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"Prime" Lens?

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haroon08

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Can someone please explain what a "prime" lens is and what the advantages are of having one? maybe post some pictures? Thanks!
 
haroon08 said:
Can someone please explain what a "prime" lens is and what the
advantages are of having one? maybe post some pictures? Thanks!
Click to expand...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_lens

Most time when used (apparently in-correctly per above article), it's is in reference a a fixed focal length lens.

Couple advantages are the belief that they "tend to be" sharper than zooms and can usually have (available) larger apertures than zooms at given focal length.

--
Good Day,
Roonal

'Money doesn't buy happiness, but it makes for an extravagant depression' by golf tournament sportscaster
 
haroon08 said:
Can someone please explain what a "prime" lens is and what the
advantages are of having one? maybe post some pictures? Thanks!
Click to expand...
All of your previous answers are right. Main advantage of common prime lenses like 35mm, 50mm or 85mm is usually good low light ability. Even quality zooms rarely come with a wider aperture than f/2.8 whereas f/1.4 is common in primes.

My Nikon 50mm f/1.4 gives outstanding results from f/2 - f/4. Most zoom lenses are not at the their best until f/5.6 or f/8.

--
Chris Elliot

Nikon D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile

http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/
 
it's not just the sharpness. good lenses have smooth tonal gradations and transitions between sharp and out-of-focus areas while maintaining high contrast and color saturation. critical sharpness is not always necessary or desirable. look, this picture was shot with one of the best available primes, leica summilux 1.4/50



--
Irakly Shanidze
http://www.shanidze.com/en
 
i would also like to reinforce that primes are definately sharper than zooms.

Also a good prime to start with is a "normal" lens. A 50 1.4 or even 1.8 are both particularly fast. with a full frame camera it is an excellent lens to "hone" your skills with.

That is learn first with that lens to compose and you probably will become better photographer. I have been shooting for 27 years and i find that it is always a great lens to walk around with and practice just to keep a camera in my hands and keep myself honoest.
the 50 on a ff is a purest lens IMO

a 28mm would be considered a wideangle an 80 or 105 would be a "long" or a "portrait" lens. Can be used for sports of portraits (that is not to say that one could not shoot sports or portraits with a normal or a wideangle; it is just a general rule thast longer lenses are used for these aplications. i
David
 
"Prime" means "primary" lens. It's the main lens attached to the body. On some point and shoots, you can add an auxiliary lens to the prime lens (which has a variable focal length).

You can set yourself apart from the sheep by using "prime" lens properly, instead of incorrectly insisting it means Fixed Focal Length.

Let's all try to stop the debasement of our language. "Prime" is a valuable term...let's not lose it to those who use it incorrectly.
 
Doesnt it also mean that there is only one symetrical () or )( optic glass encased within the lens housing, not including any filters of course, where as others have more?

Ty
 
Snycer said:
You can set yourself apart from the sheep by using "prime" lens
properly, instead of incorrectly insisting it means Fixed Focal
Length.
Click to expand...
The meaning of words constantly changes based upon useage as one can see from any good dictionary. I would have to accept that a dictionary definition of "prime" would now have to include FFL as one of the meanings.

Your suggestion that those who "misuse" the term are sheep is offensive to 99% plus of the readers of this site.

P.S. I hate split infinitives but I gave up making a fuss about them long ago!

--
Chris Elliott

Nikon D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile

http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/
 
Chris, it's sheep-like when people follow the crowd without thinking.

Help me out here...what's the justification for calling a fixed focal length lens a "prime lens"?

And, please, "everyone else is doing it" isn't going to fly among adults.
 
Snycer said:
Chris, it's sheep-like when people follow the crowd without thinking.
Click to expand...
You have a link missing. It has got something to do with that word "thinking". There is an unwarranted assumption that the crowd have the means of knowing there is an alternative. Most people have never heard of a prime lens. They will accept whatever definition is given to them when first they come across the term. They will probably never be aware of an alternative description to make any form of decision to follow one path rather than another.
Snycer said:
Help me out here...what's the justification for calling a fixed focal
length lens a "prime lens"?
Click to expand...
What is the justification for calling a stop a stop? Short answer is common useage.
Snycer said:
And, please, "everyone else is doing it" isn't going to fly among
adults.
Click to expand...
Perhaps you need to live a bit longer in the real world? Would wish to fight a rearguard action against the change of useage of a word such as "gay"?

--
Chris Elliott

Nikon D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile

http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/
 
e ccan all add "Snycer" to our list of ignorant showoffs who mislead the newcomers looking for answers.

BAK
 
Explaining the misuse of a word is misleading?

Interesting thought process you got there, son.
 
Chris Elliott said:
Would wish
to fight a rearguard action against the change of useage of a word
such as "gay"?
Click to expand...
The change of the meaning of the word "gay" was the result of political action.

The change in the use of the term "prime lens" is the result of ignorance--nothing more, nothing less.

Can you explain the justification for changing the meaning of "prime lens"?
 
this is not entirely correect. there are some very sharp zooms, like canon 70-200/2.8, or contax n 24-85, or leica 28-90. at the same time, there are some pretty filthy primes, like sigma 20/1.8, for instance, and there are some that are intentionally or by design not critically sharp, like leica noctilux 50mm f/1, or contax 85/1.2

it used to be the case that all zooms cross the board were softer than primes, but not anymore. there other characteristics that make primes lenses of choice sometimes (or most of the time in my case).
--
Irakly Shanidze
http://www.shanidze.com/en
 
Exactly.

Newbies think that a "prime" somehow has something to do with focal length (and its ability to change).

Those of us who have been around for a few years know better.
 
Irakly, I hate to break it to you, but those zooms are also prime lenses (as opposed to auxiliary lenses).

Don't worry, you're making a common error...but an error, nonetheless.
 
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