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Features

These 35mm Primes are Great For Almost Every Genre of Photography

Brett Day
No Comments
05/20/2019
4 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Sigma 35mm f1.4 on the Sony a7r III product images

Put one of these 35mm primes on your camera and you might not ever take it off.

There are lots of prime lenses out there that are great for specific types of photography. 14mm primes are great for landscapes, 40mm primes are great for street photography, and 85mm primes are great for portraits, but what if we told you that there is a sweet spot in the prime lens world? 35mm primes are like a multi-tool. They’re great for weddings, environmental portraits, street photography, product photography, architectural work, and they’re still wide enough to capture landscapes, cityscapes, and even out of this world astrophotography. Join us after the break to take a look at six 35mm primes that will rock your world. All of the 35mm primes we have listed here are incredibly impressive. Along with having one of the most versatile prime focal lengths, they’re well built, offer wide apertures for low light shooting, they produce ridiculously sharp images, they’re fast to focus, produce great colors, and they’ll even make you breakfast (okay, they won’t make you breakfast, but you get the point.) Slap one of these 35mm primes on your camera and you will be ready to shoot to matter what situation you find yourself in.

 

Rokinon 35mm f2.8 FE (Sony FE Full Frame E Mount)

 

35mm primes

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Sharp image quality
  • Good bokeh
  • It focuses pretty much as close as the Sony version. It isn’t as accurate in low lighting or as fast though, but it’s usable
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Weather sealing would have been nice but I understand why it isn’t there
  • Focus motors can be a bit loud at times with later cameras

Buy now ($275.69): Amazon

 

Fujifilm 23mm f2 R WR (Fujifilm X Mount)

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Good image quality
  • Seriously and surprisingly fast focus. This lens is officially Fujifilm’s fastest.
  • Fast focus on the X Pro 2, X-T2 and even the X Pro 1. The latter completely shocked me.
  • Nice colors
  • Compact size
  • Weather sealing
  • Turning the aperture ring feels nice and smooth until the clicks come in. It’s a tactile experience that’s just lovely.
  • Sharp images
  • Fairly nice bokeh
  • Affordable price point

Cons

  • Doesn’t have the same great bokeh of the 23mm f1.4 R

Buy now ($399): Amazon

 

 

Pro Tip: If you plan on shooting in inclement weather with some of these lenses, you may need to take extra precautions. Fortunately, you can get your hands on very affordable weatherproof lens and camera covers. Simply slip the cover over your gear, and you will be able to take on mother nature while you are out and about. It’s always smart to keep some of these in your camera bag.

 

Canon 35mm f2 IS (Canon EF)

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Excellent build quality, it feels better than the L version
  • The addition of IS is a nice touch
  • Fast aperture
  • Fairly compact size
  • Excellent image quality
  • Beautiful bokeh
  • Perhaps the absolute best lens for every wedding photographer on a budget

Cons

  • A tad more pricey than we’d like it to be

Buy now ($549): Amazon

 

Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG HSM

 

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Very affordable
  • Extremely sharp
  • Fast focusing
  • Stellar build quality

Cons

  • May need some micro adjustment out of the box
  • No weather sealing

Buy now Canon ($736.29): Amazon

Buy now Nikon ($717.89): Amazon

Buy now Sony E ($771.18): Amazon

 

Pro Tip: It’s always great when you get a new lens. You’re eager and ready to get out with it and your camera so you can capture stunning images. Before you know it your image count will be going through the roof, and if you’re not careful you’ll run out of SD card space. Keep some of these incredibly affordable SD cards in your pockets, or in your camera bag so you can go all out with that new piece of glass.

 

Nikon 35mm f1.8 G

 

35mm primes

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Light & fast
  • Inexpensive
  • Works with a full frame camera in FX mode
  • Extremely versatile
  • Internal and silent focusing
  • Comes with a lens hood

Cons

  • None

Buy now ($176.95): Amazon

 

Olympus 17mm f/1.8 M.ZUIKO (Micro Four Thirds)

 

35mm primes

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Very good image quality
  • Focus ring with full-time manual focus override and distance scale
  • Super fast autofocus

Cons

  • A bit pricey
  • No lens hood included
  • Chromatic aberrations are visible in most high contrast situations

Buy now ($499): Amazon

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