So Why Spend Money On A Prime Lens As Opposed To A Zoom Lens?

A popular issue many new photographers struggle to work out is, why spend so much money on a prime fixed focal length lens, for example a 50mm, when instead you can get the wonderful all-roundedness of an 18-250 zoom at just about the same cost? I know I myself didn’t get primes to begin with. My first 2 lenses? The 18-55 f3.5 – 5.6 and the Sigma 55-200 f4 – f 5.6. Why should you buy a fixed focal length lens over a zoom lens? Well, there are no definitive do’s and dont’s on why you ought to but one of the main unrefuted arguments is the fact that a 50mm f1.4 prime lens(for example) will allow you to capture photos in much darker conditions than the previously mentioned 18-55 f3.5 – 5.6. This is mainly because of the wide aperture f1.4 capability of a lens such as this. In essence, consider that most primes include the ability of a wider aperture than a zoom. But for me, this would not be doing exactly what a prime lens can do justice. A prime for me signifies  creativeness. When you go out to capture photos with a fixed focal length lens, you cannot zoom in or out, which means you are practically compelled to be imaginative with the focal length you’ve got.From then on, its about making the shot in an intriguing way, perhaps applying different angles  aside from straight on, or employing a wide aperture to blur the backdrop. I view it this way, I would rather go off out with a fixed focal length and capture a few great images, than with a zoom and capture a memory card full of ordinary  pictures I could’ve shot with any still camera– Fixed focal length lenses for me are why you buy a digital SLR.   Check out some examples at http://www.gavinphotography.co.uk Portrait Photography In East Kent