Are 35 & 50 too close together?

Snap Happy wrote:

...Here's the problem: 35 & 50 feel too close together for me. So do I:

Most photographers do not "feel" these two angles of view be too close together.

The angles of view for the Fujinon 35/2 and 50/2 lenses are 44.2° and 31.7° respectively.

For about 70 years 55mm and 75mm lenses 135 format (24 x 36 mm media and sensors) have angle-of-views of ~43° and ~32° for 50mm and 75mm lenses respectively. A lot of people spent money for both lenses, so empirically they are not too close.

The" feel" off a lens depends entirely on how far one stands from the subject(s). Here I use the word feel to describe an image's perspective[1]. One can make identical images with the 35 and 50 mm lenses just by moving closer or further from the subject(s).

If the photographer never has practical restrictions for where they can stand (the subject-to-lens distance), they only need one prime lens. Otherwise, different focal lengths provide composition versatility. If the these lenses "feel too close together" for you, chances are you subconsciously move closer (or further) from your subject(s) to achieve the image perspective you prefer.

1. "Perspective is conventionally defined as the size of objects in the frame. I am unfamiliar with a different definition, but am always willing to learn new things. The relative size of multiple objects does not change when cameras with different sensor sizes or focal lengths have identical subject to lens distances. Instead objects closer to the camera appear larger as the the lens to subject distance decreases." Roger Hicks