In my journey with photography, one take away I have learned is that our choice of lenses has great impact on the photos we capture. I had minimal knowledge of the difference between zoom lens and prime lens. All I knew was that lenses varied in terms of cost and any beginner like me would have second thoughts before buying. I would not want to end up wasting my hard earned money on a wrong purchase. However, thanks to various online reviews, I was convinced to acquire my very first prime lens – a 50mm 1.8 lens. It did not fall short of my expectations. I mainly used it for portrait photography. This experience made me invest on some additional prime lenses.
So, if you are in search for a lens upgrade for your DSLR and want the best lens for your camera, in your budget, I highly suggest you consider purchasing a prime lens. I can definitely say that you will enjoy the results.
Something to consider though is the type of DSLR you own. If you have a lower-end DSLR, it may probably have a cropped body so the sensor size has limited scope as compared to those expensive full-frame cameras. The difference? An image captured on the same spot would look as if lens have been zoomed in when using a cropped-body camera – say a Canon 40D for example (fact – prime lens DOES NOT zoom). When compared to a Full Frame camera, the same image would have a wider scope incorporating additional elements on the image.
Now, if you are in doubt and not sure of which lens to get but lucky to know some friend photographer who owns a prime lens, try asking them for a test shot to see the results, or the best way is to visit some local dealers and camera shops and seek their assistance to conduct a product test.
Contributed by Glenn Wesley Dulay
info@glenndulay.com