The 24/25 mm lens

[Orio]

I think it's quite an overlooked focal lenght. I'm speaking of primes of course (it's often part of zoom ranges). Perhaps because there are not so many lenses offered. There are surely more 28mm lenses available and probably also more 20mm lenses.

Yet I think it's a very useful focal lenght. It covers more angle than the 28mm, which often becomes too narrow when the distance is short. Yet, it does not distort faces, bodies, and lines, like most 20mm lenses do. The rendition of the 24/25mm lens remains realistic.
Also, many times when 28mm is too narrow for a common task, a 20mm lens is an overkill - unless you are photographing big churches or large beaches.

In this photo:
http://www.oriofoto.net/temp/BRIXELLUM_2008_5_THEATRE/BRIX08_E_01.jpg

the Distagon 25 has served me well in presenting the space of the action. Due to the close distance, a 28mm lens would have been too narrow, while a 20mm lens would have taken the subject too distant, shown too much of uninsteresting foreground (forcing to crop), and would have introduced remarkable distortion in close up body shapes, and also, quite likely, falling lines in the outer edges buildings.

I think that for most urban spaces, a 24/25mm lens is an important "weapon" in the photographer's arsenal.

It would be nice I think to post in this thread the pictures that you have made using 24/25 mm lenses, and see how do we use them.

[LucisPictor]

I could not agree more, Orio! I just love my 24mm lens(es).
On an FF cam, you get the probably essential bit of angle more without having to deal with the (sometimes wanted, sometimes disturbing) extreme wide angle effect.
And on a crop cam (like mine), a 24mm almost offers you the typical "reportage" lens, withtout setting you back too much (financially).

The Nikkor-N.C 2.8/24 (that you have sold me!) is one of my all time favourite lenses. If I only were to keep three lenses, I guess this Nikkor would be one of them...

[Richard_D]

I use my Nikkor 24mm 2.8 AIS a fair bit on my d200 - the 36mm equivalent is very handy. There's perhaps a tad more fringinging at high-contrast points than my 28mm, but very very little and distortion is remarkably well controlled.

[Richard_D]

Sample!

[j.lukow]

Thanks for the info Orio.
Think I might keep an eye out for one of this focal length.

Jim