A Beginner's Guide to Prime Versus Zoom Lenses

The most fundamental distinguishing factor of lenses is whether they are primes or zooms. Each type has distinct advantages and disadvantages, and as a beginner, it is crucial to learn the differences so you can make the right choice for your needs and budget. This helpful video tutorial will show you everything you need to know about the two types of lenses. 

Coming to you from Julia Trotti, this useful video tutorial will teach you the differences between prime and zoom lenses. The most essential difference between primes and zooms is that primes only offer one focal length, while zooms offer a range. Thus, it might seem that the flexibility of a zoom is always preferable, but primes do have several distinct advantages. They are often of a simpler design and thus lighter and sometimes cheaper, they can offer wider maximum apertures, and they usually offer better image quality. That being said, the image quality gap has narrowed considerably in recent years, and many premium zoom lenses can now compete with their prime counterparts. Still, neither is clearly superior to the other, and it really comes down to your shooting style and needs. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Trotti. 

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Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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