Prime lens vs Kit lens

[Bossy]

There shouldn't be a vs. Its all tools. You can use a hammer to get a screw in the wall, but a screwgun does it better and cleaner.

 

[chuasam]

Explain.... why shouldn't he use zoom to frame a shot instead of walking forward or backward?

You get really lazy and you don't learn to see and understand the picture.

 

[chuasam]

Prime lenses are typically sharper since they have less glass elements that the light has to pass through.

Here is a comparison of the equivalent canon lenses, 55mm(1.8) vs 18-55mm(3.5-5.6)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Standard Lens Review

By that logic, wouldn't a single element lens be the sharpest of them all? my 50mm lens is the least sharp of my main 3 lenses.
The sharpest is my 70-200 zoom followed by my 24-70 zoom. The 14-24 zoom which I do not own is actually sharper than the 14mm or 24mm primes.

 

[Bossy]

Prime lenses are typically sharper since they have less glass elements that the light has to pass through.

Here is a comparison of the equivalent canon lenses, 55mm(1.8) vs 18-55mm(3.5-5.6)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Standard Lens Review

By that logic, wouldn't a single element lens be the sharpest of them all? my 50mm lens is the least sharp of my main 3 lenses.
The sharpest is my 70-200 zoom followed by my 24-70 zoom. The 14-24 zoom which I do not own is actually sharper than the 14mm or 24mm primes.

No, but a prime at the same price range/ pro quality would likely be sharper than the zoom. Quality also matters in the equation.

 

[Austin Greene]

There shouldn't be a vs. Its all tools. You can use a hammer to get a screw in the wall, but a screwgun does it better and cleaner.

What is this...."screwgun" you speak of?

 

[ph0enix]

Primes are usually fast. Fast doesn't mean faster AF. It means larger constant maximum aperture which in turn allows for faster shutter speeds. Primes usually produce much nicer bokeh than kit lenses.
Question for you: how did you test the image quality of the 3 lenses?

 

[Cop J]

I think the main reason the 50mm prime is so popular is due to its cheap price for the large aperture (F/1.8). Primes can get you that large aperture for a lower price than a zoom with that aperture. Most zooms only go as large as f/2.8 and those that do are usually a lot more expensive than the primes.

I think you are seeing similar quality between the kit lens and the prime because you are taking similar pictures. If you want to have more bokeh in your picture, the 50mm will be more effective, while if you are looking to shoot a landscape the kit will probably perform better.

I have both lenses and IMO I like the 50mm better, but not due to image quality, just due to what it can do. I take a lot of indoor pictures and I don't have a flash yet, so I like that I can take pictures in low light. Also, I take a lot of pictures of family in busy surroundings, so a prime would be better at blurring the background while capturing their faces.

 

[0ptics]

If you do not feel you miss it, it is not worth to have it. If you do not need larger aperture, and possibly better bokeh, then no. This is not a joke: buy a new lens only when you learn you are missing it. To start, the kit lens is more than sufficient. However, the main reason that typically makes primes essential is aperture.

most likely you do not have a clear idea of image quality. What makes you tell that images were better? Try to analyze results. Resolution at center or borders? Distortion? Chromatic abherrations? bokeh? And all of this wide open or at other apertures? Or simply the kind of pictures taken with the longer focal length of the Canon seemed nicer vs. the ones taken at shorter focal length?

The three lenses are all good/very good lenses, but they are very different in focal length, it is hard to compare them. And you choose focal length depending on the pictures you like to take.

Yes I’m looking for a lens that is a prime because of it’s large aperture but also for superb images; and again my bad I’m a noob to photography and when I say image quality I meant the shot comes out clear/sharpness/fine. I’m sure there’s ways to “measure” the “image quality” but I just thought image quality mean that. I want to do more portraits so I guess I’m asking why the Canon lens’ images come out so much sharper than the Nikon’s? Is it because of their difference in focal length or is it just for another reason??

There are no pictures here so there is no way for us to see which is better. TEST SHOTS!!!!! Post them!!

Ya that is my fault, I should have took similar photos with both cameras to show and compare; hopefully the next time I see her I’ll be able too. But I know for sure the images from her Canon T2i/85mm camera came out a lot better than my Nikon D3100 35mm/50mm

It is not the lens.
Excellent portraits can be made with any lens.
What quality of the 85 was it that you felt made the portraits made with it look better?

I don’t know but even simple snapshots come out VERY clear, any shot with that camera/lens make every truly “pop”.

A fixed is just that, fixed. Less things can go wrong vs a zoom. And they generally have a larger aperture.

for any given focal length, the prime almost always has the larger aperture.
Things hardly EVER go wrong in a lens...zoom or prime.

I think that beginners should be forced to use prime lenses to build good composition habits.

Ya that’s what I’ve been told, though other photographers may disagree I feel that using a fixed focal length does force you to be more creative with your composition.

Primes are usually fast. Fast doesn't mean faster AF. It means larger constant maximum aperture which in turn allows for faster shutter speeds. Primes usually produce much nicer bokeh than kit lenses.
Question for you: how did you test the image quality of the 3 lenses?

Ohhh ok thanks for the clarification, when I did some research I wasn’t sure what they meant as “faster aperture” I thought they meant AF.

Overall I definitely want to get a prime lens because of it’s larger aperture, fast/quiet AF, and fixed focal length but also make my images really pop and very sharp. I just didn’t see much of a difference between Nikon’s 35mm and 50mm to the 18-55m, but for Canon 85mm every shot look amazing!!

Again the help would be very much appreciated, still quite confused about prime lens and why the Canon lens produces much better images than the Nikon. And I do NOT plan to switch brands/cameras; haha I don’t have the money!

0ptics

 

[Bossy]

There shouldn't be a vs. Its all tools. You can use a hammer to get a screw in the wall, but a screwgun does it better and cleaner.

What is this...."screwgun" you speak of?

Really? Its like, a screwdriver with a motor.

 

[MTVision]

Yes I’m looking for a lens that is a prime because of it’s large aperture but also for superb images; and again my bad I’m a noob to photography and when I say image quality I meant the shot comes out clear/sharpness/fine. I’m sure there’s ways to “measure” the “image quality” but I just thought image quality mean that. I want to do more portraits so I guess I’m asking why the Canon lens’ images come out so much sharper than the Nikon’s? Is it because of their difference in focal length or is it just for another reason??

Ya that is my fault, I should have took similar photos with both cameras to show and compare; hopefully the next time I see her I’ll be able too. But I know for sure the images from her Canon T2i/85mm camera came out a lot better than my Nikon D3100 35mm/50mm

I don’t know but even simple snapshots come out VERY clear, any shot with that camera/lens make every truly “pop”.

Ya that’s what I’ve been told, though other photographers may disagree I feel that using a fixed focal length does force you to be more creative with your composition.

Ohhh ok thanks for the clarification, when I did some research I wasn’t sure what they meant as “faster aperture” I thought they meant AF.

Overall I definitely want to get a prime lens because of it’s larger aperture, fast/quiet AF, and fixed focal length but also make my images really pop and very sharp. I just didn’t see much of a difference between Nikon’s 35mm and 50mm to the 18-55m, but for Canon 85mm every shot look amazing!!

Again the help would be very much appreciated, still quite confused about prime lens and why the Canon lens produces much better images than the Nikon. And I do NOT plan to switch brands/cameras; haha I don’t have the money!

0ptics

I'm sure you would feel the same way about the Nikon 85mm....

 

[Bossy]

Here's the thing. There's the age old, Nikon vs Canon crap. But if you really want to compare glass, you need to compare like to like, which you're not doing.

 

[0ptics]

I'm sure you would feel the same way about the Nikon 85mm....

Oh ok, actually that's good news, I just wasn't sure why the Canon 85mm looked so much better than the 35mm and mostly the 50mm. Because the Nikon 50mm's price is more than the Canon 85mm, but from what I've noticed the Canon 85mm produces way better images. Just to make sure, does the Nikon 85mm's shot look better than the 50mm? And does the Canon 85mm shots look better than the Canon 50mm? And I know price shouldn't be the the factor that indicates a "good/better" lens, but it just seems reasonable that lens that produces better/sharper images would cost more

 

[Bossy]

I'm sure you would feel the same way about the Nikon 85mm....

Oh ok, actually that's good news, I just wasn't sure why the Canon 85mm looked so much better than the 35mm and mostly the 50mm. Because the Nikon 50mm's price is more than the Canon 85mm, but from what I've noticed the Canon 85mm produces way better images. Just to make sure, does the Nikon 85mm's shot look better than the 50mm? And does the Canon 85mm shots look better than the Canon 50mm? And I know price shouldn't be the the factor that indicates a "good/better" lens, but it just seems reasonable that lens that produces better/sharper images would cost more

?? What you're looking at? The Nifty 50 is about $100 for manual, $200 for auto focus. The Canon 85 is about $430.

 

[IByte]

I found this clip and I hope you like reason 5

 

[SCraig]

God I love the weekly prime vs. zoom topic!