What does "Prime" mean?

13 years 4 months ago #7374 by PMurphy
I keep seeing this term used around lenses and never have figured out what it means? What does it mean when they say "prime lens"?


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13 years 4 months ago #7375 by Solstar
Prime lenses are fixed length lenses. Generally they have much larger maximum apertures (f2.8 or larger) than zoom lenses of the same length.


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13 years 4 months ago #7377 by PMurphy

Solstar wrote: Prime lenses are fixed length lenses. Generally they have much larger maximum apertures (f2.8 or larger) than zoom lenses of the same length.


Ohhhhh, that answers that. LOL thank you so much! I have been wondering about this for some time!


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13 years 4 months ago #7379 by stevesevilempire
Hiyah,

A prime lens is a fixed focal length lens, simply put there are zoom lenses and then there are prime lenses. So a 24mm lens is a prime, whilst a 24-70mm is a zoom. The reasons date back to the times of old when zooms were an almost impossible optical compromise, whereas now in the present day they are optically very good BUT! Still nowhere near as sharp or gutsy as a fixed old prime lens is. Put it even simpler, a zoom is a compromised lens because it has extra elements and moving glass that makes it work whereas a fixed/prime lens has no compromise and is optically all it can ever be. I shoot with both and thats the way it is but I only very recently started using zooms.......
Hope that makes sense for you....
I'll leave you with an old adage from very wise old photographer who used a 35mm lens and nothing else.
"I have a zoom lens and its called me legs."
;-)
Steve


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13 years 4 months ago #7381 by PMurphy

stevesevilempire wrote: Hiyah,

A prime lens is a fixed focal length lens, simply put there are zoom lenses and then there are prime lenses. So a 24mm lens is a prime, whilst a 24-70mm is a zoom. The reasons date back to the times of old when zooms were an almost impossible optical compromise, whereas now in the present day they are optically very good BUT! Still nowhere near as sharp or gutsy as a fixed old prime lens is. Put it even simpler, a zoom is a compromised lens because it has extra elements and moving glass that makes it work whereas a fixed/prime lens has no compromise and is optically all it can ever be. I shoot with both and thats the way it is but I only very recently started using zooms.......
Hope that makes sense for you....
I'll leave you with an old adage from very wise old photographer who used a 35mm lens and nothing else.
"I have a zoom lens and its called me legs."
;-)
Steve


Thank you Steve for the additional description. I'm so glad I finally posted this question. I know understand completely what a "prime" lens is. ;)


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