prime versus zoom

[HoppyUK]

Closer to 75% I'd say

Canon 1.6x 332mm sq
Nikon 1.5x 373mm sq
4/3rds 2x 225mm sq
Full frame 864mm sq

So 60% the area of 1.5x crop, and 68% of Canon 1.6x.

 

[Greytop]

Canon 1.6x 332mm sq
Nikon 1.5x 373mm sq
4/3rds 2x 225mm sq
Full frame 864mm sq

So 60% the area of 1.5x crop, and 68% of Canon 1.6x.

Yes you're correct, just doubled checked

Mind you I do agree with Paul, his Zuiko 14-35 and 35-100 f/2 zooms are pretty much unmatched by any other manufacturer, extremely nice bits of kit

 

[onomatopoeia]

so what would be a good recommendation for a portrait lens at a max budget of £350.

There's an original Minolta 85/1.4 on dyxum, although it's at £500 so a bit out of your budget. I was sorely tempted but am saving for the Zeiss equivalent.

 

[specialman]

I do find that when I'm doing portraits I am always erring towards my 80-200mm f/2.8 but more for the shorter (80mm - 100mm) end of the zoom. That's what's led me to buy an 85mm f/1.8 (deal going through at the moment), simply because I have that much wider aperture. It's not about being able to handhold or shoot in low light for me – I use flash most of the time – but that wider aperture is just too good to overlook. F/2.8 is good but f/1.8 is better, as I've found out when comparing my 50mm f/1.8 against my Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 at the same focal length.

The zooms I have are all top-notch in the IQ stakes but the fact they are zooms is the limiting factor as far as the max parture goes. That's why I'm going 85mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.8 and soon I'll probably get a 35mm f/1.8 or a that Sigma 28mm f/1.8.

For my magazine work then zooms offer so much more versatility but in certain situations (and when doing portraiture) primes just give me what I want.

so what would be a good recommendation for a portrait lens at a max budget of £350. i already have a 50mm f1.7 which is good but sometimes i miss the flexibility of a zoom espicially something like a tamron 28-75mm which is wide and has a decen telephoto.

85mm but I've just noticed Sony only does that £1,000+ f/1.4 version - ouch!!

 

[micloi]

For what it is worth if you decide to go with primes and you do not mind using manual focus there are some very good old M42 lenses you can get for low prices and could fit the Sony with a converter (please let me know if I am wrong).

At the moment I have one AF zoom lens (for a walkabout when I do not really care about having the best quality but need to zoom and AF), one AF prime for birding + five M42 or Pentax-k MF Primes for when AF is not a necessity and I want the best quality possible (for my said budget).

 

[cowasaki]

I can only comment on MY lenses and they are virtually all Nikon.

I have a 24-70 f2.8 & a 80-200 f2.8 which are lovely

I also have

AFS 50mm f/1.4
AF 50mm f/1.8
AFS 105mm f/2.8
Sigma 20mm f/1.8

Now the Sigma is wider than any of the zooms but not much and so I really have QUALITY zooms covering pretty much all of my primes....

At 50mm I find that both the f1.8 & f1.4 are sharper, they (esp for f1.4) have a nice boketh, they are faster and the IQ seems SLIGHTLY better although this is totally subjective and it might just be me preferring the boketh etc.

At 105mm the AFS105 f/2.8 is also better than the 80-200 at that same figure. It is no faster but I find that I just prefer it. It is slightly sharper too.

At 20mm I again prefer the Sigma over the 24-70. I realise that it is wider that the 24 but it is a preference.

So if you are taking formal portraits and they are in pretty much the same location see what YOU prefer because it is YOU that is going to be taking the pictures. Try a number of primes in your studio or in your usual style etc. You may well find that a 50mm f1.4 or similar is perfect for whole bodies, something like the 105 is ideal for head and shoulders and you need a 28mm for a group! Can you get these 3 for the same price as a lens covering that range? Which gives you the best shots?

The zoom will always be more flexible and mean less lens swapping etc.

Primes will always TEND to be quicker and from my limited experience higher IQ with better boketh.

This is just MY experience from MY limited range of lenses though.

 

[DiddyDave]

Sadly just found this thread or I'd have jumped in earlier

Right then... Simples...

Great zooms are best in almost every occasion where you and/or the subject is moving, you don't have much time or it isn't too dark for them

Great primes are best when BOTH you and your subject aren't moving much, if at all, you have plenty of time or it's too dark for a zoom

IQ comparison with the great lenses goes out of the window in the real world when you have to crop, and sometimes crop heavily, to get the composition you'd like to have got had you had either loads of time (primes) or a good enough range on your zoom

End of












Though I suspect not

DD

 

[onomatopoeia]

85mm but I've just noticed Sony only does that £1,000+ f/1.4 version - ouch!!

It's a Zeiss lens (and available for £930 new from LCE). How much does the 85/1.4 autofocus Zeiss lens cost for Canon or Nikon mounts?

Sony haven't got round to re-introducing the cheapy versions of primes yet, 50mm excepted - no 35/2 or 300/4 yet, those are only available as s/h Minoltas (love my 300/4) and Minolta never did a slower 85mm prime.

 

[eccles]

One word of warning: be very wary of getting second hand Sigmas for your Sony. Old ones may not autofocus on Sony DSLRs, or even register as mounted. Newer ones may have problems with weak AF ring gears. In particular, the 70-300mm zooms, APO and non-APO, are notorious for stripping their AF ring gear. My not-so-cheap Sigma 105mm macro went this way as well. I purchased a new ring for the 105mm and replaced it myself and sold it on ebay. It'll probably last the new owner a while but I wasn't impressed with the build quality of the replacement part which was cheap looking plastic. Later Alphas are more prone than earlier ones because the AF drive motor was uprated from the A700 and later. Other camera brands don't seem to suffer from this problem, neither do all Sigmas. I have a 100-300mm F4 which is a beautifully built lens. This still has camera driven AF gear but it's very quiet and smooth. The latest HSM motor driven Sigmas should also be ok.

 

[onomatopoeia]

One word of warning: be very wary of getting second hand Sigmas for your Sony. Old ones may not autofocus on Sony DSLRs, or even register as mounted.

Also true of some Tokina lenses.