Using primes

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faddy

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Hi,

Need some advice.. I have just got my canon 50m f1.8 and am very happy with it. My only worry is ill really kick myself if i go somewhere and i end up struggling without a zoom lens.. What and where is the best thing to shoot with primes?
 
You can zoom with a prime - it's called walking!

You can shoot anything with primes. Not sure I understand what you're asking exactly.
 
maybe i am being dumb but i thought its a normal question. Is there some moments that i will struggle with a prime over a zoom lens.. just so i know i should pack it
 
faddy said:
maybe i am being dumb but i thought its a normal question. Is there some moments that i will struggle with a prime over a zoom lens.. just so i know i should pack it
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when your in a limited area like a wall behind you and the subjects too close.. But then thats the same problem with a zoom

AWP ir quite right.. its a lens.. a zoom lens is more versatile but otherwise there isnt any difference when using.. they both take pictures of the same things...
 
Thanks.. my understanding was the prime was more geared towards portraits which is why i purchased it. just wanted to know if there was a real limitation to using it out and about as its a cracking lens and would like to try it out and about!
 
faddy said:
Thanks.. my understanding was the prime was more geared towards portraits which is why i purchased it. just wanted to know if there was a real limitation to using it out and about as its a cracking lens and would like to try it out and about!
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I do 99% sports and all mine are primes... I use primes for just about everything.. my one zoom is a 17-40 and I would replace that with a wide prime if i had one :)

Prime is good for portraits.. but its also good for EVERYTHING else.. I am not knocking zooms and I am getting a 70-200 for a project.. I want to do some action shots of pets and rather than run around the park i will use a zoom to follow them :)
 
faddy said:
Ok in that case let me ask what is the one ideal prime?
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there isnt one.. there also isnt one ideal zoom or one ideal car or one ideal anything.... you choose the best one for whatever you are going to do with it.. I ahve a 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm, 300mm and 400mm all primes..
 
awp said:
You can zoom with a prime - it's called walking!

You can shoot anything with primes. Not sure I understand what you're asking exactly.
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Although if you walk further away or nearer the perspective changes and you have a different picture, not always important but worth considering.
Unless you are like Kipax and have a collection of primes, a zoom allows you to get the composition you want.
 
There is no ideal prime. I use 3 on a regular basis in conjunction with my zoom lenses to get the desired results. So if you need 50mm then use the 50, if you need 200mm then use a 200 etc. Honestly, the situation is the same with primes as with zooms, you use the length for the right situation at the right time. The advantages of a prime are they are generally sharper with less distortion and also brighter than zooms.
 
50mm Prime - it's not very wide, so you'll struggle with things like buildings etc unless you can stand a long way back (zoom out by walking away, zoom in by walking towards).

It's actually fun though to just take a single prime out and force yourself to think about what you're taking.

Some shots just aren't possible with a prime (unless you like zooming up a building by being spiderman or standing in the middle of a river to get the right level of zoom for a bridge or whatever). Once you get your head around that and adjust your mind & eyes accordingly, you come home with some really interesting things because you have to think about a shot before you take it.

I wouldn't want to do that all the time though.
 
The main benefit of your 50 1.8 is its low f/number. That, and the focal length, is often a good combination for portraits.

Your profile also lists a 17-50 which is a far more versatile walkabout option...
 
I prefer a selection of primes - I often take a 35mm + 85mm, or 50mm & 135mm with me for a day's snapping.

If I only had a single prime and a 7D I'd probably get the Canon 28mm f/1.8. For portraits, especially half-body or headshots, a 50mm lens is a good bet on a 7D.

Personally I use the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 as all the Canon 50mm's have serious drawbacks IMO. Having said this, Sigmas can be a focussing lottery...

Phil
 
You're going to struggle to shoot buildings with a 50mm prime. Unless it's somewhere with a lot of room around it.

Primes, well certainly 50mm primes, are good for portraits mainly. Now that doens't have to be in a studio set up, it could be at home, on the street - wherever.

Best to have a prime and zoom.
 
I think you're worrying too much about the distinction between primes and zooms, it's not about prime or zoom it's more about what focal length you prefer to use with your style of shooting.

You should experiment with different focal lengths to see their effects and how it changes the way you compose the shot, the easy way to do this is with a zoom (not that you can't with a selection of primes). But just remember the only difference between primes and zoom is image quality, it shouldn't change the way you compose your shots. There's no reason why you can't just stick with zoom when you seem to be unsure about what focal length you need. Only you would know what exactly you would miss out without a zoom because the situation is always different and only you know the type of shots you want.

Use a zoom if you're worried about missing opportunities, but at the same time a prime can force you to be more creative with your composition. There's no definite answer ^_^ at the end of the day primes and zooms are both lens, the only limitation is your imagination =)
 
It might help to see some examples of what someone else has done with a 50mm prime, might give you some ideas. My prime is an old manual focus Pentax 50mm M series prime, from a chemical camera, fitted onto my dslr. It's my main lens, I use it I guess 90% of the time. If you look through my Flickr set, you can see that I mainly concentrate on portraits, dogs, and 'objects' with a wide open aperture. I like that shallow DoF and a bit of bokeh. However, there are some landscapes in there as well. Using a prime teaches you to move, it gives you challenges. Here is a Flickr set using only my MF 50mm prime.
 
here you go - all 50mm:

tp01.jpg


tp02.jpg


tp03.jpg


tp04.jpg


tp06.jpg



EXIF intact
 
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On a 7D a 30mm or 35mm might be a good choice, since with the crop factor it ends up near 50mm, which is a useful focal length.

50mm on a crop is too long for most things apart from portraiture... or so I found.
 
You lack t3h skilz0rs if you struggle to shoot nope than one person with a nifty on a crop! ;)

Saying that, my Sigma 30mm doesn't come off my camera much...

Primes are all about creativity with fast apertures... I've only ever used a zoom when I didn't have any other way of getting to 200mm.
 
Primes are all about creativity with fast apertures
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Exactly! Primes are all about large apertures, narrow depth of field and BOKEH! (background blur). Great for low light, perfect for portraiture, sharper optics.

Enjoy.
 
bomberman said:
Exactly! Primes are all about large apertures, narrow depth of field and BOKEH! (background blur). Great for low light, perfect for portraiture, sharper optics.

Enjoy.
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Is true :)

I use a 24mm prime on a 1.6 crop body and it's great for family events and kids. Its a sort of a fun focal length without the wackiness of a really wide angle but the shallow DOF and IQ is awesome.... but that's for those subjects. For street photography I might chose a 17-40 for flexibility.. if I had one.

John
 
When I wanted a prime for low light and shallow dof I checked all my images exif(there is some free software about to do it ) and found 80% was around 50mm. It seems a good way to pick what lens you need.
 
Zooms are good if you don't want or can't carry additional prime lenses, Walking backwards is fine but you end up further away from your subject. I went to a BBQ last night and didn't want to be carrying lenses around as i wanted to enjoy myself and have a beer or 2. so i took my nifty fifty got some nice portraits but ended up doing a large group shot and really wish i had brought my 18-70 a 18-200 would have been an idea lens for the day
 
Pentax 16-45 for group portraits, 85mm 1.4 for everything else.

My lens collection has always been predominantly primes, but there are certain situations were a zoom really does help
 
The only time you need a zoom is where you need to keep up with moving action without moving yourself. Everything else can be done on primes, but you do need more than one.

As someone else said you need to select the righ tfocal length for the job, if you have one to do. If you're just walking round you work harder to make pictures when you're limited to one focal length, which is good for stopping the snap happy approach to digital photography.

Of my 5 cameras, all are currently attached to primes.
 
mrthingyx said:
You lack t3h skilz0rs if you struggle to shoot nope than one person with a nifty on a crop! ;)
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Is this down to Stella or Boddingtons?
 
That 50mm lens give a really nice focused type image. I think that's going on my shopping list.
 
I'm Using totally primes.

There are times it can be frustrating but it's also a very rewarding way of shooting and t really makes you think.

Ill usually only take two lenses so I always have that difficult decision; what lens(s) do I take.
 
fracster said:
Is this down to Stella or Boddingtons?
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Two children, actually.

The point being that a prime can be used for pretty much anything if used correctly, with careful consideration being given to the shot. I've seen the results of a wedding photographer turning up with a 50mm and a tilt-shift and blowing pretty much everybody away. Unbelievably creative with two viewpoints only.
 
Trojan_Llama said:
It might help to see some examples of what someone else has done with a 50mm prime, might give you some ideas. My prime is an old manual focus Pentax 50mm M series prime, from a chemical camera, fitted onto my dslr. It's my main lens, I use it I guess 90% of the time. If you look through my Flickr set, you can see that I mainly concentrate on portraits, dogs, and 'objects' with a wide open aperture. I like that shallow DoF and a bit of bokeh. However, there are some landscapes in there as well. Using a prime teaches you to move, it gives you challenges. Here is a Flickr set using only my MF 50mm prime.
Click to expand...

Nice photo set. I have one of those lenses - the SMC M 50mm 1.7 and I also have the SMC FA 50mm 1.4, I use them both - I like having an automatic lens but I love the feel and response of the manual one. I also recently bought a 60 yr old Carl Zeiss 58mm f2, which I wrap in cotton wool lol. I think prime lenses are wonderful, they make you think and adjust and accomodate, just like it should be.
 
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