A Guide to 50mm vs. 85mm Lenses: Choosing Your Focal Length
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If you were stranded on an island, or perhaps more realistically, dropped into the bustling streets of Jakarta or a temple in Bali, and could only choose one prime lens, which would it be? The 50mm or the 85mm? Let’s find out.
It is one of the most debated questions in photography. Both lenses are legendary in their own right. The 50mm is the storyteller, the lens that sees the world roughly as you do. The 85mm is the isolator, the lens that flatters subjects and melts away distractions.
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