Like most people, I use zooms mostly and I have a few of Canon's finest. But I try to use my primes as much as possible. Attaching one to my camera gives me more of a sense of seriousness and I anticipate making some really compelling images that just don't seem possible even with the best zooms. I've been surprised how many photographers, even serious ones with expensive equipment, don't own a single prime. Everyone should at least own a nifty fifty where if nothing else, you can experiment with the shallow depth of field at 1.8 that's not available in any zoom. And it's as sharp or sharper than even the best zooms. Another I like is the 40mm pancake. While not as fast as the 50, it's a bit sharper and smaller. I find it to be extremely versatile with closeups, landscapes and anything else. You can just stick it in your pocket. At 179., this a gift from Canon. One more: the 135 2.0L. I call this my magic lens because it produces magic images. It's been on the market since 1996 and some still say it's Canon's best lens ever! Since Canon just raised the price of the 100 2.8L, the 135 is now the cheapest L series prime, a relative bargain. I invite others who use primes to make recommendations to help out our primeless brethren!

And I agree, Prime lenses are a treat to use. But for me, my Nikon 70-200 2.8 FL has the following advantages over a prime lens.
1. Sharpness, my 70-200 delivers the same quality 30X40 prints as my primes.
2. Versatility, my 70-200 is actually a 85, 105, 135, and 200 mm lens built into one lens.
3. Cost, my 70-200 is cheaper than buying a 85, 105, 135, and 200 mm 2.8 lens.
4. Portraits, my 70-200 gives me much more versatility than any prime, without moving I can let the model move and strike a great pose, I can now zoom until I get it just right in the camera.
Second Portrait advantage, for gals with, lets say a larger nose than would be expected, I can zoom out to 200mm and flatten it much more than using say, a 135.
5. Field advantage, in the field I do not have to change lenses, result is less chance for something getting on my sensor.
Today's zoom lenses are not your fathers zooms of the film past. Most are razor sharp and have great advantages over most primes.
Good luck, and as always, keep on shooting until the end.
PS. If you want to argue my points, please provide photographic proof, other wise your just a talking head.

Here's an old post that is only 2-pages with several contributions for f/1.8 50s: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-177192-1.html

What's hard to demonstrate is the light weight and relatively small size. The Canon and Nikon versions weigh between 5oz to 6 ounces. Relative to the weight of a full frame DSLR camera and / or zoom lenses that include 50mm, it's like the lens is not even there and you're just carrying the camera with no lens. Different models have different characteristics, but f/2 to f/2.8 are a wonderful mix of sharpness and background blur, typically less than $200 in cost.

Like most people, I use zooms mostly and I have a few of Canon's finest. But I try to use my primes as much as possible. Attaching one to my camera gives me more of a sense of seriousness and I anticipate making some really compelling images that just don't seem possible even with the best zooms. I've been surprised how many photographers, even serious ones with expensive equipment, don't own a single prime. Everyone should at least own a nifty fifty where if nothing else, you can experiment with the shallow depth of field at 1.8 that's not available in any zoom. And it's as sharp or sharper than even the best zooms. Another I like is the 40mm pancake. While not as fast as the 50, it's a bit sharper and smaller. I find it to be extremely versatile with closeups, landscapes and anything else. You can just stick it in your pocket. At 179., this a gift from Canon. One more: the 135 2.0L. I call this my magic lens because it produces magic images. It's been on the market since 1996 and some still say it's Canon's best lens ever! Since Canon just raised the price of the 100 2.8L, the 135 is now the cheapest L series prime, a relative bargain. I invite others who use primes to make recommendations to help out our primeless brethren!