{"id":418702,"date":"2022-03-19T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-19T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-are-prime-camera-lenses-and-why-would-you-use-them\/"},"modified":"2022-03-19T21:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-19T18:00:00","slug":"what-are-prime-camera-lenses-and-why-would-you-use-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-prime-camera-lenses-and-why-would-you-use-them\/","title":{"rendered":"#What Are Prime Camera Lenses, and Why Would You Use Them?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3df8da08eb2\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3df8da08eb2\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-prime-camera-lenses-and-why-would-you-use-them\/#%E2%80%9CWhat_Are_Prime_Camera_Lenses_and_Why_Would_You_Use_Them%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;What Are Prime Camera Lenses, and Why Would You Use Them?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-prime-camera-lenses-and-why-would-you-use-them\/#Zoom_Lens_vs_Prime_Lens\" >Zoom Lens vs. Prime Lens<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-prime-camera-lenses-and-why-would-you-use-them\/#Prime_Lenses_Perform_Better\" >Prime Lenses Perform Better<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-prime-camera-lenses-and-why-would-you-use-them\/#Prime_Lens_Tend_to_Be_Better_Value\" >Prime Lens Tend to Be Better Value<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-are-prime-camera-lenses-and-why-would-you-use-them\/#Limits_Help_Your_Photography\" >Limits Help Your Photography<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhat_Are_Prime_Camera_Lenses_and_Why_Would_You_Use_Them%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;What Are Prime Camera Lenses, and Why Would You Use Them?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage alignnone size-full wp-image-310008\" data-pagespeed-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/preview-4.jpg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/preview-4.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/preview-4.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In photography, there are two types of lenses: zoom lenses and prime lenses. Zoom lenses cover a range of focal lengths. If you own a DSLR, it probably came with a zoom lens. Here\u2019s why you might want to get prime lenses instead.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Zoom_Lens_vs_Prime_Lens\"><\/span>Zoom Lens vs. Prime Lens<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019ve just bought a new DSLR, the kit lens that comes with your camera is almost certainly a zoom lens; most come with an 18-55mm lens, which means that lens covers every focal length between 18mm and 55mm. A prime lens, on the other hand, covers just one focal length. A 50mm lens is just a 50mm lens.<\/p>\n<p>If, however, the 18-55mm lens that comes with your camera can be used as a 50mm lens, why on earth would you get a dedicated 50mm prime lens?<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prime_Lenses_Perform_Better\"><\/span>Prime Lenses Perform Better<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Is Aperture?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Focal length is just one of the characteristics of a lens; the other important one is aperture. Just knowing the focal length of a lens doesn\u2019t tell us a whole lot about how it will perform in the real world.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-310005\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/1night.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This image, like all the others in the article, was shot with a prime lens. For this photo, I used a $150 50mm prime. Even a $2000 zoom lens would have struggled to get this shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Focal length determines the field of view and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>arent magnification of the lens, while aperture determines the depth of field and low light performance. All 50mm lenses will share the same field of view and magnification, but they can have vastly different apertures.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Is a &#8220;Stop&#8221; in Photography?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Looking back at our 18-55mm kit lens, at 50mm it probably has a maximum aperture of f\/5.6. This isn\u2019t especially wide, and won\u2019t make pleasing portraits or perform great in low light. The 50mm prime lens, however, will have an aperture of f\/1.8 or even wider. That\u2019s more than a three stop increase in aperture, which means the lens can let around ten times more light into the camera. That\u2019s a serious amount more low light performance, and a much shallower depth of field.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prime_Lens_Tend_to_Be_Better_Value\"><\/span>Prime Lens Tend to Be Better Value<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Prime lenses also tend to cost less than similar quality zoom lenses. A <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Canon-50mm-1-8-STM-Lens\/dp\/B00X8MRBCW?tag=hotoge-20\">50mm f\/1.8 prime<\/a> can be bought on Amazon for around $125. You can get plenty of incredible prime lenses with wide apertures for under $1000. Good zoom lenses, however, cost a lot more.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-310006\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/2me.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0076BNK30?tag=hotoge-20\">Canon 24-70mm f\/2.8<\/a> zoom lens\u2014which is a workhorse for many professionals\u2014costs about $1900. The $150 50mm prime won\u2019t have quite the same build quality, but it will perform a lot better at night. The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/12140-USA\/Canon_2515A003_50mm_f_1_4_USM_Autofocus.html\">Canon 50mm f\/1.4<\/a> costs just $399, is a lot better built than the f\/1.8 and performs even better in low light. As you can see, with prime lenses there are very affordable, very good options.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t to say all primes are cheap\u2014some of the most expensive lenses in Canon\u2019s lineup are their fast telephoto primes\u2014but, for a photographer on a budget, you can get a lot more bang for your buck with prime lenses.<\/p>\n<div class=\"product-box \">\n<div class=\"product-img product-img-noaward\">\n<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"presentation\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00X8MRBCW?tag=hotoge-20&amp;linkCode=ogi&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1\" onclick=\"fbq('track', 'Buy Button'); if (fb_t_convert){fb_t_convert();}\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41BRq0Mib1L._SL160_.jpg\" height=\"147px\" alt=\"\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><br \/>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Limits_Help_Your_Photography\"><\/span>Limits Help Your Photography<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While being able to get great lenses at affordable prices is reason enough to consider adding primes to your kit, there\u2019s another reason you should think about it: limits help you be creative.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-310007\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/3night2.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>When you can only use a single focal length, you have to think about everything you do. With a zoom lens, you\u2019ve got a lot more flexibility. You don\u2019t need to stand in the exact right spot; you can always adjust things with the lens. With a prime, you have to think about where you need to stand before lining up the shot. If you stand in the wrong spot, you\u2019re going to need to move or, possibly, miss your shot. Yes, you\u2019re more limited, but these limits force you to think and be deliberate.<\/p>\n<p>Thinking more leads to greater creativity and greater creativity leads to better photos.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>The flexibility of a zoom lens is great in certain circumstances but you are paying a huge premium, both in terms of price and performance. A prime lens might require more thought to use, but you get a lot more lens for your buck. Both lenses have their place, but don\u2019t dismiss primes out of hand, just because they only cover one focal length.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/310004\/what-are-prime-camera-lenses-and-why-would-you-use-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;What Are Prime Camera Lenses, and Why Would You Use Them?&#8221; In photography, there are two types of lenses: zoom lenses and prime lenses. Zoom lenses cover a range of focal lengths. If you own a DSLR, it probably came with a zoom lens. Here\u2019s why you might want to get prime lenses instead. Zoom&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":418703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/preview-4.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-418702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}