Prime Lenses - what are they and why are they so good!
Currently, my lens collection is 50% prime lenses.
And possibly my favourite of these is the 50mm prime, a photographers dream lens.
OK, so what is a prime... its a lens that has a set focal length. You cannot zoom.
Generally they are more expensive than zooms because the quality is superior.
So why would you want just a set focal length when you could have multiple?
Because there's no zooming mechanisms, these lenses have less elements to them, so the optics are sharper. If you are a portrait photographer, sharpness is essential, no matter what your style.
The 50mm is a VERY FAST lens with an aperture of f1.2. This is pretty extreme and you have to be super careful to get the correct area in focus at f1.2 but VERY handy in low light situations, so you can still keep your shutter reasonably fast and reduce blurriness from hand held camera shake. I LOOOOOOVE this feature, especially for photographing births, which is always tricky lighting.
The lens itself is much lighter in weight than a zoom within this range. This is important if you are hiking, or just carrying it around your body doing street photography for example.
Generally fine art and portrait photographers will prefer a prime simply due to the sharpness.
If you are on a busy schedule and moving location constantly eg weddings, then the zooms are more preferable to cover a range of situations, as you may not have the time to change lenses.
I took my 50mm out for a play last weekend for some street photography.
The primes also tend to make you work for the shot a bit more, you have to move your body closer or further away to get the frame you want, thus making you look for different angles and you get a bit more creative with your photography.
So heres all the boxes it ticks..
sharper images
lighter weight
generally better in low light
makes you more creative
#cairns #photographer #photography #primelens #50mm
These next few are processed using split toning, for effect.
And possibly my favourite of these is the 50mm prime, a photographers dream lens.
OK, so what is a prime... its a lens that has a set focal length. You cannot zoom.
Generally they are more expensive than zooms because the quality is superior.
So why would you want just a set focal length when you could have multiple?
Because there's no zooming mechanisms, these lenses have less elements to them, so the optics are sharper. If you are a portrait photographer, sharpness is essential, no matter what your style.
The 50mm is a VERY FAST lens with an aperture of f1.2. This is pretty extreme and you have to be super careful to get the correct area in focus at f1.2 but VERY handy in low light situations, so you can still keep your shutter reasonably fast and reduce blurriness from hand held camera shake. I LOOOOOOVE this feature, especially for photographing births, which is always tricky lighting.
The lens itself is much lighter in weight than a zoom within this range. This is important if you are hiking, or just carrying it around your body doing street photography for example.
Generally fine art and portrait photographers will prefer a prime simply due to the sharpness.
If you are on a busy schedule and moving location constantly eg weddings, then the zooms are more preferable to cover a range of situations, as you may not have the time to change lenses.
I took my 50mm out for a play last weekend for some street photography.
The primes also tend to make you work for the shot a bit more, you have to move your body closer or further away to get the frame you want, thus making you look for different angles and you get a bit more creative with your photography.
So heres all the boxes it ticks..
sharper images
lighter weight
generally better in low light
makes you more creative
#cairns #photographer #photography #primelens #50mm
These next few are processed using split toning, for effect.
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