Get a Prime

Albert Pedrosa
Photo mania

ALMOST always, those who are new to photography would crave for a bigger zoom lens.

Maybe the numbers amaze them or probably the impact of carrying a huge lens compliments their status. Getting a camera is one, getting the right lens that fits your style would take time and experience.

Prime lens are lenses that have fixed focal lengths. Unlike the telephoto lens where
you have a variable focal length to frame your shot, prime lens lets you use your feet instead to move in or out from your subject. It doesn’t look flashy or anything but most photographers would prefer to have one.

Focal length is the distance between the main lens and sensor in your camera. It is normally measured in millimeters. The higher the focal length, the farther it is from the sensor and would therefore make your lens longer and vice versa. Focal length can also be referred as your angle of view. Higher focal length would mean narrow, and smaller would mean wider.

So why use prime given the disadvantage of variable focal length? Prime lens are bright, clear and sharp because it has less mechanical parts. Most prime lens offer wider aperture than telephoto lens which would allow you to shoot in low light. Wider apertures would also allow you to create a beautiful bokeh effect which would put more focus on your subject and blur the rest.

Although there are telephoto lens that can almost match the quality of primes, these lenses cost an arm and a leg. You’d be surprised to know that there are primes that offer excellent quality at very affordable prices. I’m sure everybody knows that I’m referring to the nifty 50mm 1.8. Nikon and Canon sells it somewhere P5k but you have to pay more for the Nikon AF-S version.

Of course for those who can afford, you can buy one of the holy grail of primes which is the 85mm 1.2 at around P120k. Don’t ever get fooled by a friend who owns one and asks you to try it, you’ll just end up making it as a “must have” lens. When using fast lens or wider aperture lens, additional attention is needed in focusing since a small step back or forward will put your subject out of focus.

Primes are practically lighter lens because it has less parts and since it has a fixed focal length, it’s a good training lens for you to estimate angle of view. One look and you’ll already know the best focal length for the scene. One drawback though is you’ll be bringing multiple lens. For some photographers, these are some sacrifices they are willing to take just to get the best shot.

Last Sunday, the GRP Photography Alumni had their first family day at Family Park in Talamban. I would like to personally thank Dorian Mendoza, Ryan Ablen, Jurryquim Famor and Choy Romano for extending effort in making the event a success.

Keep on shooting everyone. For comments and suggestions, you may email me at photography@grp.ph.