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zoom lens Vs prime lens
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Hey guys,
I have seen alot of people seem to have zoom lens and a prime lens with similar focal lengths, is there advantages to this???
..I thought you would have been able to answer this yourself, as you have a 55mm f1.2, in addition to your zoom, in your film kit.
The subject in general can be a bit inflammatory with owners of both primes and zooms getting defensive over their kit.
I don’t think anyone would accuse me of starting a flame war, by mentioning the following though:
Primes
– generally more compact
– generally have a faster aperture
– can offer better performance at the same apertures than a zoom (latest design zooms excepted)Zooms
– generally less compact, and heavier compared to primes
– more flexible, ie you can switch focal lengths by just zooming – no lens changesWith all the above, it is necessary to note that most camera manufacturers seem to focus their energy and money on development of zooms, so new zooms often have the nest technology/ latest designs.
Personally, I’m a prime guy, for a number of reasons. I like low-light photography, and dislike flash, thus necessitating fast lenses. Also I find primes give me one less thing to focus on, and thus let me focus on making the image more. Yes, they are less flexible, but I find they encourage me to learn the field of view that a focal length offers, and eventually (through experience) help me pre-visualise a scene, before even putting the viewfinder to my eye.
Just my 2 cents,
Damien
thanks very much for clearing that up, and the reason i have the 55mm f1.2 is cos it was the stock lens with the camera when i got it off ebay i got the 28-70 as well.
All about tools really, there’s a million debates on the merits/ drawbacks of primes vs zooms on the web, should that interest you
Damien
As sensors are resolving more info you’ll find that primes are way better. I have the old canon 1ds11 and tried the 1ds111 with my zooms and realised the glass was the problem especially the 16-35L.
Shaun
I think its the main reason Canon are upgrading their Glass,
The recent MKI’s are not doing the job – sell sell sell, I hate it!
There are pros and cons to each as stated above. Zooms give more choices on framing/perspective and allow shots that you couldn’t do with primes.
Conversely, the speed of primes gives other choices.
It’s how you use the choices that matters.
Si
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