Tom Kielick
Prime Time (0087)
There is no doubt that advances in optics have made the DSLR zoom lens the tool of choice for most photographers, combining convenience, performance and cost in a single package.
Sometimes however, you need something faster than f/2.8 or f/4 to allow low light shooting or to give you a very shallow depth of field and great bokeh.
I present to you my collection of affordable prime lenses.
I don't use them all the time but find them quite useful on occasion.
From left to right:
AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G. This compact optic is dirt cheap and sharper than you would expect. It mates perfectly with my D3300 and delivers a very compact package that can't be beat. The problem for me is that I was never a big fan of the 50mm focal length when I shot film, preferring instead a 35mm f/2 lens on my film Nikons. I feel that the 50mm is too long for most interior shots where you will most likely need it. I wish that Nikon or a 3rd party would release a 20-24mm f/1.8 DX lens (35mm equivalent) at a reasonable size and price. I would buy it in an instant!
AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. The "Nifty Fifty". I like this full frame (FX) lens a lot. The 75mm equivalent focal length on my DX cameras gives me a great indoor volleyball lens, a perfect product photography lens and a very useful portrait lens. Shot wide open, the bokeh is excellent and the shallow depth of field is easily manipulated by changing f/stops and observing the results you get with each iteration. It is also quite compact as you can see in the lineup.
AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G. Another classic optic and perfect for head and shoulders portraits with both DX and FX cameras. The f/1.8 aperture also makes it a great indoor sports camera. Combined with a DX camera like the D500 you can get fantastic action shots in low light. The bokeh also makes it a fabulous portrait lens.
Do you have a favorite prime lens you can't do without?
SROBIST INFO: Shot with a single Larson 27" Soffbox fitted to a Novatron bare tube flash head and powered by a Novatron 440+ W/S powerpack. I used four white foam core cards to create a quasi light tent and used Yongnuo wireless flash triggers to fire the strobe
Prime Time (0087)
There is no doubt that advances in optics have made the DSLR zoom lens the tool of choice for most photographers, combining convenience, performance and cost in a single package.
Sometimes however, you need something faster than f/2.8 or f/4 to allow low light shooting or to give you a very shallow depth of field and great bokeh.
I present to you my collection of affordable prime lenses.
I don't use them all the time but find them quite useful on occasion.
From left to right:
AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G. This compact optic is dirt cheap and sharper than you would expect. It mates perfectly with my D3300 and delivers a very compact package that can't be beat. The problem for me is that I was never a big fan of the 50mm focal length when I shot film, preferring instead a 35mm f/2 lens on my film Nikons. I feel that the 50mm is too long for most interior shots where you will most likely need it. I wish that Nikon or a 3rd party would release a 20-24mm f/1.8 DX lens (35mm equivalent) at a reasonable size and price. I would buy it in an instant!
AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. The "Nifty Fifty". I like this full frame (FX) lens a lot. The 75mm equivalent focal length on my DX cameras gives me a great indoor volleyball lens, a perfect product photography lens and a very useful portrait lens. Shot wide open, the bokeh is excellent and the shallow depth of field is easily manipulated by changing f/stops and observing the results you get with each iteration. It is also quite compact as you can see in the lineup.
AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G. Another classic optic and perfect for head and shoulders portraits with both DX and FX cameras. The f/1.8 aperture also makes it a great indoor sports camera. Combined with a DX camera like the D500 you can get fantastic action shots in low light. The bokeh also makes it a fabulous portrait lens.
Do you have a favorite prime lens you can't do without?
SROBIST INFO: Shot with a single Larson 27" Soffbox fitted to a Novatron bare tube flash head and powered by a Novatron 440+ W/S powerpack. I used four white foam core cards to create a quasi light tent and used Yongnuo wireless flash triggers to fire the strobe