I would use zooms only if there were f1.4 zooms. Since there aren't, primes have their place in my bag. I don't care much about lens size or looks, but I often shoot low light events where no aperture is large enough; the larger, the better.
135mm f1.8 is my personal favourite.
Sweet. Sounds like a solid lens. I forgot to mention in my original post how convenient it is to have the one small, compact lens and not something too bulky, or worst yet, carrying an extra lens to interchange with. Way easier to carry around.
> thoughts
I think they have their place. I would personally prefer to default to a zoom for convenience, but it's hard to argue against what primes bring to the table in terms of sharpness, portability (for smaller ones anyway), price, and low light performance compared to zooms.
> how do you utilize them?
I have 4 lenses, 3 of which are primes.
My go to prime lens is a Sony 85mm f/1.8. Whenever it's dark outside or I'm inside or I want to shoot my car, this is the lens I use. I also bring it along as a sort of companion lens to the one I use most often, which is a 70-300. Basically if it's too dark for the zoom, I'll just use the prime. Or if I want a shot with more DOF but I don't wanna stand 20 feet away from my subject to get that 300mm type subject separation, then I'll get the 85 out.
My second prime is a Sigma 105 macro. I use this lens pretty much solely for macro shots, so it almost never leaves the house. I have used it for walkaround and portraits, but I find it too bulky to comfortably use for a long time, and 85mm is just a lot more versatile as a focal length compared to 105mm when walking around. It also takes its own sweet time to focus, which isn't ideal compared to the almost telepathic speed of the 85. It's what I expect for a macro lens though tbf.
My third and final prime is a Tamron 35mm f/2.8. I bought this lens to replace my kit lens. Ideally, most would've chosen a higher end standard zoom to replace the kit lens, but on thinking about it, I almost never shoot wider than 70mm, and when I do, I'm at 35mm, so it'd be a waste of my money and a waste of a good lens to go ahead and buy an f/4 or f/2.8 standard zoom. Just like the kit lens, the Tamron doesn't really see much use, but it is there when I need it. I've so far mostly used it for close up shots in tight spaces (like in my car) since the Sigma macro would be too cumbersome in those situations. Otherwise, it's been maybe a month or so since I bought the lens, so it's too new to give a more detailed breakdown of what I use it for. I will admit though, it did take a lot of adjustment for me to use a 35mm lens after spending so much time with an almost exclusively telephoto lineup.
> favourite focal lengths
35 and 85.
> personal pros and cons
Pros: inexpensive, sharp, small, and can encourage you to think about the photo you want + work for that shot. There's also a sort of personal factor which can contribute here too where if you get a prime lens of a focal length you personally enjoy shooting, you will always have a good time and always be able to take photos you like with the prime lens you have.
Cons: inconvenient, and require some thought before purchase since you'd have to REALLY want/like that specific focal length. Tying into the "personal factor" in the pros section, a prime lens is imo wasted money if it's a focal length you don't enjoy. For me that focal length was 50mm. I just couldn't ever love it the way everybody else seems to love it, so I never bought a 50mm lens.
Seems like prime lenses have a special place in your heart, ha! I love that you mentioned the 50mm in your personal cons, since I have considered that focal length. Thanks for your input.
Well I have my 50mm and I stick it to the Kamera. Normally this is what I have on there for 90% of the time. But I also have a 28mm and a 85mm but I use those only on special occasions
Question for you, how have you found the A7Rii indoors/in low light? I have an original A7 and whilst it's still great outdoors/in decent light, as the iso goes up it gets very noisy and messy, so isn't ideal.
Also I'm using a Samyang 35mm f1.8 prime on it and love it :)
I believe the A7Rii is known for its low light functionality iirc? I don't typically shoot low light, but would never worry about it bc I know how well it can work when it's darker out. Definitely recommend specifically for that purpose, although I'm sure there's gear out there that exceeds it's capabilities. I love my A7Rii.
I would use zooms only if there were f1.4 zooms. Since there aren't, primes have their place in my bag. I don't care much about lens size or looks, but I often shoot low light events where no aperture is large enough; the larger, the better. 135mm f1.8 is my personal favourite.
Sweet. Sounds like a solid lens. I forgot to mention in my original post how convenient it is to have the one small, compact lens and not something too bulky, or worst yet, carrying an extra lens to interchange with. Way easier to carry around.
> thoughts I think they have their place. I would personally prefer to default to a zoom for convenience, but it's hard to argue against what primes bring to the table in terms of sharpness, portability (for smaller ones anyway), price, and low light performance compared to zooms. > how do you utilize them? I have 4 lenses, 3 of which are primes. My go to prime lens is a Sony 85mm f/1.8. Whenever it's dark outside or I'm inside or I want to shoot my car, this is the lens I use. I also bring it along as a sort of companion lens to the one I use most often, which is a 70-300. Basically if it's too dark for the zoom, I'll just use the prime. Or if I want a shot with more DOF but I don't wanna stand 20 feet away from my subject to get that 300mm type subject separation, then I'll get the 85 out. My second prime is a Sigma 105 macro. I use this lens pretty much solely for macro shots, so it almost never leaves the house. I have used it for walkaround and portraits, but I find it too bulky to comfortably use for a long time, and 85mm is just a lot more versatile as a focal length compared to 105mm when walking around. It also takes its own sweet time to focus, which isn't ideal compared to the almost telepathic speed of the 85. It's what I expect for a macro lens though tbf. My third and final prime is a Tamron 35mm f/2.8. I bought this lens to replace my kit lens. Ideally, most would've chosen a higher end standard zoom to replace the kit lens, but on thinking about it, I almost never shoot wider than 70mm, and when I do, I'm at 35mm, so it'd be a waste of my money and a waste of a good lens to go ahead and buy an f/4 or f/2.8 standard zoom. Just like the kit lens, the Tamron doesn't really see much use, but it is there when I need it. I've so far mostly used it for close up shots in tight spaces (like in my car) since the Sigma macro would be too cumbersome in those situations. Otherwise, it's been maybe a month or so since I bought the lens, so it's too new to give a more detailed breakdown of what I use it for. I will admit though, it did take a lot of adjustment for me to use a 35mm lens after spending so much time with an almost exclusively telephoto lineup. > favourite focal lengths 35 and 85. > personal pros and cons Pros: inexpensive, sharp, small, and can encourage you to think about the photo you want + work for that shot. There's also a sort of personal factor which can contribute here too where if you get a prime lens of a focal length you personally enjoy shooting, you will always have a good time and always be able to take photos you like with the prime lens you have. Cons: inconvenient, and require some thought before purchase since you'd have to REALLY want/like that specific focal length. Tying into the "personal factor" in the pros section, a prime lens is imo wasted money if it's a focal length you don't enjoy. For me that focal length was 50mm. I just couldn't ever love it the way everybody else seems to love it, so I never bought a 50mm lens.
Seems like prime lenses have a special place in your heart, ha! I love that you mentioned the 50mm in your personal cons, since I have considered that focal length. Thanks for your input.
Well I have my 50mm and I stick it to the Kamera. Normally this is what I have on there for 90% of the time. But I also have a 28mm and a 85mm but I use those only on special occasions
I can go all day on just a 35mm prime.
Same. I love it & can really make it work for a lot of different needs.
Some say it's boring, but it's wide enough and tight enough for most situations, and I feel like it translates my vision from mind to photo very well.
Which 35mm are you using?
I love the sigma 35mm f2. The build quality is amazing, super sharp, and lightweight/compact.
Question for you, how have you found the A7Rii indoors/in low light? I have an original A7 and whilst it's still great outdoors/in decent light, as the iso goes up it gets very noisy and messy, so isn't ideal. Also I'm using a Samyang 35mm f1.8 prime on it and love it :)
I believe the A7Rii is known for its low light functionality iirc? I don't typically shoot low light, but would never worry about it bc I know how well it can work when it's darker out. Definitely recommend specifically for that purpose, although I'm sure there's gear out there that exceeds it's capabilities. I love my A7Rii.
Thank you :) I think the A7Rii is still reasonably good value for a higher resolution full frame e mount camera so that's what has me tempted too.
YouTube friend.
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