What would "faster glass" matter when you're using a high F number?

[astroNikon]

You ask a lot of interesting questions ... Do you ever take pictures?

Nope, just a few, I'm still learning. This is a passing hobby, but lifelong I hope. My main hobby is classical guitar -

Guitar is a great hobby. I'm learning guitar and electric bass too. I'm an educated jazz saxophonist and classical clarinetist which turned into a hobby instead of a profession a long time ago.
Of course, photography is a great hobby too as complex as different guitar techniques, strings, body materials, et all.

 

[runnah]

You ask a lot of interesting questions ... Do you ever take pictures?

Nope, just a few, I'm still learning. This is a passing hobby, but lifelong I hope. My main hobby is classical guitar -

Guitar is a great hobby. I'm learning guitar and electric bass too. I'm an educated jazz saxophonist and classical clarinetist which turned into a hobby instead of a profession a long time ago.
Of course, photography is a great hobby too as complex as different guitar techniques, strings, body materials, et all.

I've heard learning the Sax really blows.

 

[astroNikon]

You ask a lot of interesting questions ... Do you ever take pictures?

Nope, just a few, I'm still learning. This is a passing hobby, but lifelong I hope. My main hobby is classical guitar -

Guitar is a great hobby. I'm learning guitar and electric bass too. I'm an educated jazz saxophonist and classical clarinetist which turned into a hobby instead of a profession a long time ago.
Of course, photography is a great hobby too as complex as different guitar techniques, strings, body materials, et all.

I've heard learning the Sax really blows.

There's alot of good female players too ... they seem to have some odd advantage.

 

[Braineack]

playing sax gets you laid.

 

[enzodm]

... It's becoming almost a status symbol to have fast glass. ...

Putting it historically, it is not so true. Let's say that now is mandatory to have a zoom, and to have it cheap, it is slow. But in past times, 50/2 was the kit lens. At that time, someone could have written "With the camera owners being able to walk some step without much difficulty, for the average person owning a zoom lens is almost pointless." (but I agree with you on the rest).

 

[dennybeall]

If you wanted to be a sports photographer and work football or especially basketball games you would appreciate Fast Glass! Action shots requiring fast shutter speeds are seriously helped by the fastest glass you can afford.
I can remember many years ago with the Nikon "F" and Tri-X ASA400 B&W film and the 50mm f1.2 Nikon lens made the difference at times.

 

[imagemaker46]

If you wanted to be a sports photographer and work football or especially basketball games you would appreciate Fast Glass! Action shots requiring fast shutter speeds are seriously helped by the fastest glass you can afford.
I can remember many years ago with the Nikon "F" and Tri-X ASA400 B&W film and the 50mm f1.2 Nikon lens made the difference at times.

I shoot sports for a living and while in a lot of situations having faster glass is important, it's really not as important as it once was. As I mentioned before, with the camera bodies being capable of a higher iso you can get away with using f4 or even 5.6 long lenses and do the job. I shot football and baseball with the 500 f4 and the 600 f4, it wasn't necessary to have a f2.8. I do use a 300 2.8 and 1.4x to shoot football now. I'm not sure when you would use a 50mm lens to shoot football or basketball.

 

[runnah]

If you wanted to be a sports photographer and work football or especially basketball games you would appreciate Fast Glass! Action shots requiring fast shutter speeds are seriously helped by the fastest glass you can afford.
I can remember many years ago with the Nikon "F" and Tri-X ASA400 B&W film and the 50mm f1.2 Nikon lens made the difference at times.

I shoot sports for a living and while in a lot of situations having faster glass is important, it's really not as important as it once was. As I mentioned before, with the camera bodies being capable of a higher iso you can get away with using f4 or even 5.6 long lenses and do the job. I shot football and baseball with the 500 f4 and the 600 f4, it wasn't necessary to have a f2.8. I do use a 300 2.8 and 1.4x to shoot football now. I'm not sure when you would use a 50mm lens to shoot football or basketball.

Team photos?

 

[ByronBrant]

To answer your question of if both the fast glass and the slow glass lenses are stopped down for max sharpness. The difference between the two would be slim.
But as others are pointing out. Many many circumstances don't allow you the luxury of stopping down.

 

[dennybeall]

To answer imangemaker46, you're absolutely correct, the 50mm was used with the Nikon "F" for day to day photojournalism work for the Washington Daily News. Just a reference to the f-rating for use in usually bad light.

 

[JoeW]

I was thinking the other day about "fast glass". I was thinking about getting a prime lens. A 35mm F1.8 that Jorod Poulin said "Everyone should have". I actually don't think I will though at the moment, but that's beside the point of this post.

I'm wondering what a difference "fast glass" or something at F1.8, etc matters when you're using it with a higher F stop number.

Actually, I'm new to all of this, so I actually don't even KNOW if a "f1.8" lens will go to F16 or F22,etc ..... do they?

So, I'm wondering. If I have say, an "f2" lens and put it at F22, will it be identical to one of the included lens that came with my camera at the same fstop? The 2 lens that came with my D3200 are the KIT and a 55-200 NON VR lens by the way.

So, I guess the main question is : Do faster lenses have superior picture quality at higher F numbers also or just when they're at F2 or similar?

Thanks

There is a major element you're missing to the whole "fast glass" thing and that is....sometimes you want a very narrow DoF. If you're using a kit lens, that means you've got an aperture at maybe f4.5. Depending upon what you shoot and your style, having the ability to shoot at f1.8 or f2.0 is a huge advantage. I've attached a photo of a flower. I didn't shoot at a wide-open aperture in order to get more light, I shot at a wide-open aperture in order to have narrow DoF.

 

[JacaRanda]

Some things are not as important anymore because of software like, like, like, Gimp ooopsie I meant Photoshop.

You are a tool, oopsie I mean use the tool to get the results....blah blah blah.
Kinda kidding, but photography is weird.