I Stopped Using Zooms For Prime Lenses For One Reason

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Күн бұрын

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Prime Lenses have a unique quality about them when discussing the zoom vs prime lens debate.
I switched back to having a prime lens on my camera because it brought something back into my photography.
Lenses I use(d) (links redacted because of Amazon killing DPReview)
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM
Sigma 50mm F1.4 Art DG HSM
Nikon Prime Lenses -
Sony Prime Lenses -
00:00 - Prime lenses vs Zoom Lenses
00:52 - Prime Lens Requirement
02:41 - Using a Prime Lens as a Zoom
04:19 - Picking a Prime Lens for you
06:38 - My favourite prime lens
08:21 - Which is Your favourite prime lens photo?

Пікірлер: 580

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

What is your favourite prime lens to take photos with? Or do you prefer the flexibility of Zooms/kit lenses?

@johnlangston4108 Жыл бұрын

35mm for street, 85mm for portraits

@charliejg Жыл бұрын

So far, my favorite has been the XF56 f1.2 (version 1.0).

@rickmilligan1903 Жыл бұрын

got to be my 35mm all day long :)

@tradewisetv2801 Жыл бұрын

The image quality of my GF45-100mm is certainly good enough, and even though I use that lens more than any other, I am enamored with my GF120mm. Being a fine art shooter, I'm not bound to any particular niche. I appreciate what each of my lenses have to offer, and my selection thereof is totally dependent upon what I'm setting up to shoot.

@jjkdc62 Жыл бұрын

The nifty 50 was the first lens I bought a year ago when I got into photography. It's still my favorite.

@creative_cozmic Жыл бұрын

The advantage I get using a prime lens is it removes having to make a choice. The less choices I have to make the better. I get to concentrate on the photography and not waste time choosing a focal length. I also get to know a single focal length and learn how to get the most out of it, see the world in that focal length. The size and weight issue is also a huge advantage.

@mi4936 Жыл бұрын

same

@hanumanguy Жыл бұрын

same 🙂

@matthvids Жыл бұрын

Totally agree. I feel so comfortable with my 23mm f2 on my Xpro3

@spidermann5000 Жыл бұрын

every year at the same event i see the same girl taking 3 pictures over the whole evening while the crowd is having an absolute blast and bombarding her with great opportunities. considering her gear i dont blame her tho. she got a big camera with a battery grip, big zoom lens and a Castle Bravo flash. 2kg up and down all the time... i would not survive a weekend the way i shoot!

@TheBigBlueMarble 11 ай бұрын

If you use a prime because it frees you from having to make a decision, isn't that almost the definition of lazy? And I would argue that you are simply trading one decision for another. Instead of choosing a focal length, you are choosing how close you need to get to the subject.

@ipsfryt Жыл бұрын

Of the three, 1 is my favourite. Agree very much about primes versus zooms. I got a 35mm prime for APS-C a couple of years ago precisely because I had for many years used only a 50mm on my 35mm film camera. I do miss the ability that the zoom gives to immediately flip to short telephoto, but the benefits of thinking more and moving in order to compose are consequential.

@perterjeosmundsen-wi6uh Жыл бұрын

They both have their place, in particular if you enjoy more than one style of photography. On a mountain hike in rough terrain zooming with your feet is not necessarily an option. A wide-to-normal zoom and a short tele will cover. In town, a couple of fast primes (23 and 35) are more fun. Thanks for a great channel.

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching

@chesslover8829 10 ай бұрын

If I were doing photojournalism today with the Sony platform, I would definitely use a 24-70 mm f/2.8 zoom, preferably the Sony G-Master model, which weighs 886 grams (or 1.9 pounds). That's heavy. But photojournalism is work. I can't afford to miss a shot while changing lenses. Zooms have never made me lazy. They have given me the ability to frame a shot from one position. There may be no time to change my point of view or to look for a better location. However, in my hobby photography, I don't use zooms at all, except with my Sony a6400, which is my travel camera. On that body, I use the very compact and lightweight Sigma 18-50 mm f/2.8 zoom, which weighs only 290 grams (or 10.2 oz). That's light. Like photojournalism, I don't have a lot of time when traveling to take a shot, so the zoom comes in handy. The drawbacks to using a high-quality zoom on a full-frame digital camera are three fold: 1) the lens tends to be large, heavy, and bullky, which makes hand holding the camera somewhat challenging; 2) with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or even f/4, obtaining a shallow depth of field with excellent out-of-focus backgrounds and beautiful bokeh can be difficult to achieve easily; 3) because of the size of many zoom lenses, being discrete is more challenging while shooting street scenes.

@RogerBays Жыл бұрын

I am a fan of zooms because there is a difference between point of view (where you stand, controlled by your legs) and angle of view (controlled by your lens). With a zoom I first choose where to stand to get the preferred relationships between foreground and background objects and then use the zoom to remove unwanted objects, and finally fine tuning the shot with additional body movement. With a prime lens I have three choices a) choose where to stand and then choose a lens, which is slow b) choose where to stand and shoot wide then crop later, which gives less pixels and cropping later never gives the emotional feeling of the best point of view at the time, and cropping may be unstisfactory because there may be a conflict between wanted and unwanted objects in the final image c) sacrifice the ideal place to stand and instead stand where I can remove unwanted objects, which compromises the image.

@hellolau 10 ай бұрын

Finally someone gets it ! 👊 Thanks 👌

@Belas_Photography Жыл бұрын

My default lens is a Zeiss 50 mm f/1.4, manual everything, with silky smooth, long-throw focus. I own quite a lot of Canon L glass (and like them, both primes and zooms), but if I had only one lens, the Zeiss would be it.

@waveland Жыл бұрын

I took out a completely manual film SLR for some street photography a couple of weeks ago, and that old sense of **inhabiting** the composition came back to me for the first time in ages. Especially on film, you have to be present to everything going on around you as you walk. What’s happening with the light? How do I need to anticipate the exposure in my next surrounding? All the while looking for ways to make the absolute best of the few shots on that roll of film. Shortly thereafter I traded in the last of my zooms, which leaves me carrying only primes in my bag from here on out. I don’t mind moving my feet. I like the challenge of choosing a lens for a particular setting and figuring out how best to make it work. And if I’m not feeling it, then I take a minute to change focal lengths and go right back at it. So I’m totally with you. And to answer your question above, my all time favorite prime was the GF110 from Fujinon when matched up with the GFX100 at 16-bit. I don’t have that kit any longer, and so I’m now looking forward to testing the Nikon 85mm f1.2 soon. I think there’s loads of potential with that lens. I’m also hoping the D850 (Z8?) successor might include 16-bit color. I’m not holding my breath, but I would love to have access to that extra subtlety.

@hanywehany Жыл бұрын

As usual very inspiring, point on, and direct, Love seeing more of your work this time and hope to include more in upcoming videos, all portraits shown are really beautiful, love 1 and 3 the most.

@themframes Жыл бұрын

A 50mm prime can be used in almost all types of situations. Primes also encourage you to slow down and really think about the frame. Great video, as always. I preferred portrait 1 out of the 3.

@RichardBO9 Жыл бұрын

What stunning photos! I appreciate your timely thoughts. Just yesterday I was googling around for videos on creating landscape wide-angle looks with a 50mm lens. It's SO easy to get lazy and turn into a landscape pack mule with a 16-35, 24-105, and 100-400. You have inspired some thought. Thanks!

@FabienMathey Жыл бұрын

I am happy you did not give up nor give in. Thank you for making great content and showing your own work too. I enjoy looking at it and getting inspiration from all images shown! I also love prime lenses. I have no preferred focal length as it seem to depend on the subject (an I have way too much gear) but the 35mm, 50 and 75-85mm equivalent lenses are my go to lenses due to the spaces I am walking around in.

@gregsimmons1709 Жыл бұрын

#1 is my favourite, primarily due to the light and shade. Would very much like to see that new channel or video series you hinted at. I love watching those sorts of videos, following the photographer’s thought process, noting the model’s moves and reactions when appropriate, and also walking through the processing to get the end result.

@grenadagreengroupg3776 Жыл бұрын

Choosing #1, but your portraits at 4:30, 6:00, 7:50, and especially 8:00 are MAGNIFICENT. But I'm a snappy amateur, starstruck and barely worthy to comment. It is time I gave you a resounding thank you for so many inspiring videos introducing me to so many excellent photographers.

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@tecnologiaoficial 8 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for sharing your perspective. I am not a very avid photographer, although I love it when I go out with the A7IV and start taking photos. I really felt like your advice vibed with my experience - there is definitely a focal range that fits my style, and I 100% prefer a prime lens. It simply makes me be more active, makes me walk around and try new angles. I like how it makes my brain really think of what I'm trying to achieve. I also like the amazing bokeh you can get from primes.... undeniably so much better.

@Sismodium Жыл бұрын

Hi Alex, I am loving the moodiness and atmosphere of number 2. Thank you for yet another great insightful video. I will be looking out for the studio sessions.

@marcelrothmund2447 Жыл бұрын

I am a lazy guy and I love brilliant zooms, like the RF 28-70 and 70-200, especially for weddings 🙂. As you often don't know the space you have at your disposition, they help to get the job done. For Portraits though, I love using primes, like the RF50 and the RF85 F1.2. Btw, I like portrait no. 1 the most.

@nolanwest6831 Жыл бұрын

#1 captured my interest the most. Lenses are arsenal in your tool kit like my knife bag at work each one has its purpose where some can be multiuser. But of course the one I have the most fun with is a light weight 40mm prime to walk around with.

@waynecoles6041 Жыл бұрын

Really looking forward to your portrait channel, it is something I'm dabbling with and hoping to get better at this year. I find I can take nice quality photos, but my artistic ability is really poor so all my portraits are quite basic. Hopefully that improves over time. I really like my RF 70-200 2.8. But, its my most expensive lens and clearly the highest quality one I have. I do like my 50mm and my 35mm but their image quality isn't upto the 70-200. I keep meaning to buy the 50mm f1.2 but haven't gotten around to saving money for it yet :(

@neilmarshment2910 Жыл бұрын

I bought the basic 50mm Canon RF lens and love it - right back to my Pentax MX with its 50mm 1.7. Rediscovering my joy of portraiture. Looking forward to your new channel. My favourite is 1.

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@timking1964 Жыл бұрын

I completely agree. Having started my photography journey with an interest in landscape photography, I watched far too many KZfaq videos, confused myself, and spent money that I couldn’t really afford on the “holy trinity”. Meh. I then bought a nifty 50 and found myself taking more intimate shots of landscapes, architecture and even some portraits, and loving the results. On trips to the big city, I now take a wee Fujifilm with its 35mm-equivalent prime, and enjoy not just composing shots, but creating them by moving about (obviously not an option when standing on a mountain). Still learning. Still making mistakes. But enjoying the process. Thanks for the guidance. Number 1 by the way…

@mikeyeaton1914 Жыл бұрын

I'm just getting back into the swing of photography after a nearly decade long 'break'. Prime lenses were always my go-to for more professional work, specially 50mm and 85mm 1.4's. I always owned a 28-105mm and 70-300mm, but almost never used them. Not even sure where those two are to be honest... Personally, #2 catches my eye more, and I'm looking forward to your portrait channel. I guess I'm still old school in that I don't really care for all the digital editing you find on IG and the like at the moment. Looking forward to getting tips to help refresh my studio lighting techniques!

@realworldaudio Жыл бұрын

Hi Alex, I also have the 50mm f1.8 Canon lens, which recently gave up the ghost (aka the camera connection!) Could not repair it successfully, but ultimately found a way to disconnect the electrical connectors, and use it as a manual focus lens stuck at f1.8. I have to say though that I'm having more fun with it than ever, as the manual focus asks me to be much more mindful than I ever was with the autofocus, and opens up new possibilities for framing. Recently acquired a Super Takumar 50mm f1.4 (arrived last night!!!), and a Helios 44-2 is also on the way, to ease the gap that the failing Canon created. Your videos are SUPER INSPIRATIONAL!!! I always considered myself as having a a completely "blind photographer's eye". You helped me change from that stuck mindset (which was a result from both my bad compositions and my photographer friends very much disparaging attitute). The squinting method, and many of your advice finally helpd to move mo out from that stuck place, and finally I feel that I am making a connection with the compositions, and start to see like the camera. Cheers, Janos

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@antonsiberian Жыл бұрын

You do have a good point about prime lenses. Anyway there are genres where we need zooms anyway, like travel or landscape photography. Switching lenses isn't a good idea.

@Strodav Жыл бұрын

For outdoor portraits, and many other things, it's the 70-200mm f/2.8. For studio portraits its the 85mm f/1.8. I do use 35 and 50mm f/1.8 for street photography. For Birds in Flight it's a 200-600mm lens. Being able to zoom out to find and track and then zoom in to get the shot is very helpful. A setup that fits my personality is probably a Nikon D7200 aps-c 24mp body with an 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. Just feels right and I like the results I get.

@InfoMans Жыл бұрын

Alex, to answer your poll, I like image #1. Now that that's out of the way, I also love primes. 3 of my 5 lenses are primes, and I love them. I keep the 50 mm f/1.4 on my main camera body while it's in my bag, and so when I just want to grab it, that's the lens I'm using. And I agree with everything you've said in this video about primes, and about the 50mm in particular.

@MegaSoundscapes Жыл бұрын

Thank you Alex for the efforts you put in your videos ! I constantly tune in here because it's about the philosophy behind it and less about gear. Great shots as always. Cheers and keep em coming !

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching

@davemullin466 Жыл бұрын

Really enjoying your videos Alex, in one of your earlier talks you mentioned how gear wasn't a particular aspect that would be featured, but the use of primes is an important factor which requires real integration with the camera as a tool. This you explain eloquently and has made me re-think my infatuation with consistent wide aperture zooms, since they are not only expensive but definitely make one less participative. The landscape format Muse Portraits add a wide dimension which I think changes the usual up-and-down portrait concept, I see how the space can really liberate the subjects. The lighting, backgrounds and hair motion effects give an amazing vibrancy and insight into how you portray the subject's personalities, great work!

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@stu-ax Жыл бұрын

This absolutely resonates with me. I'm also very appreciative of your teaching offered on the channel. You've a great way of explaining with integrity and accuracy. I've just started using zooms, prior to that I had only used the FujiFilm x100s for 12 months, and that was limited but liberated me because it just does 23mm (~35mm). Only one choice expanded my ability to visualise a photo before getting the camera out. With the 18-55 kit lens on the xt2 I bought, I am still sitting generally around the wider end of it, and prefer to shoot either a 13mm (~21mm), 35mm (~50mm), or 75mm (~112mm) prime lens due to the limits and the sharpness that each of those provide. I'm slowly getting used to the 35 (50) on the xt2 and I bought it to give me that same portrait look you talk about. Of the photos you asked about in your video, I prefer the first one.

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@alanwyatt9588 Жыл бұрын

Very excited to see your portraiture channel! I really enjoy your portraits and would love to learn more about your vision and technique. Many thanks for all your hard work on KZfaq!

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@jonc8561 Жыл бұрын

Great video! My first and only lens (at the moment) is a 50mm 1.8 on my Nikon Z5. I would love to try the 85mm but learning on the 50mm has been been fun.

@alangardner8596 Жыл бұрын

I agree entirely. When my 50mm 1.8 got broken it was immediately replaced by another 50mm 1.8.

@StansburyStudiosInc Жыл бұрын

Definitely #1 for me, thanks. Have a 50mm Summicron-M I've had since the mid 70's (!) and never thought to change it out. It's now adapted onto a digital cinema camera where it continues to rule! Lovely shots and looking forward to your new channel!

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@seaeagles6025 Жыл бұрын

Hi Alex i love my Nikon 50mm lens, the thing i like about it is that it has a Focus to Infinity Icon. My 18-55mm Kit lens doesn't have one. Especially at night when i do long exposures it's much easier to Focus on your subject, and also works very well in low light. Thanks for a great video.

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching

@AnthonyJGianotti Жыл бұрын

I like #3, the pallet compliments the model perfectly. Typically my bag has a 20mm equivalent prime, a nifty 50 equivalent prime and a constant ap 27-75mm equivalent zoom. Most of the time the nifty stays glued to the camera. I just love that focal length for every type of photography. I love it so much that I honestly wish Fuji would make a 50mm equivalent x100v, I’d ditch all of my gear for that camera.

@nelsbondephoto Жыл бұрын

You have inspired me once again to get into portrait photography. I've dabbled, but haven't made the leap into it. Have ideas of what I want my portfolio to look like. A mix of high key and low key lighting but with a certain look. I'll say I have vision, now I just need to put it into action. Thanks again for your content and always look forward to seeing your next video.

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching.

@r.c8756 Жыл бұрын

First picture is my favourite ! About prime lenses, even with my very modest experience I can relate. Maybe it’s also because I’m a bit of an object fetishist, i really love objects that are simple and beautiful... I bought a very expensive zoom a few month ago and the quality is... almost perfect, it’s super sharp, the autofocus is super efficient, it has very little optical flaws... and yet it’s kind of boring and I often just go back to my 50mm F1.8. Sometimes, the most limited pieces are the most satisfactory ones ! I’m also super fond of my 300mm fixed aperture manual focus catadioptric lens. This is probably my less expensive lens, it’s super hard to focus, it’s pretty dark, it has weird ring bokeh and yet it creates very unique images. As I heard someone say, the more constraints you have the more creative it pushes you to get.

@stephenlynn Жыл бұрын

Came across this and loved it. Made so much sense and look forward to watching more. Probably the most direct explanation I have heard on why I should use a prime lens.

@Gorganahfikark Жыл бұрын

Would love to see this new channel Alex. Can't wait to see what you have for us. Great vid

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@michaelschimpf267 Жыл бұрын

The favourite portraits, I feel, is at 3:32 and 4:30 of your video. Awesome, amazing. Photographing with prime lenses means to slow down. I agree, at least the better choice.

@martinlawrence8427 Жыл бұрын

I use the Sigma 50mm Art and love it for my outdoor portraits. Very excited about watching and learning from you doing portraits in your studio!

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@digitalgenre7194 Жыл бұрын

Yes! I would like to see your photoshoots and gear you work with, as well as learn about your workflow. Thanks for the video. Carry on.

@terryhope2074 Жыл бұрын

When I was shooting Canon, the nifty 50 and an 85mm f1.8 were my people lenses, yes had zooms to cover everything from architecture to events. 17-40 and 70-200, needed as a professional. The primes got the biggest thrashing. Now on Fuji and my 35mm 1.4 is my go to for profile pics - people. Have been asked about why I don't have an expensive wide to mid zoom, and I just point to my legs. I see people through a 50mm frame, it is kind and feels right and is as familiar to me as breathing. Keep life simple.

@peterjulianphotos4659 Жыл бұрын

Number 1 - nails it. Not being a portrait photographer the only time i use a prime is for still life work - but sometimes I think about moving to human subjects - just not sure how to start.

@davidtaranzaphotography3324 Жыл бұрын

Excellent point beyond the technicals. Which is, of course, the main reason for coming here. My favorite prime for portraits is 85, it just feels sooo right. Nifty 50 is good at any time. Last year I added a 24/1,8 into my kit after struggling at indoor wedding with f/4 zoom. I just can't get along with a 35. Of the three I vote for 1, although there were many photos throughout the video that I liked very much! And YES, I would love to see you in action, how you work with your models. Great content as always, just keep pushing man. You rock!

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Wow. Thank you

@scotskinner4350 Жыл бұрын

I use a 35mm prime on an APS-C camera.

@marcofabiocarosi2996 Жыл бұрын

The #1 is my favourite. Actually the same subject in a different photo with her torso 45 degrees and half right elbow out of frame is my real favourite. Thank you for the amazing video.

@MartinFroland Жыл бұрын

Excellent video. Nice mix between opinions, theory, and photos. My favorite was photo No 1. My favorite primes is my EF 1.4 and EF 2.0 on 5D, or 6D. My L zooms is on my 5Dmk4. And my Fuji X100V with its 35mm equivalent. Especially my 5D or my Fuji slows me down. Love it.

@petervanderstock7636 Жыл бұрын

No 1 is my favourite. I shoot with three primes on a Fujifilm X-H1 APS-C: 12, 23 and 50, resp. 18, 35, 75 equiv. For portraits I use the 50mm, the 23mm is "general purpose" and the 12 I use for wide-angle landscape and street photos. Love the 50mm for portraits.

@StriderLongbow Жыл бұрын

Interesting as I've had a 50 mm lens for quite sometime but hardly ever used it until recently where I had it on my crop sensor 7d mark2 ( as I had a sigma art 24-105 on my full frame as it was VERY dark where I was shooting ) but it does feel very different in having to move around to get a shot ( having to keep moving further and further back is a thing ) but I'd like to try portraiture sometime with it. As for fave of the x 3 photos then 3 because of the colour...As for you talking about studio stuff including lighting ( yes please ) , could you include about your background as I'm reading and seeing about hand painted fabric backdrops rather than sheet material/solid ones. All the best Keith

@fellfromspace Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video. It was interesting and enjoyable. Also nice to see some of your work. My favourite prime is probably the 24mm. You talk a lot here about primes for portraiture and how they can slow things down a bit. I agree with you that this is a good thing. Digital cameras full of automated settings, advanced metering and auto-focus systems, zoom lenses, super high burst modes, and powerful editing software that allows us to be less technically and formally rigorous ("ah, I can fix that in post") - all of these things serve to accelerate the capture process, making it a challenge for even very experienced photographers to completely keep up in real-time. I'm not a Luddite. I was an early adopter of digital and have not looked back. Over time, however, I have come to recognize the challenges implicit in ever more powerful digital workflows. For me, at least, one of them is the temptation to work fast instead of working "better." My solution has been to introduce metaphorical speed bumps to my process that force me to slow down a little and require me to be mindful. Your suggestions around the use of prime lenses are a perfect example of that. I know that the power of "automated everything" and full burst mode is still available to me when my niece asks me to come and photograph her playing volleyball. For the rest of the time though, I can adopt a process that reminds me to slow down, be present and which affords me a greater connection to the creative act of making images. And, as for my favourite of the three images at the end, technically, it would be the first one. Creatively, I would go with the second. I know you said pick one, but, as an artist, I am exercising my prerogative to break the rules - ha.

@sssxxxttt Жыл бұрын

Interesting thoughts. Until recently I only, besides the phone camera, used old b/w film, maybe of the mentioned reasons. I started with a 50mm in my teens, got a 100 I seldom used. The first lens I bought myself was a 24. Interestingly 24 matches well with the standard phone lens of today. Now my favorite is 35 followed by 24 and 50. 28, 40 and 135 not suiting my preferences. It's funny how individual the choices seem to be. A friend of mine almost exclusively uses a 70mm. Many are comfortable with 28.

@MegaSoundscapes 11 ай бұрын

Thank you for another great video ! I love the Portrait at 06:03, the dynamics, the expression, the vibe !! ..... I think I am a 50mm guy as well. With that lens I always have the feeling that I can deal with any situation, from portrait to street, from daylight to indoor.

@pmbartley Жыл бұрын

Number 3 is my favorite. I love the 85mm range for my portrait work. I use a 56mm on my Fuji XT-4, which (as you know) is an 85mm equivalent. Thank you again for your work and passion on your channel! Very enlightening!

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@juergendechert2706 Жыл бұрын

I'm using primes (35mm, 50mm, 85mm) preferably when shooting wide open for max background blur in available light situations - on location both in- and outdoors. My 24-120mm zoom is my go to workhorse in studio with studio flashes.

@paolociccone Жыл бұрын

#1 is my favorite. I too use 50mm for portraiture with the 35mm camera. With the 4x5, I'm currently using a 135mm which I like a lot but I'm considering going to 150mm. Thank you for making these videos, your information and opinions are to notch

@aes53 Жыл бұрын

I started shooting so long ago that there were few zoom lenses, especially by the camera manufacturers. Ok, Nikon had the execrable 43-86 zoom that they stuck on the Nikkormat, but that was sort of an exception. 50 mm was the "kit" lens of the time (many cameras were packed with them), and I shot with many of them over the years arriving recently at a Zeiss OTUS,, which while exceptional optically, is a bit aggravating to schlep around. Interestingly, the wide-angle primes that really "felt right" to me visually were not the 28 mm which many people favor but the 24 mm. It's all in the way of seeing, I suppose; photographers have a visual vocabulary or geometry in their mind that is facilitated by certain angles of view.

@gregmolchan1202 Жыл бұрын

Love the discussion about finding a lens that suits you. I gravitate towards nifty-fifty even as a landscape photographer.

@azzalos Жыл бұрын

Glad I rediscovered your channel, just as I am setting up my own one light home studio. Looking forward to watching more of your videos. What backdrop are you using? I would love something similar but having a hard time finding them. P.S. 50mm is also my favorite and is glued to my camera. I am going to start working with a 90mm too as an experiment and for portraiture

@texasflyboy525 Жыл бұрын

Would love to see your studio sessions videos, sounds awesome! Lighting too hopefully. Putting a beautiful but relatively inexpensive 50mm prime has been freeing and wouldn't you know it my legs are starting to work again, I love waking in and out to zoom it brings you much more into the situation. 50mm are also great because they just seem to work well at a comfortable distance for casual conversation. Do you find that you get any bad distortion of the face when you get closer with these sub 100mm or so lenses?

@antonsukhanov4651 Жыл бұрын

I am a hobby photographer. Earlier I used Nikon D5000, and my favourite lens was 35mm 1.8G. I almost stopped using zooms. I used this lens for 13 years, until I bought a full frame camera, Nikon D610. I sold my zooms and bought several prime lenses (24mm, 28mm and 50mm). Now I use 28mm 2.8 Ai-S only, it is a very versatile lens. I practically don't shoot portraits, mainly landscapes, cityscapes, something else, and for me the 28mm focal distance is the most favourite!

@snowwalker9999 Жыл бұрын

I could live with three primes 35 50 and 85mm (full frame or equivalent). I just can't decide which one I like better. I love all three equally for everything, landscape street and portrait.

@alexanderpons9246 Жыл бұрын

Great topic Alex Kilbee! Yes sticking to a Fixed Lens forces one to make the composition work within the space. I like Image #1. Thank you for all the content you create for the channel so Photography lovers can grow and learn.

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@louhautdavid6451 Жыл бұрын

I mainly use a 27mm on an APSC, a 40mm equivalent. I think it combines the avantages of a 50mm (a natural vision) and of a 35mm by giving enough space around the main subject.

@gadi.leshem Жыл бұрын

There's another aspect of using a prime lens vs a zoom one in the settings you described. Your physical proximity to the subject affects the way (optically) the subject portray. So when you're using a 50mm lens for example you get used to standing in a certain distance to get a certain composition (say headshot for example). When you have a zoom lens you can stand in a range of distances from the subject and by using the zoom get the same composition - however the optical view is different, so for example you can go further back and use a 100mm zoom to get the same composition, however the subject would look different optically - That could contribute to why we prefer shots that were taken from a certain distance.

@hbp_ Жыл бұрын

My take is that you should plan your work beforehand. At some point in your photography life you're going to learn which focal length will do what and you can just take one or two primes with you. Of course you can't plan everything ahead of time but quite often you should have a general idea about what you want to achieve. A practical case for a zoom might be the environment. If you need more than one focal lengths you may not have time to change lenses or perhaps there location has too much airborne dust.

@c.augustin Жыл бұрын

My favorite of the three photos is number 1. Somewhat "old-style", and B&W suits it very well (but this is not the deciding factor for me, rather a "bonus"). Regarding prime vs. zoom - I used mainly primes all the time. I now have two "standard" zooms and one telephoto zoom as kind of "travel" equipment (more for "everyday" shooting, for convenience) on my digital camera, but analog is still primes only (well, no zoom available for a Leica IIIf … 😁).

@mo5dm600 Жыл бұрын

Another great video, thank you for sharing so much of your knowledge and experiences 😃

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

My pleasure!

@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Жыл бұрын

I started my photography with a 28-80mm zoom. My second lens was a 50mm f/1.4 prime. 28 years later, I've since owned just about every combination of lenses and all formats. Even went vintage, and had that 28mm f/2.8 AIS lens you're probably talking about, as well at the 24mm and 50mm AIS lenses. I went all top f/1.4 FF primes at one point. Turns out they're quite heavy, and expensive, and several of them just remained in the bag at all times. I keep a spreadsheet of all the lenses I've owned, and I'm well over $100,000 spent. (I sell lenses to pay for the next rounds of glass) My favorite was the 35mm Sigma Art lens, I used that more than anything. I've gone all manual focus, then all auto focus too. Currently though, I'm shooting medium format with two zooms and a prime covering from 24mm in FF terms, to 158mm. I'm shooting more landscapes and cityscapes now. If I was a portrait shooter, I'd probably have the 110mm and the 45mm. But even the zooms have more image quality than any full frame camera ever did. You just have to buy the lenses that work for your style of shooting. I don't want to be changing lenses in dusty windy conditions, and some of the zooms have prime quality now giving you 4 different primes in one lens. As far as which pic is best, I vote for #1.

@lesberkley3821 Жыл бұрын

For people, I like an 85 or 135 ("equivalent"). For travel, you can't beat zooms, unless you have one specific type of images you want to collect. I've been doing this for a very long time, and I don't find either prime or zoom to be limiting. I do subscribe to the advice for new photographers--use your zoom kit lens, and then look to see what focal length you are using the most, and buy that in a prime lens. (The real advantage of prime lenses is, of course, Bokey.)

@einzwei3364 Жыл бұрын

I imediatly could relate to your statement that if you limit yourself to a focal length then you naturally become creative. It is exactly the same thing in music at the piano if you limit yourself to a few notes in improv. and built on that from that limited set. Nice video, I'll be retrofitting some very old primes from my eighties cameras to my old aps-c dslr and give it a shot. If I like it I'm going to invest in a few used standard primes to get even better results.

@thebiblioholic Жыл бұрын

1 and 2, or maybe 2 and 1 were my favs. Regarding renting a prime to try out shooting with a fixed focal length, a zero cost alternative for someone who has a zoom is to set it on a specific focal length and just keeping it there. Maybe a bit of masking tape to remind you not to zoom... Might not have as fast an aperture, but would give you the field of view. My experience with photography started with a 50mm prime on a film SLR, these days I use a variety of cameras and lenses, but have also gravitated to a 35mm prime as my favorite.

@david_allen1 Жыл бұрын

Alex, I like your comments about prime lenses and your growth in using them. For many years I didn't buy prime lenses because they were so "limited" in my view. But lately I've experienced a rebirth with photography and I decided to embrace primes as I believed I was missing out on something important that they enable. Turns out to be true. And now I've come to believe that I need to spend significantly more time learning to "see" like the primes -- getting to know how to use them for maximal impact. I'm excited to take this new step, and it also opens the door to portrait photography, which I think I might like! Thank you for sharing your insights!

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching

@karney44m Жыл бұрын

You brought up an incredibly important topic here, one that I speak about often. The art of visualising what the final image will look like before tripping the shutter, understanding the dynamics of 28-35-50-60-85-105 etc. People new to photography nowdays usually end up with one or two kit zooms and rely on these to bring objects closer instead of using their feet. I shoot primarily in the studio and use a mix of prime and zoom lenses...but...my feet never stop, my feet are for zooming and my zoom lens is just a collection of primes in one package. I look down at the barrel and adjust to a length that my minds eye suggests will work for a particular photo, then my body moves back and forth to frame exactly. Equally importantly my body moves up and down to shift perspective of the subject, this could be as low as laying on my belly to standing on a small step ladder.....but never ever adjusting the zoom ring while my camera is at my eye. Maximum aperture is of no huge consequence to me because the old Bowens gear I use forces me to work 5.6-11, rarely wide open. I settle for affordable 1.8 variants of primes and constant aperture 2.8 zooms. The ONLY time I can think of where I use a zoom to bring things in close is when left no option doing photography on holidays, just walking the streets of a foreign city, even then, alongside a zoom will probably be a 35 or 28 in my pocket. Love this video, please keep spreading the word of zooming with feet and being very mobile in the studio, both horizontally and vertically....love your work!

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching

@MunchyToy Жыл бұрын

For as long as I can remember, it has been primes - 35mm for environmental portraits and 85mm for portraits in a studio/other confined space. I really didn't like the disconnect of photographing people with a 70-200mm zoom so bought a 105mm that's barely been used even though it's a great lens on paper. It's a late conversion, but I much prefer shooting with a 50mm prime now.

@stormfalconstudios Жыл бұрын

I have two zooms, a Sigma 17-50 and a 50-150 both f2.8. I also have 22, 30, 50, and a 60mm macro. I very often just put the tiny little 22mm f2 on my Canon M6 mk II and drop it in my pocket. I really like the 35mm equivalent field of view and it's light and compact. Makes photography fun again without getting bogged down with a ton of gear.

@JohnDrummondPhoto Жыл бұрын

First: of the three portraits, I prefer Nos. 1 and 2 pretty equally compared to No. 3. The model looks a little stiff and disinterested and I'm not wild about the color scheme. I shoot mainly landscape and wildlife and mostly use zooms because of cost and convenience. Plus they're high-quality L lenses. That said, most of my photos other than wildlife are taken at between 40-60 mm. I have a 16mm F/2.8 and 35mm F/1.8, and I'm looking at Canon's new 24mm. I use the primes mainly for video but I really should be more adventurous with them in still photography. Thanks for your inspiring content as always!

@ArturBad Жыл бұрын

At the beginning PLEASE! DON'T STOP MAKING VIDEOS! I'm a big fan of the channel. After your videos I realized what photography is all about! I'm an amateur who takes amateur photos and I started making music videos for my friends band! It all started with a passion for photography and now that I have moved from my home country I am still drawn to taking photos and making new music videos for my friends. You have no idea how important it is for a sensitive person to help you create other members of the (musical) group to keep going and look for ideas! I came from a photographic view of the world, but after seeing your videos I am fully aware that I can create new projects and delight my colleagues with new ideas! BTW! Photography and filmography are not as different from each other as the rest of the world thinks ;). Everything comes together as a whole if you have an open mind enough. P.S. Text translated by Google translator. I still don't have enough skills to write in English ;)

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching

@bramelsheretan Жыл бұрын

I like my Nifty Fifty, both of them Mk1 and Mk2, if I go out for the day I use the 24-105 and if I'm out for a special shoot I take the two sigma 2.8 lenses, 24-70 and 70-200. One of the Fifty is always with my kit

@grahamhobbs3501 Жыл бұрын

Thanks accepted ;D Being one of the last of the Pentaxians I use the old SMC FA Ltds (31mm, 43mm & 77mm) for everything where I can move and 24-70 and 70-200 around the edges, mostly landscape. I've totally fallen in love with the primes, even if modern zooma don't have the IQ issues older ones did - they definitely make you more involved, as tou say. Of the images you asked about, I like #2 the most and #1 the least - extra information, no charge :)

@spidermann5000 Жыл бұрын

The 3 Amigos where something i would dream about. maybe some day. the great thing about PK is that it can be adapted to anything! My favorite for Pentax was the Sigma 28mm 1.8 Aspherical. 28mm was awesome, f1.8 was great and that autofocus... usually the autofocus of my K-3II would be the limiting factor but this lens didn't care and it would focus and it would do it quick... however the optical quality was/is flat...

@daviddunmore8415 Жыл бұрын

My most used camera is a Canon EOS-M with 15-45 Kit lens. But it's almost always at 15mm (24mm full frame equivalent) I also have a 25mm (40mm Full frame equivalent) F1.9 manual prime lens which I use in low light situations as I much prefer available light over flash.

@brianmangan3524 Жыл бұрын

Great work Alex, another inspiring video. Very interesting to hear about your thoughts on the " Nifty Fifty". I think the first photo of the portrait images is superb, the lighting and tones are superb. I do have a question, which prime lenses outside the 28mm and 50mm are your favourite? During the very dark winter months here in Stockholm, Sweden I was using a 35mm lens to take street photos and I was very comfortable shooting, but I would try to shoot no higher than ISO 3200 otherwise the photos would be destroyed with noise. Like I said before, keep up the good work with your inspirational videos. Much appreciated.

@spidermann5000 Жыл бұрын

did you consider a monopod?

@christianpetersen1782 Жыл бұрын

Howzit Alex! I lived in Jhb for many years in the 1970’s with a Nikkormat film camera (& Agfachrome 50) and a single manual focus Nikon 50mm f2. I loved it so much that recently I bought Voightlander manual focus primes to slow me down and I find that the slow immersive experience of photo taking so much more creative and pleasurable. I’d love to do portrait photography if I knew where to start so am looking forward to your new series. I enjoy all three of your photos but if I were forced to choose it would be #3. Best wishes, Christian.

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching.

@gntv6000 Жыл бұрын

Hi Alex, another brilliant information video, thank you. I photograph with my 50mm nearly all the time for the very same reasons you have discussed. All three portraits are excellent, for me image 1 works the best.

@ajeromemahon7808 Жыл бұрын

I try to approach zooms in a different way. Using it as a set of focal lengths. If there's no way I could back further away zoom out. If there's no way to get closer without too much distortion zoom in. If you want more compression and emphasis you'll need to zoom in. It doesn't help you learn one focal length but I find it useful to think of zooming in and out as a last resort to gain a perspective you couldn't possibly obtain at the focal length you are currently on (or your favourite you normally use)

@peterhayward1848 Жыл бұрын

Always an interesting debate. I never once had a potential customer ask what lenses I used. Weddings, portraits or whatever. On medium format it was primes, not that much choice with zooms on 6x6.

@IanKnight40 Жыл бұрын

Hi Alex, your video nails it!. I seriously recommend looking into some of the third party manual prime lenses from companies such as 7 artisans. Especially if they have come from using such lenses on a film camera. I own a couple of Fujifilm bodies and use the 35mm f1. 2 mk2 lens from 7 artisans. This was around £130. Compared to the fujifilm primes that I own the result look less contrasty / digital and more organic. The colours are so natural. Any way, my point is, there are now some really inexpensive ways to try prime lenses if your camera brands own lenses are way overpriced just like Fujifilms lenses are. Cheers Ian.

@lw1622 Жыл бұрын

No.3 is my favourite. Although I use zooms occasionally to make me go outside of my comfort zone they never seem to give me the same good feeling as my 55mm 1.8 used in a square format in black and white.

@christopherward5065 Жыл бұрын

Lenses have different personalities and I use them as tools to apply particular qualities to what I am photographing. Pre-visualising is one of the great gifts of primes that I have lived with for a long time. I can move into position with a thought in mind and be in the moment as my eye finds the viewfinder and I am pulling focus. I use APSC and I do intend to use full frame and medium formats again. The lenses I use most are 28mm, 35mm, 50mm. I have a variety of examples of each one too. I like the way that using primes keeps me seeing and engaging with the subject and its context. I liked portrait 1 best. Great image making Alex!

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@stinkyfj60 Жыл бұрын

I almost exclusively use primes now: 24mm, 50mm, 70mm. The 24 is my favorite. Oh, and a channel of you shooting portraits would be great to see!

@BritishRosie-es3zr Жыл бұрын

The wedding scenario made me laugh. I found myself shooting a wedding and late on I was leaning against a wall and popped on a long zoom lens because I though "I can't be bothered, I'm tired, I'll just zoom from here!" Incidentally 9:27 is STUNNING!

@AffinityPhoto Жыл бұрын

I do that but my rational is that a bit removed from the situation means I have less impact on the moment making the photo more natural. People are very aware of photographers and change their behavior around them.

@robgutkowski7141 Жыл бұрын

I agree that the constraints of a Prime , and consistent use of a Prime do lead me to be a photographer, and zooms do make me lazy. Great video, and I like the first picture the most.

@danieldarks3721 Жыл бұрын

Favourite Portrait for me was No. 1. I was amazed when i tried my 50mm prime at how much better my portraits were when I used it instead of a zoom lens.

@kevinroberts1888 Жыл бұрын

Beautiful portraits. My nifty fifty, an EF F1.8 STM is pretty much the only prime I usually carry with me. I mainly picked it up because it was so cheap and would give me another stop down from my f2.8 standard zoom. My main use for it has turned out to be taking photos at events where I don't want to be using a flash.

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@Thereal111t Жыл бұрын

Kit lenses used to be 50mm in the 1.7-2 range. I remember the kit lens for the canon rebel x was the 50 1.8. When the rebel g came out it had a slower 28-80 if I recall correctly. From that point, the popular entry level cameras came with mediocre zoom lenses. This was a marketplace decision…not the decision of a rational photographer. It appealed to inexperienced camera buyers by giving them something that they perceived as being more capable. Zoom lenses can cause a student to not be aware of perspective. Whenever I give a photo class to high school students, I demonstrate perspective as a composition tool by showing the same subject at a similar placement in the frame at the opposite end of their camera’s zoom range. They’re typically amazed that I just showed them a control that they never realized existed. So to sum up… prime lenses are generally cheaper, faster, sharper, simpler in construction and therefore more reliable. On top of that, they force you to be a better photographer by considering and learning what lens perspective will be most appropriate for the shot you’re trying to make.

@mitHundundRad Жыл бұрын

I also switched to the prime lens. In the beginning out of curiosity with a 50 year old lens (50mm f1.8) which became my favorite after some time of getting used to it. The character and sharpness comes out on top of Sony's kit lens significantly. Of course, the lens also has "weaknesses" but that's what makes the picture and since the change, the popularity of my pictures has increased as to how good they are. I like working with a fixed focal length, you need time, you have to be creative and you have to be more mental focused on it.

@ericsutton11 Жыл бұрын

Looking forward to your portraiture channel!

@matthiasaronjonsson3066 Жыл бұрын

Number 1 is my favorite :) Great video, I mostly shoot primes but I like using zoom lenses for birds, distant landscapes and when I'm traveling.

@worldadventuretravel 4 ай бұрын

I was really seduced by the Sigma Art 18-35mm f/1.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8 after hearing so many photographers say they're the only two lenses you need. Thing is, I wanted even faster glass and I love street photography, and those two lenses are yuuuuge. So I started to work with Art series primes instead. The Sigma Art series 30mm f/1.4 is such a great lens to walk around with. It has all the benefits of the Art lenses with none of the bulk, but still has a nice weight and build to it to feel good in your hand. The images are great and it forces me to get over my fear of getting close to my subjects if I want to capture more intimate portraits. Add the Lensbaby Omni effects pack and you have an amazing range of prismatic and other effects that you can stick right on the filter ring and shoot hands-free.

@Rob.1340 Жыл бұрын

Thank you. No. 3. Portrait channel definitely. I shoot wildlife mainly. However I recently purchased a 50mm 1.8. For my journey into portrait photography. Thanks again. All the best. 👍📷😎

@ThePhotographicEye Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@jpsteiner2 Жыл бұрын

Yes!!! I learned as much about myself as my photography by using prime lenses. My zooms mostly collect dust. For the photos, they are all wonderful. The second is my favorite.

@kenschwarz8057 Жыл бұрын

I started on a 50mm standard lens way, way back, and it’s still my favorite. Unproductive detours with 35mm (boring, too many distracting elements) and 85mm (too boxed it, too many bokeh-dependent headshots) lenses proved that these were much harder to use over the years. Then 28mm is good, though. 24 not. Why? I think a lot has to do with comfortable working distance and the fore/back magnification balances. Very mysterious, really. But you’re right, a zoom does make me lazy. I won’t work so hard to find different angles and backgrounds. If there were click stops on the zoom it would be so much better, don’t you think?