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Which is better 28mm or 35mm?

Author

Sarah Smith

Published Jan 18, 2026

In general, a 35mm lens is slightly better for subject-based photography, while the 28mm is better for landscape photography. Of course, there are more photography disciplines than those two, so it is best to not base the whole decision around this point.

What is 28mm lens good for?

It's a good focal length for maintaining a balanced perspective between close subjects and the background. Almost as versatile as a 35mm lens, the 28mm is often used for architectural photography and group portraiture. Prime lenses are available with maximum apertures as wide as f/1.8.

Is 28mm wider than 35mm?

The focal length of 28mm is one that strikes a balance between the subject and the background. It is not as versatile as the 35mm, but it surpasses in some other areas. Because it is wider than its counterpart, it brings the scene to a better focus point.

What is a 35mm lens good for?

The 35mm lens is probably the most common lens used by street photographers, and this is because it has a lot of advantages in this fast-moving genre. It is wide enough to capture multiple subjects in the frame easily or a subject and a background.

Is 28mm good for street photography?

28mm gives you more depth in your street photography

One of the biggest benefits of shooting with a 28mm lens is that you get more depth of field. Meaning, more of your photos are sharp and in-focus. I think bokeh (shooting wide-open, having the blurry background) is one of the most overrated things in photography.

36 related questions found

Can I use 35mm film in a 28mm lens?

The field of view of the DP1 is EQUIVALENT to the field of view with as 28 mm lens on a 35 mm camera, which, of course, is wider than that of a 35 mm lens. 28mm lens would have on a 35mm film. Yes, that is what is meant by saying that the the Panasonic's field of view is "equivalent" to that of 28 mm on 35 mm film.

Is a 28mm lens good for portraits?

Portraiture. Portraiture with a 28mm lens of some has often not been considered very flattering. But if you learn how to shoot portraits with wide angle lenses, you'll see that modern lenses are actually pretty capable. These two sample images from a 28mm lens were shot with the Canon 28mm f2.

Why is 35mm so popular?

35mm lenses are amongst the most popular out there, considered to be standard lenses with an ideal focal length that covers multiple applications. They're accessible, easy to use and fun to shoot with which is why many photographers include them in their kit.

Is 35mm lens good for portraits?

The 35mm lens focal length is more versatile when shooting indoors for its wide field of view and capturing more scenery when traveling than the 50mm lens which is more zoomed-in making it difficult to use indoors but ideal for traditional, headshots and portraits.

Is a 35mm lens good for weddings?

A wedding photographer needs to document the details of the day, including place settings and close up of Cake details, shoes etc. The 35mm is perfect for this type of shot too. It can focus close enough for you to fill the frame with your subject and shooting at f2 or even f1. 4 will give you a very pleasing look.

What mm lens is best for filmmaking?

Standard. Focal length: Full-frame around 50mm; APS-C around 35mm; MFT 20-25mm. These lenses offer natural-looking perspective. They're good for two-shots of people, and mid shots (hips to head) but they give slight distortion if you use them for closeups.

What lenses did Akira Kurosawa use?

Sudhakaran points out that one of the most famous directors in film history, Akira Kurosawa, is often believed to have used long zoom lenses, but mainly worked in the 35mm to 50mm range. Only occasionally would Kurosawa use telephoto for its extreme compression.

Is 35mm good for landscape?

And when you photograph landscapes, a wide-angle lens is ideal. What's nice about 35mm photography is that it's wide, but not too wide. That is, rather than distorting the landscape like an ultra-wide-angle lens would do, a 35mm lens pretty much captures the landscape as you see it with your own eyes.

Is 28mm lens wide?

A 28mm lens is considered a wide angle lens. It basically means that you can cram more into your image than a longer lens like 50mm.

Which is better 24mm or 35mm?

While 24mm can, at times, be almost too wide, 35mm is often just the right focal length. It usually provides little to no distortion and lets in even more light than a 24mm lens. While f/1.2 is available, f/1.4 and f/1.8 are quite common maximum apertures in the world of 35mm primes.

Is 28mm wide enough for astrophotography?

The 28mm Otus is not wide enough for landscape astrophotography.

What lens is best for headshots?

The best lens to use for headshots is a portrait-length lens, with a focal length of at least 50mm for a full-frame camera. These focal lengths are more flattering for human portraits because it helps eliminate distortion. Longer focal lengths also help limit the depth of field.

Do I need a 50mm If I have a 35mm?

A 35mm lens on your camera would be the equivalent of a 50mm lens on a full frame camera. This is commonly considered a "normal focal length" for general shooting.

What mm is best for portraits?

What's the best focal length for portraits? 85mm is the best focal length for portraits because it doesn't distort facial features (sometimes it actually enhances them). With a full-frame camera, this means an 85 mm lens, while with a crop-factor camera, you need a 50 mm lens.

Is 35mm or 50mm better for portraits?

Is 35mm or 50mm better for portraits? Both are great portrait lenses, however, a 50mm will generally give you more depth of field (thus offering better subject separation), show less distortion, and still have a wide enough field of view to capture enough of the surrounding context.

Is 35mm too wide?

A 35mm lens is wide, but not too wide

For street photography, a 35mm lens is wide, but not too wide. It allows you to back away and capture a broader perspective. Generally, it does not introduce distortion.

Is 35mm a prime lens?

The 35mm prime lens is a great choice if you're looking to purchase a wider focal length. There are some characteristics unique to wider focal lengths that you should be aware of when using these lenses.

What is the difference between a 28mm lens and a 50mm lens?

Each focal length offers something slightly different: the 50mm is a subject-centric lens, the 35mm puts you subjects into context by revealing their environment, and the 28mm forces you to either get really close to your subject or really environmental about your shots.

What are 135mm lens used for?

The 135mm lens is a favorite of many portrait photographers for great reason. They compress your subject quite a bit, make everyone look fantastic, can be used for headshots and wider portraits, and blur the background into oblivion.

What is 28mm on a crop sensor?

On a 1.6× crop-factor body, the 28mm is a "normal" lens. As you note, that's roughly the same as a 50mm lens on a full-frame body — so 50mm was the classic normal focal length. On your camera, the decreased field of view due to the crop means that it acts as something different.