I'm falling in love with 28mm, here's why

Great video thank Mike! I also purchased the 28 Elmarit after much consideration, and I thoroughly love to use it. Its size and the way it renders sharp images and is the essence of zone focussing just makes it a perfect everyday lens for snapshots and situational photography. And the colours are stunningly good. To me it is close to perfect but I'm also not seeking perfection in my images. It gets boring to listen to all that critical analysis defining photography from the highest artistical standards. If you shoot a lot, follow your ideas and instincts, you might end of creating artwork. I take photographs for my own pleasure and to learn and practise.

28mm lenses are one of my favorite focal lengths as all my digital cameras are APS-C cameras and i like the focal l length on my cameras

28mm lenses are one of my favorite focal lengths as all my digital cameras are APS-C cameras and i like the focal l length on my cameras

28mm lenses are one of my favorite focal lengths as all my digital cameras are APS-C cameras and i like the focal l length on my cameras

You said the same when you bought the Q2 😂

I love your thinking!

It's my favorite all-rounder now as well, even though 50 was my go-to before

Is 28mm on full frame or apsc? Sorry newbie

Personally I find that focal length is just one of those things that you adapt to through practice. I definitely like 28mm (and have a Leica Q3), but 35mm, 50mm, 85/90mm and 400mm are all focal lengths that I have spent a lot of time with and can "see" in those focal lengths when looking at a scene. I think wider focal lengths are both easier, and harder... the ease comes from being able to always being able to fit what you see into the scene, but it is harder to mitigate distractions. I love your enthusiasm on the focal length... but it sounds like you just got a 28mm...so it could be GAS or the glow of new gear. Keep it coming though! I think you have a 3 or 6 month review video of this FL in your future.... I will certainly keep an eye out for it ;) Great work!

I used to think 28mm was in that no man's land between 35mm and 24mm. But after shooting on pro gear for sometime I started using my camera phone just for walkabout and also started to like the field of view - when I worked out the equivalent it turned out to be 28mm.

I've been loving my long zoom lens lately. It's like I quiet out all the noise and focus on one focal point ❤

Shooting film , yes, I love Nikkor 28/1.4D. Very intimate close quarters indoor part of the table or action & just the right amount of wide & the up close is beautiful

You're pointing out something do make me thinking

Maybe it’s subconscious but I’ve never bothered about focal length. Either the camera/lens takes pictures I like or it doesn’t. I’m selling my M11 with 35 and 50mm lenses and keeping my Q2 simply because I take better pictures with it and enjoy using it more. I have no idea whether this has anything to do with focal length. Regardless of focal length, I almost always crop my images so you could argue that 28, 35 and 50mm are all wrong for me.

Thanks Mike - well considered and well expressed. One of your finest.

Great video. You really effectively expressed the unique perspective of the 28mm and inspired my photography.

Nice shots anyway

I’ve got this elmarit 28mm f2.8 asph. A fantastic lens imho, I love it on my typ246 and m10

Great video, I agree with what you say! 28mm is my most preferred focal length for street photography due to its diversity and energy it brings to a frame. I find 35mm a bit flat and boring (but still use it and i admit it can give great results in the right situations). I do believe that the longer you shoot the wider you get :)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on 28mm. I can relate to that and it helped me understanding why I am sometimes struggling with my 35mm when I took it on a trip.

I very much sign your thoughts on this focal length. Been shooting almost exclusively 24mm over a decade, but never quite put the unconscious feelings behind it to words.

非常棒👍你的街头作品很有趣

I absolutely love the 28mm and i use this lens as my only lens with the M6. Learning alot and working on my composition and other areas. What you mentioned resonates a lot. Joe Greer mentioned: The Beauty of Imperfection, and he's also a 28mm focal length shooter.

Great Video

If you’re going to use a 28 just get a Q

Love my 28 Elmatit

But like it's not a 28mm photo if you crop them all dude.......

I have a Leica Q and I struggle with the fact that my place feels boring and my camera has a 28mm lens. I have the camera for 8 years and had parked the hobby for a little while. you just posted two videos addressing these two 'problems' i face. Thanks! I need to watch them a couple of times I guess;-)

Love the video, but the focusing of your video camera is poor, your eyes are too often out of focus which is strangely distracting.

Yeah my m6 that I bought new back in the day is a .58 so when I finally wanted to replace it I got the M10R but you can only get new Ms in .72 and they sucks IMO if you wear glasses and want to shoot 35 and forget 28 or wider. Needless to say sold the R and will not buy a m until if ever Leica will actually go back to option viewfinder like back in the day. My Q2 will just have to keep filling in

28mm . childish or touristic snaps for me. Nothing can beat the 50mm (and 85mm) cinematic mood!

Agree completely

A lot of consumer focused cameras have a 28mm focal length. I believe the iPhone is a 28mm equivalent. I think a lot of disposable cameras I’d either 28 or 35mm

Couldn’t agree more, the 28mm elmarit is super discreet and provides all the context you need. That being said, my favorite lens for street remains the 24mm summilux, which is a beast. A super heavy beast. So it often comes down to the time on the streets. If I have only an hour or two it’s the 24mm, if I have a whole day I prefer the 28mm 2.8.

Anyway, great video mate! Keep up the good work!

I’ve got the v3 elmarit and it’s never really off my m7

I totally agree with your reasoning. There is another analogy: FITA--Archery (olympic-style, very controlled environment) vs. Instinctive shooting. I should know, I've done both and Instinctive shooting on a 3D parcours (with wind, weather, unknown distances, etc.) is so much more rewarding. I'm not saying that the one is better than the other, it is just my opinion. Thank you for sharing your thoughts anyway! (PS: as for photography, I'm a Leica and a Nikon shooter - it is a perfect, complimentary match)

I love 28mm & even 24mm photography. I recently picked up a Leica Q2 Mono with a 28mm lens. The more I used it, the more I realized it was closer to a 24mm which I love. I’m like you & prefer more uncluttered & straight forward shots. I am trying to add more layers, use reflections, shoot through other objects to frame the image.

Great video! Love all your videos but this one really resonated with me. 
I especially loved the skateboarding comparison👌🏻I agree with you 100%
I hope to pick up a 28 Elmarit and as crazy as it sounds, I hope to pair it with my M3✌🏻

I’m deciding between that lens and the voigtlander color skopar 2.8. For what I have seen it’s smaller and sharper than the Leica Elmarit.

I love how you supplement your content with those well taken pictures.

Definitely knew you were going to get this lens. As soon as you raved about the Thypoch. The Elmarit is a compact cheat code. Enjoy! 🍻

This is probably your best video because you are sharing an opinion and trying not to teach for once, keep doing more opinion based stuff as its good. Teaching is hard and I personally don't think you are experienced enough to teach people as its a very hard skill, however with your opinion you say more and people can learn more from how you view work and your work.

I get what you are saying in street for sure, the little quirky thing that can work to leave in, but definately would not work to leave a distracting edge bit in a landscape for example.

The size of the lens is a big thing for me. It’s why i stuck with the X100F for so long and also why i went Summicron over Summilux.

If I was going for a 28 it would defo be the Elmarit too for the same reason but the Ricoh GR3 is my go to 28.

Typoch have an interesting new very compact and retro line out that I keep seeing in my feed. Eureka or something.

Glad my pic made the cut! Haha.

There’s actually a Japanese aesthetic philosophy called Wabi-Sabi which is about embracing imperfection and roughness. Nature is inherently chaotic and random and imperfect so sometimes it can feel unnatural to try and force the world to appear in a ‘perfect’ way

Another great video. I totally agree with you. It is all about energy in the photos, which the 28mm focal length can clearly visualize. May all time favorite 2 focal lengths are 28mm and 50mm.

Love my Q1, it’s what my eyes see photographically…✌️

Such an interesting concept, thank you for making a video on this perspective!

The 28 mm is a very difficult focal length to master in landscape photography, but it is a powerful tool for street photography. I also like the 21 mm. These lenses allow the photographer to tell a story with inclusion of people or objects thzt relate to each other. That is the only time I like to see people in a photograph. I don't care much for the lone walker in the border of light and shadow and all that. Those were very nice photographs you showed us. Well done.

I know you probably get a LOT of rough feedback or people arguing with you to death. Advice from an old guy who had his time in the sun in another format? Be confidently you, because the people you're addressing are here for it. (That's free advice, so bin it if you don't care.)

One of my "spirit animals" of photography is Daidō Moriyama. For exactly the reason you made somewhere before Squarespace. Basically, the imperfections make the shots better.

Good for you, Mike. You're a good guy. Keep on keeping on.