[benjaminreece]

Mr. Deakins,

Could you attempt to describe in words what a 25mm vs 32mm close-up means when conveying emotion?

Of course it will depend on the lighting, elements, and context of each story or scene- but if the variables were 1-1, how would the focal length flavor the recipe?

For example, perhaps a 25mm with a single subject at 2 feet, feels like I’m leaning into a realism that increases intimacy with the subject, where a 35mm might feel more idealized and idolized with my gaze.

Or another way of framing the question:

Janusz Kaminski is known for utilizing a ~27mm for many close ups, while you may be known for 32/40mm – what do you think that leaning says about an artist’s eye and instincts for leveraging these tools to elicit their vision, and our collective emotions?

Thank you for sharing your preference for 32MM. Honored to have you weigh in. My 25MM Master Prime arrives in the morning. You make me doubt my decision, but inspired all the same. 😉

P.S. Here are the reasons I have evolved to 24/28mm over the years:

• The portraits sweet spot, to my eye, is about 3-4 feet out- and the way the subject fills the frame at this depth, allows a variety of layering and storytelling to fill the frame
• Frankly, it also I think forces to push the subject back a bit to where a lot of 70s/80s anamorphic that I grew up on, also places the subject. But that’s just a guess
• The handheld movement is much more smooth going from a 35 to a 28/25
• And most importantly, it allows me to feel intimate with my subject by physically moving in close to them, while telling a story in the frame- this is likely the most influential reason, given my personal usage of the lens (documentary & personal)

 

[benjaminreece]

After heavily reflecting on it and testing the lenses out in a rental house, the 25MM or 27MM would be my preferred single. The 27mm would be my leaning, but alas I’m getting a deal on a 25MM and can’t justify the extra $$ for the 27MM Master Prime.

For those who have shot on the whole Master Prime set or MPs extensively:
– Do you feel there is a notable rendering difference for the human face from the 25MM to 27MM?
– Do you feel that other more affordable options are better for my use case? For example, I could purchase a 28MM Ultra and Super Speed for the same money.

Tyler, given my style of shooting, I really do believe I drift towards one horizontal FOV/focal length type of look. I don’t see myself ever owning a set. I’d much rather on one S4 & one Super Speed, & one Ultra vs a Full set of Super Speeds for example.

I love the idea of the character and nuance of the lenses handling/feel bending my style from piece to piece rather than options of focal length. Again, it’s also due to the fact I shoot very personal pieces mostly and I won’t be carrying any cases or bags with me.

Gregg, absolutely and the 28mm would be a phenomenal option. But, I want to collect/own only cinema lenses going forward. I could expand on why, but thats just a rule I’m sticking with.

Thank you for the responses!

[Author]

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