Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Not to mention barrel distortions tend to be much more prominent as focal length is shortened. >Considering the area of focus of human vision, along with the fact that we don't see in rectilinear terms, trying to reduce all the aspects of human vision to one factor: field of view... seems foolish at best. If you can cherrypick to distortion, I can cherry pick to compositional element-gathering ability, of which a wi…
> If you can cherrypick to distortion I'm cherrypicking to perspective. Distortion is an additional argument, alongside field of view of the area of focus, etc. > documentary photographers/photojournalists choose 28-35mm for their more authentic representation I dispute the idea that there is anything like a uniformity of choices, and I dispute the idea that documentary photographers choose a focal length for authent…
Documentation: the act or an instance of furnishing or authenticating with documents [Merriam-Webster]. Documentary photographers are thus by definition chiefly concerned with representing events as authentically as they happened.
I've done several years of work as a photojournalist [1-3]. Of the other photojournalists I've bumped into, the wide-normal zoom or a 24/28mm prime gets used most of the time. Barring logistical mandates, only amateurs aren't able to choose their distance to the subject and rely solely on telephotos; more experienced PJs know how to get close. “If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough” - Robert Capa.
I also do a lot of personal street/documentary work and have shot around prominent photo circles in Japan and New York [4,5]. As I've said repeatedly, the most popular cameras in this genre (Ricoh GR, Leica Q, Fuji X100) sport fixed, i.e. unchangeable, 28mm or 35mm lenses. Many of those who shoot on Leicas, whose system lenses are so expensive you can only have a few, often choose either a 28mm or 35mm. It's a running joke within New York specifically that you don't shoot street unless it's with a Leica M6 and 28mm.
> Then don't say that. What does this statement have to do with this conversation?
With regards to documentary photography, which is trying to portray things as authentically as they happen, by your standards, normal lenses would be the principle option because of the distortionless proportional perspective, but this is empirically not the case.
I think we're on different levels of experience here, and I will sign off this conversation as I advise again: go photograph grass with a 28mm.
[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CHS-DHPHV8c/
[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/CHVdZ0SHuI2/
[3] https://www.instagram.com/p/CBBK85GnVPA/