Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2016/09/16

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Subject: [Leica] How did 50mm become the "normal" lens for 35mm cameras?
From: jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj)
Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2016 10:47:19 +0530
References: <3102AFDA-E450-4F4B-AB03-A7A8973AE34A@fastmail.com> <7BCAB2D88BEE4631BE521C119C7DED49@Family> <C4488CF5-6273-4B9E-BCB9-F2D82B33F520@gmail.com> <57DCA9D1.2070903@hemenway.com>

I have never used the 43mm, though I have also heard that it is excellent.

Another current lens that I have is the superb Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens for
the micro 4/3 systems, which translates to a 40mm lens.

They are not thick on the ground, but there are quite a few around in the
40-45mm range.

Cheers
Jayanand

On Sat, Sep 17, 2016 at 7:56 AM, Jim Hemenway <jim at hemenway.com> wrote:

> Jay:
>
> I have that excellent Pentax 43mm f1.8 lens, as well as a Pentax pancake
> lens f3.5 40mm.
>
> JimH
>
>
>
>
>
> On 9/16/16 9:17 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj wrote:
>
>> I have a Retinette as well, with a 45mm Schneider lens. Nikon used to
>> make a 45mm f2.8 pancake lens, Fuji has a 27mm f2.8 pancake lens for their
>> X mount (40.5mm equivalent), and if memory serves me right, Pentax used to
>> make a 43mm f1.8 lens.
>> Cheers
>> Jayanand
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> On 17-Sep-2016, at 05:04, Douglas Barry<imra at iol.ie>  wrote:
>>>
>>> According to my list, I have a Halina 35X somewhere in the attic with a
>>> 45mm, a couple of Kodak Retinette 1s with 45mms, and a Yashica Minister
>>> also with a 45mm.
>>> Douglas
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Adam Bridge"<abridge683 at 
>>> fastmail.com
>>> >
>>> To: "Leica Users Group"<lug at leica-users.org>
>>> Sent: Friday, September 16, 2016 10:45 PM
>>> Subject: [Leica] How did 50mm become the "normal" lens for 35mm cameras?
>>>
>>>
>>> Let me back up a moment.
>>>>
>>>> I was taught that a ?normal? lens is one whose focal length matches the
>>>> diagonal of the film/sensor frame.
>>>>
>>>> For 35mm film as shot by, say, a Leica M6, that turns out to be 43mm -
>>>> midway between a wide 35mm lens and a 50mm lens which I have sometimes 
>>>> seen
>>>> called a ?short telephoto? perhaps even by B&H.
>>>>
>>>> Now as I remember from my cinema days 35mm movies are shot at the same
>>>> aspect ratio as still but have different dimensions since they are shot
>>>> with the long edge running across the film instead of the short edge as 
>>>> is
>>>> the case for full frame 35mm film photography (except, I?m guessing,
>>>> half-frame 35mm but now I?m totally out of school having never seen one 
>>>> of
>>>> these cameras.
>>>>
>>>> That?s where I?m coming from. And wondering why we don?t see more
>>>> 40-something focal length lenses. I know that there 48?s out there? 
>>>> Nikon
>>>> maybe from the old days? Mark Rabiner, you talked about this at some 
>>>> point,
>>>> I think.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks
>>>>
>>>> Adam
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
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>>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>


Replies: Reply from jim at hemenway.com (Jim Hemenway) ([Leica] How did 50mm become the "normal" lens for 35mm cameras?)
In reply to: Message from abridge683 at fastmail.com (Adam Bridge) ([Leica] How did 50mm become the "normal" lens for 35mm cameras?)
Message from imra at iol.ie (Douglas Barry) ([Leica] How did 50mm become the "normal" lens for 35mm cameras?)
Message from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] How did 50mm become the "normal" lens for 35mm cameras?)
Message from jim at hemenway.com (Jim Hemenway) ([Leica] How did 50mm become the "normal" lens for 35mm cameras?)