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03/04/2007 01:00:50 PM · #1 |
Hi everyone!
I'm struggling with the decision to buy a prime lens or not. What I have now is KM 18-70mm zoom, Quantaray 70-300 W/macro & Quantaray 50 mm 2.8 macro. The one I'm looking at is Sony SAL-50F14 Normal 50mm f/1.4 Autofocus. I love shooting everything but mostly portrait and macros. For an ameture would someone explain to me why it might be a good idea or bad idea knowing the lenses I already have. I greatly appreciate any advice.
Marsh |
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03/04/2007 01:14:17 PM · #2 |
| Primes are faster, sharper and much cheaper than a comparable zoom. You do give up some convenience though. You have two slowish zooms so a prime might be in order. Since you have a 50mm you might want to look at a 85mm prime instead. |
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03/04/2007 02:36:12 PM · #3 |
I second all what  Raziel said.
I own a 85mm 1.8. Great for portraits.
The 50 1.4, while faster, would still be somewhat redundant with you 50 2.8
have a look at:
//www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html
Message edited by author 2007-03-04 14:36:56. |
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03/04/2007 02:41:12 PM · #4 |
Not in low light. The 1.4 is much faster. What the poster has is also not going to be redundant in sharpness. My primes outnumber my zooms three to one and will be increasing. One good piece of glass wll change you view of photography.
Message edited by author 2007-03-04 14:42:08. |
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03/04/2007 02:52:11 PM · #5 |
Sounds like you already have a 50mm f/2.8 prime lens. But, f/1.4 is a full 2 stops faster than f/2.8. Those two stops can make a big difference. Great for low light and shallow DOF.
In addition to what others have said, I would also add that prime lenses tend to be smaller and lighter than comparable zooms. Which makes them more discrete, and easier to carry around with you. That's one of the reasons that I love them so much.
I would also point out that a 50mm lens is only a "normal" lens on full frame cameras. Don't know if your camera is full frame. For 1.6x crop factor cameras, like mine, 30mm is closer to being a "normal" lens. But if you're into portraits, then 50mm is a great focal length. |
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03/04/2007 04:17:21 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by Keith Maniac:
Sounds like you already have a 50mm f/2.8 prime lens. But, f/1.4 is a full 2 stops faster than f/2.8. Those two stops can make a big difference. Great for low light and shallow DOF.
In addition to what others have said, I would also add that prime lenses tend to be smaller and lighter than comparable zooms. Which makes them more discrete, and easier to carry around with you. That's one of the reasons that I love them so much.
I would also point out that a 50mm lens is only a "normal" lens on full frame cameras. Don't know if your camera is full frame. For 1.6x crop factor cameras, like mine, 30mm is closer to being a "normal" lens. But if you're into portraits, then 50mm is a great focal length. |
I'm no expert in these area but I'm experimenting a lot and for me the 30mm is closer to normal as far as coverage goes but not in term of perspective. I guess 30mm for portrait would not be that flattering for the model.
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03/04/2007 04:18:35 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by nicklevy:
I'm no expert in these area but I'm experimenting a lot and for me the 30mm is closer to normal as far as coverage goes but not in term of perspective. I guess 30mm for portrait would not be that flattering for the model. |
Yeah talk about the camera adding 10 pounds. Anyone got a prime that has pincushion distortion issues. |
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03/04/2007 04:25:44 PM · #8 |
You cant go wrong with a fast fifty - mines 25 years old with no auto functions and I use it all the time. The extra couple stops are a huge advantage. My next lens will be a prime as well, I firmly believe that they go a long way to improving your photography.
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03/04/2007 04:55:48 PM · #9 |
I bought the Canon 50mm f/1.8 mostly because it was fast and cheap. I thought it might be handy once in a while but never thought that I would use it much. Then I did use it and soon it became my main lens. Yes it is limited to 50mm and that is kinda long for normal stuff but the f/1.8 and sharpness make up it. As I have since learned, 50mm lenses are the easiest to make so they are the fastest and sharpest lenses available.
I too agree with some of the other folks, if you are into portraits, buy a fast 85mm and complement your 50mm macro. |
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03/04/2007 11:23:59 PM · #10 |
Thank you everyone so much! So, are you saying that I can use my 50mm 1:2.8 macro for a prime? I'm assuming it is not a fixed lens being that it zooms in and out. It does have a switch on it that says limit/full. Gawd I feel so stupid!! I purchased this lens just a short time ago for the purpose of taking macros. I still haven't really figured it out as I should have by now. The reason for wanting a prime lens is for portraits. I will look into the 85mm and see if it works with my budget. I just want to say that I follow all of the threads that I can and watch in awe of the fabulous photos that are posted here. I can only hope to be as good as all of you. Thanks for all of your attention.
p.s. Here's a link to some of my pics. I think I do ok but I know I have a long way to go especially in editing my pics. I had PSP9 and it was at the very least difficult to figure out, so I purchased PS 5.0 and have found it to be easier. I have a lot to learn though. Thanks again!
Marsh
my pictures |
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03/04/2007 11:52:39 PM · #11 |
Yeah the 50mm f/2.8 is a perfectly usable all-around lens as well as a macro lens. This is true of nearly all macro lens, except for a few scientifically-oriented extreme macro lenses.
R.
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03/05/2007 03:14:23 AM · #12 |
Primes rule. Especially as mpixel's increase in camera bodies, the higher resolution tends to more easily expose, (excuse the pun), and weakness in a lens. The simpler designs of prime lenses tend to make them less vulnerable to issues that face zoom lenses. I own 14 primes at the moment which pretty well cover all my "planned" shooting assignments. It's the adhoc shooting tasks, when I can't select just 2-3 primes to take with me, that the advantage of zooms shines through.
Originally posted by Marsh:
I'm assuming it is not a fixed lens being that it zooms in and out. It does have a switch on it that says limit/full. Gawd I feel so stupid!! |
Sounds like a fixed focal length lens with a switch to put a limit on the the focal throw of the focus mechanism. Most/all? macro lenses tend have a longer throw with most of it being at close to minimal focal distance for finer focusing accuracy. They also have less throw as they approach infinity which lessens their usefulness as a normal lens. It's not too big a deal but just something to be aware of. The limiting switch is there to help speed up AF by putting an artifical stop for the AF travel mechanism. It'll prevent the AF from searching to infinity and stop where the limit switch has been set.
bazz. |
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03/05/2007 09:03:49 AM · #13 |
Thanks Bear_Music & Sir_Bazz & everyone else,
LOL, ya learn something new everyday, especially here! I'm happy that my 50mm macro can be used as a prime just as well. Now, on to look for the 85 mm :)
Thanks a bunch!! |
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03/05/2007 09:13:42 AM · #14 |
back when i had a leica i had a 50mm, and loved it. it really makes you think about composition a lot more, as you don't have the zoom convenience.
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03/05/2007 09:18:04 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by Marsh:
Thanks Bear_Music & Sir_Bazz & everyone else,
LOL, ya learn something new everyday, especially here! I'm happy that my 50mm macro can be used as a prime just as well. Now, on to look for the 85 mm :)
Thanks a bunch!! |
Your 50mm macro is a prime. A prime is a lens that has a single fixed focal length, unlike a zoom which has a range of focal lengths. |
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