35mm or 135mm ?

[David Mullen ASC]

35mm.

[M Harvey]

35mm.

No question!

[Satsuki Murashige]

If you want to rent out or sell your lens set, then the 35mm would complete a normal S35 prime lens set - 15, 25, 35, 50, 85mm is standard. 15, 25, 50, 85, 135mm is not, so you might struggle to get other people to accept your set. For a Full Frame set, you might lose the 15mm and add a 135mm. But you would still expect to have a 35mm in there.

However - if the lenses are just for your own personal use, and you never shoot with a 35mm focal length, then I wouldn’t feel obligated to buy one. In that case, buy what fits your own style and what you will actually use regularly.

Personally, 35mm is one of my most often used focal lengths in both S35 and Full Frame. But that’s not true for everyone, and it also varies depending on the job. Sometimes in documentaries (S35) I will only use two focal lengths, 24mm for handheld and 50mm for interviews. I rarely use a 135mm, as I find it’s a bit limited in utility, so I would rather have a telephoto zoom with more range instead. But if you’re shooting with two cameras, then a 135mm prime that matches the wider lenses can be very useful. So it all depends.

[RobMNeilson]

For sure 35mm.

[Nick Morrison]

You need the 35mm.

That's a "normal" FOV in Super35, and that is a critical gap in your lenses right now.

Get the 135mm later, it's more of a speciality lens in real world situations.

[Mark K.]

35mm.

A 135mm is lovely to have, and when you need the reach, you need the reach. But it’s not a lens that comes out of the case often. 35mm on the other hand is a workhorse.

[Tom Gleeson]

Emilian,

Your own work should dictate the answer to your question. At which focal length range do you find yourself usually working in? Some people prefer prefer the perspective and depth of wider lenses and others the compression of longer focal lengths. How often does the jump between 25mm and 50mm get in your way? How often does the 85mm not give you the reach you need?
IMHO I would consider the 35mm as it is a wonderful focal length especially in S35 as it is wide enough to give a good sense of scale and space whilst allowing for reasonable focus separation. Unsure what sensor you are using but there are some reasonable workarounds on the longer end. 85mm is my longest focal length and I have a 8K sensor so sometimes I simply crop my sensor on the 85mm lens for better reach. The nature of my work is I do not work alot past 85mm but when on a budget and I do need a long reach I use a Canon 70-200mm Mk2 f2.8 to cover. It's an amazing piece of glass at a very reasonable price and easily intercuts with my primes. I mainly eye focus with it as it has a floating focus ring but on the long end focus by eye aint so bad.

[Bérenger Brillante]

easy. 35mm.

It's mandatory on each shoot, whereas the 135mm is rarer.
Also, your set worth more if it's complete. 135mm is extra.

[Nick Morrison]

easy. 35mm.

It's mandatory on each shoot, whereas the 135mm is rarer.
Also, your set worth more if it's complete. 135mm is extra.

Exactly.

[Christopher A. Bell]

As others have said, what do you mostly shoot? I have a six lens prime set, but I don't shoot narrative. Mostly interviews and b-roll. My 135 and 85 are my two most used lenses. My 135 probably sees action 10:1 or 20:1 vs. the 35.