This episode is for TJ in Miami, Florida. TJ is heading to Japan soon and wanted to know if he should bring his 35mm and 85mm prime lenses. My answer? A definitive NO. Before I dive into the reasons, I want to take a step back and explore how we got here. Specifically, how so many people like TJ got talked into owning these lenses in the first place. And spoiler alert, I don't think it's entirely their fault.
In the previous pod, I talked about my dislike for the Nifty 50—that's the 50mm prime lens. Today, I'll expand on that. But first, let's talk about why some people think lenses like the 35, 50, and 85mm are must-haves, especially for portraits.
Here's the thing. Historically, the ideal focal length for portraits on a full-frame camera has been 105mm. Why 105? Because it gives you minimal distortion while still producing flattering, natural-looking headshots. When you look at an image taken at 105mm on a full-frame camera, it resembles how you'd expect to see yourself in the mirror. For those shooting with APS-C cameras, which have smaller sensors, the equivalent is 75mm. In other words, if you're shooting on an APS-C camera, to figure out what the equivalent on a full-frame camera is, you multiply the focal length of the lens by 1.5. But the closest prime lens manufactured is the 85.
So where did this whole 50mm as a portrait lens idea come from? I think it's just a bit of a misunderstanding. My suspicion is that people started recommending the 85mm because the majority of photographers out there shoot APS-C. Eventually, the crop factor got lost in the discussion, and people thought, "Oh, 85mm is the equivalent of 50mm on APS-C, and therefore a 50mm is a portrait lens for APS-C, and 85mm is the portrait lens for full-frame." And because the 50mm is so inexpensive, it becomes even easier for people to grab onto that idea. So essentially what happened was it went from 105 to 85 and then to 50. You see how that can happen, right?
Don't forget what I said earlier. Traditionally, a portrait lens is 105mm on a full frame. So a 50mm lens is just a bit too wide for portraits, especially for headshots. And now I'm seeing something even more puzzling: photographers who are aspiring to become portrait shooters are using 35mm lenses for portraits. Whether you're shooting an APS-C sensor or a full-frame camera, a 35mm lens introduces too much distortion for anything that is closer than a full-body portrait. In portraits, especially with headshots, you want to avoid distortion; otherwise, you're going to have some really unhappy customers.
What about TJ's trip to Japan? Is he going to be shooting portraits the whole time? The answer is not likely. Will it still be useful for him? My advice to TJ was to skip the prime lenses for this trip, especially since he already owns the Holy Trinity of zoom lenses. For those who are unfamiliar with the Holy Trinity, listen to episode 118.
Prime lenses like the 35, 50, and 85mm have their place. But for a travel experience like TJ's, zoom lenses provide more flexibility and allow you to adapt to different shooting environments without overly increasing the number of lens changes. If he only carries the prime lenses, he won't have nearly as much flexibility as the Holy Trinity. If he carries the prime lenses on top of the Holy Trinity, he's carrying around altogether too much weight. Additionally, he's also going to find that he won't want to be changing his lenses that often. So then he is definitely just carrying rocks.
While I understand why people are drawn to these lenses, I think it's important to critically evaluate whether they're necessary for your photography style. For a still photographer, unless you're shooting in a studio or doing something very specific, zoom lenses will do the job and save you the hassle of switching lenses. To be clear, I understand that these lenses gather a lot of light, they're really fast, and they can be incredibly sharp and beautiful.
So TJ, if you're listening, I hope that helps you pack for your trip to Japan.
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