prime vs zoom

[tikaldogos]

why would you use a prime lens say a 50 mm vs a 70-200.??

i dont shoot in a studio, i actually dont want to or have a desire to do so, i like real landscapes for a background when shooting people.

i have never used a prime lens. what are the pro's and con's of a prime??

[Tom]

General advantages:
1. Lets in more light
2. Lighter
3. Sharper
4. Better overall image quality
5. The autofocus is generally quicker/more accurate
6. Better contrast

I primarily use prime lenses over zooms, although the 70-200mm 2.8 is always in my bag.

[kenw]

one big one in regards to my bag: f1.4 vs f2.8

+ those Tom mentioned which are not insignificant depending on the situation.

I love my 70-200/2.8 but the overall IQ of my 50/1.4 is nothing short of glorious. Unless i really, really need the zoom's flexibility (a zoo for example) I much prefer the primes.

When you switch over to primes, you'll have to learn to crop after the fact instead of as you shoot and that can take some adjustment in style and technique. You may find it easier to be more creative by cropping later, I know I do.

[jfoureyes]

I shoot mostly nature subjects and have one zoom lens a 75-300 for birds and wildlife the rest are prime lenses (24 mm to 180) and used for the reasons Tom mentioned.

[snidow]

I use a prime 400 and a 100 - 400 zoom and I can tell you that the prime 400 is sharper and that generally is the case with prime lenses. I love the versatility of the zoom and it's a nice sharp lens too, just the IQ of the 400 is better.

[venchka]

What Tom said.
Smaller and lighter are HUGE advantages when you are acutally using the lens.

[tikaldogos]

so would a canon 50mm 1.8 mk2 be a good inexpensive start?? or is that lens not really a good representation of the quality i should expect??

[Tom]

Originally Posted by tikaldogos

so would a canon 50mm 1.8 mk2 be a good inexpensive start?? or is that lens not really a good representation of the quality i should expect??

The quality won't compare to a 85mm 1.2, but the 50mm 1.8 is a great place to start.

[venchka]

Originally Posted by tikaldogos

so would a canon 50mm 1.8 mk2 be a good inexpensive start?? or is that lens not really a good representation of the quality i should expect??

Not bad. But it depends on what you want, need, or use.

Do the math.

50 x 1.6 = 80mm. Short telephoto.

35 x 1.6 = 56mm. Longish normal lens for the format.

Canon's 35mm f/2.0 is a very nice, often overlooked lens. Don't fret over the loss of a 1/2 stop relative to the 50mm f/1.8. Teamed with the 100mm f/2.0 you have a very affrordable, relatively fast, pair of lenses that cover a wide variety of situations.
YMMV

[cajunautoxer]

Originally Posted by snidow

I use a prime 400 and a 100 - 400 zoom and I can tell you that the prime 400 is sharper and that generally is the case with prime lenses. I love the versatility of the zoom and it's a nice sharp lens too, just the IQ of the 400 is better.

So how do you like the 100-400L? I maybe able to pick one up for >$1200

[snidow]

Love it, when I went to Africa I had a weight limit of 36 pounds for cloths and equipment. So it was my primary lens for the trip and it served me very well. I still use it, the photo of the baby Mockingbird begging for food was taken with it.

[PatrickONeill]

I prefer working with a single focal length over a zoom. Its one less thing to think about when framing a shot. with a 35mm (full frame equiv) you just zoom with your feet :)

[kenw]

Originally Posted by tikaldogos

so would a canon 50mm 1.8 mk2 be a good inexpensive start?? or is that lens not really a good representation of the quality i should expect??

I always recommend the 50/1.8 for someone either starting out in photography or as a 1st prime. The bang for the buck is fabulous and altho there are shortcomings like Wayne and others mention, for ~$100 it stands alone. It is a great place to start.

[Tsladaritz]

Like they said, I started out with a 50mm f/1.8, and a good tamron zoom. Then went on to get more primes.

But my zooms are great for capturing certain things where I just don't have the time to zoom with my feet before my subject is moved. Children, animals, etc.

And some of the good zooms are just as sharp as the primes, imo

[SCone]

A best lens, like the best camera, can be debated. But the one in your hand at the right moment in time will always yield the perfect shot.