Primes and Zooms

I constantly see people debating about primes and zooms, so today, I thought I would share some of my personal views on this. Before we begin, just in case, primes are single focal length lenses, like a 35mm or 50mm...etc., while zooms are...zooms :) Like my 24-70mm or 70-200mm.

For me, photography is about you and what you want to do with it. There are some obvious differences between a prime and zoom. Understand what they do and how they impact your photography.

Primes are generally smaller, lighter, and faster. This can be a HUGE plus to someone, not to mention, in general, they cost less for the quality of image you get from a prime. I really do like primes, and there are some great deals on the Nikon end for used, older manual focus primes.

Zooms have one major advantage, but can impact a few things, which is, it ZOOMS! :) With a zoom, you can get in close or expand wide, in an instant. No lens changing (risk missing a shot). I love my zooms as well.

In the end, it's what you do and what is important to you (sorry, I know I keep repeating this, but I constantly see people get caught up with what other people say is important with out context). Again, the key is understanding how each type of lens will affect your photography. There are many reasons to favor one than the other, but there is one very very important thing to remember. There may be physical limitations that will affect your photography.

If you are shooting in a studio or outdoors...etc., where you can move around freely, you can generally do fine with a prime since you can zoom in and out by moving in closer or further back from the subject.

Example: This was taken with a 85mm f/1.8D. I just got close for a close up shot.


But, on the other hand, I shot a dance event and my movement was very limited. I was at the front of the dance floor, there are people all around me, so I can't just move when I need to, so a prime will not be very effective here.


shooting from the same spot with my 24-70, I just zoom back and now I can get this shot.


another point to remember is, perspective. I don't have any good comparison photos right now to illustrate this side by side, but depending on the lens you are using, it's not just about moving in closer or backing away. Here's a close up of Kylie with a 35mm:


If I took this exact same picture with a 200mm lens, the perspective and feel of Kylie's face will be different. I will do a side by side comparison one day soon. For now, I just wanted to get you thinking about what you shoot and what works for you, not worry about what works for someone else.