Which lens for what?

Zoom or prime, wide or tele?

Lens choice is often dictated by the location or subject you are shooting. Low light levels might mean a fast lens with a wide aperture is needed. These days, with the current level of optical technology, the difference in sharpness between a high-quality zoom and a prime is very difficult to discern.

Prime time

The main advantages of prime – or fixed-focal-length – lenses are their size and weight, as they are often smaller and lighter than zooms. Primes also tend to have larger maximum apertures, such as f/1.4. Shooting wide open with a prime can be used to achieve a shallow depth of field with really good background blur and great bokeh.

Zoom with a view

Zoom lenses are versatile and some cover an extensive range of focal lengths, such as 24-200mm. They reduce the need to change lenses and the potential for getting dust on the sensor. They’re ideal for shooting a variety of subjects with just one lens, like landscapes, portraits and wildlife, but don’t tend to have as ‘fast’ apertures as primes.