Questions about lenses that have a fixed focal length.
47
votes
11answers
11k views
Is there a noticeable difference between 1.8 and 1.4 prime lens?
I have been shopping around for a prime lens for my Nikon d50. I noticed that the 1.8 is hundreds of dollars cheaper than the 1.4 AF-S. What will I gain for that cost difference? Is it really ...
34
votes
8answers
4k views
Why is the 50mm prime lens the most standard?
Seems that most photographers choose the 50mm as their prime lens (at least from what I've read). I'm looking at getting a prime lens for my Nikon D3000 and the cost difference between the 35mm 1.8 ...
29
votes
8answers
4k views
Why do people recommend 50mm or other prime lenses as starting lenses for learning photography?
I've seen quite a few people recommend the 50mm prime lenses, in particular the sub-$100 50mm/f1.8, as a starting lens for photographers (especially because they're likely to be using cameras with ...
23
votes
3answers
3k views
What software can show my most frequently used focal length?
Many people recommend a focal length of 35mm, 50mm, and sometimes even 85mm and upwards for those interested in purchasing a prime lens. I, however, would like to figure out what focal length(s) I use ...
20
votes
5answers
1k views
What is the definition of a “prime lens”?
There are many discussions of differences between prime, zoom and macro lenses. I have not heard about prime lenses until recently.
Could someone explain what exactly a prime lens is?
Is it ...
19
votes
6answers
4k views
How hard would be photographing a wedding with just prime lens?
I was recently asked to photograph my cousin's wedding - ceremony at the church, some outside shots at the nearby park, maybe some shots at the reception.
Since my photography-related budget is right ...
19
votes
7answers
5k views
Why there is no Canon 50mm *IS* lens?
Canon's 50mm prime lenses are all non-IS (Image Stabilization) for some reason. Considering the popularity of these range primes, shouldn't Canon be interested in shipping a new, optically improved IS ...
18
votes
5answers
1k views
Is it worth it to have the 50mm f/1.8 Canon lens?
Is it really useful to have a fast prime lens for portrait photography, considering a low budget? If it is, what about the Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II?
I have an entry level 18-55mm lens and a Canon 20D. ...
18
votes
4answers
683 views
How to speed up autofocus on moving subjects under low-light conditions?
Since I am usually taking pictures under low light ambient conditions I have discovered the nifty 1.4 lenses (such as the Sigma 30mm/1.4 or the Canon 50mm/1.4 or also the Canon 85mm/1.8) for my Canon ...
17
votes
9answers
2k views
Prime lens or flash: which upgrade will most improve baby photos?
I current own a Nikon D5000 with kit lens (18-55mm f/3.5-5.6) and am looking to take better indoor photos of my fast-moving 9-month-old, which sometimes come out blurred or not natural I use the ...
17
votes
2answers
597 views
Considerations when purchasing a prime lens?
What should I be aware of when buying a prime lens (other than that it will fit my camera)? What specs should I pay close attention to?
16
votes
4answers
2k views
Is it true that there are no stabilized prime lenses (and if so, why)?
Fast prime lenses like the Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens work nicely in low-light situations. But I'm quite sure they would work even more nicely if they had optical image stabilizers. It seems to me that no ...
16
votes
3answers
2k views
Fast prime vs. expensive zoom for indoor sports photograhy?
I plan to try shooting my kids' indoor activities (Tae Kwon Do and Figure Skating). I can get pretty close to the action for TKD, and I have access to ice/board level positions for shooting at the ...
15
votes
6answers
1k views
Which scenarios are better shot with a prime lens versus zoom lens or macro lens?
What scenarios are better shot with a prime lens? A zoom lens? A macro lens?
15
votes
8answers
684 views
Would a prime be redundant with a fast zoom?
Now that I am finally getting a fast zoom (Tamron 17-50mm 2.8) I've been considering a fast prime to go with it, specifically a Sigma 50mm 1.4. Despite its shortcomings, it still does really nice ...
14
votes
5answers
4k views
Can I use my APS-C kit lens as a reference for choosing between 50mm or 35mm prime lenses?
I'm looking at getting a second lens in addition to my Nikon D7000's kit lens.
I want to know if it's possible to use my 18m-105mm kit lens to get an idea of the focal length for a 35mm lens vs. a 50 ...
13
votes
9answers
17k views
Which prime lens for Pentax?
My girlfriend is buying a Pentax K-5 (I already have a Pentax DSLR so we thought it made sense for us to be able to share lenses), and she's not sure about which lens to get with it, so I've been ...
13
votes
4answers
3k views
What is a 200mm lens good for?
I just found that there is a 200mm lens at my school. It is a Canon with Image Stabiliser (with red detail). It is old, at least 10 years. It has been great playing around with it, but I really don't ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
Why do wide angle prime lenses have relatively small apertures?
I've noticed that many of the wide angle prime lenses (at least for Canon) have somewhat smaller apertures than their normal or telephoto counterparts. E.g. the regular Canon 24mm prime is f/2.8 while ...
11
votes
7answers
10k views
What is a good wide-angle prime lens for Nikon DX (APS-C) format?
I am looking for a wide angle lens for my D90, between 12 and 18mm focal length, preferably a prime, because I like fast(er) and cheap(er) lenses.
Any recomendation ?
Thanks
11
votes
4answers
4k views
What's the advantage of buying a fixed 50mm f/1.8 lens when my camera has an 18-55mm zoom lens?
I've got a Nikon D3100 with an 18-55mm zoom lens. I'm keen to experiment with some other lenses and a friend of mine recently reccommended I purchase a fixed 50mm f/1.8 lens as he said it's good for ...
10
votes
5answers
2k views
Is the Nikon 35mm 2.0 worth the extra money over the 1.8?
After asking this question I'm thinking the 35mm prime lens will do the job for me. Since I take a number of photos indoors and in low light conditions, this lens will let me sty reasonably close to ...
10
votes
4answers
242 views
Does it make sense to get a non-macro and a macro of similar focal lengths?
I recently asked a question on which prime lens to get after the kit lenses, and in my shortlist of lenses there was quite a lot of overlap of focal lengths along with macro & non-macro versions ...
9
votes
5answers
5k views
If I have a 18-55mm lens, is there a point in buying a 35mm prime lens?
I have the Nikon kit lens that came with a D5100 — the kit lens is
18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom. I was thinking of getting a fast lens and I am looking to buy the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX.
...
9
votes
8answers
3k views
What options do I have for a normal and fast prime lens for a Canon APS-C camera?
I'm looking for a normal prime lens, desirably fast and not too expensive, for my 450D. 50mm seems to be the normal focal length on FF, thus for APS-C, I need about 30mm.
I want it to be fast as I'm ...
9
votes
6answers
2k views
Which prime lens to get after the 18-55mm & 55-250mm?
I started out with the 18-55mm IS kit lens on my Canon EOS 550D over a year ago, and added the 55-250mm IS a couple of months back to augment my telephoto reach (based on the recommendations in one of ...
8
votes
6answers
248 views
On smaller prints, will a high-quality zoom lens provide near equal image quality compared to primes?
Let's say I shoot with Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4, and a Canon EF 85mm f/1.8. Can these 3 primes be replaced with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 for the convenience of not needing to change ...
8
votes
6answers
8k views
50mm vs 85mm for portraits on a crop sensor?
I've read several times that a 50mm lens will make features like noses noticeably stand out compared to an 85mm lens. However, I'm never sure if the post/article is describing results on a full frame ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Does a 35mm prime lens show the same bokeh as a 50mm prime lens on a cropped sensor?
I came to know that a 50mm prime lens on a cropped sensor behaves like an 75mm prime lens.
So, does the 35mm prime lens behave like a 50mm prime lens on a cropped sensor?
If yes, then will it show ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
How can a prime lens focus on more than one plane?
By definition, a prime lens is a fixed lens system with a fixed focal length.
Then, simple physics tells us that it should be able to focus only on one plane (at a fixed distance) in front of it. But ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
Canon 50mm f/1.8 vs Canon 28mm f/1.8 (vs Sigma 30mm f/1.4)
I have the nifty-fifty and I am in love with the kinds of images it can produce, particularly when it comes to portraits. I really enjoy the lens, but I have one problem; it is a little bit too tight ...
7
votes
2answers
701 views
How do I focus a Nikon 50mm f/1.8?
I recently bought this lens, but it seems to me that it hunts a lot in low(ish) light, and sometimes (often) does not achieve focus at all. I never had any problems with the kit lens.
Pointing the AF ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
Is it difficult to focus on 1.4F prime lens, and if it is how to counter that?
Does difficulty in focusing have anything to do with 1.4F (Nikon G)?
Will it be still difficult if I use manual focus?
Is auto focus too slow?
Is there a way to counter it?
This example photo (from ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
How can I accurately focus manually on an APS-C DSLR?
My favorite portrait lens is the Nikon 50mm 1.4G. I love the light and what it is capable of. My problem with it is that on my D90 the AF is sometimes horribly slow, and in many cases (mainly low ...
6
votes
5answers
586 views
Can you recommend any resources about dance photography?
My main focus area in photography is dance; and at that mostly social dancing.
This usually means:
spontaneous action, no way to stage anything or prepare beyond being "in the moment and very ...
6
votes
3answers
323 views
Would a fixed or zoom telephoto lens be better for learning?
My daughter has a Nikon D-90 camera body and two prime f1.4 lenses 50mm and 35mm. She is interested in learning more, and I am curious which of a zoom or fixed telephoto lens would help her best? Is ...
6
votes
4answers
298 views
How does one track action with a fast telephoto prime lens?
With my normal-range prime lenses, I tend to shoot with both eyes open — what I see in the viewfinder has a high correspondence to what I see with my other eye. With my 70mm (105mm in 35mm-equivalent ...
5
votes
7answers
6k views
Why is my Nikon 50mm f/1.8 giving me an fEE error?
I have a AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. When I have the aperture setting on the lens to 22 I can take photos. But when I change the dial to anything other than 22(lowest f/stop) then I get a flashing fEE ...
5
votes
3answers
221 views
Practical speed difference between 1:2.5 and 1:1.7?
I have a 14mm/1:2.5 prime that I got with my GF-1. Does it make sense to invest into a 20mm/1:1.7 lens? I don’t care much about the difference in focal length. I’d like to know if the speed difference ...
5
votes
2answers
3k views
Is the difference between a good 50mm vs 85mm lens just your distance from the subject?
I was wondering: is the difference between a 50mm f/1.8 lens and a 85mm f/1.8 lens just your distance from the subject? Let's assume that distortion is minimal; both lenses are of high quality. Does ...
5
votes
2answers
381 views
Are reverse mounts only for use with prime lenses?
Are reverse lens mounts only for use with prime lenses? I was wondering if I could use my zoom lens with a reverse mount.
4
votes
8answers
4k views
Do I need a filter for my prime lens in order to protect it from dust, splashes, etc?
From here: http://photo.stackexchange.com/a/569/5205
UV Filters:
Many photographers feel that it is worthwhile to put a UV filter on the front of every lens, on the basis that this will protect ...
4
votes
4answers
4k views
Will a 35mm lens work for great indoor pictures of my kids?
I just purchased the Nikon D5100 DSLR. The kit lens that came with it (18-55mm vr) is great when shooting outdoors, but once I try to take indoor pictures of my kids, the images aren't that good. Is ...
4
votes
3answers
309 views
Are modern telephoto zooms so improved that they're not a big tradeoff vs primes? [duplicate]
I am looking for a good amateur telephoto lens for Nikon DSLR. It's main purpose will be sport shots.
Back when I learned photography with film SLR, a fixed focal lens was significantly better than a ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
What is the meaning of single focal length?
The Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G is described as a single focal length lens: http://www.nikon.co.in/products.php?categoryid=1014.
What does that mean?
What are its disadvantages as compared to ...
4
votes
3answers
230 views
Would it be better to use a 35mm prime instead of a 50mm prime on a cropped sensor body?
It's said that 50mm is close to what the human eye sees and is a very versatile focal length in general, especially good for street photography which is what I'm most interested in. That being the ...
4
votes
4answers
661 views
35mm prime lens on a Nikon D50
I'm looking at getting a prime lens for my Nikon D50, I'm looking at the 50mm ƒ1.8 and the 35mm ƒ1.8 DX.
What I understand is that the 50mm will actually give me an equivalent focal length of 75mm, ...
4
votes
4answers
3k views
Canon lens equivalent to NIKON AF-S DX 35mm F/1.8G?
A friend of mine has a NIKON AF-S DX 35mm F/1.8G lens and I would like to purchase something (at least) equivalent for my Canon, if possible at a similar price.
As I understand it, while 35mm still ...
4
votes
1answer
752 views
Can my Nikkor 35mm f1.8 be used as a macro lens, with reversing ring?
Can the Nikkor 35mm 1.8G be used as a macro lens, if I use it with a reversing ring ?
4
votes
6answers
2k views
Is the Canon 28mm f/2.8 sharp and good compared to the 18-55mm kit lens?
I have a Canon 500D/T1i with the kit 18-55mm IS lens. I need to replace the kit lens with a prime as a work around lens. I usually take photos of streets, people etc., and use the 20-35mm range of ...
