Bill_de Loc: US

Not 50 x 1.4 = 70 ???

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lightyear

Prime lens selection normally is defined as a single focal length (not zoom) lens. APS cameras somewhat magnify the image, hence a shorter focal length than 50mm would show what the eye sees. However prime could be a wider angle ( shorter focal length). Some camera makers have decided that their PRIME ( single, most usable) focal length is 23mm. hence the selection of YOUR prime lens is not determined by anyone but you ( the user)> If you don't know what single focal length you want, you might go to a camera store and try on different lenses to determine which image you like best. Put each lens on the camera, walk outside into the sunlight and look at the same scene with different lenses. Prime(single focal length) lenses usually produce a slightly sharper image than zoom lenses, but are obviously less versatile. Try to only consider lenses of the same brand as your camera, since third party ( Sigma, Tamron, etc.) lenses vary in performance.

There is obviously no single answer to your excellent question.
Stan

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

The OP has a full range of zooms.
Just set the zoom to the focal length being considered and decide which is desired.
No store visit required.

dwphotola Loc: Douglasville, GA.

It all depends on what you are shooting and what you expect to get out of the lens! A lot of people start off with a nifty fifty (50mm f1.8) or a 35mm f1.4 but my favorite is the 85mm f whatever (from 1.2 to 1.8) the larger the opening the more expensive! I do have the Canon 85mm f1.2 and love it!

John O.

A prime lens is not as important today because of the much higher quality of today's Zoom lenses. It is easier to carry a choice of overlapping zoom lenses than a bunch of primary lenses which are strictly a fixed focal length.

yorkiebyte Loc: Scottsdale, AZ/Bandon by the Sea, OR

Yep! Not important - just blast away at different focal lengths and you'll end up with sumtin'! Spray and prey really is a THING!

Not my Idea of fun, however. I MUCH prefer Primes. Not because of quality, but because I like the challenge of getting the shot. I shoot like I still use film. Does that make me a better photographer? No. But it Does make me a photographer.

~ I truly consider 96% (random number, right!? ) of people that I see with a camera NOT to be photographers. To me (jus' my opinion), The Zoom Crowd takes the highest percentage of those.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Zooms are not pray and pray.
They do though allow rapid changing the lens to accommodate a rapidly changing opportunity.
No way can you change a prime for another then move to get the correct composition because you need a prime between the 2 primes you have.
I get the exact composition in camera without cropping later. What a concept.
Not bashing primes but in far more circumstances zooms are superior for me and most others.

usnret Loc: Woodhull Il

What do you like taking pictures of? Close ups of bugs and such with a macro len? Distant landscapes? Portraits? Sunrises or sets? The distant moon? Reason I ask is because there is no such thing as a "one size fits all" PRIME lens.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

When I go out without a specific result in mind I’ll take a zoom. When I go out with an idea of what I want to accomplish I’ll take a suitable prime.

ecurb Loc: Metro Chicago Area

👍

yorkiebyte Loc: Scottsdale, AZ/Bandon by the Sea, OR

I no longer shoot Professionally. Zooms were handy (for me) for modeling portfolios and candids at weddings- lifesavers at that. But my best work was done with Hassleblads, Rolleiflex TLR & SLRs, and other hardware. For myself, a Prime lens is what I feel most comfortable with for my best work.
… Zoom lenses are a great convenience and are great for you and others whose needs are different from mine. To be clear, I DO use zoom lenses when it is needed for the work at hand.
- It’s all Good!!

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Landscape suggests that wide angle would be best. Wildlife suggests that telephoto would be best.

Most of the time professional photographers are happy to slum it with zoom lenses (that would be the best of zoom lenses). Some of the exceptions would be portraits (~85mm), macro (~105mm), interior real estate shots (20mm or wider). People who use primes for wildlife often choose 600mm. There are other common preferences such as nifty fiftys for general purpose shooting.

Wide angle primes are fine for landscapes except for when you want to zoom in on specific features from a distance.

A common reason for wanting to use a prime is to take advantage of their "brightness" (aka their "fastness"). For that reason, primes with a low f-stop rating (i.e. a wide maximum aperture) are a popular choice for indoor shooting. (A wide aperture is pretty well essential for shooting fast movement in low light, for example sports when played under artificial lighting).

All of the above examples refer to full frame focal lengths (aka 35mm equivalent focal lengths). You would need to adjust those figures for a crop camera such as your APS-C DSLR. In your case that would involve multiplying the full frame value by 2/3 (i.e. divide by 3 and multiply by 2). For m4/3 (Olympus/Lumix) you divide by 2.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

14,18,21, 24, 28,35, 50, 85, 105, 135, 200, 300, 400, 500. My recommendations.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Zooms allow me to unchain framing from perspective. I learned about that towards the end of the film era. I like that. Since I tend to work at the higher end of the F-stop range {around F/16} I generally don’t benefit from the main ‘advantage’ of primes in any case.

Personally, I tend to use wider focal lengths unless I am photographing animals these days. I tend to use higher ISO values {instead of wider apertures} when photographing indoors.

agillot

Modern zoom lenses , are about same result then prime [ fixed ] lenses . A quality zoom make you more creative .most people use a 150 / 600 for wild live . For walk around , a 18/ 400 , or 28/300 would be it .