Prime Lenses vs Zoom Lenses (And Why I Currently Shoot with Primes) - CamCrunch Tutorial

[@CamCrunch]

What do you prefer shooting with, prime lenses or zoom lenses?

[@jasonattal4465]

I prefer shooting with prime lenses on my Canon 6D (24 f2.8 IS USM, 40 STM and Tamron 90 f/2.8 the 1st version). And I will sell the zoom 24-105 f4 and the Tamron 70-300 in order to buy a hybrid system (canon or panasonic) and some really lightweight zoom. Zoom lenses for full-frame is really heavy...

[@BryanRollinsTV]

Primes definitely help you learn to take advantage of the versatility of zooms. You zoom to get what a particular focal length can offer rather than trying to simply bring a subject closer while standing still. You definitely move your feet a lot more with a zoom after shooting exclusively primes. I tend to use my zoom lens more in studio and treat it like different primes in terms of composing.

[@CamCrunch]

Very true! I don't think there's really a right or wrong when it comes to lenses. Lot's to be learned and gained with either kind.

[@Gantade]

I prefer both actually. I used to shoot solely on primes. They are great in many aspects compared to zoom (sharper images, faster, and more compact). But as I shoot more and more, sometimes it is better to have a zoom and make a small trade off on both weight and image sharpness vs versatility... When I do street photography or outdoor portraits, I will always choose primes. But when I go on a long hike and I don't want to switch lens with my dirty hands, I will always bring my zooms (just to make things easier). At the end of the day, both zoom and prime lenses have their purpose. I believe the gap between high quality zoom lens is a lot closer to prime lens :)

[@CamCrunch]

Stephen Tam I agree! One area where I find I prefer zooms over primes is when I do video work. I have a more run and fun style of shooting so the versatility of the zoom makes things a lot easier!

[@juggernautpint1802]

Regarding size of primes: You are not showing "L" Series Primes which are much larger in size than the standard prime lenses. Compare the 85mm 1.8 vs 85mm 1.2 weighty BEAST for example.

[@CamCrunch]

Juggernaut Pint While I understand what you're saying, it's a 1.2 lens you're talking about. Of course it's going to be big and heavy! It will always be an apples to orange comparison, but if you try to make it as close as possible and conpare the 2.8 zoom lens to lenses that are closer to it (2.8, 2.0 and even 1.4) the primes will be much more compact.