PRIME OR NO PRIME? THAT IS THE QUESTION.

A friend of mine considers a prime lens and writes for some advice on the subject...

I never understood the prime lens hype until I owned one. In the field of documenting relief and disasters, it didn’t make sense to have a slew of single lenses. Photojournalist typically shoot with high quality, midrange zooms such as 24-105mm over a prime for practical reasons….versatility, weight and speed (to get the shot).

When I talk about versatility here, I’m not talking about the 75mm-300mm lens. Many newbies will purchase these pieces of crapola from Best Buy or Walmart for $199.99 and wonder why their images lack the crisp quality they see elsewhere. I think it’s criminal great camera companies even make them.

Here's why I love prime lenses:

~ Primes are typically made with better glass.

~Primes are also made with less glass which results in less diffraction which equals clarity and sharpness…this is what stands out from zooms, even high quality midrange zooms.

~Primes are faster…great for low light and bokeh. This gives you, the photographer, a creative edge. Use the shallow DOF to pinpoint a spot of interest and enjoy the ooo's and ahhh's.

~Primes are more fun and make my right brain happy. I have the 16mm and 56mm Fuji primes and love them for landscapes, city scapes, street work and portraits. The more I use these lenses, the more I grab them.

Bottom line…pull the trigger on a prime if you can, you won't be sorry.