Soeren
Well-known
Just like the LCD screen does not mean you have to chimp 😀
To many the ability is to much of a temptation though.
Zoom vs Prime
- Thread starter Bill Pierce
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Just like the LCD screen does not mean you have to chimp 😀
To many the ability is to much of a temptation though.
nobbylon
Veteran
A mix of both. The Nikon zooms I have are every bit as sharp as fixed focals and at 2.8 just as useable in lower light. The 70-200 VRII is incredible wide open. For a carry around I like the 28 on nikons and either a 35 or 50 on the leica's. Speed wise, unless you are pre focusing then even using a zoom is faster with AF than a manual fixed focal. Raise, point, twist and press, near instant and in focus even wide open every time. My leica photography rarely needs a rush job and is in general a slower process than with the nikons.
Prest_400
Multiformat
For my film shooting, all the way prime.
OM-1 plus 28, 50 and 135mm; And Fuji GW690III with 90mm (39-40mm equivalent).
For digital my EPL2 with kit 28-85 equivalent zoom (now 28-50 as it won't shoot into tele). And if you count the cellphone, which it should as I use it even more than the former; a 31mm equivalent Samsung S4.
In any case, when I am working with a zoom lens I tend to use it as a set of primes. Meaning I choose the FOV focal and then shoot rather than adjust focal as wanted. The latter method I guess is the most used but seems that framing becomes a bit more of an afterthought.
In a nutshell, I like using zooms as a set of primes. I identified that when reading around and it was actually a suggestion by someone, Roger Hicks perhaps.
OM-1 plus 28, 50 and 135mm; And Fuji GW690III with 90mm (39-40mm equivalent).
For digital my EPL2 with kit 28-85 equivalent zoom (now 28-50 as it won't shoot into tele). And if you count the cellphone, which it should as I use it even more than the former; a 31mm equivalent Samsung S4.
In any case, when I am working with a zoom lens I tend to use it as a set of primes. Meaning I choose the FOV focal and then shoot rather than adjust focal as wanted. The latter method I guess is the most used but seems that framing becomes a bit more of an afterthought.
In a nutshell, I like using zooms as a set of primes. I identified that when reading around and it was actually a suggestion by someone, Roger Hicks perhaps.
Kent
Finally at home...
I use either sort of lens, zooms and primes.
Strangely enough, I prefer zooms for autofocus and primes for manual focus lenses - with the odd exception that confirms the rule: e.g. 1.8/28 (AF Nikon) and Tokina AT-X 2.8/60-120 (manual focus Nikon).
The reason might be that most really good AF prime lenses are beyond my budget limits and most manual focus zooms are ... well ... of "mediocre performace", to put it nicely.
Strangely enough, I prefer zooms for autofocus and primes for manual focus lenses - with the odd exception that confirms the rule: e.g. 1.8/28 (AF Nikon) and Tokina AT-X 2.8/60-120 (manual focus Nikon).
The reason might be that most really good AF prime lenses are beyond my budget limits and most manual focus zooms are ... well ... of "mediocre performace", to put it nicely.
filmtwit
Desperate but not serious
It depnds on the range.
I like primes between 24mm-85mm
But above 85mm I find primes too limiting, so go with high end zooms (mainly the 70-200mm f2.8L IS v2 for the canon).
Again on wides, I like some more versatility and don't like to carry around several wide primes as they are not conducive to how I shoot, so I prefer zoom like the 16-35mm 2.8L down at this range.
I like primes between 24mm-85mm
But above 85mm I find primes too limiting, so go with high end zooms (mainly the 70-200mm f2.8L IS v2 for the canon).
Again on wides, I like some more versatility and don't like to carry around several wide primes as they are not conducive to how I shoot, so I prefer zoom like the 16-35mm 2.8L down at this range.
Hsg
who dares wins
A zoom lens on a mirrorless camera that has an EVF can increase one's productivity by many fold without the weight and bulk of a zoom lens on a DSLR. But the issue with zoom lenses that I have faced is, how to know which focal length to use for a particular subject?
What this means is that while you're thinking of changing the focal length and looking through the viewfinder or LCD, the spontaneity of the shot has vanished, and you're simply using some preconceived idea of what is a good picture from memory and composing with the zoom lens.
With a prime you shoot first and think later, with a zoom you think and then shoot. For some that is no big deal but for others who want spontaneity in their images a prime is preferred.
What this means is that while you're thinking of changing the focal length and looking through the viewfinder or LCD, the spontaneity of the shot has vanished, and you're simply using some preconceived idea of what is a good picture from memory and composing with the zoom lens.
With a prime you shoot first and think later, with a zoom you think and then shoot. For some that is no big deal but for others who want spontaneity in their images a prime is preferred.
airfrogusmc
Veteran
It shouldn't be vs but finding the tools that best fit each individuals vision. For me I tend see in B&W and I see at 35mm F/L. My personal work is shot with a MM and a 35mm lens. THat's what is right for me and the way I work and see. That may or may not not be right for anyone else. So it shouldn't be vs because what clearly works for me is just that.
I don't think at all when I am working. Because I shoot with the same camera and same F/L I only respond to what I am seeing. I don't use EVF it's not intuitive for the way I work. Rangefinders are just perfect for that.
I know what the right F/L is for me because it matches the way I see regardless of subject.
I don't think at all when I am working. Because I shoot with the same camera and same F/L I only respond to what I am seeing. I don't use EVF it's not intuitive for the way I work. Rangefinders are just perfect for that.
I know what the right F/L is for me because it matches the way I see regardless of subject.
Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
The poor quality of third-party zooms in the 1970s managed to sour people on both (1) zooms and (2) third-party lenses. Today, an f/2.8 zoom from Nikon or Canon is the equal (or better) of wide-angle primes. It is not equal in weight or the distraction factor. And third party lenses (at least the primes) got a bad rap that probably wasn't warranted. People got really worked up, but pictures rarely enlarged to more than 3.5x5 inches.
Above 21mm, and up to 90mm (especially between 35 and 50mm), you're largely in "walking zoom" territory. Below 21mm, I find it very useful to have a zoom because every mm of shorter focal length can have a huge effect on composition. I do think that a good 35-105mm (like the last aspherical IF Nikkor) is very useful (and oddly, it does quite well on the M typ 240).
Dante
Above 21mm, and up to 90mm (especially between 35 and 50mm), you're largely in "walking zoom" territory. Below 21mm, I find it very useful to have a zoom because every mm of shorter focal length can have a huge effect on composition. I do think that a good 35-105mm (like the last aspherical IF Nikkor) is very useful (and oddly, it does quite well on the M typ 240).
Dante
jsrockit
Moderator
Primes... 28 - 85mm
kyte
Established
(D)SLR - use zooms mostly except the cheap fast 50
Fuji XF - use primes mainly except the UW zoom because I want the 15mm eqv FOV
Fuji XF - use primes mainly except the UW zoom because I want the 15mm eqv FOV
CMur12
Veteran
My cameras are all old manual-focus/manual exposure units and I have stuck to primes. They are faster, lighter, and they have simpler optical formulations, so I trust them to be better corrected. My personal bias is that simpler is better.
Another consideration is that with manual focus, slower lenses (like zooms) tend to black out the focusing aid on the focusing screen.
If I got a new digital, auto-focus camera, such as a Fuji X-series, I would probably start with the 18 - 55mm zoom, as I've read good things about it, it covers my favorite focal lengths (85 and 28), and I would gradually add primes. I would probably stick to primes for my film cameras, however.
- Murray
Another consideration is that with manual focus, slower lenses (like zooms) tend to black out the focusing aid on the focusing screen.
If I got a new digital, auto-focus camera, such as a Fuji X-series, I would probably start with the 18 - 55mm zoom, as I've read good things about it, it covers my favorite focal lengths (85 and 28), and I would gradually add primes. I would probably stick to primes for my film cameras, however.
- Murray
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