Internet Wisdom (such as it is) claims that primes are better than zooms. Zooms show off their versatility at sporting events and are a staple in most camera bags. I find myself shooting weddings with only the 50mm 1.4 and 70-200 2.8 (and 100mm 2.8 for ring shots), leaving my other lenses as weights to make my shoulder sore. A real great analytical writing with excellent critical thinking. Further, the lenses were often created for cheap film cameras that simply did not produce the detail of today's DSLRs. I can see the benefit and the quality it can provide (especially in lower light) but due being fixed at that focal length it seems that it would only be useful from a known fixed spot (like in a sports stadium) and without experience it seems to me like wildlife photography would be a big pain unless you are waiting at a fixed spot? This is where a fast prime lens will work the best. Aperture – There is no disguising the fact zoom lenses don’t offer as large an aperture. With the light altered so many times, it is bound to degrade. Your comment is a matter of opinion – one that I agree with, but most others do not. Two words. When it comes down to which lens to buy, the fact is that it depends greatly on the lens. Thanks for sharing. It even had a plastic mount that attached it to the camera body, which broke. If you don’t own a prime lens try setting your zoom lens to one focal length, and don’t touch it for the day. (I.e. Mark_A. Apertures. In short, yes! WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN AFFILIATE PROGRAMS WITH BLUEHOST, CLCJ, SHAREASALE, AND OTHER SITES. To produce bokeh – While zoom lens can still produce bokeh, especially at f2.8, the best bokeh will be produced with a prime lens using a large aperture. Maybe your talking about zoom lenses in the 60’s or early 70’s, but some lenses from the late 70’s, 80’s or 90’s had excellent sharpness, maybe not AS sharp as today lenses, but still very respectable. Not something you want to take a landscape picture with, but for portraits, for example, it gives you a beautiful bokeh on everything that is out of focus – this picture I took recently demonstrates what I mean http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackrivet/5795047516/in/photostream – taken with a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. A good quality lens, whether it's a prime lens or zoom, will produce a better quality image than cheap glass. But even the most ardent photo gearheads would not buy a prime lens for every focal length – you couldn't fit that much gear in your camera bag!! So you can shoot at faster shutter speeds. Nowadays with the technology we have, I can’t even see the difference on sharpness of the images taken with the 24-70 and the 50mm F/1.4 at f/5.6 my friend has. In real world, your concern should … The results were amazing. The zoom vs fixed lens debate is even more in favor of the fixed lens. It’s an amazing lens that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Primes are light, relatively small, and fast. So therefore take a look at the aperture and please do not buy expensive low aperture lenses also called zoom lenses. If you can afford a prime lens and will be happier and more satisfied, then by all means, buy a prime lens. As an amateur enthusiast I don’t understand telephoto primes though? There are countless forums and discussion boards querying how the photograph was taken, what was the ISO, was it shot in manual or aperture priority mode, full sensor versus cropped, and on and on. When a zoom lens is created, the engineers must design the lens to produce sharp images at any focal length within the lens's range. They provide a great deal more versatility than primes, but because of that can have some chromatic aberration and flare. I’ve tried a few times and always came back to my zoom. Hi Aperez77, Primes tend to be sharper than general purpose zooms, but top (pro) quality zooms are these days often as good as primes. They both work great. In my experience, the answer is yes; however, not by the margin that many photographers make it out to be. The other advantage of prime lenses is that they have a significantly smaller depth of field (DOF). When I bought the 24-70F/2.8 and the 105Macro VR 2.8, It changes ALL for me. For those interested Nikon just released a new 50 1.8G which now has an auto focus motor in it so it will work on all their cameras. Weight – The downside is that zoom lenses weigh more than prime lenses, though to some there is the other argument. But if you have the ability to back up, it still is a great lens. Once upon a time that adage was unequivocally true – the best prime lens was simply better than the best zoom lens. But there is one timeless battle over gear that rages on: Are prime lenses sharper than zoom lenses? I think limiting yourself will push you to learn more. This means you are going to be short on light running on very high ISO and of course the minimum f-stop. Take pictures using what you have. Why you need big apertures? It was versitile, capable of wide angle and substantial zoom all-in-one.. but the colour in my images was pathetic. I live in a city so I tend to just walk around and shoot whatever catches my eye in the street. Also to instantly put something in/out of frame with a light touch without changing much the anlge of view. Also primes force you to move yourself rather than the lens which means you can discover some amazing compositions (especially with a 35mm). WHen you start using primes, your shooting style changes rapidly. IMPROVE PHOTOGRAPHY LLC IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR SITES TO EARN ADVERTISING FEES BY ADVERTISING AND LINKING TO AMAZON.COM. Since I picked this lens up I have left my others at home and it has really taught me a lot. Once upon a time that adage was unequivocally true – the best prime lens was simply better than the best zoom lens. Most photographers straddle the line – look in their camera bag and you will find one, two, or three prime lenses at their favorite focal lengths and a workhorse zoom lens to cover everything in between. In tight places (or when shooting large groups), I find that on the cropped sensors, the 50mm is simply too long. I bought the NIkon D700 and 50F1.8, 80-200F/2.8 and that was my kit. A prime lens is simply a lens that cannot zoom from one focal length to another; in fact, prime lenses are often referred to as fixed focal length lenses. And your back and shoulders would never forgive you! The same glass/coatings applied to a prime lens will always produce a better, more vivid image.