rscheffler
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 p.1 #4 · Do you see a big difference between 28mm and 35mm? | |
In the Canon system there are a lot more 35mm prime options than there are 28mm, unfortunately, so 35 tends to be a lot more common/popular.
In my other system - Leica M - over the past ~10 years I've gone back and forth between 28 and 35mm and still use both. As @marsguy suggested, it really depends on the situation and subject. 28's wider perspective will include more environment and subject within that environment, though with less separation of the subject from the environment. 35 improves the ability to separate subject from environment, if desired, but you can still include a lot of background environment by stopping down a bit more. 28 will look more like a wide angle shot whereas 35 doesn't make an overly obvious wide angle perspective. There are times when I'll have both lenses in the bag but will predominately use one over the other, simply due to how I see composition of whatever happens to be in front of the camera.
In Leica circles, when the discussion about picking only one lens comes up, the popular choice tends to be 35mm as it's a blend of moderate wide angle characteristics and that of 50mm's ability to provide some separation.
I really think there is a place for both but if I'm going to be carrying a few primes, I'll generally skip the next common focal length. Meaning, I'll carry 21, 28, 50 and 90. Or just 28 and 50. Those who prefer 35 will probably instead use 24 for wide and maybe 75/85 for long. In Leica circles, common two-lens pairings are 28-50 and 35-75. Some might do 35-50. I don't recall 28-35 being mentioned much, if at all. Sure, they're different, but still pretty close together.
As a long-time Canon user, I was not much of a 28mm fan until midway through my more recent Leica ownership. I thought it was too boring, not wide enough. I changed my mind. While it's not going to allow the more dramatic perspectives of 24mm and wider, it also doesn't overly stretch and distort people within the image periphery, allowing for close-in, immersive compositions without screaming wide angle. And I think that is what I like best about it - it lets me get closer to and more intimate with the subject.
Maybe that's also a reason why Leica chose to use 28mm for their Q line of fixed-lens compacts. Combined with ~45MP sensors in the later models, as @marsguy suggested, cropping is a reasonable option, and Leica actively encourages it to achieve 35, 50, 75mm angles of view.
If you have money to burn, a cool lens/framing comparison would be the Leica Q with 28mm and Sony RX1 with 35mm (perhaps one of the best 35mm lenses in respect to 'look'). Though apparently the RX1's lens is a bit wider than 35mm, so differences in framing/perspective would be somewhat diminished.
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