Over the decades, here are the three primes I have used: I used 35/50/100mm lenses on Argus C3 35mm rangefinders. I used 28/50/135mm lenses on Pentax Spotmatic 35mm SLRs. I used 24/50/105mm lenses on Nikon 35mm SLRs. I used 24/35/85mm lenses on Nikon 35mm SLRs. (My personal favorite for general subjects) I used 35/85/180mm lenses on Nikon 35mm SLRs. (My personal favorite for SLR reportage) I used 21/45/90mm lenses on Contax G1 35mm rangefinders. I used 21/35/90mm lenses on Leica M6 and M10 rangefinders. (My personal favorite for rangefinder reportage) I used 55/80/180mm lenses on Mamiya 6x6cm medium format TLRs. I used 50/80/180mm lenses on Mamiya 6x7cm medium format RB67 SLRs.

Arguably one of the most useful photography videos on KZfaq. After spending a lot of cash on lenses I would honestly tell any photographer of any style to start with zooms from 24-75 and 70-200 and build up your primes in between.

For the first 9 years I shot Actor's Headshots in LA I used the Canon Nifty Fifty. I've probably shot thousands of clients with that lens. It works great and is CHEAP! It's a 1.8 so you can get a nice bokeh. There is a desire by Film and T.V. casting for Headshots to really show the actor as they are when they walk into the casting room. I have been told by those casting people that my shots do this and I think that by using a lens on the wider side for Headshots you tend to maintain some of the facial features and not flattening them out the same as the longer portrait lenses - 85mm and up - ALTHOUGH THOSE LONGER LENSES ARE PROBABLY BETTER FOR WEDDINGS:) I personally think the longer lens portraits look "cooler/better" and in my experience a slight flattening of features usually makes the clients react better. Recently I took a trip to Japan and brought a Fuji with me. Loved it and ended up switching to Fuji and now use the 56mm 1.2 for Portraits. If I was still shooting Canon and had to start over and buy three I would likely get a 35, 85,100macro maybe. Sorry for the long comment but the industry in LA is pretty much shut down over the Corona Virus:) Just hanging at home right now:)

Depend on how many lens you will use. For single lens Just one lens -->> 50mm 2 lens -->> 35mm 85mm 3 lens-->> 35mm, 50mm tilt&shift macro, 100mm fast lens

That black and white photo with the couple looking at each other and the people in the background blurred was amazing

I love love love my 85 mm 1.4L Canon lens the most of my primes. It's the one lens I can count on to get glowing comments from people. I really don't see much need for the 50 (I have a 1.4 and a 1.8). My 50 was one of my first lenses because everyone kept talking "nifty 50" and maybe that led me to being disappointed when I saw the photos. I agree on the 24 mm on the wide end for primes. I have the 24-70 2.8L that will cover the 50 range although I wished it had a wider aperture and image stabilization.

I'm a motorsport photographer and I mostly use fast zooms but I do have one prime lens I love - Samyang 8mm f/3.5 fisheye. All manual, gorgeous results.

For the 85+ I would counter that not all of them are slow to focus. The 85f/1.2 and the 1.4 are. The EF 85 1.8 actually does focus pretty quick. The EF 135 f/2 focuses really quick and I have never had complaints with the focus speed on it, if I have enough space to pull out the 135 the that becomes my go to lens. Only time I pull out the 50 or wider is if I don't have enough space to backup and shoot the 135. I think my ideal combo would be the 28-70 f/2 and the 135m f/2.

Perhaps the best video on you tube about prime lenses. It beautifully explain the types of images that can be taken with each of the primes. I'm tired of the tech spec videos and this is one where I Actually learnt something. Thank u Sir for such an awesome video.

It’s like you knew what I just bought. I got the Sony 85, 50 and then I just bought the 28. I agree these are the best 3 prime lenses for portraits

Very good video. Crispy and precious info 👌

This is CRAZY helpful, thank you so very much. Stats are one thing, but insight like this is really valuable.

07:16 what an impossibly difficult picture! Cheers, maestro!

I used to use my 28 1.8g for everything but recently I have been using my 105 f1.4 lately for portraits. I should really go back and do more portraits with 28!

The ideal combination is 28mm 50mm and 85mm

Great tutorial. Covers in 16 minutes all that I wanted to know as the distinguishing characteristics of these prime for portraiture. Thanks a lot.

I have the 50 mm for years and it is my favorite. I recently bought an 85 mm and I learned so much from this video! I've all written it down in my phone so I reread when practising. Thank you!

Thanks for the video. I actually started my weddingphotography business using only the 35mm. Pictures were great but I literally had to run from the back of the room to the front and vice versa. So now I use a 28-75mm zoom and it makes life a lot easier. I do believe that lenses and their needs are also very personal to the photographer's needs. So big tip for starting photographers: experiment stuff!

I shoot models on my channel and my goto prime lens is the 35mm f1.4, 50mm f1.8, and the 85mm f1.4. You just can't go wrong im telling you! Nice video

Never mind the lenses ... 7:50 HOW THE F*CK DID YOU MANAGE TO CONTROL SO MANY CHILDREN TO GET THAT SHOT AT 1.4 I want to know more about that.

Those are the 3 lens I have 85mm 1.4 & 50mm 1.4 both Sony, just bought the Sigma 24mm 1.4 art lens, because the Sony was out of my price range. Love your videos.

KZfaq should implement big thumb up/favorite video from all time! One of the greatest for beginners...

4:59 That's a cool shot. I actually thought that was the sun behind them the first time I saw it. Then I was like, wait a sec, the clouds are illuminated in the wrong direction lol

Same focal lengths here too. 85, 55 Zeiss and 24 1.4 Sony Gmaster. Great video!

My 1st 24mm tamron purchased 1978

Not sure if I commented on this tutorial or not ---- but, my favorite fix lenses would be, the 35 mm, 60 mm--macro, 85 mm, and lastly ---- I would have to pick a fourth one which would be, a 135 mm. That's just me, I'm a little bit unorthodox.😁

This is why I bought the sigma 35mm 1.4 for my crop sensor 70d and sl2. Why shoot at a full frame true 35mm focal length with more background showing if you want to have the 1.4 blur? It makes sense to get a 35mm look with my Sigma 17-50 2.8, where you can still see the background more clear at 2.8. If I really want a large portion of a background blurred to 1.4 I can use my old 5d classic, but I don't think I will ever want that look. That is my set up switching between my 35mm to my 50mm, equivalent full frame 50mm and 85mm and the sigma 17-50 as my main lens.

Dude.. you rock! SLR gives excellent advice and this video does not disappoint!

Lærerikt og inspirerende 👍🏻🌷😃🌷👍🏻

I love my canon 135 mm f2, but I really miss stabilisation, I don't have a steady hand. I need shutterspeeds shorter/faster than 1/320 or my pics are not that sharp

for me the solution is simple. if you have R5 body, use the crop factor function. With 24mm and 85mm prime lens you can have 24/38/85/136mm. And with crop function with 50Mpix sensor you have again enought.

I’m glad u using 24mm ii, 85 mm, 100 mm macro and sharp portraits and 70-200 for versatility and reach

I needed a 3rd zoom.. an ultrawide 15-30 2.8 G2 by Tamron is what I bought.. 24-70mm 2.8 G2 Tamron & the Canon 70-200 2.8 IS III So I'm covered from 15mm-200mm in 2.8 Now Primes will be what I'll build Since I'm covered 15mm

Another fantastic video. Thanks!

Another great video! I've learned more from hearing you talk for a few minutes than I have in an entire year of trial and error.

That was great! Thanks!!!

Thanks for the explanation on the different lens much appreciated

Mine was 18, 50, 85 on my sony a7iii. I don't do commercial stuff though.

I always carry my 35mm 1.8, 50mm 1.8 and 85mm 1.8 with me because they're light and compact overall.

Would you recommend 24, 35 and 50mm for crop sensors to get a similar range?

I love my 35mm 1.8 ..My next lens will be 85mm 1.8 , but for now 35mm on a crop body is perfect for mostly everything

Hey Pye, love your stuff! I already have a nice 35mm sigma art lens, but do you think adding a 24mm is worth it. I've noticed all my favorite shots are more environmental portraits as opposed to head shots. Thanks for all your tutorials. They are super helpful.

my favs are sigma art 35 1.4 amd 105 1.4! I shoot fashion so the 35 becomes my skinny lens and the 105 becomes my pretty lens! :-)

looks like that is my next 3 lens, thanks for this

Right now some companies come out with a 45 mm, I did try a 40..and I really like it, so maybe that 45 can take the place of a 35 and 50?....

Hi, it seems focal doesn't matter for you whatever focal length given , you will create nice composition and beautiful photographs

Excellent!

What do you think about the 100mm macro lens? I find it very versatile

I have a 50mm and 85mm ... in 1.8 tho, but I love them and will not trade for anything. My line up is now complete anyway, because I also have a 100mm macro, 24-70 and the 70-200, all in 2.8 Nice vid btw

So: the total costs are: $12,500 minimum. Canon 5d Mark iv: $2800 Canon 70-200 f2.8: $2500 Canon 24-70 f2.8: $1600 Canon 24mm f1.4: $1550 Canon 50mm f1.2: $1300 Canon 85mm f1.2: $2700

24-105 , 35 , 85 , 135 that all what i need and i have :) dream about 12-24 and 200-600

Great content!

After watching this I realised I have too many lenses, mainly 17-28, 28-75, 35, 50, 85, 90, 135 and 200-600 all on Sony😅 I was thinking to sell the 135 for a 70-200 which is more versatile for street photography and also buy a 20mm after selling my 90 macro. Any ideas on what should I do and what would be a great kit for events/street/wildlife?

On sony we just got a 35 1.8, so I finally will end my collection of small and light primes, the fe 28, 35 and 55 1.8 :)

Love your video and totally agree with your assessments. When I’m being asked to shoot portraits I show up with 2 cameras one with 35mm 1.2 and an 85mm 1.2 yes I cried for days looking at my credit card statements but damn I do love the pictures

35, 85 and 105 👊

Excellent video! Helps me a lot to understand which lens to use and what to use them for in my first client job weddings. Question: do you use nd filters for wedding photography ? And when ? You’ve got a new happy subscriber 👍🏻

My three lens lineup for my Sony APSC are the Sigma 16mm, Sigma 30mm and the Sony 50mm. Does that more or lens lineup with what you're saying?

I loved the explanations! Thanks! My only suggestion would be to remind your viewers that you're talking about focal lengths applied to full frame cameras. I have seen quite a few novice photographers who get an 85mm lens for their APS-C cameras, only to find out they need to be too far away from their subjects, or they small home studio is simply not large enough to work. Other than that, great video as usual :-)

I’m just about to take my first step into the world of full frame digital but after much consideration, my top 3 primes would be 24 or 35, 85, and a 105 or 135. I really have no interest in the 50.

Excellent information.

May be you should buy 28mm instead of 35 or 24?

24GM, 50 Zeiss and 85GM here.

Love this video, thanks!

Yo! Nice video my KZfaq Persian friend. As always very informative and kick ass tips.

a single lens for portrait and landscape photography ,which lens is you prefer

How does the 85 compare to the 135 L?

that was actually a really good explanation on your preferences, also your photo samples are super nice. what do you think of a prime 40 mm?

I think the best advice given here is to get 24-70 and 70-200 zoom lenses first. If you get higher quality lens like the Sony GM2 or Cannon RF lenses you basically can get similar quality to the prime lens these days, the only down-side I've found is that the 2.8 stop obviously is not as convenient in low lighting as the 1.4/1.8. Don't bother with prime lens for 1-2 years when you figure out what type of photographer you want to be long term, unless you fall into something and are doing it all the time. I shoot Street, portrait, fashion, events and there are so many times I know I would be stuck with just a prime lens or have a huge heavy bag full of lenses just to keep up with the different number of shots I might do.

can i have those equivalent focal lengths on my canon mirrorless apsc? What lenses are they? Am I able to achieve those gorgeous looking photos?

i prefer 100mm/105mm over 85mm. despite that all those lenses have their place.

Is there a "sexy" 24-70" or 28-70 lens for Canon?

Nice Video, good hidden new comercial Canon glases...

I have the 35m 1.8 and the 90m 2.8 macro. But the Sony 85 1.4 GM and the 24-70 2.8 GM are my two workhorse lenses. But I really really need to get the 70-200 2.8 GM in order to complete my line up. Especially for my street photography.

what is the best lens to record on a 3ds ?

i like Nikkor 35mm 1.8g

So inspiring!

I can't stand the 50mm focal length and thats probably because I shoot Nikon and in my opinion, both Nikon 50mm lenses suck. However thanks be to the lens Gods, Nikon makes an awesome 58mm 1.4G lens and it just might be one of the best portrait lenses ever made. It creates such unique images and background blur that it is truly magical and I can't imagine life without this lens.

Woah, I am a bit confused now, I though the prime lenses are fast in focusing... I was thinking of replacing my sigma 70-200 with and 85mm 1.8 or 1.4, with the idea that it will be faster in focusing...

Good information

what do you think about sigma 20 1.4, 50 1.4 and 105 1.4 lineup?

What's the difference of a macro or prime lens?

So I’ve just found your channel and I’m getting into your videos, thank you! I see the EOS R on your display during the vids but yet all your shots seem to be shot on a 5D mk3...I’m a new Canon shooter, and just came over from a Sony A7iii and Fujifilm XT2 and XT3 for photo and I’ve always shot on Panasonic’s for video...but I’ve traded everything in to build my Canon kit! I chose the EOS R for both for now but am looking for a second body, something with a second card slot (so I’m not concerned when shooting the occasional event) and possibly higher MP count for high fashion such as the 5ds or 5dsR...can I ask your opinion on this? I currently shoot mostly portrait, fashion and model portfolio work, and am getting into editorial and high fashion. Thanks, Adam

Are you shooting crop or FF? Isn't this important?

I totally agree with you. Curiously, with time, I started to prefer the versatility of the 24-70 f/2.8 II and 70-200 f/2.8 II. The primes are on my second body to perform the aesthetic images I carry on my mind. I use now two Eos R bodies. Ditched finally the 5d4s

why not 28mm to compensate in between 24 and 35?

I’d be interested in your thoughts on the Tamron 45mm 1.8 VC.

24mm 50mm 105/135mm is better for me, more versatile.

Sony 55mm GM 85 here thinkibg my next prime 35 or 24 gm but i already have sigma art 20

Great Tutorials. I am a beginner. I Just bought Canon Rebel T6i, any tutorials on it?

Mine are 85 1.8 USM, 50 1.8 STM and 28 1.8 mm USM

Go to a 200mm f2 if you want some fast focusing and bokeh!

Guys I need some advice, recently I've gotten Canon 5d classic for 150$ in mint condition and 50mm 1.8 STM. I was wondering which lens i could get 2nd hand, with similar quality as Canon 27-70 L lens which is wayy out of my budget at the moment

I can't believe this guy's working with a team of people at weddings, would love to know how much he charges to afford to have a team there with him unless they're actually a staged wedding photo perhaps for promo? Regardless love the video and info you provide 😁👏

I am a prime shooter. My favorite lengths are 24, 85 and 135. Sony!

My lens lineup 18-35mm 1.8 40mm 2.8 macro 50mm 1.8 85mm 1.8

What's your opinion on the sigma 40mm f/1.4 art? Should I get rid of my 50mm and 35mm??

so i can use a 50mm as long as i back up i can get to look as a 35mm

I actually use all.three for landscapes. Also my favorites!

What the 50mm model?