Why You Should be Using a Prime Lens

Professional photographers know the correct tools of the trade to get the best photos. They would tell you that while zoom lenses are great for convenience and versatility, they can be a compromise in terms of picture quality. Even with the best glass, zoom lenses will not be able to ensure the optical quality of the highest level. This is where a high-quality prime lens comes in.

Zoom lenses are prone to flare, ghosting, and lack of sharpness in images. A high-quality prime lens will create sharp, crisp images without distortion or vignetting. We are going to tell you all the reasons why you should be using a prime lens if you are a photographer or planning to be one.

Weight- Prime lenses are light and comfortable to carry. With few moving parts, they are compact and lighter than zoom lenses. Of course, some expensive prime lenses could be built with lots of glass elements making them heavier to carry. It can depend on the kind you want to use but most prime lenses are light and easy to carry around.

Play with Light- Prime lenses are excellent if you wish to work in low-light situations. They give you the ability to play with light and still have amazing photos. Prime lenses have larger apertures than Zoom lenses. This makes them handy to shoot in dark or low-light condition. If you use a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, you can open up the aperture to f/1.8 and collect more light. You can also use a faster shutter speed. It helps during situations when the light is dim but you don’t want blurred movement in the shot.

Versatility- Prime lenses can be used for a variety of purposes. A 35mm prime lens is great for portraiture, landscapes, street photography, and other types of photography. It doesn’t matter whether you are using a crop sensor or a full-frame camera.

Get Creative- Zoom lenses don’t allow you to be creative or play around with the photos. You can just stand and change the focal length with a twist of the barrel, leaving no space for creativity. With a Prime lens, you are forced to move closer to the subject or further away, change position, change your angle, look at the way you frame it, and how to compose it. Prime lenses encourage the visual photographer and compel you to think out of the box. This is a great way to expand your creativity and come up with interesting photos.

Good Investment- Zoom lenses don’t come cheap. But prime lenses are really affordable and worth the investment. You can get a high-quality prime lens for the same price as a mid-range zoom lens. Major companies like Canon and Nikon have various types of prime lenses under US$200. That’s a steal considering the quality and advantages you get while using a prime lens. Investing in a high-quality prime lens will lead to stunning photos and improvement in your art which is always welcome.

Improve your Technique- Photographers who need to learn the basics or improve their technique should consider using prime lenses. They will teach you the tricks and tips of photography and hone your skills. You can reverse-mount a 50mm lens on your camera and use it as a macro lens. You can add an ND filter to any prime lens, open up the aperture, and get stunningly beautiful blurry backgrounds in portraits during the day. Photographers can also use an ND filter with a prime lens to slow down the shutter speed for long exposure landscapes. Beginners can use prime lens to shoot video because of their light weight and sharpness. Creative professionals can test the waters by using prime lens as a means of learning the basics and improving their technique. The freedom of a prime lens forces you to use your imagination and add your own technical knowledge instead of just shooting blindly.

Fast- Prime lenses are faster than other lenses. They have a larger maximum aperture which enables quicker shutter speeds. A typical 18-55mm zoom lens has a maximum aperture of roughly f/4 at the wide-angle end, shrinking to a mere f/5.6 at about 50mm. Switch to a 50mm f/1.4 prime lens and the largest available aperture is four stops faster. In low-light, you would be limited to a shutter speed of 1/15sec with a typical zoom. However, an f/1.4 lens will lead to a faster shutter speed of 1/250sec.

Prime lenses work because they lend you a tighter depth of field, enabling you to isolate the main point of interest in a shot by blurring the background. They work excellently for portraiture and several types of photography. The prime lens also comes in handy when the background is cluttered and acts as a distraction from the subject. Professional photographers should consider a prime lens to challenge themselves and work on their technique.