What is a prime lens vs one labeled with a range?

[tkruger]

I have heard the question prime lense. What is one and how is it used? I am only familiar with one listing a range i.e. 18mm - 55mm.

 

[tirediron]

A prime lens is one of a fixed focal length, eg 50mm, 85mm, 200mm, etc. A lens with a 'range' is a zoom lens, and has a focal length which goes from 'X' to 'Y' focal length. In the case of the 18-55, it goes from medium wide angle to short telephoto.

 

[MK3Brent]

A focal range only divisible by itself or 1.

 

[tkruger]

What is the advantage of a prime lens, say a 25 vs a lens with a range that includes 15 like an 18 - 55? Thanks in advance. Going to an DSLR is a learning experience. Prior to this there were no options and now there is everything one can think of.

 

[D-B-J]

Typically, prime lenses have better optics at their focal lengths, when compared to a zoom at that focal length. Also, prime lenses tend to have larger apertures 1.8, 1.4, etc. This allows them to let in more light, thusly allowing you to attain shots in lower light, while also allowing you to have a shallower DoF, which can be ideal for portraiture and artistic work. I say "tend" to, because it all depends on which lenses you are comparing.

Best,
Jake


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tkruger]

Typically, prime lenses have better optics at their focal lengths, when compared to a zoom at that focal length. Also, prime lenses tend to have larger apertures 1.8, 1.4, etc. This allows them to let in more light, thusly allowing you to attain shots in lower light, while also allowing you to have a shallower DoF, which can be ideal for portraiture and artistic work. I say "tend" to, because it all depends on which lenses you are comparing.

Best,
Jake


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OK, correct me then if I am wrong on this understanding. Since I shoot mainly landscapes and outdoor scenes and rarely shoot portraits or low light then a prime lense does not have much advantage to me at this point. Currently I am looking for the best set of lenses to cover a range of task on a budget without buying cheepo items.

 

[D-B-J]

Given that, primes may not help you. Maybe go with a 10-20mm wide angle and the 18-55. Or something comparable (I don't know much about wide angle lenses).

Best,
Jake


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[goodguy]

I think prime lens is a must!!!
Even if you dont see the need to get it you should have for atleast one prime lens.
The optics on these lenses is better, you will get sharper and better pictures with them, I find myself using more and more my prime lenses because the results are notisably better then a zoom lenses, when you crop the picture in you see the difference.
A prime lens in many cases is not an expensive lens which is another big advantage.
As an example if you have a Nikon with an in body AF motor you can get the Nikon 1.8D used for 60$ and the picture it produces is fantastic.
Same lens new should go for around 120$, if you dont have an in body AF motor you can go for the 50mm 1.8G which new is 200$ and used around 120$
Fantastic lenses for very little money, I think its a must in any lens collection you should have!

 

[480sparky]

As with many things, lens choices is always about making compromises.

There are compromises made during the design, engineering and manufacturing of the lens. And there are compromises to be made on your end choosing a lens. It's up to you to decide which compromises work to your advantage.

You say you do landscapes. Although your first reaction might be to go with zooms, primes will have many advantages you're probably not aware of.

As stated before, primes are usually sharper. If image quality has any importance to you, then prime lenses should be considered. Other advantages of primes:
1. Lower cost.
2. Smaller size.
3. Lighter weight.
4. Smaller filters.
5. Less distortion, CA, color rendition, coma, etc.

Well, doesn't lower cost catch your eye? And carrying smaller, lighter lenses sound attractive? Smaller filters may not sound sexy, but when you price a 77mm Signh-Ray VND and wish your glass took 52mm filters instead........
And the last point goes to image quality. Zooms as a whole fare worse in their rendition of a scene when it comes to distortion (barrelling, pincushioning, compound/mustache), chromatic abberation, coma, and all the other ills that are present in all optics.

And while primes are usually faster, don't be so quick to dismiss that simply because you don't think you'll need that shallow DOF. Having fgood, ast glass is a dream to focus with. Focus point can be just as critical to an image as DOF. And not all landscapes are taken on sunny days.

 

[Designer]

tkruger; welcome to the forum!

This is a topic that comes up often, and being a newbie means that you might not see any particular advantage now, but as you progress in photography, you may eventually realize all the possibilities to which your choice of lenses will lead.

For now, you can take all the above advice to the bank because it is golden. Personally, I can visualize many times in landscape photography where you might want to play with the DOF.

Depending on your budget and timeline for shopping for lenses, you can get some very good primes for not a lot of money, and you can also find excellent zooms, although they will cost more.

 

[WhiteRaven22]

I do some hobbyist landscape stuff and I use a 28mm prime, 50mm prime, 70-210mm zoom, and a 300mm prime, which I use with a 35mm SLR (comparable to a full frame DSLR). (Remember: The size of the target medium (film or sensor) does affect what ranges of lenses are relatively wide angle or telephoto.) I do manual photography, so the primes are nice because the image is usually slightly better and it's one less aspect for me to worry about adjusting in the picture-taking process. Furthermore, I highly recommend a 50mm prime with a wide aperture. This is a very good go-to lens (especially on 35mm or full-frame digital) and I find my self using it for about 90% of my shots.

That's my two cents.

 

[KmH]

There 3 grades of interchangeable prime and zoom lenses:
Consumer grade, often known as a 'kit' lens.
Prosumer grade
Professional grade.

Not every prime lens focal length or zoom lens zoom range will offer 1 of all 3 grades of lens.
Understanding Camera Lenses

There are 3 kinds of zoom lens:
Fixed aperture (usually very inexpensive, and only has 1 lens aperture)
Variable maximum aperture - mostly consumer grade and prosumer grade and the variable maximum apertures are noted on the lens - like f/3.5 - 5.6, or f/2.8 - 4, but the lens aperture can be adjusted smaller.
For example 18-55 mm kit lenses usually usually have a max aperture range of f/3.5-5.6 which means the max aperture varies automatically as the lens is zoomed from 18 mm to 55 mm. f/3.5 cannot be iused at 55 mm because the max aperture at 55 mm is f/5.6
Constant maximum aperture (not the same as a fixed aperture) - noted by a single max aperture like f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4. A 17-55.
A constant aperture 17-55 mm f/2.8 lens set to f/2.8 will stay constant at f/2.8 as the lens is zoomed to any focal length in it's zoom range

There are also camera maker lenses and 3rd party lenses. Third party lenses have to be reverse engineered and may not be forward compatible with newly introduced cameras.

In general, lens optics, build quality, and aberration correction improve with each step up in grade, as does lens cost.

Camera Lenses

• Using Wide Angle Lenses Contrast
• Using Telephoto Lenses
• Camera Lens Quality: MTF, Resolution and Contrast

For landscape photography you will want some lens filters -

Camera Lens Filters

• Understanding & Using Polarizing Filters
• Using Graduated Neutral Density (GND) Filters
• Using Neutral Density (ND) Filters

 

[tkruger]

Thanks for all of the comments. These have opened up a lot of avenues to consider. Currently I am keeping my eye open for anything that is a bargain on the used market. Trying to learn what to look for so I can get it when it comes available.