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Can’t figure out why your photos are not tack sharp? Overheard people talking about prime lenses but don’t know what the big deal is all about? This article will help you learn all about prime lenses and how they compare to zoom lenses. Also, you’ll discover a few great techniques for achieving a wonderfully sharp, crisp finish to your photos.

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

When I was just getting into photography, all I was exposed to was zoom, zoom, zoom. Everyone had one, and it was said to be a photographers must-have. I was a studying film production, and all I heard about getting a better looking image with more depth was to push back and zoom in. I took some photography classes over the years, and thought I knew everything there was to know about the topic.

When I first discovered the notion of a fixed, 50mm lens, my world was flipped upside down. I didn’t realize that I was hindering myself and holding back possibilities. I would look around the web to gather research and inspiration and wonder why everybody else’s photos looked more clean and crisp.

Introducing the 50mm Prime Lens

I thought my shots to be well composed and well lit, but they didn’t seem to stand up to other photographer’s work. One day, my friend and I were talking about photography techniques and she said that a must-have in a photographers arsenal is a prime lens. She had just purchased a 50mm prime with a maximum aperture of 1.8 and couldn’t put it down.

I was a little skeptical when I first heard this, but decided to take that challenge for myself. The next day I called her up and said, “I want to borrow your nifty fifty and see if it lives up to your praise.” I put it on my camera and for the next several hours I was just looking around my room to find stuff to take pictures of. It was amazing. I would take a picture of the most unusual things, but the picture would still look sweet and crisp. My eyes were opened to all of the possibilities.

So much more light was let into the camera with an f1.8. My roommate was sleeping in the room so I couldn’t turn on any lights, but found that even with minimal light creeping through the window, images were outstanding.

Prime vs. Zoom

Most people these days are scared of the word “Prime” or “Fixed,” meaning the lens is manufactured at a specific focal length and does not move or zoom. We have been too accustomed to being behind a camera with a zoom lens.

Yes, a zoom lens is more versatile when trying to capture a candid moment. It can adjust to different focal lengths in good speed to capture multiple compositions quickly but there are downsides. Some cons of using a zoom lens are:

• Lack of sharpness
• Poorer depth of field
• In low-light situations, it is almost impossible to shoot without sacrificing image quality by raising the ISO

Fast Lens Pricing

For most indoor photography and late evening shoots, you need to be equipped with a “fast lens”. Fast refers to the maximum aperture your lens will open up to (wide aperture equals more light). These fast lenses are a big advantage when you need a fast shutter speed in low light conditions. For a high quality zoom lens that has a decent aperture you can find yourself paying close to two thousand dollars for a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens, or a little over twenty four hundred dollars for a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S NIKKOR Lens.

These zoom lenses would be a little more useful in low-light situations than your regular zoom lens that usually only opens up to 3.5-5.6, because these have a maximum aperture of 2.8.

Compare the prices of a fast zoom lens to a fast prime lens. A Nikon 50mm f/1.4G SIC SW Prime Nikkor Lens can be found for little over four hundred dollars here, or you can pick up a Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for just over a hundred dollars!

The price difference is staggering. Although zoom lenses are great with our new technologies in this last decade, it would be a shame not to have a prime around when you need it. Especially when you can pick one up for a fraction of the price of a fast zoom lens.

Better Sharpness and Depth of Field

You truly haven’t experienced a tack sharp image until you have shot with a prime lens, especially for the price. The way zoom lenses have to be made (more moving parts) causes them to have more variations or possibility for variations.

Prime lenses, on the other hand, are set at a certain focal length (no moving parts besides the focus ring) and have the luxury of being able to offer a wider aperture. As a result of having a bigger aperture, the blessings are twofold. Firstly, you are able to capture more light without sacrificing shutter speed, and secondly, a wide aperture means more depth of field for isolating your subject from the background.

ISO & Sharpness

ISO is the term used in reference to how sensitive the film or sensor is toward light. Many people may not realize that ISO plays a big role in the sharpness of your image.

Low ISO (slow film) produces a nice clear and crisp image but needs more light. On the other hand, High ISO (fast film) is more sensitive to light. They don’t need as much light, but you pay the price with grainy photos.

Today, Digital SLRs have become a great deal better at dealing with grain, though it’s still difficult to beat the benefits of using a low ISO. Here are two images taken at different ISO. The first one was taken at 200 ISO with an aperture of 1.8 and the second one was taken at 3200 with an aperture of 1.8.

As you can see in these photos, there is a big sacrifice in quality when you have to resort to a higher ISO. A prime lens means this is rarely the case, and again – this contributes to sharper, higher quality images.

Working Against Yourself

People sometimes forget that good equipment doesn’t directly lead to good photos. Of course, the better the equipment, usually the easier it is to get good photos – but sometimes that is not the case. Understanding how and why your equipment works the way it does is by far more important. Here are a few tips to ensure you come out with tack sharp focus:

1. Use a high enough shutter speed to reduce motion blur.
2. Brace your arm against something sturdy like a wall or tree. If that fails, hold your elbow against your side.
3. Breathe out and hold while taking your shot.
4. Use the burst or continuous shot feature to increase the chance of one shot being perfect.
5. Use a sandbag or beanbag as a cushion.
6. If convenient, use a tripod to keep your camera perfectly steady.
7. Use a cable release to ensure pressing the shutter isn’t jolting your camera.
8. If using a tripod, turn off your VR or IS.

Conclusion

A general rule for prime lenses is that they have better sharpness than a zoom, they have been found to have better bokeh (or the way the lens blurs out of focus areas), and have wider apertures. I also appreciate knowing exactly how the lens will perform, so I can plan accordingly.

Although a zoom lens gives me greater versatility, I prefer the way in which a fixed lens makes me really consider each shot.

Each lens in your arsenal obviously has it’s own purpose and uses. Figure out what you need and what type of lens would suit your content and purchase the best quality you can afford. I like the prime 50mm so much that I still haven’t taken it off my camera ever since putting it on.

I have talked to many photographers, and they have come to the same conclusion; a prime lens is a must have in a photographers bag of tricks. They are inexpensive, produce clear, crisp photos and perform great in lowlight situations without resorting to a high ISO.

今天我去电影院，本来想看《锦衣卫》，但是可能我真的已经对国产的古代大片失去了兴趣，买了一张韩国电影《母亲》以后就回家了。但是我欣喜的发现，《孔子》已经下线了。这意味着，这部电影在商业上彻底的失败了。

 

孔子的失败是必然的，从强制阿凡达下线，到导演的“阿凡达除了特技没有什么好看的”“一群小精灵飞来飞去”“当然的，（我成为国内第一个票房过亿的女导演）这有什么疑问吗？”“（历史上子路和南子都不是这样死的）这个人根本不懂电影，还专家呢，是砖家吧，这个人一看就是门外汉，他大可不必这样沽名钓誉”“中国人都要看《孔子》”，“相信大家都会做出正确的选择”，到编剧对所有质疑的驳斥（事实上，编剧的失败的这部电影最大的失败），到制片方对差评是因为另外一部国产电影花钱策划的诬陷，到对票房的谎报，乃至到最后，对待那些对于影片拍摄制作质量的质疑的观众，统统拿着对先圣大不敬，不尊重传统文化，欺师灭组没有道德的帽子乱扣，这可能新中国建国以来素质最差，对观众最不尊重，公关最失败，最没有儒家风范的剧组。这样一群各自心怀小九九的人，居然九九归一，凑在一起拍《孔子》，可能他们对孔子的最大认识就是要帮助统治阶级教化人民吧。事实上，他们也是这么做的。

 

在评论这部电影的时候，我已经竭力避免评论孔子这个人物，以为这个人物说不清楚，他绝对是比哈姆雷特更说不清楚的一个人物。只是这部电影本身，除了演员们的表演尚可以外，其他方面都是一塌糊涂。如果这样的一部电影成功了，那么势必会产生拍摄《老子》《庄子》《孟子》《墨子》的热潮，这些电影一定非常无趣，并且消耗巨大的资源，对于正在发展的中国电影事业来说是巨大的倒退。

 

《孔子》的失败对于中国电影是个绝对利好的消息，很可能是中国电影的转折。谢谢你们，孔子剧组。

 

电影应该是用想象力创造出来代表人类理想的事物，但是我国的电影更多的是代表政府的理想，当然，如果哪一天这两者合二为一了，那不光是电影成功了，连政党都成功了。可能是古代题材电影在传统意义上票房和政治上比较保险，但是我真的已经厌烦了。

 

从来没有一个国家的电影产业像中华人民共和国一样喜欢拍摄中国人民共和国成立之前的事情，从来没有一个国家的电影像我们的电影一样，大部分电影只要一听到名字还没开拍就可以知道故事的结局人物的命运。史诗片始终只是经典电影里的很小组成力量。况且我只见过人类因为追求自由和反抗命运而成为经典的史诗片，从来没见过因为立志于辅佐皇帝教化屁民并抛家弃女而成为经典的史诗片。返古是中国电影最大的症结。

 

当人家欧美的商业电影越来越带有人文气息的时候，我们那些还在挖坟的国产电影怎么可能去抗衡。用未来有情怀，有人文气息的优秀国产文艺片去对抗未来的进口大片，才是中国电影的真正出路。

1.周立波最近来北京和爱乐交响乐团做了场演出，全场笑声400多次，但据说有人气得中途离场，觉得爱乐堕落了……
其实一直有各种挤兑的声音，或者就是拿周立波和郭德纲比，跟小沈阳比，往对立了弄。
我没看过周立波的现场演出，估计去了也听不懂，我这上海话也就是nice to meet you的水平。但看过带字幕的“笑侃三十年”，很喜欢。

2.以前马家军的教练马俊仁说过一次句话，说，在中国干点什么事儿，就是一个人干，十个人看，一百个人捣乱（大意，非原话）。我觉得挺有道理的。可能这就是个卫道士比开拓者多的国家。他们没有创意，没有能力和想法去坚持作出什么成绩，于是也不允许其他人有。他们什么都不做，但总是有底气、也自以为有资格去评论别人。与其说这个国家最缺少什么，还不如说是最容不下什么。

3.牛人都是毁誉参半的。我是觉得，周立波也好，他的海派清口也好，从来也没说要讨好所有人，只要他能在他的目标人群市场上获得成功，就是成功了。

周立波说，白领就是每个月的工资都“白领”，“按揭”就是被人按在地上一层层的揭皮，还有之前对08年股市那些生动的比喻——“小康家庭进去，五保特困出来，拍着胸脯进，抽着耳光出来，男人进去，太监出来，周立波冲进去，周扒皮逃出来，大小非解禁进去，大小便失禁出来”——诸如此类吧……如果没有这种嬉笑怒骂来把某一部分或者某阶层人的压力、疲惫甚至是挫败（我们都这种挫败是谁一手造成的），变成调侃发泄出来，你不觉得这个世界才是装逼和虚伪的么？

4.一味迎合的下场很明显，就是丢了自己也成不了别人。好的东西就是做自己，然后让懂的人欣赏，知道自己来自何方，去到何处，所以不论是周立波的海派清口也好，赵家班的二人转也好，听懂的就听懂了，喜欢就喜欢了，观众来，其实笑的是自己，集体自嘲，集体发泄，集体放松。你不笑，至多证明大家不是一类人。那你应该去找你自嘲和娱乐的场所，而不是对别人指指点点。

5.从围观群众的角度来看，周立波在舞台之外也很可爱。我看过两次采访他的电视节目，他在舞台下和生活中或多或少也保持着一种表演的姿态。自信到甚至有点嚣张，比起很多艺人假模假式的谦卑，这样好多了。就是有些人，看上一眼，他的谦虚就和虚伪划了等号，有些人反倒嚣张的可爱。

6.文化的繁荣需要宽容和责任感，但我们这片土地上要么是没有宽容和责任，要么给你的宽容和信任总让人觉得是个圈套。不为别的，就凭周立波们拉动了如此大规模的文化市场消费，这就是成功——出来混我们都知道，光说话不动手就能让人从兜里往外掏钱，是多么不容易的一件事儿啊。