Prime vs Zoom Lenses
When it comes to photography and the gear used, a debate will constantly rage on over the use of prime and zoom lenses forever more. Each type of lens comes with its own benefits and limitations, and your photography style will therefore determine your preferred choice.
In this blog I’ll be sharing how to utilise both prime and zoom lenses, helping you to decide which is best for you.
Zoom Lens
First and foremost, as a beginner I suggest you start out with a zoom lens, and thankfully many cameras come bundled with a kit lens in the shape of a zoom. When starting your photography journey a zoom is considered the best choice of lens due to the fact they allow you to cover a wide range of distances, for example 28-70mm or 18-55mm. These offer a great range in focal lengths which will allow you to get used to and figure out how distance and compression can effect your photos.
Because of the range a zoom lens provides, they are versatile because of the range, and are therefore well suited for the use of travel and discovering new locations. When exploring somewhere new, it’s hard to know what to expect in terms of which lens would work best. The zoom lens will allow you to cover all bases necessary, not leaving it down to chance and forcing certain shots instead.
Furthermore, they also allow you to be flexible in your approach to photography, which is perfect for beginners. A zoom lets you gather shots from a variety of different perspectives, offering you a greater range of photo opportunities whilst on the move. From snapping those close-up shots to focusing on subjects far away, a zoom lens allows you to mix-and-match with your ideas.
Examples of a zoom lens include:
Sigma 24-70mm f2.8: Review Here
Sony 70-200mm f2.8: Review Here
Prime Lens
After continuing your photography journey, you may well look into adding a prime lens to your collection. In comparison, a prime lens is small and compact, giving the duo of the camera and lens a well balanced feel, making it comfortable and light enough to use as a day-to-day travel combination. The lightweight designs are also a reason why they can be considered a ‘one-and-done’ lens, making them extremely versatile and agile to use with flexibility whilst on the move. Most prime lenses are just the right size, enabling you to get a good firm handle on the camera grip, which is always a plus.
One of the major beneficial factors of any prime lens is the sharpness and depth of field they bring. In terms of image quality and the details they produce, prime lenses are incredibly sharp, creating stunning imagery at every turn. The benefit of them having a low aperture such as f1.4 or below is that they also give you beautiful results in low light and indoor situations, meaning there is no event or conditions they will have trouble shooting in.
To get the best out of a prime lens you need to put the time in and practice with them in a variety of different scenarios, only then will you come to realise how great they can really be. They force you to search for unique perspectives by moving yourself to or from subjects, therefore making you think about your photography more. Honestly, after mixed feelings at the start, a prime lens now rarely comes off my camera. I love the documentation and storytelling abilities they bring, as a street photographer myself, they are such a joy to use, and I feel I’ve massively improved as a photographer because of using them.
Examples of a prime lens include:
Sigma 35mm f1.4: Review Here
Sigma 85mm f1.4: Review Here
