35mm vs. 50mm vs. 85mm | A Comparison Guide

A picture tells a thousand words only if it’s taken well. Taking the perfect picture depends not only on skills, experience, or training on photography but lens as well.

Well, if you are wondering about which lens to use in order to take better pictures, you no longer need to Google merits of 35mm, 50mm and 85mm individually.

Just read this 35mm vs. 50mm vs. 85mm comparison guide as here all three lenses will be compared feature by feature. So, read on to find which lens will click with you.

35mm vs. 50mm vs. 85mm | A Comparison Guide

A 35mm lens is perfect for taking landscape shots as they provide you with a wider angle. Whereas, if you are looking to take more portraits, 50mm is better for you as it has greater focal features. If you want to capture your subject in a larger than life form, 85mm is best for you as it provides you with very little or no distortion.

However, to make the choice easier for you, let’s take a look at how each lens differs from each other.

Portraits

35mm comes closest to the angle at which our eyes see the world, and so it is a very comfortable lens to use. You can capture pictures without getting too close to the subject, which allows you to capture their more candid shots. It is not the most flattering for taking portraits from very close.

With a 50mm lens, you can focus on subjects as it has a greater focal length so you can capture your subject in greater detail. Like the proper m42 lenses will provide details and clear images.

If you want to captures a person’s true form with wrinkles and all, you need an 85mm as it has an even greater focal point than a 50mm. Often using a wide-angle makes features larger than it naturally is, and the image appears unflattering.

Also, a wider angle can create distortion that is it when lines start to bend, so 85mm with its greater focal point can capture features of a person as they truly are.

Space

A 35mm lens works well in both tight spaces and where there is a lot of room. It can capture pictures at a wide-angle and capture backgrounds of the subject effectively, and you can also step in closer to take close shots.

And a 50mm is considered to be a ‘standard’ lens; that is, it will not zoom in too much or take wide-angle shots. It allows you to take superb pictures up close, but if you want to take a wider shot of your subject in a small place, it will not be possible. Similar to 50mm, 85mm is difficult to maneuver in closed or tight spaces. 

Versatility

50mm is known as a ‘standard’ lens and also ‘nifty fifty’ because it is versatile; you can capture shots that are not too close or too far. You can interact with your subject from a comfortable distance so that you can take a flattering image of theirs without much distortion.

35mm, on the other hand, is best for taking wider shots and street photography but doesn’t mean it is any less versatile. In fact, it does not distort background as much as 24mm, allow you to capture wide shots, and also turn it into a ‘standard’ lens by just moving closer to your subject.

Proper Nikon (d7000) 85mm lens or lenses of other brands are great for taking portraits and provides excellent uniform creamy bokeh but is not as versatile as 35mm or 50mm. However, it can also be used as a telephoto lens. 

Bokeh

Bokeh can be described as the artistic quality of out-of-focus lights processed by the lens. 85mm has the least focusing point at 2.8ft, which means you will be standing a bit far from your subject and so provides a better quality of bokeh than its other counterparts.

85mm provides consistent blurry, creamy bokeh as it has decreased depth of field due to increased distance from the subject, which is preferred by many photographers.

With a 50mm lens, you have to shoot your subject from quite close as its least focusing distance is 1.15 ft, which means you will get some definition of the background in your pictures.

35mm lenses are good enough too, like the ones we see in Minolta 35mm lenses. It can provide you with good bokeh as well provided that you have the subject closer to the lens, and your focus is on the subject and not the background.

Price

The price of each lens differs according to their maker. But in general, 50mm is less expensive than both 35mm and 85mm lens. However, the price gap between 50mm and 35mm is not significant, but 85mm is quite expensive regardless of the brands. Now let’s look at the pros and cons of each lens.

35mm Lens

Pros	Cons
Excellent for taking wide shots can easily be used in tight spaces very versatile. It can capture both subject and subject’s background. It can be used for street or everyday photography	More expensive than a 50mm lens

50mm Lens

Pros	Cons
CheapWorks well in low light conditions. Great for taking portraits. It provides a good distance between the subject and the photographer. Lighter than its other counterparts. It is fast	It is difficult to use in tight space

85mm Lens

Pros	Cons
Most suitable for taking portraits. It can capture realistic images of subjects with very little or no distortion.	More expensive than 35mm and 50mm lenses. It can be difficult to use in tight spaces

Conclusion

At the end of the day, your decision on choosing lenses should not be influenced by prices, but rather be influenced by the subject, aperture, and focal length that are required by you. Each of these lenses is good for taking perfect pictures, but they specialize in different aspects.

If you want a versatile lens, 50mm is good, as it will allow you to take pictures in low light. It is also fast, takes good portraits, etc.

But if you want to include more background in your images and love to take wide-angle shots, go for 35mm as it is even more versatile than 50mm. If your intention is to capture really good portraits, 85mm is perfect because it has a long focal length.

Nevertheless, do let us know your opinion regarding the 35mm vs. 50mm vs. 85mm comparison.