Using prime lenses

[sleahy73]

The other day I went out shooting, taking only primes lenses with me - my FA

50mm 1.4 and 77mm limited, an old M 28 f/2.8, and an old manual Hanamex 135mm

f/2.8 (not that it's vital to this question). I found myself changing out

lenses quite often, even though it was a fairly windy day - so there's the

obvious inconvenience of the changes and the less than healthy exposure of the

sensor. I found myself going back and forth between the 50mm and the 77mm quite

a bit (though I can think of situations where I might have prefered the 28mm or

the 135mm, alternatly).

 

So my question to you prime lens shooters is this: when you go out, in general,

do you carry more than one body, or have you deleloped a method for minimizing

the lens swap? If it's just one camera and a selection of lenses, how do you

approah your subject in terms of effeciency/minimizing lens changes?

 

I guess that's (potentially) two questions...

 

Thanks,

 

Sean

[jerry thirsty]

I do what it takes to get the shot. If that means I need to clean my sensor once a month instead of once a year, then I just consider that part of the cost of ownership.

 

If that doesn't sit well, one thing you can do is carry a compact zoom that covers most of the primes you're using, like one of the smaller 28-105s. Keep that on your camera as the default, and use it to look for shots. When you find something that you think deserves more than a snapshot, switch to whichever prime comes closest to matching the framing you were using on the zoom. Sure it means carrying another lens, but it's probably less hassle than carrying two bodies.

[michael_kuhne]

A 28mm is a good all around FL as a semi wide on a DSLR. I minimize changing by moving myself to frame the shot when possible. I sometimes carry 2 bodies. One compact setup in my "fanny" belt case, and the somewhat larger in a case around my shoulders.

 

Trying to limit the objectives of your shoot and see things from the point of view of the focal length you have is important. That is, learn to work within a focal length. Go around thinking what good shot can I get with this FL, if you have no particular purpose otherwise. If you go around thinking- I want a shot of that building across the street, then, I want a detail of that balcony railing, etc. etc. you will need a zoom lens.

[mikehamilton]

I think that a better question is: why were you changing lenses so often? What are your

subjects?

 

When you go out for a walk to take photos, do you have a specific subject in mind, or are

you just looking for anything?

 

When I go out with no particular subject in mind, I typically take only two lenses (usually

DA21 and FA43). I try to work within the limitations of those lenses, and find myself only

switching once or twice. I don't swap lenses unless I really feel like I need the other focal

length.

 

HTH.

[sleahy73]

I have several zooms that cover that range, even a couple of 28-70/80 f2.8 - that's turned out to be a favored range for me for a good fast zoom. My plan was to go out with my primes. I've had the 50mm for a little while, and I recently acquired the 77mm - BEAUTIFUL lens!

 

The intended subject is the same lighthouse/marina I've been studying for a while (posted some pics in an earlier "underexposure" thread. Along the way to my usual location I found some other subjects with the same lighthouse in the background. Due to the beach, palm trees, sidewalk, and near by road, I didn't have much room for a bipedal zoom. I suppose I made so many lens changes because I'm used to using a zoom. It moght have been more effencient to work the subject thoroughly with one lens before making the change, but I was shooting on the fly, as I saw new ideas for compositions, I made the lens changes to match. I missed a few shots durring some of the changes, too.

 

I was out to stretch my self a little and I'm curious how others manage the single focal length challenge.

 

Thanks,

 

Sean

[ronald_moravec1]

I do what I did before there were zooms, walk.

 

Zooms have come a long way so i am starting to use mine more, 18/70 Nikkor. Other than

some weird distortion and being a little slow, I don`t see a big disadvantage to zooms.

 

If I am going out for night pics, I just leave the zoom at home. If I am doing flowers, the

zoom stays home.

[shots worth sharing]

Well, it can be a challenge, no doubt. If I go out on a random shooting expedition, I typically stick to the default lens (usually the 77mm these days) and change only if a compelling shot requires it. These are relaxed outings and I don't mind the hassle of changing lenses in moderation although windy, dusty situations would make me think twice and maybe decide to return later for that specific shot.

 

If I'm touring (on a tighter schedule and re-shooting is not a viable option) and want to be prepared for anything, I'll default to the super-zoom (with fast primes in my pocket for low light situations.)

[tim_bradshaw1]

<p>I think the answer is fairly simple: take one body and one lens. If the subject is too small, then get closer, if it's too large, get further away.</p>

<p>Real Photographers only <em>have</em> one body and one lens.</p>

[mc2imaging]

Since I used Spotmatics for years, I decided that just because I COULD change lenses, didn't

mean I wanted to. Screw mounts are a pain...

 

Personal style will dictate which lenses you want to carry. Try limiting yourself to 2 lenses (I'd

try the 28/77 combo), and if neither is good, start walking. The 50 and the 77 are close

enough that a little walking would make the difference.

[david_kelly13]

When asked why he had marked 3 meters on his lens with red nail polish Henri Cartier-Bresson is supposed to have answered, "Yes, that's my life, keeping a certain distance from everything."

[david_kelly13]

The mark was at 4 meters, not 3. Somewhere else he wrote "A strict economy of means is necessary to achieve simplicity of expression."

[daniel_tong1]

Sean,

 

I am basically a prime lens person and I do have 2 bodies in my AW200 sling bag: K100D & DL, Zenitar 16mm 2.8, Sigma 24-60mmF2.8 EX DG, FA28mm 2.8, F 50mm F1.7, FA100mm 2.8 Macro, FA135mm 2.8 & A* 300mm F4. The macro obviously is only for outdoor macro which is usu in my car . The rest are in my bag when I am out shooting. A 2nd body like DL is really inexpensive nowaday.

 

 

Here is an odd case when I was out shooting bird and I notice a woodpecker was circling me for food in winter time. I pulled out my other lens and unfortunately it was a fisheye. So. instead of a 300mm, it went with my left hand feeding it.

 

 

 

<img src="http://www.pbase.com/danieltong/image/72676392/original.jpg">

 

 

 

Daniel, Toronto

[stemked]

"Real Photographers only have one body and one lens."

 

I hope Tim is kidding.

 

As a nature photographer I am always hiking with multiple lenses and usually two bodies. Now a-days one film and one digital, it used to be one body with ASA 50 and the other ASA 200/400 film or even a Pentax 67 and 35mm film body. My lens choice had everything to do with what my expectations were on that hike, birds, herpes, insects, fungi,landscapes. etc). It is not rare for me to have 6 lenses in my bag although 4 is more common. Even when I drag out the 500mm Takumar I still will have a macro and one wide lens in my pocket.

 

You just learn to change lenses fast. It comes with time.

[godfrey]

I often have just one body and one lens with me. Sometimes I carry two lenses.

 

I don't swap much. I work with a particular FoV until I get a little bored with it or an

opportunity arises for the other lens, swap and shoot with that a while. (Frankly, I do the

same thing when I'm fitting a zoom, I just twist the dial instead of change the lens...).

 

Godfrey

[shots worth sharing]

I should say I had the same misgivings as Sean about lens changing when I first started out--especially given my deserved reputation for clumsiness--and things did feel awkward and risky at first. But it didn't take too long to get the hang of it. For me, the key is to proceed deliberately--I never allow my self to rush the process.

[asimrazakhan]

i shoot slide film. i carry with me one body and four lenses. three of them are prime lenses (31mm, 43mm, 77mm). the fourth lens is a zoom lens (FA 20-35mm f/4).

 

i use the 20-35mm as somewhat of a prime lens since i only use the 20-24mm portion of the focal length. the prime lenses i use are almost always between the 31 and the 77. i just carry the 43 with me because its so light.

 

what i have learned over the years is that you become accustomed to imagining the perspective before even putting on a lens. so i rarely ever put on the wrong lens. once i see the scene, i decide what i want in the image. i also decide if i want a wide perspective with a near/far emphasis or a more tele angle. then i put on the right lens for the job.

 

if you find it difficult to pre-imagine a composition, then you could carry with you a blank slide mount and view the scene through that. if you find a white slide mount, color one side of it black so that you can flip it for a different colored frame to view through.

 

the beauty of prime lenses is that you can imagine beforehand what the final image and perspective will look like. even though it involves changing lenses, i still find it much more enjoyable from a photography point of view. if i just carried around with me one super zoom lens (ie. 24-200mm) then i would find it more difficult to decide on the final focal lenght, field of view, and composition.

 

this is how i find that prime lenses make life easier.

 

on a casual day i might just take one lens. and suprisingly its not the 20-35mm. rather its almost always the 43mm or the 31mm.

 

by the way, i have three film bodies. but i don't shoot that many rolls of film to justify carrying more than one body. but definitely it will make things easier if you put a different lens on each body... as long as you are okay with carrying the extra weight.

 

ask yourself why you enjoy photography. personally, i appreciate how photography slows me down and makes me enjoy my surroundings. that said, having to slow down to change prime lenses goes hand in hand with my reason for enjoying photography.

[tim_bradshaw1]

<p>Douglas: yes I was, or I was semi kidding. I'm not a Real Photographer, but I know some and they all have plenty of bodies and lenses.</p>

<p><em>However,</em> I was (apart from mutilating a Robert Capa quote) trying to make a serious point. The <em>point</em> of carrying primes is to limit yourself (I don't really subscribe to the notion that primes are that much better than modern non-extreme zooms) so if you're spending your time emulating a zoom, badly, by carrying 5 primes and 2 bodies or something, then you've just missed the point of using primes. Instead, take the thing seriously and learn to live within the limits (or just use a zoom if you don't want to have the limits).</p>

[michael_kuhne]

Well, there is also the matter of perspective. If you zoom from standing in one spot to frame your shot, it will have a different perspective and look, front-to-back, than if you walked towards or back from the scene to frame it. Using primes helps to assimilate that information, and gain experience in using it. That experience carries over for times when using zooms as well.

 

Using a good prime and working within its focal length is gaining experience in what can be done with the "view" and "look" that FL can offer in various circumstances. In addition, there is that extra edge of quality, speed, and compact convenience, a fine prime can afford to the user. It fills a role and need that is always there.

 

Similarly, even though using a program mode, or other AE mode, meets a need for speed of operation and convnience, metered manual mode is always there and often best. All who are serious about photography must gain a great deal of experience metering a scene using the manual mode, and also must know when it is the tool of choice. That also goes for manual focus as well.

 

Both lens types have their place. In many circumstances, a zoom's practical flexiblity will simply be able to outwork a prime or prime combo. You cannot always move where you'd want to, to get your shot. Or there's no time to do so. In many sports shoots, for example, a good zoom is the way to go, no question.

 

Depending on what environment and needs I'll be facing, I will sometimes take a mix. Along with my 21mm, 43mm, and/or 77mm, it is not uncommon that I'll have along a wide-angle zoom as well, just in case. Or I may take the 21mm on camera, and a 28-105mm or 28-70mm compact f/4.

[rose_duclos]

I may carry more than one camera on me. I hate dirt and dust and all that - so, all my lens changing occurs indoors.

 

every time I go to take pictures - I use a specific lens for the day. Recently, I've begun to carry a film camera along with the k10d - I like the choice of which camera to use - the pentax is faster. (my film cameras are 100% manual everything.)

 

I stick to using prime lenses. You have a need - you have one lens - you either make the scene fit the lens you're carrying - back up, or step close - or you don't take the picture.

 

But in the end - it gets you to experiment more with how to compose the shot with what you have available. And, usually, this limitation I set on myself - works. (minus that one day when I was wishing I had a 14mm...) :)