I and others have touched on this before, but with the benefit of hindsight and thousands of images uner my belt, I feel even more strongly about it.
Primes lenses make my photographic life easier.
I have revisited this spot in Osaka a few times, each armed with only the 45mm. I have never felt I couldhave shot it better with a zoom, makign the most if the framing as that one lens allowed. I can move a little and of course the wrong lens entirely would change my experience, but still, the clarity of the prime did not hold me back.
This may sound contrary, because zooms are the convenience tool, primes are “old school” and harder to use, but for me, that is not the case.
The case first for zooms.
They are perfect when you cannot do anything about where you are or how many hands you have. Shooting long distances, possibly using shorter lengths in a fluid situation or more improtantly, not being able to change lenses due to various circumstances are all zoom territory.
Bad weather. fast changing shooting distances, a press crush, a cramped cabin or swinging off the top of a crane are all ideal zoom ecosystems. A pair of zooms when shooting fast for the paper is the safe bet. My primary field sport lens is the 300mm, but on the second camera is always a zoom for the occasional close to extemely close action.
Ironically, I also like zooms on a tripod for landscapes or in a studio. They fix the pixel wasting micro crops that would otherwise be done in processing, allow for exploration of the scene and all the negatives, like less stable performance, slower apertures etc are avoided and reduce filter and accessory fiddle.
Now, the case for primes.
Personally, I shoot faster and cleaner with prime lenses.
The process with a prime is;
See > move > frame > shoot.
No time to zoom, just point and shoot.
Sometimes there is a body change before is I go from close and intimate mode to candid longer shooting (but two choices are plenty**) or the reverse and settings may need changing (but as I grow, this is less often the case). Clean simple and intuitive.
The process with a zoom is either;
See > zoom > move > frame > shoot or,
See > move > zoom > frame > shoot.
The couple of takeaways from this are that often the whole frame/move/frame bit is fluid and distracting and often the mental side of framing is the same.
If I can zoom before hand and stick to it, often to an end, which I am guessing for many is common*, then the zoom becomes a slow, heavy and still a little distracting set of primes, but there is always that thing, that 1000lb gorilla at the end of the camera whispering “the potential is limitless, are you sure?”.
For me the creative reality is clear.
Indecision is a killer.
Clarity is all.
Primes offer clarity.
Options are a fog that is sometimes hard to navigate.
Zooms are “foggy”.
This is a real thing for me, but also something recognised by many in the creative world. The mitigation of obstacles or working within defined limits helps to flame creativity. The pencil artist does not want a better pencil or more colours. They just want to draw. Give them infinite options and it may lead to infinite indecision.
The reality is either movement or zooming are needed, but not always both and perspective when chosen is fine as long as it is of the type you want. If you cannot move, then zooming is great, but if you can move, then moving is better. “Flat foot” zooming is a common problem, “moving to zoom” frees up the eye and embeds you in the process.
In my C.I.A mantra, the A is for Action/Angle. Angle in particular is important. The change of direction is shooting angle by as little as a few degrees, can make all the difference to the power and mood of an image. Just zooming can clarify or tighten up an image, or add inclusivity, but little else.
Movement in all directions is a must, zooming useful is a luxury.
Also worth mentioning is the power of the modern camera. Zooming and cropping have become nearly the same.
Decen quality cropped…….
..from this file, EM10.2 and 45mm lens.
*I would theorise that many zoom users are only interested in the ends of their range when things get pressured. This is in line with below.
**You do not need to cover every single focal length, you only need a representative of the different perspectives and required magnifications you need. A super wide, semi wide, standard, short tele, long tele are all perspectives as will as magnifications.
