Buying Guide: What's the Difference Between Prime and Zoom Lenses?

  Choosing between prime and zoom lenses is one of the most common difficulties in lens selection. If you also have this kind of trouble, don't worry! Next, this blog will explain the advantages of each lens.

A Comparison of the Camera Prime vs Zoom Lens

Prime vs Zoom Lenses: Which is Better?

  The honest truth is that the lens you choose to use all depends on your style as a photographer, and what type of shoot you are doing.

  The main difference between a prime lens and a zoom lens is of focal length. While prime lenses have a fixed focal length, zoom lenses, on the other hand, have a wider and variable focal length.

  Prime lenses are great in certain situations like portraits, street photography, and even some landscapes. Zoom lenses are amazing in other scenarios, like large landscapes, for fast moving objects, and to get a nice deep depth of field.

  Prime Lenses tend to be smaller, lighter and offer better low light performance than zoom lenses. Zoom lenses are generally heavier but thanks to their wider focal range, they are far more versatile.

  With zoom lenses, you can get your subject to appear closer or further away with the turn of a ring, and without changing the physical distance.

  Try out different types of lenses and learn what lens works well in your situations. Use what works well for you.

Prime vs Zoom Lens FAQs

1. Why are prime lenses more expensive?

  Prime lenses can be more expensive because of their larger apertures and superior optical quality. That said, it really depends on what you're comparing it to: if you want a zoom lens of comparable focal length and quality, it'll probably cost you more.

2. Are prime lenses sharper than zoom lenses?

  Generally speaking, prime lenses are sharper than zoom lenses of comparable focal lengths. This is because Zoom Lenses have extra glass inside that has to move in order to shift the focal length, causing some diffraction.

Still, these days there are many excellent and very sharp zoom lenses on the market.
 
3. Are prime lenses better than zoom?

  It really depends on what you want to do with it: each type of lens has its advantages. Prime lenses tend to be sharper, smaller, lighter, and have larger apertures. Of course, they have the limitation of a fixed focal length, so in many cases, a zoom lens is better.

4. Should I buy a prime or zoom lens?

  Consider your style of shooting and what you’ll be using it for. If you want flexibility and versatility — one lens that will suffice in many situations — go for a zoom. If you want a beautiful portrait lens with nice bokeh, or a lighter lens to carry around, opt for a prime.

Prime vs Zoom Lens | Final Words

  Most photographers end up having both zooms and prime lenses as part of their gear. Some situations might call for different needs that can be best approached with one lens or the other.

  Hope this article helps you, if you are interested in prime lenses or zoom lenses, Phonefix has prepared some of the most popular prime lenses and zoom lenses, which are used by many professional photographers.