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Primes or Zooms


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<p>I spent six hours shooting some very big, expensive products today. I used high-end fast zooms, a nice ultra-wide zoom, and three different primes. It didn't even occur to me, until I saw this post, to be thinking of it as either-or. And, I've already stopped thinking about it.<br /><br />The only "age old quest" is to get the photograph you want, which means using the right tool(s) for the job. Primes and zooms are each the right tools for different jobs and situations and budgets.</p>
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<p>I have both.  Right tool for the right situation. <br>

I use a zoom when the situation is dynamic and space/weight are not an issue (like at one of my kids school functions).  I use some specific primes when things are a bit slower, and weight/size are an issue (like when backpacking).<br>

 <br>

I also have both AF and MF primes - sometimes AF is needed, other times not.<br>

 <br>

John</p>

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<p>There is just one zoom I prefer over every prime in it's range - the 14-24/2.8. <br>

But I also enjoy shooting with old 20/3.5s or my 24/2Ai.<br>

For sports I love good fast primes with a speedy AF but for almost every other situation I prefer rather vintage MF-primes (old 28/2s, very old 50/1.4s, the lovely 105/2.5 and so on).<br>

I tend to shoot a lot wide-open and the „oldies” mounted on a D700 create a special look that is simply not achievable with modern lenses (esp. zooms) on the typical crop-sensor-DSLR.<br>

Cheers, georg!</p>

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<p>A pity "whatever works" is already said, since I wanted to say that too :-D . Well, can't beat my 16-85VR for versatility. Can't beat my primes for size and large apertures. Wouldn't want to be without either one of them.</p>

<p>To the OP: if you are looking for a new lens, maybe it's more useful to indicate what you want it to do, what your budget is, on which camera you'll use it and which features are especially important to you. I'm sure we will agree a lot less when responding to that question!</p>

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<p>I try to be "Delibarate" when i am shooting , so i also delibaratly choose a lens, either prime or Zoom that i think works best to get the result as close to what i want a picture to look like.<br>

So i guess it does not realy matter as long as I make sure to know my "Tools" as well as possible to enable me to get the result I want. This means also that cheap and expensive lenses , primes, Zooms, enlarger lenses ( macro ...),and "toy lenses" all have their place, even lenses whith builtin obvious "faults" can be helpfull that way.... </p>

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<p>For years I was in the Prime camp. However, the advance of technology and particularly the software processing advances, I'm now happy in the zoom camp. I can do more with even a mid market zoom and high end processing software than I ever could with a high end prime, just a year or two ago.<br>

I have sold all of my super fast high end primes.</p>

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<p>Bob said:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>..excellent examples of each are rather expensive as well</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Two exceptions to that are Samyang's 35mm and 85mm f/1.4 offerings. I'd go so far as to say that both are equal to the best available comparable lenses from any manufacturer, at any price. How long that will stay the case is anyone's guess.</p>

<p>I think the ease of pixel-peeping these days has revealed a lot of very minor flaws in lens designs that would have stayed hidden with film. This is such that even revered lenses like the 105mm f/2.5 Nikkor can be faulted and found slightly wanting. However a much more troublesome issue that hasn't yet been mentioned is that of poor assembly, inspection and quality control.</p>

<p>The greater complexity and number of moving parts in zooms inevitably leads to a higher rate of decentring and misalignment error. Couple that with being more prone to wear-related degradation, and you have a recipe for statistically lower image quality and far greater variation in image quality. So all-in-all, I personally feel much more confident buying a prime lens - new or used - than I do when buying a zoom. I'd certainly check any zoom out thoroughly at all settings before trusting its quality, and have had one or two real "lemons" through my hands, even from reputable high-end camera brands. Conversely, I've never seen a prime so bad (except for obvious mechanical damage) that it warranted returning. Also, if you need an aperture greater than f/2.8 then you've no choice but to turn to primes.</p>

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<p>Ok, if I was doing something commercially, I would of course use whatever tool I need to do any given job, but when it comes to personal photography, I'm an <em>idiotic </em>purist in every way. I prefer the kinds of pictures I end up doing with just the one prime lens on my camera, and I like it faster than what any zoom offers. It doesn't matter whether it's a DSLR or a film SLR.</p>

<p>It's not a matter of cost, of sharpness, or of anything having to do with "image quality", but it has everything to do with "quality of image". With my prime lens, I seem to have a better sense of what I'm going to get from where I am, or of where I should be. It's just more instinctive. And besides, I'm not interested in telephoto zoom shots. I like the engagement I get from having to get in there, or else I don't want the picture. Maybe that <em>is </em>idiotic, but that's what works for me. Too many unnecessary variables just get in my way.</p>

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<p>I use both zooms and primes. I noticed, as for quality (pro) prime and zoom lenses, picture quality is practically the same, unless I require a fast lens that delivers the background blur I crave. In this case, only a fast prime can deliver that effect. I noticed primes are lightweight, compact, non-intimidating, and more comfortable, which is critical in candid/street photos, where you (the photographer) want to keep a low profile by not pointing a "cannon" toward someone's face. My impression is that prime lenses have a clear advantage in expressive, fine "art" photography. Zooms are ideal for action, snapshot, and "production" work.</p>
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<p>I looked at this post today and noticed that some of my original post was cut off - (don't know why) anyway I've been on both sides of the house (used only primes and used only zooms) the thing is when I use zooms I feel like I just want to use primes - I'm not sure why that is - I'm not a pro and just shoot shots because I like to shoot - (anything and everything) I don't like to do alot of post prodcution just a couple simple tweaks - It also seems that when I have used zooms most of the time I end up shooting at either end of the lens - I just thought I'd see what other people had to say - I don't think there is a right or wrong answer - but I do think my heart tell me to use Primes - that's just me -</p>
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<p>Hi glen,<br>

Nowadays it's mainly a matter of personal preferences and choice or the kind of photography you are doing, as the<strong> old</strong> quality "disavantages" of zooms when compared to primes just disappeared and <strong>some</strong> zooms can even do better than <strong>some</strong> primes at the same focal distance because quality wise not all the lenses are equal (and this is true for both primes and zooms).<br>

I use both but I can understand when you say what your heart tells you and why not to follow it's voice? At the end, you can always take another option.<br>

A fixed 35 mm is my preferred lens for street with my FF DSLR and I can go out for a day just with that lens, and last summer I went for an 11 days holiday with the new Fuji X100, that has a 35 mm equivalent fixed lens, and besides one or two times a zoom or a tele could have been very convenient I could "survive" with no regrets about my decision. I was able to get the images I wanted, much lighter and with nobody paying attention to my camera.</p>

<p> </p>

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