As a photographer who recently explored the same concepts that this article is bringing up, I have to say there is an important point that is especially important for beginner photographers (in my opinion, anyhow): a lens with no zoom will make you move and better plan your shot. I think limiting yourself will push you to learn more. Primes are light, relatively small, and fast. Prime lenses were simpler and easier to make than zoom lenses. Personally, I find my canon 40mm pancake my favourite lens. It is about time that zoom lenses are downgraded or at least being used with caution. I have often read that prime lenses provide sharper images than zoom lenses. Prime lenses are generally much sharper than cheap zoom lenses (under $500), but many of the pro level zoom lenses are on the same level as the prime lenses. WHen you start using primes, your shooting style changes rapidly. They literally used slide rules and primitive four-function calculators. It even had a plastic mount that attached it to the camera body, which broke. A “yes” or “no” answer to the debate surrounding the prime vs. zoom lenses question is far too simplistic, so I thought it would be helpful to explain the issues that should be considered before choosing prime or zoom lenses for your DSLR camera. I have the 50mm for my full framed bodies and a 30mm for my other cropped bodies. Why do you need more light? A real great analytical writing with excellent critical thinking. Now, however, I am forced to ask myself “what is the best position and location for this situation”. On saying that i’ve just updated to the Sigma 50 1.4 for my commercial work. But if you have the ability to back up, it still is a great lens. The ability to zoom is created by adding more elements, or panes of glass, into the lens, that will move around to enable focusing at different focal lengths. In a way, certain zoom lenses allow you to reduce weight, because you don’t need to bring several primes to cover the whole range. They seem sharper, crisper and the color seems better to me. But the gap has closed considerably in recent years… so much so, in fact, that it's almost negligible. In the past I would take an ultra wide angle and a telephoto; this always made me think “what lens will best fit this situation”. Photography isn't just about the ability to capture a scene or create a piece of art that others can marvel at and enjoy – it's also about the gear! I do however find a massive difference in the colours when I am shooting with prime lenses versus zoom lenses. Such an approach would be impossible in today's world. At one point lenses can out-resolve the sensor and then you will see equal sharpness in your images despite a potential difference in lens sharpness. The results were amazing. In short, yes! Prime lenses are generally much sharper than cheap zoom lenses (under $500), but many of the pro level zoom lenses are on the same level as the prime lenses. Even on a cropped sensor, it still ends up being pretty close to the beloved 85mm. Many photographers hear that “prime lenses are sharper” and somehow expect that to mean that ALL prime lenses are sharp, and that simply isn't true. However top quality zooms are usually more expensive than primes. Most photographers straddle the line – look in their camera bag and you will find one, two, or three prime lenses at their favorite focal lengths and a workhorse zoom lens to cover everything in between. I found it best for personal photos like holiday portraits but it’s a good all rounder. Thankfully it was covered under warranty, but for these two reasons I sold it. This gives you better depth of field and the added bonus of better performance in low light situations. Why you need big apertures? Mark_A. Would the zoom lens be less sharp than the prime because of the way zooms are built? A good quality lens, whether it's a prime lens or zoom, will produce a better quality image than cheap glass. In a side-by-side comparison, you would be hard pressed to figure out which photo was shot with a prime and which was shot with a zoom. For example, I would ALWAYS recommend that a beginning photographer purchase a 50mm f/1.8 lens (check the price here for Nikon, or here for Canon), but in my opinion that lens cannot approach the optical quality of the Nikon or Canon 24-70mm lens; however, the 24-70 is significantly more expensive. Why do you think people with these cameras should buy a 50mm lens? I find myself shooting weddings with only the 50mm 1.4 and 70-200 2.8 (and 100mm 2.8 for ring shots), leaving my other lenses as weights to make my shoulder sore. Weight – The downside is that zoom lenses weigh more than prime lenses, though to some there is the other argument. Maybe your talking about zoom lenses in the 60’s or early 70’s, but some lenses from the late 70’s, 80’s or 90’s had excellent sharpness, maybe not AS sharp as today lenses, but still very respectable. WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN AFFILIATE PROGRAMS WITH BLUEHOST, CLCJ, SHAREASALE, AND OTHER SITES. If you don’t own a prime lens try setting your zoom lens to one focal length, and don’t touch it for the day. I usually can't tell between 70-200mm 2.8 and the super-sharp 85mm prime. Being restricted to one set focal length will make you a much sharper image than cheap.... Quality than a zoom lens can replace two or three prime lenses usually... They seem sharper, crisper and the super-sharp 85mm prime one that i ve. Prime unless in lab test conditions slide rules and primitive four-function calculators in the street it to the elements greatly. First thing one should look into while buying a lens 15 or 20 years ago the censor ). 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