Standard Lenses. Thinking more leads to greater creativity and greater creativity leads to better photos. I am merely repeating somethings and adding a few items. A standard lens is what we call an ‘inbetweener’. Keep in mind, prime lenses aren't just used in photography. ↑ In photography, The term Prime lens is used to describe the lens with focal length is fixed. In much simpler terms, it's the measurement (in millimeters) of how long your lens is. Lens aperture als… Although the aperture of a lens refers to the size of the hole in which the light passes through the lens to the film or image sensor, lenses are ranked in speed. A prime lens is one that has just one focal length only (in contrast to a zoom lens that covers a wider range of lengths). A prime lens, on the other hand, covers just one focal length. With a prime, you have to think about where you need to stand before lining up the shot. I own and regularly use both (but use zoom lenses … How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. Prime lenses also tend to cost less than similar quality zoom lenses. While zoom lenses are ever popular and come as the standard kit lens with most DSLRs sold – prime lenses remain the favorite of many. Below we’ll discuss some common telephoto lens lengths (as they work on a full frame camera) and how and when to use them. What is a prime lens? So, using the F4 FF lens as a (not-perfect) comparator, is still actually being “kind” to the Fuji lens. (I’m particularly interested in the recommendations of non Canon users to help balance the recommendations). There is rarely a ‘best’ in photography when it comes to either technique or equipment and those considering the purchase of a prime lens will want to think seriously about their own needs and circumstances. How to Pay for Gas Without Leaving Your Car, How to Change the Safari Background Image on Mac, How to Clear Edge Browsing Data With a Keyboard Shortcut, How to Link an Android Phone to a Windows 10 PC With Microsoft’s “Your Phone” App, © 2020 LifeSavvy Media. He lives in Melbourne Australia and is also the editor of the ProBlogger Blog Tips. The 50mm prime lens, however, will have an aperture of f/1.8 or even wider. For example, in the Canon range the fastest lenses available are all prime lenses (down to f/1.2) where as in the zoom range f/2.8 is as fast as you’ll get. Performance of the lens does not always depend upon whether it is an FE lens or an E mount APS-C lens, Primes are superior in image quality over normal zoom lenses and zoom lenses outperform Prime lenses in its usability of multiple focal lengths in a single lens. Prime Lenses Combat Lazy Photographer Syndrome – when you have a zoom lens attached to your camera the temptation is to let your zoom do all the work and to leave your feet attached to the same piece of turf. Prime lenses are usually faster, meaning low light photography get’s easier without having to raise the ISO. I've no idea why "prime." To get higher quality images. The above article may contain affiliate links, which help support How-To Geek. What does prime lens mean? Depth-of-field is the photographic term for the area in a photo that is in true focus. Frank Romano III February 18, 2013. This means they need a lot more light to get good photos; using a long telephoto lens at night is almost impossible. For those of you unfamiliar with the term ‘prime lens’ – lets start with a simple definition. Zoom lenses cover a range of focal lengths. While being able to get great lenses at affordable prices is reason enough to consider adding primes to your kit, there’s another reason you should think about it: limits help you be creative. Because fixed-focus lenses require great amounts of depth of field, there are few, if any, focus free telephotos. What do you see as their advantages and disadvantages. Reserved / Disclaimer, Your email is safe with us. I’m a Canon user and have three prime lenses that I’ve used and love: is the editor and founder of Digital Photography School and SnapnDeals. With a zoom lens, you’ve got a lot more flexibility. Technically, any lens that is bundled with a camera is called a kit lens. Weight – once again, a simple lens with less moving parts can mean that in many cases prime lenses are smaller and lighter than zooms.. Prime Lenses Combat Lazy Photographer Syndrome – when you have a zoom lens attached to your camera the temptation is to let your zoom do all the work and to leave your feet attached to the same piece of turf. When you can only use a single focal length, you have to think about everything you do. 28 mm – 200 mm lenses used for getting very close to a subject. There a number of reasons for that. There’s a lot to like about Prime Lenses and most serious photographers will own at least one or two. Price – in general prime lenses are simpler in terms of construction and as a result they can be cheaper to buy. If you’ve just bought a new DSLR, the kit lens that comes with your camera is almost certainly a zoom lens; most come with an 18-55mm lens, which means that lens covers every focal length between 18mm and 55mm. Therefore, an 18mm lens is quit… Their … Yes, you’re more limited, but these limits force you to think and be deliberate. This says its focal length is 85 mm and its fastest aperture is f/1.8. 50mm Prime Lenses and Digital SLRs. I still remember the time that I had a 100mm prime lens attached at a party when the speeches started and where I was separated from my camera bag. (A less common meaning is "the primary lens in a multiple lens set-up" such as in a Twin Lens Reflex camera.) In photography, there are two types of lenses: zoom lenses and prime lenses. However, in most cases the inclusion of an inexpensive zoom lens is to maintain a low entry price and maximize usability for the beginner photographer. A prime lens, on the other hand, covers just one focal length. Before we go, we wanted to leave you with an example of a scene shot with a prime lens. All 50mm lenses will share the same field of view and magnification, but they can have vastly different apertures. Perhaps there’s a return to a more ‘pure’ or ‘back to basics’ form of photography going on? A prime lens is a photography or film lens with a fixed focal length, meaning it does not zoom (like your 18-55mm kit lens does). A typical prime lens will look something like this Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM. The lens pictured above is a Canon 50mm f/1.2 lens – very fast but also quite expensive.. Keep in mind also that because you’re using larger apertures that this has … A prime lens might require more thought to use, but you get a lot more lens for your buck. Can be used for getting very close to a more ‘ pure ’ or ‘ back to basics ’ of... Has only one focal length lens with `` normal '' perspective your shot so,... Able to concentrate their efforts on adding quality glass and menanisms ‘ pure ’ or ‘ back basics... The versatility of the ProBlogger Blog Tips free Lightroom Alternative right for you about 50mm prime lenses there are affordable... To greater creativity leads to greater creativity leads to better photos because it 's lens. 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