| Slowly, but surely, the worth of the fixed focal | | | | camera ends up in the image! |
| length lens (or prime lens) to the non-professional | | | | The second consequence is that cramming more |
| photographer is being eroded by the increasing | | | | of the scene into the image distorts the image to |
| perfection of zoom lens technology. The days | | | | some degree. Straight lines in the real world, like |
| when you packed your camera bag with trusty | | | | the horizon and the edges of walls, become |
| 28mm, 50mm, 85mm, 105mm, and even 180mm | | | | curved. Most of the time this is acceptable, |
| lenses are rapidly disappearing. Why bother when | | | | because capturing the entire scene is the most |
| you can simply reach for something like Nikon's | | | | important consideration. |
| all-purpose Nikkor 18-200mm DX VR zoom lens | | | | Using a wide angle prime like the 28mm becomes |
| and know that you have both flexibility and optical | | | | necessary when you try to capture images in |
| speed at your fingertips? | | | | confined spaces. To shoot all of the board |
| The truth is that, while the range of focal lengths | | | | members in the annual meeting while they sit at |
| may be increasing within a single zoom lens, no | | | | the conference table, and to get all of the table |
| all-purpose lens is ever likely to perform at the | | | | plus the room around it into focus, requires a wide |
| level of eqivalent prime lenses for its full range of | | | | angle lens. The other situation that calls for a wide |
| focal lengths. | | | | angle arises when you find yourself trying to |
| Zooms are engineered with a good deal more | | | | photograph a very large object that won't quite |
| glass than is found in a prime lens, and because of | | | | fit into the frame. If you were taking a picture of |
| this they "swallow" more light than the | | | | someone standing at the base of the Eiffel |
| corresponding lens of the same focal length. | | | | Tower, using a wide angle will help you fill the |
| Unless you are photographing under very bright | | | | frame with both the subject and the tower. |
| light, the required increased shutter duration time | | | | 85mm to 105mm |
| of a zoom may make the difference between a | | | | I have mentioned how useful the 50mm prime |
| good image, and one that is ruined by camera | | | | lens is for doing portraiture. However, the lens |
| lens wobble. | | | | most often mentioned in connection with portrait |
| Even so, there is a lot to be said for carrying one | | | | shots is the 85mm prime, usually with an f/1.8 |
| lens, and leaving it attached to your camera, | | | | maximum aperture, or the even faster f/1.2 |
| rather than carrying five separate lenses and | | | | The 85mm is sometimes referred to as a short |
| having to miss photo opportunities that arise while | | | | telephoto. Unless your aim is to capture just the |
| you are changing lenses. | | | | upper torso of your subject, or simply their face |
| But thinking about fixed focal length lenses can be | | | | when closer in, you will need to back off to |
| instructive. When we plunge into photography with | | | | capture your subject from head to foot. This |
| a zoom lens, the effortless continuum of focal | | | | means that you can often take unobtrusive and |
| lengths is apt to blur the distinction between | | | | spontaneous portrait shots simply by being in the |
| photographs captured at different focal lengths. | | | | vicinity of your subject as they go about their |
| Historically this just wasn't a problem. Economy | | | | activities. |
| demanded that the lenses you purchased were | | | | But the real strength of the 85mm, or even the |
| quite distinct, focal length wise, and so an | | | | 105mm, prime, lies with the ability of the lens to |
| appreciation of their individual characteristics came | | | | get in tight and emphasize the features of the |
| easy. | | | | subject's face. The background in these shots is |
| 50mm | | | | not the least important, and by opening up to the |
| It used to be the case that the kit lens for a | | | | maximum aperture you will be able to throw the |
| 35mm SLR was generally a 50mm focal length | | | | background completely out of focus. Focusing |
| lens. The 50mm lens reproduces a field of view | | | | becomes critical in this situation, so concentrate on |
| that approximates normal vision, with an angle of | | | | the subject's eyes which can never be unsharp in |
| coverage of around 50 degrees. But this is also | | | | acceptable portraiture shots. |
| partly the reason that the 50mm lens gets only a | | | | 180mm |
| fraction of the respect it deserves. Because when | | | | There will always be times when you cannot get |
| we look at the scene captured by a 50mm | | | | close to the scene that you want to photograph. |
| image, we are not going to see something that | | | | This is where telephoto lenses come in handy. |
| we could not have seen with our own eyes. This | | | | Medium telephoto range like that provided by the |
| means there are no optical effects to draw us | | | | 180mm prime is useful for photographing local |
| into the image, so the subject material must be | | | | sports events, where you can approach the edge |
| strong enough to command our attention. | | | | of the field. |
| Despite the fact that the 50mm kit lens has been | | | | Prime telephotos capture only a small portion of |
| replaced with an optical zoom lens (usually in the | | | | the scene before you, so in order to pull in |
| range of 28-80mm these days) the 50mm lens | | | | enough light that you can see the scene properly, |
| has a lot going for it. For one thing it's generally | | | | the size of the lens has to grow. In other words, |
| very fast. My 50mm kit lens (picked up decades | | | | your 180mm lens is going to weigh you down a |
| ago) is an f/1.4 Nikkor. By dialing up to the largest | | | | little. For this reason, even if you are |
| aperture you can get away with not using a flash | | | | photographing at maximum aperture, it is a good |
| when taking indoor photographs in natural lighting. | | | | idea to use a monopod to steady your shot. Hand |
| This means that your shots will look more natural, | | | | holding a telephoto quickly becomes not only a |
| and have a depth to them that washed-out | | | | chore, but a great way to lessen the likelihood of |
| images captured with flash simply cannot match. | | | | a sharp image. This is where the addition of |
| You'll also be able to shoot fast. The equivalent | | | | vibration reduction technology to the lens (or |
| focal length on a zoom might be two, or even | | | | image stabilization, as it is also known), can be |
| three, stops slower. | | | | very advantageous (but extremely costly for |
| If you will be using your camera mostly to record | | | | telephotos). |
| family shots, and you will be shooting indoors a | | | | Like the short telephotos discussed already, |
| good fraction of the time, you might want to | | | | focusing becomes even more critical here. Unless |
| take a serious look at picking up a 50mm f/1.8, or | | | | your subject remains relatively still, or your lens is |
| even an f/1.4 if you have the money to spend. | | | | capable of rapid auto focusing, some real amount |
| To read a fine essay on the under-appreciation of | | | | of practice is required before you can consistently |
| the 50mm lens, I recommend The Forgotten | | | | shoot great action shots with a telephoto. On the |
| Lens by Gary Voth. | | | | other hand, the results are worth it. |
| 28mm | | | | So to wrap up, I have summarized the |
| Open up a book on photojournalism and you'll | | | | characteristics and uses of several different focal |
| discover a slew of images captured with wide | | | | length lenses. Try to keep these characteristics in |
| angle lenses like the 28mm prime lens. Wide angle | | | | mind if you are shooting with a zoom that covers |
| prime lenses have a remarkable pronounced | | | | some, or all, of the focal lengths discussed here. If |
| curvature on the front lens element which helps | | | | you think about your shots in terms of these |
| to pull in light from all around the edges of a | | | | different focal length characteristics you'll be |
| scene. This has two main consequences. | | | | better able to harness them to improve your |
| The first is that a much larger portion of the | | | | photography. |
| scene before you is captured. Extremely short | | | | To help you select a suitable digital camera to get |
| focal length primes, like the 8mm, are known as | | | | started with, I have put together an article for |
| fisheye lenses because the angle of coverage | | | | you about how to find the right Beginner Digital |
| exceeds 180 degrees. Everything in front of the | | | | Camera. |