Fun with Prime Lenses

[ibmiked]

I don't often get to play with Prime (single focus) Lenses, and I've had one in my camera bag for ages. When a friend recently asked me to photograph some valuable steering wheels for him, I thought it might be a good opportunity to see what all the fuss with Primes is about. The bottom line? I'm totally blown away. Now I'm trying to figure out how to afford several different focal lengths. Why can't I find an inexpensive hobby?

Any other amateur shutterbugs out there using Primes? Any thoughts or pics you'd like to share?











Cheers,
Mike

[Chuck Miller]

VERY nice shoot'n Mike..........

[a911s]

Nice shots, Mike!

I think it's a great idea for anyone who is starting out and serious about photography to use a 50 mm lens and to shoot manually (setting focus, f-stops and shutter speeds yourself) for at least a month or so.

I used prime lenses only from 1974-1994. I still use 14, 15, 21, 35, 50, 90, and 500 mm prime lenses all the time (along with a wide, medium, and telephoto zoom). I shoot Canon 35mm SLR and Leica RF. For the 5D MKII, I shoot on manual with a separate button to select autofocus. Only occasionally do I use shutter priority.

[Bullethead]

Very nice images, Mike. Fixed focal length lenses went away with the advent of convenient and cheap digital photography, but maybe the popularity of retro cameras like the Fujifilm X100 and Leica X1 among serious photographers will change that. The forced perspective and depth afforded by fixed lenses is really desireable. I'm ashamed to say the past few years my old Nikon SP and F with a bag of 28, 35, 50, and 85mm Nikkor lenses has sat in a closet. A way to use them on a digital body would be great!

I once collected cameras and had over 350 at one point. Started with the simplest of all, a 1920's Kodak Brownie box, but by 1990 had every Contax and Lieca model produced up to 1960. Even had an Alpa SLR prototype. Still, the most fun and creative time was fooling with the ultimate fixed-focal camera, a cardboard box and carefully drilled pinhole discs.

[PeterM1965]

Nice shots Mike.

I've never been a big fan of zoom lenses. I have rarely used flash, even indoors, and most zoom lenses are relatively slow. I always tended to have a bunch of big heavy fast lenses.

Also being a Leica M user I am locked into using prime lenses. I've rarely found a situation that was not served by a 35, 50 or 90. But I do choose my camera based on the expected use. For instances where quality is paramount, for candid photography, street shooting, it's a Leica. The rangefinder Leica lenses are all relatively small compared to their SLR counterparts so it's easier to carry 1 or 2 around.

For sports or situations where I am kept well away from my subject then the DSLR with a zoom is my choice.

As for affording a bunch of prime lenses it helps to buy used. I almost never buy new lenses. Are you shooting film or digital or both? Staying away from the fastest lenses will also put less stress on your wallet (though speed is one the best thing about primes, along with the corresponding shallow depth of field)

[67Porsche911S]

With modern type DSLR you can see the difference between a picture taken with a zoom lens or a prime lens. The selective depth of field is amazing especially with a full frame camera like a Nikon D4. Prime lenses forces you some times to think about a picture you want to take and compose it, vary angles and distance. And speed of course. I got my D4 last week and it is amazing to shoot (and focus) pictures in near absolute darkness. My favorite lenses are the 85mm f1.4 and especially the 200mm f2.0 one of the best lenses ever made. There are blogs only about this lens and the image quality even at f2.0 is extra ordinary. (Sorry for being a bit enthusiastic, I guess other camera companies having similar lenses in their programm as well).

[Cornpanzer]

My 30mm 1.4 goes everywhere with me.
Nice shots Mike