Most Useful Prime?

[Ed Rooney]

If you had to shoot everything all the time with a single prime, what focal length would you choose? 

 

Edo

[digi2ap]

Based on what is the most used focal length from my images probably a 28mm.

[Allan Bell]

I would chose a 50mm FF or equivalent crop sensor.

 

Allan

[Bryan]

I use a collection of primes on my NEX 6, a 12, 19, 28 ,35 and a 50.  Crazy I know, and if I thought I could pick up a really good Zeiss zoom I would probably go for it.

 

Of that lot the most used is probably the 28 (42 FF equivalent) and the least the 35 (53 FF equivalent), but there's not that much in it, they all get a run out. The 12 is a recent acquisition, too soon to tell, but it's fun to use.

 

The best lens in my NEX collection was also the cheapest, an Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.8 bought, with film camera attached, for £10. It's sharp corner to corner on the crop sensor at F5.6,  there's hardly any CA, and with a deep lens hood, flare is rarely an issue. The contrast could be better, but that's easily corrected in PP.

 

All of theses lenses see off the standard Sony zoom without any difficulty, but there are times when I do use that indifferent optic, it's handy when I'm riding the bike etc.

[dustydingo]

28mm, via my old Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 AI-s (manual focus).

 

If allowed a back-up, 135mm via my old Nikkor 135mm f/2 (also manual focus).

 

dd

[wiskerke]

At the moment a 24mm shift.

- And foot zoom ;-)

 

But it all depends on what you want to tell about your subject.

Not your subject alone.

And certainly not your wallet or dpreview.com or fredmiranda.

 

Actually I would use 2 bodies: one with a 24mm and one with a 100mm.

In film days, in the same bag, but mostly unused: a 2x converter and a 50mm.

 

Even now I do not own a 24-70mm.

I do however own a fish eye; 17shift; 24shift; 24mm; 28mm; 35mm; 50mm; 55mm; 85mm; 90mm; 100mm; 135mm; 200mm; 300mm; 400mm; 600mm;12-24mm and a 70-200mm.

A 15mm is out on loan. Of some I have a few. Or even a lot.

All this is for FF 35mm. Then there are medium format and large format lenses of course. Ahh, the 38 Biogon...

Everything gets used. Or at least has been used.

Not everything sells.

Have you ever kept a record of what focal lengths produce the most sales? Or with what focal lengths the images you like best, are shot with? The same for photographers or images you admire?

Practicing and research like this is useful and can lead to great insight.

Maybe better save it for long dark rainy days and nights though.

 

wim

[ReeRay]

My 35mm f1.4 is glued to my FF. Great for pretty much everything i.e low light, landscape, people, street, indoors.

[Ed Rooney]

I have that very same 28mm, Dusty. My 135mm from film days is the f/2.8. My own choice would be the 24mm. It's odd but just a few milimeters in one direction or the other can give a lens a different personality. 

 

Now days, like most shooters, I use zooms. But back in the day I only own one zoom, a Nikkor 80-200. I got a poster of San Diego for American Airlines out of it, but mostly I carried the 105, 135, and 180. The 135 is where the telephoto look begins, but for a long time it was a neglected focal length. People would use the 105 and the 200. 

 

I can tell winter is on its way, when I start to think about equipment. Hmm. 

 

LOL You seem to have drifted a bit from the "one prime" idea, Wim.

[Bill Kuta]

 The 135 is where the telephoto look begins, but for a long time it was a neglected focal length. People would use the 105 and the 200. 

 

 

When I got my first SLR (Canon FT in '68), one of the lenses I got for it was a 135mm. That was my favorite (after the 50mm). Sharp and great for casual candid portraits.

[wiskerke]

I can tell winter is on its way, when I start to think about equipment. Hmm. 

 

LOL You seem to have drifted a bit from the "one prime" idea, Wim.

 

It's still one prime at a time ;-)

 

wim

[John Mitchell]

I'm an admitted zoom addict. If I had to use one prime to shoot everything, I would probably look for a new hobby.

 

That said, like Bryan, I find my old manual focus 28mm lens (42mm on APS) to be a versatile walk-around lens on my Sony NEX cameras. I use mine quite often, with a skateboard for zooming, of course.

[vpics]

A 100mm that doubles up a macro lens. Not just a perfect portrait lens. 

[Guest]

.....

[MDM]

A 50mm macro (preferably an f2) for me. I can do most things I need with a 50. I often prefer a 50 to a wider lens for landscapes to get natural perspective. Hyperfocal focusing gets very good depth of field. LR or PS merge to panorama works well for wider angle coverage, horizontal or vertical. Can be used for portraits, even head and shoulders if necessary on a high MP camera by standing back and cropping heavily to avoid goldfish bowl effect - not ideal but it works. And I love the ability to get in close to flowers with a macro lens. I've not tried focus stacking but this could expand the possibilities in all directions.

[John Gaffen]

The only "prime" lens that I own is Canons 100mm macro/portrait lens. Whilst it is a super sharp piece of glass capable of amazing close-in detail, and beautiful bokeh, it is too close in for a regular, walk about lens. No,  I am one of those photographers who like the flexibility of a good zoom lens. Call me lazy if you like, but I use three zooms, one covers extreme wide, a medium lens covers wide to medium telephoto and a third is a medium to long telephoto, so I have  all the bases covered, so to speak. I do appreciate that having a prime lens, forces  you to think a bit harder about composition particularly if the lens is at 50mm and longer. Having said all that, I did insure that I had the best optical quality zooms available, and  that I could afford at the time!  Sometimes though, having a zoom lens gives you the advantage of removing unwanted objects/people from you shots, or if you like de cluttering,  in situations where a prime lens could not. 

[hdh]

I mainly use 35, 50 and 85mm all f1.4 to allow me using shallow DOF's in my pictures.

Each of these primes has their use cases, depending on which type of pictures I am after. 

[Duncan_Andison]

If you had to shoot everything all the time with a single prime, what focal length would you choose? 

 

Edo

 

If I could only have one prime lens I guess it would be the Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 (FF). Close call with the 50-140 f/2.8 on the Fuji though (1.5 crop) if zooms were allowed

[Marvin McAbee]

50mm would be my choice if I only had one.  In the old days most cameras came with a 50mm, and a lot of people would add a 28mm and 135mm when budget allowed. Today I wouldn't be without a normal zoom lens, 18-105mm for my DX Nikons.  I also use the 18-55 that came with my Nikon D3200 when carrying a smaller camera.  

[Bill Brooks]

One prime lens on full frame 50 megapixel camera would be a 28mm for me. With a lot of regrets.

 

My most used lenses, in order of use,  are prime 28mm, 50mm, and 100mm. I also have a prime 18mm, and 400mm. I also use a 70-200 zoom.

 

With 50 megapixel sensor I can crop in order to get in between. For instance my 50mm zeiss prime 50 megapixel file cropped in software to 70mm gives a sharper image than my not cropped 70-200 zoom at 70mm.

[Martin P Wilson]

For me a single prime would be a toss up between 35, 50 or 85 (OK I don't have a three sided coin) depending on my mood! I would probably end up with the 50, now much neglected choice in my view.

 

With two lenses it would probably be 28 and 100-135 (love my 135 f2). If a 35 (then considered a wide angle) and 135 was good enough for Don McCullin ...

[Bhandol]

Today I went out with my a old nikkor 28mm AIS & my 80-400mm AFD zoom.......and the 28mm was used more than 90% of the time. Love that little lens, it's tack sharp and contrasty from wide open and straight line stay straight.

 

Parm

[TABan]

I have two primes, the Canon 100 macro L and the 24mm f2.8 STM pancake. I also have the tiny Rebel SL1/100D. Put the pancake on it and you have as small and unobtrusive an SLR possible. Walking around with it reminds me of using my college graduation gift from my folks, a Canon AT-1 with the FD 50mm f1.8.