A Thirty-five or a Fifty?

Taken with a 35 mm

A thirty-five, or a fifty? Probably one of the longest running debate in the world of photography, next to crop sensor or full frame. In case you were wondering what I am talking about, I'm referring to (the focal length of) camera lenses. Every photographer / hobbyist must have had this dilemma at least once in their life. So why not both? Probably because of money. While the fifty mm has been dubbed as the nifty fifty, it is by no means cheap. It's just considered cheap when compared to other lenses. And a thirty-five mm, is much more expensive, that goes without saying. Furthermore, many would argue that there is no point in having both lenses since their focal lengths are so similar. One is better off getting either a wide angle lens and a fifty, or a thirty-five and a proper telephoto lens. In fact, that's what my dad advised me on as well. 

Regardless, after careful consideration I decided I wanted both. What a brat, you must think. I went for the cheapest options for my lenses, a Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8G and a Nikkor 35 mm f/1.8G. But money is still money. And I must say, I don't regret buying both lenses at all. They serve different purposes, despite their focal lengths being so similar.

I got the fifty as my first lens, some time last year after Chinese New Year. At that time, I was going through the mandatory dilemma of thirty-five versus fifty. In fact, the dilemma went on for months. Watching multiple videos on YouTube didn't help either. It just contributed to the headache. I was really into street photography at the time, but I wanted to delve into portraiture as well. I honestly did a hell lot of research, looking at what other professional photographers use as their go-to lens. But none of that mattered at the end, because of just one word - bokeh. I was swayed by the bokeh that the fifty made, it wasn't overly creamy like a telephoto lens, and not too mild like the thirty-five. That was my deciding factor. I would love to tell you that I'm kidding, but I'm serious. 

Of course, apart from the bokeh the fifty has many perks. It's a lens that allows you to do both street photography and portraiture. For street photography, it allows you to keep some distance if like me, you're not up for going close to your subjects. I can't put it into words, but street photos taken with a fifty just feel right. Oh and did I mention, the bokeh is amazing. Even if it's street photography, a little bokeh once in a while won't hurt. 

Taken with a 35 mm

Taken with a 50 mm

The drawback? It was too tight for indoor situations. I mentioned in a post last September about how I got to try fiddling with my cousin's thirty-five mm setup, and it was then that I realized the perks of using a thirty-five. I instantly knew that if I had brought my fifty, I would have gone home without taking a single proper photo. I had to put a lot of thought in this decision of mine to get a thirty-five as well, since the cheapest one easily costs six hundred bucks. Since I really liked how the indoor portraits turned out with the thirty-five, I thought of it as an investment and went ahead with it. Since then, I've used the thirty-five for many different occasions, including street photography. Being on the wide side, it's perfect for landscapes / cityscapes. It's a nice fit for events that have tons of people. Since it doesn't distort the sides like a wide angle, you still get nicely taken photos. Of course with the wideness, one has to sacrifice something else. In this case, that something is the bokeh. While it is a shame, it can't be helped. You can't have the best of both worlds. 

I originally wanted to write something more professional, comparing the differences between both lenses but that would be a tad boring wouldn't it? There are already tons of articles out there for that purpose. So instead, I thought it'd be better if I wrote about how I decided on getting the lenses. Maybe, just maybe, this might even help you come to a decision. But if you are a true blue bokeh lover, you're better off with something from eighty-five mm onward. 

Taken with a 50 mm

Taken with a 50 mm