Is 40mm (or Equivalent) the Most Natural Field of View?

I have always liked the 40mm field of view on a 35mm camera. It's a nice middle point between 35mm (which I'm learning to love, but initially felt a little too wide) and 50mm (which has always been my standard focal length, but can be a little tight).

 

I first discovered the 40mm focal length with my Leica CL and Rokkor 40mm f2 lens that was designed for it. A world-class lens, the Rokkor (or otherwise branded 40mm Leica Summicron) is about as good a lens as I could hope for.

 

I rediscovered the focal length with the Lumix 20mm f1.7 on my Panasonic Micro 4/3 cameras (giving the same field of view as a 40mm on 35mm format). Here's an example shot with the 20mm f1.7:

 

Perfect Field of View?, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 100, f8, 1/80 sec.

 

(Click Here) to read a great post on mu-43.com to see what other people think. Be sure to click on the link to read a related piece by Mike Johnston.

 

Not being a real wide angle shooter most of the time, I find the Leica CL's standard 40mm and 90mm focal lengths to be an excellent choice for a two prime lens travel kit. If I pick either 35mm or 50mm as my standard lens, I feel that I need to carry three lenses (35, 50, 90). The biggest issue I have with the 40/90 two lens kit is that my CL is the only rangefinder camera I own with 40mm framelines. Of course, the Micro 4/3 format fixes that with the electronic viewfinder (EVF).

 

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Beautiful Series of Street Photos from Morocco - Daniel Belenguer

Copyright Daniel Belenguer (Used by Permission From the Artist)

Leica M6

Image Source: www.amazon.com

 

 

 
I love a post that I can learn from. Photographer Daniel Belenguer gives a very nice written description of a holiday he recently took to Morocco. He went extremely light on equipment - a single Leica M6, 35mm lens, light meter (his in-camera meter is busted), and 25 rolls of film. He got some amazing images, in my opinion.
 
(Click Here) to read Daniel's post and see all of his pictures from the trip.
 
I envy those who can go so light on equipment and come back with so many successful images. For myself, if I went somewhere like Morocco, I would not be able to live without having at least one backup camera with me. Nowadays, that could be a very small camera, like the Lumix DMC-LX7. But, I'd need at least that.
 
Then I think about lenses. If I had to pick one lens for a trip like this, it may well be a 35mm, as Daniel did. However, I am really better oriented to the 50mm focal length. I've limited myself to one lens many times. If I picked the 35, I usually longed for a 50. If I chose a 50, there were moments when I wished it was a 35. Perhaps this is why the 40mm Rokkor is such a beloved lens on my Leica CL. I guess I'm saying that if I have to pick one lens, the 40mm Rokkor f2 (manufactured in a partnership between Leica and Minolta in the 70s) might be it.
 
In fact, on my recent trip to Barcelona, the only non-Lumix gear I took was the Leica CL and 40mm Rokkor. I've got my processed film back from The Darkroom (great mail-in film processing service, www.thedarkroom.com), and need to get to work on a post from those rolls. I'm quite happy with what I see in the scans. You'll see a post of those very soon.
 
When I look at Daniel's images, I see that 35mm was the appropriate focal length for him. There are a few cases where I would want to be a little tighter in composition, which the 50mm would have done perfectly. Overall, though, I would say more of his images fit the 35mm field of view. So, he made the right choice in my humble opinion.
 
Nice job, Daniel. Thanks for sharing your results with the world. And thanks for giving permission to use a photo or two.
 
 
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