[Kornphlake]

The biggest advantages to prime lenses are related to the aperture. With a zoom you'll have a maximum aperture of say f3.5 on the wide end and f5.6 on the telephoto end. The aperture varies thorughout the zoom range which can be really annoying. Using manual exposure controls you may set the exposure then zoom in and your shots are underexposed because the aperture will stop down at the long end. Prime lenses usually have bigger apertures, you'll have to spend a lot of money to find a zoom lens that has a f1.8 aperture, for whatever reason it's easier to build a prime lens with a big aperture than a zoom lens. Also there is something about the number of lens elements in a prime lens that makes it better than a zoom lens, the individual elements are optomized for one focal length rather than a range or some such nonsense.

 

[narlus]

prime advantages:

sharper
lighter
faster
cheaper (usually)
makes you think more about composition; you can't just twist the ring and go, but are forced to use 'foot zoom'.

cons:
no zoom (if you are in a fixed spot, this can be a severe liability, depending on focal length and desired subject).

 

[mcrae2112]

So would a 50mm prime lens be good for shooting skatepark stuff or dirtjumping? Is there one that would be better?

 

[narlus]

i would think you might want something wider, esp w/ a crop body camera. fisheyes work well, but they are kinda speciality lenses.

i've not shot park though; ask on cameracourage.com

i just ordered my 50mm canon f/1.4 today...you want to buy my f/1.8 version?

 

[mcrae2112]

I'm thinkin for the price it may not be a bad lens to aquire. Let me know how much you want for it.

 

[PatBranch]

What is bokeh?

 

[narlus]

bokeh is the term (japanese origin?) for the blurred background you get when you shoot at a very wide aperture.

 

[Transcend]

prime advantages:

sharper
lighter
faster
cheaper (usually)
makes you think more about composition; you can't just twist the ring and go, but are forced to use 'foot zoom'.

cons:
no zoom (if you are in a fixed spot, this can be a severe liability, depending on focal length and desired subject).

Those are advantages of primes vs zooms in the same price range, just to be clear. ie: Some of canon's zooms are even sharper than the consumer primes. (70-200 2.8 comes to mind, and 300 2.8), but clearly cost a TON more, weigh more and are a bit slower (2.8 vs 1.8). Canon doesn't make a single zoom under 2.8 as far as I know??

A prime makes you think about your shot more, and will help you learn good composition.


To the poster who asked about dirt jumping, i sold a bunch of Dj catalog shots to various companies last year that i shot with a 50mm 1.8. It is a good distance for nice side on style shots (great for frame sticker placement). The DOF is awesome for making brand names pop off the bike for example.