Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

I always liked the 85mm on FF or APS-H bodies. But the lenses I use most are the 24-70 and 70-200 2.8 zooms. I’m not a big 50mm fan. The Canon 40mm pancake is a nice fun inexpensive lens for Canon bodies. The 85mm 1.8 is a very nice lens for the money for a Canon body also.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

There really isn't a correct answer to your question. It depends on your personal style and well as your subject. It really is more important to know what the number in front of the "mm" means. Lenses or lens markings in "50mm" means life sized or on a 1:1 ratio. Below that 25-35mm means about half sized and will be able to have more subject in the photograph with minimal distortion. At 10mm-20mm, there is more distortion of the image at the expense of having more subject in the intended frame. That is why it is called a "fish eye lens." Its first element is concaved to look like a fish's eye. At 100mm the object will appear twice as large as was in 50mm. Just because a lens has a long focal length doesn't necessarily make it longer or heavier. Wide angle lenses show more but lose definition of the individual object. That is why they are often used in journalism and landscape photography. A Portrait photographer will use an 85mm lenses for great detail of an object or person. Using a lens 200mm or above will straighten the line of sight and the light path so that objects farther away will not have as much distortion. For example, when photographing something circular it won't appear oval shaped or elliptical. Also a rectaular shaped object won't appear trapezoidal. You should try to work with several lenses at any particular time. Do each shot with narrow angle and wide angle lenses. Later on, you can decide one particular lens type to be your primary lens. Often photographers, such as myself, happen to have a wide angle lens (24mm) and a short zoom (28-135mm) lens. Which ever lens you don't use or need it can be shelved of a later date or even sold. I hope you don't think of me as condescending. My answer wasn't intended that way.

ELNikkor

Welcome to the forum! Let us know what you are shooting with. If your camera is APS-C or thereabouts, the 35 is standard prime, 50 is for FF. The advantages of the 35 even on a FF are that it covers more, which can be cropped in on, plus, it adds a bit more depth of focus as it is shorter, so can be more forgiving if your focus is off a bit. That said, my daily shooter is an 18-55 on my DX Nikon, and a 24-120 on my FX. These lenses are sharp and fast enough for most shooting; far more versatile than a prime would be.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Depends on the Sensor size or format
50mm normal for FF / FX
35mm normal for CF / APS-C

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

So many variables, however, my FF 35 and 80 or mirrorless derivatives are go-to primes for general street and portrait style photography. How about you, what do you prefer and why?

Cheers!

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Without more information, this post is difficult to answer as it depends on may factors, including your personal style. On a full frame body I use many different lenses including 20, 28, 35, 50, 85, 105 etc. depending upon purpose. When I leave for a general assignment I normally have my 24-70 and 70-200 along as well as my 14-24 some of the time. If I'm just going out for myself, which is what you may be asking, I am really into the 20 at the moment. Best of luck.

Paul J. Svetlik Loc: Colorado

For FF - 35 or 80mm.

yorkiebyte Loc: Scottsdale, AZ/Bandon by the Sea, OR

... 50mm for me - always on one of my Nikon APS-C bodies (either the Nikkor F1.8G or the older F1.4AF depending on the "look" I'm after). I don't own a Nikkor 35mm, however, my Sigma 30mm F1.4 is only on my camera when at "people" get-togethers.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

For my likes I learned long ago to use a 35mm lens on a 35mm film camera. It would have been a Nikon F at the time. It became my all around lens for photos of my kids and somewhat wide angle. Of course I had others but for everyday use it was the 35 over the 50.

Dennis

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

With respect, a go-to lens can be any lens that a photographer has on his camera most of the time. The question was about a 35 or 50, not other lenses. The OP's go-to lens does not have to be the same as yours.

Dennis

targa75 Loc: san diego

I purchased a Nikon AFS 18-140 lens
first while I try to decide. Haven’t had
much experience with a 35mm lens.
This is first digital camera Nikon D5300,
previously used Pentax/Canon 35 mm
film type.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

IN THEORY (WITH A 35MM FILM CAMERA) THE 50MM LENS WAS WHAT THE EYE SAW (SOME SAID 35MM). TOSDAY A "FULL FRAME CAMERA" IS THE SAME AS A 35MM CAMERA. BUT, WE ARE NOT CONSTANT WITH THAT (35mm X 24mm). SO BASICALLY A FULL FRAME IS THE FULL FRAME CAMERA WHEN USING A LENSE, THE LENES IS AS MARKED. WHEN YOU DON'T USE A FULL FRAME CAMERA THEY NEED TO BE RECALCULATED ie. WITH CANON A 100mm IS A 160mm (200 IS 320 etc.) Nikon simpler 100 is 150 and 200 is 300. each brand must be corrected for true lens focal length unless they are full fram.

I hope this helps. I use both full and non full frame and have stickers on my lens caps with both sizes (ie. 100/160-- 10/16 etc)

TonyBot

Funny, but when film was king, my lens use, in order, was 24mm, 100mm (each about 40%), then the 50mm, and perhaps, about 1% to 2%, a 300mm.

When I eventually eased into digital, over a few years, I ended up using my "kit" 18-135mm (30 to 210 equiv) about 70% (mostly in the 18-30mm range), my 10-22mm (16-35 equiv) about 25%, and the 70-200mm (110-300 equiv) maybe 5%.

Now, in FF, my 24-70mm is my 80% lens, 70-200mm and 17-40mm, each about 10%.

So, the indirect answer to your question would probably be 35mm (20mm on a "crop") over the 50mm. In fact, the FF 17-40 is used more on my APSc where as a 28-65mm equivalent it includes both the 35mm and 50mm.

I have fallen into the "zoom" trap - a place where I would have never considered in film days. Now that optics and sensors - even the "kit" lens and "beginner" cameras - have gotten so much better, I am quite happy with my f4 "trinity". Although, my hankering for a 100mm or 135mm f2 (I *love* portraits and bokeh) is giving me some serious GAS pains!

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

Getting back to the original question of whether to pick a 50mm or 35mm prime lens as a standard lens--presumably full-frame.

Consider the Leica Q, a full-frame camera with a fixed prime lens with a $3,800 price tag. Leica picked a 28mm f/1.7 for this camera. I would assume that Leica did some research before they arrived at the conclusion that 28mm was the optimal focal length for this camera.

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

I read somewhere that Henri Cartier-Bresson used a Leica with a fixed 50mm lens on it, which was what he could afford in those days.
Don’t know if that story is true or not.

If the story is true, and if he could have used a 35mm lens, who knows if he would have preferred that?