excellent for street photos, weddings, architecture, and interiors. I would recommend a tilt-shift lens over a 35mm prime for the last two genres. But you can shoot some of those two genres with the 35mm.
The 35mm is a better choice when working in tighter spaces. The 50mm lens is a longer lens and does not always give the best perspective when shooting in cramped spaces.
Event photography is another genre that comes to mind when thinking about the 35mm. It isn’t the ideal focal length, but it is a better choice than the 50mm in shooting events.
Advantages of the 50mm lens
The 50mm prime has been a favorite among street photographers. They feel that the field of view is close enough to the human eye, which means they can capture the eye’s perspective.
The 50mm angle of view gets you closer to your subjects than the 35mm. Therefore, this lens is the choice of photographers who prefer getting close to their subjects. The basic difference between the 35mm and the 50mm is that the 35mm pushes objects further away. This is the opposite of what the 50mm does.
The 50mm has fewer distortions compared to the 35mm. We know that the 35mm and, for that matter, any wide-angle lens tends to suffer from distortion impacts. The 50mm has none of that. as a matter of fact, the 50mm can be used as a portrait lens when you use it with a crop camera. On a Canon crop camera, the crop factor of 1.6x will make it an 80mm prime, and that on a Nikon camera will make it a 75mm prime.
The 50mm also offers the advantage of subject separation from the background. This is an excellent lens for shooting those shallow depth-of-field scenes where the background and the foreground are blurred out, and the subject is in sharp focus. With the 35mm, that sometimes becomes difficult because the wider a lens’ field of view, the wider the depth of field.
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