Prime vs zoom

[kriegsketten]

I'm not too sure about using the 105 micro lens for portrait. It can be used in a pinch yes, but I would assume it has some distortions or other compromises at long focal distances as it is designed and optimized for close focal use.
Can anyone with this lens clarify?

105 with distortion? Longer FL lenses very seldom come with distortions, especially primes. Need to know what kind of distortions you are talking about. I can assure you that it can be used as a regular fixed prime lens (even for portraiture, depending on what you're looking for) I used my 60mm for regular usage - more than happy with its crisp sharpness and it's subject isolation capabilities - bare in mind it's close focal use is VERY close...closer than 105mm.

This is taken with my 60mm (forgive my noob portraiture shoot)... no doubt the bokeh will not be as nice as a 1.4, but I'm sure it has managed to isolate the subject well enough to know what's in focus. I trust the 105 VR will do just as well.
For the above image, i've reduced in-camera sharpness as much as possible. People say macro lenses are too sharp, well - they can be unsharpened as illustrated above.

 

[kriegsketten]

Hi
Currently having 28-300 n 50 1.4 ( seem ok to me for holiday) with d700
Looking for a set of daily prime lens
Can someone advise is it better to go for
1) current 50 1.4 + 105/135 F2
Or
2) 24/35 + 85mm 1.4/1.8

Using 80% portrait

As others have said here... lens preferences are very personal... some people like 50mm, some avoid it just as much. MY advice to you - head down to NSC to try to your hearts content - you'll know which range is more to your liking... Talking about which is better or not is like beating a dead horse...

 

[Ferderico]

very personal and very event dependent.
if i am using primes, I usually will have 2 camera bodies for weddings and I need a system to change lenses while on an assignment.

If I am on 24-70mm I can practically survive an entire wedding with just 1 lense and 1 camera.

 

[kriegsketten]

very personal and very event dependent.
if i am using primes, I usually will have 2 camera bodies for weddings and I need a system to change lenses while on an assignment.

If I am on 24-70mm I can practically survive an entire wedding with just 1 lense and 1 camera.

If you are on a TFCD doing a shoot at a park / isolated loc... heck just pick your fav prime and be done with it... :bsmilie: Personal and situational. Why carry a 70-200 (unless one plans to snipe) to a park when you can get the job done easily with a super nice f1.2/f1.4 and easy on the arms?...

Not disagreeing with you btw.... people use zoom / prime for a lot of different reasons.

 

[fmeeran]

105 with distortion? Longer FL lenses very seldom come with distortions, especially primes. Need to know what kind of distortions you are talking about. I can assure you that it can be used as a regular fixed prime lens (even for portraiture, depending on what you're looking for) I used my 60mm for regular usage - more than happy with its crisp sharpness and it's subject isolation capabilities - bare in mind it's close focal use is VERY close...closer than 105mm.

This is taken with my 60mm (forgive my noob portraiture shoot)... no doubt the bokeh will not be as nice as a 1.4, but I'm sure it has managed to isolate the subject well enough to know what's in focus. I trust the 105 VR will do just as well.
For the above image, i've reduced in-camera sharpness as much as possible. People say macro lenses are too sharp, well - they can be unsharpened as illustrated above.

Thanks for the clarification.
I don't yet have a macro lens, and I read somewhere that one of the limitation for using non-macro close focussing lenses for macro work is that the focal plane is not very planar when close focussed. I was curious as to if making it planar at close focus would have implications when you focus further away.
Thanks again bro.

 

[kriegsketten]

Thanks for the clarification.
I don't yet have a macro lens, and I read somewhere that one of the limitation for using non-macro close focussing lenses for macro work is that the focal plane is not very planar when close focussed. I was curious as to if making it planar at close focus would have implications when you focus further away.
Thanks again bro.

I used my 60mm for many purposes... Macro, product, portrait, and EVEN landscapes....

 

[kriegsketten]

[/CENTER]
Landscape with a 60mm Macro... I don't think it has any problems focusing far away...

 

[kriegsketten]

As far as I know, Macro lenses can be very versatile... the thing that makes it different and unique than normal lenses is its close focusing distance and its 1:1 repro capability. Normal lenses cannot do that.

 

[kriegsketten]

Sure, 105 VR can be used to shoot portrait, I know peeps who do that and they love the superbly sharp results. It's just that the bokeh with 2.8 can never be compared to 1.4 1.8 or 2, unless you really know how to play with the distance between subject and background, and not forgetting how you compose. And being 105, one would need to be uncomfortably far than being at 85 or 60 or 50 or 35mm... However, it is still up to one's imagination as to how the lens can be used... It is only a tool after all.

 

[Cowseye]

As far as I know, Macro lenses can be very versatile... the thing that makes it different and unique than normal lenses is its close focusing distances and its 1:1 repro capability. Normal lenses cannot do that.

Then I better put mine to use. I really dun wish to buy a 85mm just for portrait....

 

[kriegsketten]

Then I better put mine to use. I really dun wish to buy a 85mm just for portrait....

By all mean do use it as often as you like, as you've paid a premium for yours over other normal primes just to be used strictly for macro. However, if you're still going for bokeh-licious backgrounds, you'll be hard pressed not to get tempted by the 1.4 and 1.8 primes. Just that since you have it might as well enjoy the 2.8 in a greater range of uses!

 

[Ben Ang]

i shoot mostly primes, but i find that on the wide end, i prefer just a zoom to cover everything. heres my set up:
17-35 AF
the rest all MF
35
50
58
100
135
200

i have an 80-200, but only use that for events cos its too heavy. i shoot primes for my own work cos i find it more engaging and the IQ/rendition cannot be beaten. it really depends on your shooting style i guess. my suggestion, take just a 50mm (or 35 on dx) and use only that lens for a week and see how you like it.

 

[theRenaissance]

You can bring the 85mm alone for street photography cum portraits shoot if you dun want to keep changing lens.
When you only have one lens on hand, you will start to think how best to capture the subject and you will move around. By this way, you will be able to find more creative angle to capture the subject.
Rather than pampered by a zoom lens which offer you a wide range of focal lengths, a single prime lens can be very useful to train your composition skills.
I used to bring the 85mm alone for street photography cum portraits. Sometimes can even do a landscape shoot with 85mm if the working distance is sufficient.
Now I bring 24mm alone for family/friends outing. It can capture group photos, funny big head shots, macro shots(not 1:1 ratio but good enough for very closed-up shots), landscape, street shots, full-body shoots, etc.
Don't limit by the lens itself. Think, move and come up with a creative shot

hmmmm time to take inventory... 14, 24, 28PC, 50 (2 pieces), 85 (2 pieces), 105

In the end, you have to know how to shoot well with these lenses. No point trying to "cover" the complete range. Never did really understand the obsession of many to cover the entire range from wide to tele with no gaps.

Just get the focal lengths you are most likely to shoot. One or two primes will do for a start. Then slowly add to the collection as you shoot more.

Hi TS, I think you can reference from the advices above which I think are very helpful. I also dont see the point of completing every focal length line up. I dunnoe about other forms of photography but for Street or documentary work, working with a single prime lens is possible.

Share with you my experience, when I started out I decided to adopt this very old method of learning to "feel and live' the streets. It was purely a single prime (35mm for me) and shoot only in black & white, I did that for 6-8 months all the way, learning to observe contrast, shadows, lines and shapes. It may help you as it did for me. I benefited alot as it really improved my composition.

As for why I mentioned a 35mm & a 85mm, because by using each and moving a few steps front or back, you can actually negate the need for a 50mm. the 35/85 combo allows one to go in near while providing some space, while the 85mm allows subject isolation and close ups.