Solarflare
No longer a newbie, moving up!
- Joined
- May 24, 2012
- Messages
- 2,898
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- 395
What camera do you use ? If its an APS-C [EF-S] one, you might be served better by getting a 50mm lens instead. A 85mm is very long on APS-C.
Unless you actually need the zoom feature, a prime lens will optically be better. Except of course if you had a really weak prime lens and a really good zoom, but why would you have such a really weak prime lens ?
The best lenses on the planet are all prime lenses.
For portraits specifically prime lenses will give you also more shallow depth of field, because you get more light. Zooms usually end at f2.8, though some enormous heavy expensive f2 zooms exist. Primes usually start at f2, go down to f1.4 and possibly beyond.
And you dont need to zoom for portraiture, you just can move around yourself until you have the framing you want. This is also sometimes called "zooming with your feet".
Unless you actually need the zoom feature, a prime lens will optically be better. Except of course if you had a really weak prime lens and a really good zoom, but why would you have such a really weak prime lens ?
The best lenses on the planet are all prime lenses.
For portraits specifically prime lenses will give you also more shallow depth of field, because you get more light. Zooms usually end at f2.8, though some enormous heavy expensive f2 zooms exist. Primes usually start at f2, go down to f1.4 and possibly beyond.
And you dont need to zoom for portraiture, you just can move around yourself until you have the framing you want. This is also sometimes called "zooming with your feet".
