Does One Really Need a Prime Lens (Page 6): Nothing as comfortable as Nikon 35mm f1.8 locked on the Nikon D5500. Fits in a Winter coat pocket, hides under the arm for close up candids.

Boris77

bkwaters wrote:

Fast primes are obviously beneficial for DOF control, such as in portrait photography. But is the “primes are sharper” argument still valid? With the ability of modern cameras to focus in low light and the effectiveness of noise reduction software, does the “primes are needed for low light” argument still hold?

Nothing as comfortable as Nikon 35mm f1.8 locked on the Nikon D5500. Fits in a Winter coat pocket, hides under the arm for close up candids. Non-threatening to all but ticket takers at some venues. Leave in car as back up in case bigger camera dies during a sanctioned shoot. And the quality is Prime!
I am too lazy to not use a zoom most of the time so I can sit back on my duff and let VR salvage the shots, but I do remember 60 years ago when I started out with primes. I earned those early pictures.
Boris

MountainDave

CHG_CANON wrote:

Still shooting DSLRs, I like to walk around with the 16-35 f/4L IS and the nifty-fifty 50 f/1.8 in my pocket. With deep shorts pockets, I can swap the lenses, such as touring someplace both indoor and outdoor.

I guess we could say your strategy is the reverse of mine! LOL

Doc Mck Loc: Terrell,Texas

Yes,I find myself using my primes less

Harry13

PHRubin wrote:

It really depends on your requirements. I don't even have primes, 'tho I did back in my early film days.

When I shot a 35mm, I had onne lens, an 85mm prime. Now that I'm digital, I stil have one prime, a 35mm. I have several zooms, the busyist a 70-200 f4. Golly, nothing between 35 and 70, think maybe it's time for another prime? :-) Harry PS Any excuse to get rid of some GAS!

Artcameraman Loc: Springfield NH

Always used primes in the studio but early in the field. Now I always take a prime 35mm 1.4 with me just in case, in case of what? I have a 24-70mm 1.8 on the camera guess it to pack my backpack so things don't bounce around. I still like prime lenses in the studio.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, theoretically.

I always use zooms.

photosfromtexas

You have made a great presentation for a prime. I guess the other side to consider is: if you are going to buy a zoom for other reasons anyway ( because you like to do landscapes or “events”), do you have enough money left over for a prime?

Basil Loc: New Mexico

photosfromtexas wrote:

You have made a great presentation for a prime. I guess the other side to consider is: if you are going to buy a zoom for other reasons anyway (because you like to do landscapes or “events”), do you have enough money left over for a prime?

Not sure who you were replying to(?), but I just had that situation recently. I had been trying to decide whether to buy the RF 70-200 f/2.8 or the f/4 version. The f/2.8 is bigger, heavier and costs nearly twice as much as the f/4 version. My heart really wanted that f/2.8 just because, well, it's f/2.8, but in the end my head won the day over my heart. I decided that, since I would be shooting mostly landscapes with it, and carrying it in a backpack while hiking, the much lighter, very compact f/4 version was the most logical choice. With the money I saved over the f/2.8 I justified buying a "refurbished" RF 84 f/2 because I have always loved the 85mm focal length for occasional portraits, plus this prime had a "pseudo" macro capability.

keywest305 Loc: Baltimore Md.

I have 3 primes now left from about 15. The Tamron SP 35 1.4 di usd is so sharp I could not sell it. I still think the primes have the edge on a zoom not by much anymore but enough. They still have their place.

gwilliams6

bkwaters wrote:

Fast primes are obviously beneficial for DOF control, such as in portrait photography. But is the “primes are sharper” argument still valid? With the ability of modern cameras to focus in low light and the effectiveness of noise reduction software, does the “primes are needed for low light” argument still hold?

I have been doing this as a pro for 50 years (yes I am 71). Early on, and for most of my career as a photojournalist we used primes with our Nikons, Canons and Leicas because of the better IQ.

But as optical designs got better and zooms got better with better IQ, faster focus, with faster max apertures we changed over to the convenience of zooms' range of focal lengths . Most pros nowadays will still have those special primes that we cant seem to live without, but for sure we also covet our versatile zooms and ALWAYS have one or two zooms with us at all times.

When I was on staff on newspapers and magazines, we always had access to the best prime long lenses like 300mm f2.8, 400mm f2.8, and 600mm f4 provided by our media outlets. Those modern versions of those lenses still reign tops, but at prices from $9000 USD to $13000, $14000 and more, these lenses are out of the budget reach of most hobbyists, unless they are very well-heeled.

Into their place for most are the superb long zooms from OEM makers and third-party lens makers. Great zooms are a great equalizer for most of us on tighter photo budgets, allowing more to make those shots that only expensive primes could make in the past.

And even better , the latest Sony 70-200mm f2.8 GMII zoom has now tested as sharp in MTF-standard sharpness tests as the best primes in those focal lengths, a first for zooms, and an amazing feat highlighting the major advances in optical design.

Fast Primes might still be a bit faster at f1.2, f1.4, and f2 and a bit sharper overall, but with modern cameras with great image sensors, with great dynamic range and high ISO and low light abilities, zooms at f2.8 and even f4 and higher are viable choices, and at a considerable savings over buying multiple primes.

Some examples:

1) A photo made with Nikon D1X and Nikon 300mm f2.8 Prime lens of wakeboarder Danny Harf winning the Gold Medal at the X-Games in Philadelphia.

2-4) Photos made with my Sony A1, and Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 zoom lens on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin. The Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 zoom lens cost $2000 USD vs the $13000 cost of the Sony 600mm f4 GM prime lens.

First a Snowy Egret takes off from its water perch on the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin, 319mm, ISO 1600, f6.3, 1/4000 sec. handheld.

Second, a Great White Egret bends its neck to clean its feathers. 591mm, ISO 1600, f6.3 , 1/2000 sec. handheld.

Third, a tight crop from the same shot taken at 591mm.

5) Sony A7RIV and prime 24mm f1.4 GM. Jade at sundown in the Nevada Desert, USA. 24mm ,f1.6, ISO 400, 1/160 sec., light only from headlights of two cars, with colored non-flammable smoke. The Sony 24mm f1.4 GM prime lens is $1400 USD.

6) Sony A7RIV and zoom Sigma Art 24-70mm f2.8 DG DN. Pro Model Dom, at sunset on Santa Monica Beach, California, USA. 24mm, ISO 200, f2.8, 1/40 sec., handheld, all natural light only. The Sigma Art 24-70mm f2.8 DG DN zoom lens is $1069 USD.

7) Sony A9, Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS zoom lens. Environmental Scientist Brooke H., in a slot canyon near Upper Antelope Canyon, Navajo lands, Page, Arizona USA. 24mm, ISO 400, f4, 1/30 sec. handheld with natural light coming into the canyon. The Sony 24-105mm lens G OSS zoom lens which covers a wide range and is a great all-around single lens to use, is priced at $1298 USD. This shot was chosen as a Worldwide Photo of the Week, by Sony Alpha Photographers in 2021.

8) Sony A9, Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS zoom lens. A local swimmer dives off a pier into the Caribbean sea on the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin. 24mm, ISO 400, f5.6, 1/2000 sec. handheld, all natural light

9-10) Sony A1, Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 zoom lens. Kids get pulled by fast speedboat on Brookings Lake, Manistee National Forest, Michigan, USA. 600mm, ISO 1000, f6.3, 1/2000 sec. handheld. These are about a 50% crop.

Click on download to see better image quality.

The point I am making as I have a mix of primes and zooms in my kit, I love my primes like my 24mm f1.4 GM, my Sigma Art 85mm f1.4 DG DN, and my 135mm f1.8 GM lenses. But if I ever have to go out with only a single lens ,I take one of my versatile zooms like my Tamron 17-28mm f2.8; my Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 DG DN; my Sony 24-105mm f4 G OSS; my Sony 70-200mm f2.8 GM; or my Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 lens.

If you are starting out and outfitting your kit, IMHO start out with the best quality versatile zoom lens your budget can afford. Having multiple focal lengths in a single lens is great, and with modern cameras and their amazing image sensors, and with modern zooms' optical designs you really dont give up so much nowadays vs excellent primes on the market.

Cheers and best to you.

(Download)

delder Loc: Maryland

larryepage wrote:

I have a few Nikkor AF-D prime lenses. 50mm f/1.4,... (show quote)

I like your observations on sharpness @ the expense of all other elements of photography.
I try to tell a story or catch a moment with my images.

CaptCurt

This Is What Ken Rockwell Had To Say.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/fixed-lenses-take-better-pictures.htm

User ID

Artcameraman wrote:

Always used primes in the studio but early in the field. Now I always take a prime 35mm 1.4 with me just in case, in case of what? I have a 24-70mm 1.8 on the camera guess it to pack my backpack so things don't bounce around. I still like prime lenses in the studio.

Do you really need a 35/1.4 in case a 24-70/1.8 doesnt do the job ?

User ID

photosfromtexas wrote:

You have made a great presentation for a prime. I guess the other side to consider is: if you are going to buy a zoom for other reasons anyway ( because you like to do landscapes or “events”), do you have enough money left over for a prime?

Definitely. Three primes at minimum.
Two zooms and five primes for the Z.

Zooms 14 to 75, primes 17 to 90.

gwilliams6

CaptCurt wrote:

This Is What Ken Rockwell Had To Say.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/fixed-lenses-take-better-pictures.htm

I know Ken and this Ken Rockwell article is from 2017, six years ago. As a Worldwide Award Winning Pro myself, and a Professor of Photography at a state university, I can tell you things have changed dramatically in the past six years since this article was written.

Modern Zoom lenses can completely hold their own optically with many primes. And it is always more the skill, knowledge, experience and creative vision of the shooter that matters more than prime vs zoom lenses.

You tell me what I am missing with these professional shots made with my zooms, and not made with my primes.

1) Model Shoot with Christina and Marie, on Atlantic Ocean beach, Cape May, New Jersey, USA. Folks, just models having some fun at the end of a long shoot, nothing risque' going on or implied here in this shot.
2) Model shoot with actress and model Cabrina Colesides and an old Farm truck, Southern New Jersey, USA.
3)Swans in pool reflections of sunset and Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, California, USA
4-5) Muscovy Duck taking off from pond on Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin
6) Hilly California Street, shot from a cable car, San Francisco, California, USA
7) From a moving cable car climbing a hill in San Francisco, California, USA
8) Environmental Scientist Brooke Hildebrand at sunset in the Valley of Fire, Nevada, USA.
9) Inside Lower Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon in Navajo lands, Page, Arizona, USA.
10) My nephew and his family, part of shoot for their 2022 Xmas cards, Flower Mound, Texas, USA

Yes I have and use primes, but I am just as likely to pick up one of my excellent zooms and use them for my professional and personal use. And I have won just as many photo awards, and have had just as many published shots with my zoom lenses as with my primes.

Click on download to see much better image quality of each shot.

Cheers and best to you all.

(Download)