Pro's and Con's of prime lenses

12 years 1 month ago #216848 by Crammer
Actually all I would like to know is other than limited focal range are there any down sides to using only primes?

I'm shopping for some new glass and was thinking of going prime for the sharpness and speed.


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12 years 1 month ago #216850 by Darrell
I don't think there is a down side to the quality from a prime lens, I also have the zoom lens, becasue there is always a need for both..

You will not be judged as a photographer by the pictures you take, but by the pictures you show.
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12 years 1 month ago #216851 by Baydream
The only other "down side" is that you need a bunch of lenses to cover different situations (and have to change them).

Shoot, learn and share. It will make you a better photographer.
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12 years 1 month ago #216853 by Darrell
:agree: I should add that most of my primes are used in studio....:beerbang:

You will not be judged as a photographer by the pictures you take, but by the pictures you show.
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12 years 1 month ago #216856 by sandozer
I found going from an 80-400mm zoom, that I often miss the subject as now I am using a 300mm f2.8 and 1.4T/c (equivalent 420mm). I no longer have the luxury of being able to zoom out to locate the subject, I do quite a bit of BIF shooting. Having said that I can`t see me going back to the zoom as the quality difference is too great. :thumbsup:
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12 years 1 month ago #216859 by mattmoran
I only have primes in my bag right now. If I could afford it, I'd buy a fast zoom.

For the price, primes produce better results. I think once you get up to the "L" zooms, it's tough to argue that primes produce better images. Of course the L zooms are monstrously large compared to a prime. But not compared to 3 primes approximating the same range.

So really, in my opinion, the chief pro of primes is the price/performance ratio.

The chief con of primes is that changing lenses in the field is a real pain.

-Matt
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12 years 1 month ago #216874 by Dori
I have a 35mm for short focal length needs. Other than that my 70-300 is 'married' to my camera.

Don't pi$$ me off, I am running out of room to store the bodies...

Resident Texasotan...

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12 years 1 month ago #216881 by john_m
As said, primes offer some amazing IQ but is a pain to have to buy several lenses to cover the range you need. I used to love my 50 f1.8D, but ever since I picked up my 28-80 2.8 I havent touched my prime.

Nikon D200
Nikon 50mm f1.8D, Tokina 28-80 f2.8, Nikon 75-300, Sigma 18-200, Nikon SB-600, Nikon SB-25, Promaster triggers

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12 years 1 month ago #216883 by Crammer
Have any of you tried the Sigma 85mm f/1.4?


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12 years 1 month ago #216887 by Rob pix4u2
I can't find a down side to my 300mm prime

Remember to engage brain before putting mouth in gear
Rob Huelsman Sr.
My Facebook www.facebook.com/ImaginACTIONPhotography

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12 years 1 month ago #217037 by Henry Peach
Pros of primes: in general they are usually faster, smaller, lighter, and cheaper. Compared to cheaper zooms they may be sharper. Compared to the modern, quality zooms I own (Canon, Tamron, & Sigma) I don't see much difference. Bokeh is also often slightly different than zooms.

Con of primes: fixed focal length

I mainly choose primes when I need a bigger max aperture or I want to carry a smaller rig.
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12 years 1 month ago - 12 years 1 month ago #217092 by Stealthy Ninja
What primes are you guys talking about that are cheap?! :p

Lens makers make cheap zoom and expensive primes (and visa-versa) I think it all depends on what you want. The Canon 28-300 for example is a very expensive zoom, as is the 70-200 2.8 (from Canon and Nikon). But then again Nikon make a fairly cheap (and better than the Canon) 28-300 zoom.

Go try and afford a Canon 1200mm prime and come back to me and say primes are cheap. :p

Same goes for the Nikon 200-400 (and the coming soon Canon version).

IMHO the main benefit of primes is speed and with that DOF control.

They're also pretty sharp most of the time.
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12 years 1 month ago #217111 by icepics
I've never cared for zooms because I find the zooming annoying more than anything. I imagine it depends on how you use your camera and what you're photographing. I tend to move around and change my vantage point a lot so I don't feel like I need a zoom. I also tend to not change lenses a lot, at least during whatever period of time that I'm taking photos.

I like a short 135mm telephoto, sometimes use a 200 or a 50, and got a new 90mm that I'm finding I like and use quite a bit.

Sharon
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12 years 1 month ago #217159 by Prago

john_m wrote: As said, primes offer some amazing IQ but is a pain to have to buy several lenses to cover the range you need. I used to love my 50 f1.8D, but ever since I picked up my 28-80 2.8 I havent touched my prime.


That 28-80mm focused to 50mm can't be the same as the 50mm prime lens?

SWM into chainsaws and hockey masks seeks like-minded SWF. No weirdos, please
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12 years 1 month ago - 12 years 1 month ago #217167 by mattmoran

Prago wrote:

john_m wrote: As said, primes offer some amazing IQ but is a pain to have to buy several lenses to cover the range you need. I used to love my 50 f1.8D, but ever since I picked up my 28-80 2.8 I havent touched my prime.


That 28-80mm focused to 50mm can't be the same as the 50mm prime lens?


Checkout photozone.de's tests on the nikon 50 f/1.8 D and the nikon 24-70 f/2.8G ED .
The MTF tests on the zoom were done at 40mm, not 50, so it's not quite the same. But it looks to me like the zoom might be a little more consistent across the frame than the prime. According to the numbers, both will be "very good" across the whole frame past about f/4.

So yeah, if you buy the pro-level zoom you get increased flexibility at the cost of extra weight, extra money, and a smaller max aperture. But you don't really sacrifice image quality at equivalent apertures.

-Matt
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