Prime lenses

[DisneydaveCT]

Mark,

I cannot recall seeing the word "prime" to describe a lens. Can you clarify the meaning?

Many thanks,

 

[ukcatfan]

Mark,

I cannot recall seeing the word "prime" to describe a lens. Can you clarify the meaning?

Many thanks,

A prime lens is a fixed focal length (no zoom) and will generally have a wider aperture than a zoom lens. That is what makes them better for low light.

 

[DisneydaveCT]

A prime lens is a fixed focal length (no zoom) and will generally have a wider aperture than a zoom lens. That is what makes them better for low light.

LOL...After 35 years of being a photography hobbyist including two film SLR's with respective lenses I am still learning. Thanks for today's lesson.

 

[handicap18]

Thank you. I love the look of shallow depth of field and that's one of the reasons I got the lens. It hasn't disappointed in that way. I'm just finding that, in bright sun with a wide open aperture, pictures tend to be overexposed, so I've had to make other adjustments in order to try to get the shot I want. I'm still feeling my way around with it...

I've been using my 30mm f/1.4 a lot recently. Its a good focal length on a crop sensor. I've used it for my youngest DS's birthday party (indoors with a flash), natural light candids of the kids around the house and also for candids of the kids outside.

I've found I get a sharper image and slightly better color's out of this prime than my 18-135mm zoom.

Don't be afraid to use a prime lens in situations other than lowlight. I use my 50mm f/1.8 as a portrait lens. That lens at f/5.6 is sharp as a tack.

50mm prime:

30mm prime:

30mm prime with flash (diffuser attached):

One of my fall time favorites:
50mm prime portrait shots:

 

[wenrob]

Kyle, can you come take my Christmas card pics for me? Please?

I so want a prime lens or two but *sigh* must feed and cloth those pesky kids. Maybe Santa will be good to me this year.

 

[gokenin]

Again I tend to be the oddball around here I have gotten to the point where I almost only use a prime lens. You may have to move more with having only one focal length but I think the quality of the picture is worth the hassle.

 

[Groucho]

Don't forget about the older primes...

Most DSLRs can get adapters to use old manual-focus screw-mount (M42) lenses, the lenses are fairly plentiful and many are very high quality - some compared favorably or superior to modern Canon "L" lenses, for example. The build quality will usually shame most modern lenses and the feel of the manual focus ring is wonderful, far better than nearly any autofocus lens because of the AF gearing.

Unfortunately, Nikons are the least adaptable, you can use M42 lenses but you lose the ability to focus all the way to infinity...

But, if you're willing to focus manually and do a little bargain-hunting, you can pick up a pretty neat collection for not much money at all.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Guys, is it my imagination, or does a prime deliver better color somehow?

 

[Groucho]

It certainly can and many do...

 

[oogieboogieman]

Guys, is it my imagination, or does a prime deliver better color somehow?

It's not your imagination, I saw a difference the moment I put the 50mm f/2 on my Olympus 410. I even noticed a difference between the 40-150 & my 70-300 using the same focal lengths. Must be something in the glass.

 

[wdwwishes]

I'm still debating a new lens, thought I had narrowed it to 2 but now I'm wondering if I should add a prime lens. I'm just concerned that I'd miss that zoom feature and always be changing from the prime back to the zoom. I'd like some opinions on prime lenses. I take a lot of photos of my kids, vacations and general playing around.

 

[boBQuincy]

Compared with zoom lenses, primes are generally: faster; lighter; sharper; less expensive. And the big one, primes are also less convenient.
Many of us have the 50mm f/1.8 for it's wide aperture and low cost.

 

[jann1033]

i've been using my 50mm a lot lately really liking it, had a 100mm ( focus broke so now i would have to manual focus) and really liked using that one to. however, imo it's nice to have an all around zoom lens you can leave on most of the time in case you can't change it( ie dirt, can't carry a lot what ever) and the primes are more difficult in that type of situation. but if i were going to buy a prime I'd probably get the 100mm macro canon since that length i really liked plus the macro is what i had in the broken one

 

[seashoreCM]

A good fast prime for low light situations and a zoom for all around use.

Particularly if your zoom lens slows down as you zoom in, your prime may be of better enough quality to let you crop the picture in your computer and get almost the same quality as if you zoomed, plus keep the low light low ISO performance of the shot as you really took it.

Digital camera hints: http://www.cockam.com/digicam.htm

 

[wdwwishes]

Digital camera hints: http://www.cockam.com/digicam.htm

Thanks for the link. It looks pretty good.

 

[Swoop1]

For my new Rebel XSi I picked up the 50mm Canon Lens and this Sigma lens, Sigma 18mm - 200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS

 

[bdtracey]

I'm kind of in the same boat. Right now I have my kit lens (18-55mm) and I got a 50mm f1.8 for Christmas. I'm in between "wants" and "needs" right now. Alright, lets face it...I don't really "need" anything else but I think I need something with more zoom. I was thinking about a cheap 75-300mm but don't like the idea of losing the wide end. For the price it's not a bad buy though. What I really want though is Canon's 24-70 f2.8 L. I've been looking at it for a while but yesterday DW, DS and I had some professional pictures taken and guess what lens they were using? I think I may have sold DW on it...until she see's the price! If I really had it my way I'd be buying the 24-70 AND the 70-300 f.28 L but that's not going to happen.

I do like the looks of that 18-200mm Sigma but something with a little faster would be nice. I suppose that's where the $$$ come in.

 

[Master Mason]

I'm kind of in the same boat. Right now I have my kit lens (18-55mm) and I got a 50mm f1.8 for Christmas. I'm in between "wants" and "needs" right now. Alright, lets face it...I don't really "need" anything else but I think I need something with more zoom. I was thinking about a cheap 75-300mm but don't like the idea of losing the wide end. For the price it's not a bad buy though. What I really want though is Canon's 24-70 f2.8 L. I've been looking at it for a while but yesterday DW, DS and I had some professional pictures taken and guess what lens they were using? I think I may have sold DW on it...until she see's the price! If I really had it my way I'd be buying the 24-70 AND the 70-300 f.28 L but that's not going to happen.

I do like the looks of that 18-200mm Sigma but something with a little faster would be nice. I suppose that's where the $$$ come in.

It is actually a 70-200 f/2.8L

If that is the range your looking for you might look at the sigmas, they are about half the price.

 

[mabas9395]

I can not say enough good things about the 85mm f/1.8. It is a sweet, sweet lens. Does not have the "L" label or price, but I have the 70-200 f/2.8 L and the 85mm is sharper and nicer at the same focal length and aperture. Which you are going to find to be true most of the time, a "good" prime will beat a "great" zoom in terms of image quality and the zoom beats the prime in terms of versatility (and like everything there are exceptions so YMMV).

 

[gokenin]

For those of us who use prime lens what would be the widest prime that you would take with you. I have a 21,24,28,30,43 the fastest is the 43 at F1.9 and the slowest is the 21 at F3.2 the others are all F2.8 at the fastest. which would you take and why? starting to think about my kit for my trip in november