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Archive 2009 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

EyeBrock
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p.3 #1 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

Mmmm,

I'm a 50L, 16-35II, 100 2.8L IS, 24-104 type of guy.

Nov 08, 2009 at 01:28 AM

Dawei Ye
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p.3 #2 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

AaronNegro wrote:
What necessity? What does a prime to your shooting that a zoom can't do? Distortion? Vignetting? Aperture? all of them?

I'm just not happy with my lens and buying a mixed bag of canon L zooms plus a few primes(I love primes) soon. I'm very keen to know what moved you to shoot only primes.

I need large apertures and unfortunately I can't find any canon zooms on the market that are faster than f/2.8

Also I have no choice but to use the 14LII since there is no zoom equivalent

Nov 08, 2009 at 01:39 AM

teh_rebel
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p.3 #3 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

Primes

Nov 08, 2009 at 01:42 AM

steeeven
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p.3 #4 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

17-40, 70-200 (f/4), 100-400.

The slow zooms work well for me.

Nov 08, 2009 at 01:46 AM

Matt Leitholt
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p.3 #5 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

Mostly primes, but I have a 70-200 f/4L IS because of its versatility and excellent IQ and IS.

Nov 08, 2009 at 02:06 AM

Grantland
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p.3 #6 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

pturton wrote:

Primes plus a couple of zooms to help out the odd time.

same here

Nov 08, 2009 at 02:30 AM

trumpet_guy
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p.3 #7 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

stanj wrote:
Lots of primes, some 2.8 zooms. You didn't offer that choice

+1
Polls frequently leave out the choice that fits my scenario.

I have 16mm-200mm covered with f/2.8 zooms, but if I can afford to work slowly,
I will generally prefer my primes or my adapted Zeiss 35-70/3.4 Vario-Sonnar zoom.

The zooms do the trick when there is no time to swap lenses, such as in wedding
and event work. But when there's time a prime almost always gives a better result.
Often time is a big constraint, and indoors the best solution is often f/2.8 zooms
with flash.

Nov 08, 2009 at 02:34 AM

Photon
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p.3 #8 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

M Vers wrote:
None of the options fit me personally. I am a mixed bag shooter going back and forth between fast primes and fast zooms with the occasional slower zoom mixed in. In very low light I'll almost always grab a prime or two, unless the lighting is so poor I need to use flash, where a zoom is more handy. Lens selection, for me, really depends on the subject matter and how I want to shoot it.
+1 That describes my usage too.

Nov 08, 2009 at 05:38 AM

willis
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p.3 #9 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

My lenses are a mixture form which I pick the best tool to do the job. I cant really pick an option. For nature work I'd mostly pick a fast prime but unfortunately Canon only do f4 at 500 and 600mm (I also like to pick my lenses up).

Nov 08, 2009 at 11:23 AM

mikethevilla
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p.3 #10 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

3 primes and a zoom at the moment. The future additions/wish list looks something like this:

prime.
prime.
prime.
zoom.
zoom.
prime.

Draw your own conclusions...

Nov 08, 2009 at 11:39 AM

irispatch
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p.3 #11 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

I don't fit any of the categories. I have 4 zooms 2.8, 4.0 , 2 that are variable and 2 primes that I use most of the time. I seldom use any wide open preferring to stop down to the lens's ideal. ( macro the exception)

Nov 08, 2009 at 01:55 PM

David Manning
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p.3 #12 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

My current lineup

24-70 2.8
70-200 2.8 IS
35L
Sigma 50 1.4
50 1.8 (plastic fantastic)
85 1.8
135L

David

Nov 08, 2009 at 05:32 PM

gdanmitchell
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p.3 #13 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

You should only have to say prime once... ;-)

mikethevilla wrote:
3 primes and a zoom at the moment. The future additions/wish list looks something like this:

prime.
prime.
prime.
zoom.
zoom.
prime.

Draw your own conclusions...

Nov 08, 2009 at 07:31 PM

garyroach
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p.3 #14 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

I currently only shoot primes, but I shot zooms for years. I'll probably go back to a combination of primes and zooms someday. But, for now, I prefer primes.

Nov 08, 2009 at 09:28 PM

mikethevilla
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p.3 #15 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

You should only have to say prime once... ;-)

Haha. That's what my wallet keeps telling me too, but I'm hoping I can convince it otherwise. Maybe I'll put that extra kidney to work...

Nov 09, 2009 at 12:38 AM

BennyR
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p.3 #16 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

I voted for the middle response. When I know there's a chance I might want a large print (happens fairly often) I usually go for a prime. The notable exception would be my 70-200 f4/IS. That lens is as sharp as any prime I have.

Nov 09, 2009 at 01:07 AM

Jman13
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p.3 #17 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

f/4 zooms (17-40L and 70-200 f/4L IS are my only zooms, but see quite a bit of use), with primes for the rest (15 fish, 50 f/1.4 (sigma), Rok 85 f/1.4, 100L IS Macro)

Nov 09, 2009 at 01:28 AM

lafashionphoto
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p.3 #18 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

The Lenses that get me by...

24mm TSE
50mm 1.4
100mm f/2
200mm 2.8

on FF

those lenses allow me to make a living...and do all that I need to do.

Nov 09, 2009 at 06:32 AM

TehKimchi
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p.3 #19 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

24-70 2.8
70-200 2.8 IS
and the cheap primes 50 and 85. I don't use the 50 anymore but i absolutely LOVE the 85 (even 1.8), gives me results I can't obtain even with 70-200 at longer focal range. I'm targetting L primes next, 35L next in list.

Nov 09, 2009 at 08:36 PM

Jim Burk
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p.3 #20 · Are you a prime, zoom or a mixed bag guy?

I have two 4.0 Zooms, one 2.8 Zoom, a 1.4 prime and a 1.8 prime. I can get almost any shot I want, from (FF) 17 to 200.

Nov 10, 2009 at 05:59 AM

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