In praise of primes

[vandergus]

Sort of a related thought...

People often say that one of the advantages of zoom lenses is that they have great versatility, but I have come to find that my 35mm f1.8 is, in many ways, more versitile than my kit lens. Zoom lenses may be more versitile for framing but they are more limited by the available light. In other words, I can shoot in a wider variety of situations with my prime lens than I can with my zoom lens, because of the large maximum aperture. I can go from a bright sunny day to a dimly lit club all with one lens. Now that's what I consider versatility.

I just think people should rethink the term versatility and how that applies to being able to make the photographs they want to make. For some it's about controlling the framing. For me it's about controlling the light.

[Sime]

I do love my fifty... (f1.4 Canon) but I really need to get me a 70-200 f2.8IS... I'd say my most used lens these days is the 24-70L but I DO love my fifty the most... Depth of field, sharp as a tack... lovely!

[disappearingmist]

Originally Posted by vandergus

Sort of a related thought...

People often say that one of the advantages of zoom lenses is that they have great versatility, but I have come to find that my 35mm f1.8 is, in many ways, more versitile than my kit lens. Zoom lenses may be more versitile for framing but they are more limited by the available light. In other words, I can shoot in a wider variety of situations with my prime lens than I can with my zoom lens, because of the large maximum aperture. I can go from a bright sunny day to a dimly lit club all with one lens. Now that's what I consider versatility.

I just think people should rethink the term versatility and how that applies to being able to make the photographs they want to make. For some it's about controlling the framing. For me it's about controlling the light.

For that reason, my 50mm is my primary lens. I love having my 70-300 for shooting wildlife, but I love being able to shoot nearly anywhere with a f1.8. If I don't have room to bring a lot of gear, it's the lens I take with me.

[ukreal1]

My favourite and most used lens for personal and biz is the nifty 50 (nikkor 50mm 1.8). Years ago I also used a 50mm on the old Nikon FM.

[gtrent733]

I totally agree. I love the primes over my zooms. My favorite is Nikkor 35mm f1.4 but I also use the 50mm and 85mm f1.8. Headed towards getting a 135mm and the 180mm. I love the discipline it forces me work under and it makes me think about the shots even more thoroughly. I still use the zoom from time to time but less and less as time goes by. I started with primes and now seem to be returning my roots. All the better for my photography.

[vgchicago]

I think primes can offer more quality than a lot of us (myself included) could afford otherwise if our only options were zooms. I wanted a wide-angle lens before my honeymoon last year, and I really liked the Tokina 11-16mm, but it was difficult to find in time. I wasn't that crazy about the Nikkor 12-24mm, so instead, on the recommendation of a photojournalist friend, I bought a used Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 AF lens for about 40% of the price of the 12-24. Spectacular lens, although I suppose it isn't ultrawide on a crop body. Tremendous value nevertheless.

Everyone already knows about the affordability of the nifty fifties. I also added a manual focus Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 a couple of months ago. That purchase will probably prompt me to replace my focusing screen with something more helpful with manual focus, but I already love the lens, and I got it for $100 (with an old 50mm and Nikkormat FT2 thrown in -- or rather, the seller thought he was selling the Nikkormat with two lenses thrown in).