If you’re just starting out in photography, your camera probably came with a kit lens. This lens is great for general use, but if you want to take your photography to the next level, you should consider investing in a prime lens.
A prime lens is a lens with a fixed focal length, which means it doesn’t zoom. Instead, it offers a wider aperture, allowing you to take in more light for a given exposure. This makes prime lenses great for low-light photography, astrophotography, and achieving a shallow depth of field look.
Prime lenses usually have fewer glass elements than zoom lenses, which makes them lighter and often results in sharper images. The less glass in the lens, the less chance there is of the light being distorted or diffracted.
However, one downside to using prime lenses is that if you’re shooting a subject that’s moving around a lot, you’ll need to have lots of different lenses. If the subject is moving fast, you won’t be able to change lenses quickly enough to get the framing you want. In this circumstance, a zoom lens would be a much better option. But if your subject is static, you’re shooting landscapes, or you’re doing astrophotography, prime lenses are great.
Using a prime lens also gets you thinking more about your frame. If you don’t like the shot you’ve got, you’ll need to walk forwards or backwards to change the framing of the shot. You’ll sometimes hear people say “zoom with your legs,” and this is what they mean.
If you’re thinking about getting a prime lens, I’d suggest starting with a 50mm 1.8 or 1.4 for a full-frame sensor, or a 35mm 1.8 for a crop sensor. These lenses have a wide maximum aperture, which gives you the shallow depth of focus look and allows you to shoot in much lower light conditions. Most manufacturers make relatively cheap options, especially with the 50mm focal length.
Investing in a prime lens can greatly improve your photography, especially if you’re interested in low-light or astrophotography. So why not give it a try?