greg14

I have been using the Nikon 28mm 1.8 for several years and find the photos need to be changed a majority of the time.
I shoot mainly Friends, Family and local events.
It is easy to say: make sure that the camera is perfectly straight and not tilting, movement and surprise activity always come into play and/or concentrating on the main subject and missing background lines etc.

In LR I am constantly using the Transform (aka Lens Correction) which for the most part works, there are occasions where either too much gets cropped or the picture looks unnatural.

So here is my question:
Is there less of this occurring if I use a 35mm instead of the 28mm?
IOW's is the distortion more in line with the human visual with a 35mm or is it that even with the 35mm not being perfectly straight or angled would still produce the same required adjustment in LR or less?
I have a D750 and I leave the grid lines on, but I am constantly forgetting about it, too old I guess, LOL

I currently have the 50mm 1.8 which I find it is a little too tight, I have the 24-120, the reality with the zoom that I generally either go full wide or zoom in between 70-120, plus I am not a big fan of zooms and doing testing is not real time.

I am looking at either the Nikon 35 1.8 or the Sigma ART 35 1.4.
My local Camera guy (owner, been there for 30 years) loves the ART series and would swap it back for the Nikon, so that is not an issue.

I hope I am making sense, I am 74, so no making fun of seniors either,
Perhaps I am having thoughts of Christmas spending and just need an excuse to buy another lens.
LLOL

Greg

pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

I've no experience with Sigma lenses but can say the Nikon 35 is a wonderful lens with great color & sharpness regardless of which version/era. You may just well find it more to your liking for shots of family & friends. In my view there's quite a difference between 28 & a 35. I'd ask your dealer & see if they'll let you play around with it a fair bit in the store or even on the street in close proximity. I honestly don't think you'd be displeased with the view from a 35. Less fussy. Good luck.

twowindsbear

Try using a wide & 'heavy duty' rubber band on the zoom control of your 24-120 lens and 'lock' the zoom at 35mm - use that a while & see if a 35mm lens will resolve the issues you're having with the 28mm lens.

That's my WAG.

Good luck

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

For FF (Nikon FX) or Film, yes there is a difference between a 28mm and a 35mm lens. Personally I would not shoot portraits with a 28mm. A portrait lens to most photographers is considered a 85mm to 105mm (again for Full Frame or 35mm Film). I'll often use a 50mm for portraits with my Crop Factor APS-C cameras, but that is another story. Since I don't have a 85mm Prime lens, I'll use my 100mm Macro as a head and shoulders portrait lens. I have a lot of short(er) Prime lenses, 19mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm (normal), 55mm (normal). And they are all different.

But some photographers do shoot portraits with a 28mm lens, but as you can see they live with a "style" that may display a lot of perspective distortion. You might actually be happiest with a Nifty Fifity. Nikon makes or has made many great 50mm lenses and in many "speeds" (prices) F 1.2, 1.4, 1.8, 2. You can likely find a Vintage Nikon 50mm for a bargain. I'd recommend a f/1.4 or f/1.8. If you by used check Nikon Body-Lens compatibility before buying: https://www.nikonians.org/reviews/nikon-slr-camera-and-lens-compatibility

For my APS-C (DX like) Pentax Cameras my vintage lenses serve different uses and none are really all that wide in effect. Good luck!

Photec

Great question and explanation of what you are try to get answered. First, on a FF body a 50mm lens does not give you the same angle of view as the normal human eye does, a 35-43mm lens does depending on each persons eyes. A 35mm generally has less barrel distortion than a 28mm does and is easier to correct. In many cases a 40mm would be ideal for what you are describing, but you would likely not like a zoom lens for obvious reasons. The 35mm lens was the go to lens for a normal lens by many photographers back in the day. They wanted a camera/lens that gave them the same representation of what they were seeing when they decided to shoot a specific shot.

If your camera guy has the Sigma and Nikon both in stock, my advice would be to see if he will allow you to test them both and buy what you like best. Good luck.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

Greg, I do not quite understand what the specific problem is, but I suspect you are seeing distortion of humans with your wide angle lens. Anything shot up close to a wide angle lens is going to have perspective distortion, and when you try to correct it with PP you will end up cropping off a lot of your picture. Try using a 35mm (if you have a crop sensor camera,) or a 50 mm if you are using a FF camera. Watch your horizontals and verticals, and try not to shoot from high or low angles if you want to avoid distortion.