Prime lens vs zoom: which one should you choose?

Here’s a debate that has been going on in photography for ages, or almost. I have to admit there are already plenty of articles on the subject, but I still wanted to share my own opinion and add my small contribution to the discussion. So today, we’re talking about camera gear. When you start taking pictures, you often end up asking yourself this question: should you choose a prime lens (fixed focal length) or a zoom lens?

Let’s be clear right from the start: there is no single right answer. It’s a matter of choice, need, and sometimes personal preference. So there is no absolute truth here. The purpose of this article is not to convince you that one option is better than the other, but simply to show you the advantages of each. As is often the case in photography, there are no “black and white” answers. Sometimes you need to step back and think about it the same way you would when choosing the right camera lens for you.

On forums, you often see people getting heated in the comments about this topic, with some trying to convince others that one option is better than the other for all sorts of reasons. I hope it doesn’t come to that here, but I have to admit it’s a tricky subject to tackle. After a quick reminder about focal length in photography, I’ll go over the advantages of using a prime lens and then those of using a zoom lens.

Before talking about prime lens vs zoom, I wanted to go over a few basics about focal length, because that is really the core of the topic here. To learn everything about the term, you can refer to the guide I wrote on the subject in “the basics of photography”.

Focal length can be defined as a lens parameter, measured in millimeters, that represents the distance between your camera sensor and the optical center of your lens. Yes, said like that, it sounds a bit intimidating, but it’s actually very simple. Without going into the technical details (you can refer to the article mentioned above), focal length determines the angle of view of your scene.

Simply put, an 18mm focal length gives you a wider angle of view than a 50mm, which itself gives you a wider angle of view than a 200mm. It’s no more complicated than that. Coming back to today’s topic, there are two types of focal length in photography:

Examples of photos taken with a zoom lens (the sunset) and a wide-angle lens (the wooden bridge)

• Fixed focal lengths/prime lenses: this is simply a lens with only one focal length, for example 18mm, 28mm, 70mm, or 300mm. In practical terms, your angle of view always stays the same. To change it, you have to move,

• Variable focal lengths: alternatively, some camera lenses have variable focal lengths, also known as “zoom lenses.” The lens therefore has two focal length values, a minimum and a maximum, for example 11-24mm, 24-70mm, or 70-200mm. The lens can be a wide-angle, standard zoom, or telephoto lens. You can zoom in and out from where you are, and your angle of view changes.

Each option has its own advantages and drawbacks. Let’s go through them below!

Many photographers swear by prime lenses, especially the “old-school” photographers, if I can put it that way. This is fairly easy to understand: until a few years ago, the quality of zooms compared with prime lenses was often more than questionable. Many photographers preferred carrying two or three primes rather than one poor-quality zoom. Things have changed since then, of course. But for now, let’s look at the advantages of a prime lens.

Among photographers, this is probably the most common argument. As a general rule, prime lenses are often considered optically better than zoom lenses. It also has to be said that a prime lens is usually simpler to design than a zoom.

If you like looking at lens tests and numbers, you can have fun comparing several prime lenses and zoom lenses. The tricky part is that you often end up comparing things that are not really comparable. Let me explain.

In most cases (we’ll get to that below), prime lenses are brighter thanks to their wider maximum aperture. So it’s actually hard to compare the quality of two different lenses when you won’t find an exact equivalent in a zoom. Take the excellent Canon 85mm f/1.8, for example (a very good value lens): you can’t really compare it with a 70-200mm f/2.8, simply because you’ll never get the same aperture on that zoom.

That is often the issue: comparing things that, in reality, should not be compared directly. Some zooms today perform just as well as prime lenses. Also note that even if some primes offer very good optical quality (such as a 50mm f/1.8 or 85mm f/1.8), their build quality (autofocus motor, materials used, and so on) is far below that of a classic 70-200mm f/2.8. To get equivalent build quality, you generally have to move up to a professional range, which is out of reach for most of us.

One of the big advantages of a prime lens is obviously the size and weight of your camera bag. Prime lenses are generally lighter than zoom lenses and easier to carry. For travelers, it can certainly make a difference to travel with two primes rather than one zoom.

Be careful, though (as we’ll see below), because to cover the same range as a zoom lens with primes, you may need to buy three or even four different lenses. So in reality, the size-and-weight argument has its limits.

Again, we need to compare like with like. I often see articles comparing a 50mm f/1.8 with an equivalent zoom, but that equivalent doesn’t really exist either. Let’s just say that, as a general rule, because they are simpler to build, prime lenses are often cheaper.

For a fair comparison, we should compare the price of a 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom with several prime lenses, such as a 24mm f/2.8, 35mm f/2, 50mm f/1.8, and 85mm f/1.8. Financially, it’s not necessarily a clear win, but you do end up with four lenses instead of one.

If there were only one argument in favor of prime lenses, it would be this one. In practice, prime lenses are almost always brighter than zooms, even excellent ones. Most zooms do not offer maximum apertures as wide as f/1.8, let alone f/1.4. For those who are just starting out, when we talk about “brightness,” we are referring to the amount of light that can reach your camera sensor through the lens. The number to look at is the “aperture.”

A larger aperture makes it easier to highlight a subject by blurring the background.

A lens’s maximum aperture is written as “f/.” The smaller the number shown (for example f/1.4), the brighter the lens. You might be thinking, fine, but what is the point? There are several advantages:

• Because aperture is directly linked to shutter speed, you’ll be able to shoot faster. The difference between the Canon 85mm f/1.8 and the f/1.4 may seem small at first glance, but that aperture difference lets you almost double your shutter speed. There is a reason the brighter lens can sometimes cost three or four times as much,
• It also means you can work in more difficult conditions. I’m thinking of all those moments when light is lacking: sunrise, sunset, concerts, night photography. The best zooms will usually give you f/2.8. With a lens that opens to f/2, you double your shutter speed; with an f/1.4 lens, you quadruple it,
• The possible depth of field will also be shallower. The wider the maximum aperture, the easier it is to blur the background and create more pleasing background blur (bokeh),

The creative possibilities linked to these three elements (shutter speed, depth of field, and shooting conditions) therefore increase. Clearly, a wide aperture lets you do “more things.”

This is an argument that comes up very often among fans of prime lenses. I’d say some of those arguments are more or less valid, but you can always find counterarguments.

Because you can’t change the angle of view on a prime lens (unlike with a zoom), you have to move around to vary your framing. That naturally pushes you to think more about what you’re shooting. With a prime lens, you need to move around your subject to find the best spot, while it is often said (rightly or wrongly?) that photographers with a zoom move less.

From my own experience, I’d say this is even truer when you’re just starting out, because a zoom can make you stay in the same place and simply “zoom in and out.” With a little more experience, I realize that even with a 24-70mm, I still tend to move and walk around the subject to find the best angle or vary my framing. So I’d say this part really depends on you.

Still, having a single focal length does make you think more about your subject and how you’re going to approach it. You can’t just play with the zoom, so you start asking yourself more questions: am I in the right place, could I move over there instead, and so on? You can do the same with a zoom, of course, but it is less intuitive, and many people simply zoom in and out.

Here are the advantages that are often put forward when using a zoom lens.

Let’s say this is the main advantage of a zoom. Unlike a prime lens, a zoom lets you stay where you are and change your focal length simply by zooming in or out. Some people say this reduces the amount of thought behind the shot. That is debatable: yes and no, depending on the situation.

During my safari in Tanzania, I used a Canon 70-300mm zoom lens, which was very handy for changing the framing when you can’t get out of the car!

Of course, if you spend all your time in one spot without moving, then a zoom becomes a less favorable choice and clearly won’t help you develop your creativity or improve your framing. On the other hand, if you know how to move around and use your legs (like I do), I think that argument becomes a bit weaker.

As a traveler, where I find a zoom has a clear advantage is that it keeps you versatile in many situations. The best example is when you need to change focal length quickly to capture something you hadn’t planned. A silly example: you’re standing at the edge of a beautiful rice field in Vietnam, taking pictures with your 70mm zoom already mounted (because that’s all you have with you), and suddenly a guy on a motorbike carrying chicken cages passes by. In a split second, you can change the focal length on your zoom and capture a detail from the scene. With a fixed 50mm, you couldn’t have done that. Simply put, a zoom lens lets you vary your framing quickly enough for these kinds of situations.

Here, I’m not talking about the discretion of the zoom itself, because of course zooms can be imposing. I remember traveling in Southeast Asia with my 70-300mm mounted and the lens hood attached: I looked a bit like a paparazzo. No, what I mean is the ability to capture certain scenes from farther away without being noticed. Depending on the country and the situation, for example in a market or somewhere similar, that can be very practical. With a prime lens, you usually need to get closer, while telephoto prime lenses are often unaffordable for most people (I’m thinking of a 300mm f/2.8, for example).

I think this is a valid argument too. When you use prime lenses, you often have to change lenses more frequently. Every time you change lenses, there is a risk of dropping one or letting dust reach your sensor. I remember that during my safari in Tanzania, I was quite happy to have a zoom lens mounted on my camera because of the dust. The few times I switched to a wide-angle lens for landscape photos, I was still pretty worried about dust getting inside the camera…

It may sound a little basic, but I think this is almost the conclusion of the arguments in favor of zooms. If you add the fact that a zoom is versatile in many situations, you can still say that a good zoom offers a solid price-to-performance ratio.

So yes, you won’t get the same rendering as a nice prime lens with a wide aperture. On the other hand, optical quality has improved a lot on recent zooms, and there are now some very good ones, such as the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS. The price-to-performance ratio is there if you invest in a good-quality zoom. That said, I still think it’s better to buy two quality prime lenses than one mediocre zoom.

For the Nikon Z mount

And for zoom lenses

For the Canon RF mount

And for zoom lenses

For the L full-frame mount

And for zoom lenses

For the Micro 4/3 mount

And for zoom lenses

For the Sony E mount (APS-C)

And for zoom lenses

For the Sony FE mount (Full Frame)

And for zoom lenses

I’ve reached the end of this article—too long again, maybe? I clearly need to learn how to make things shorter. I think I’ve explained the advantages and disadvantages of using either a prime lens or a zoom lens. Everyone will have their own preferences. You’re probably thinking: that’s all well and good, but what should I actually take away from this article?

I’d say that no matter what you read online, you’ll always find defenders of one system or the other. That proves one thing: everyone has a subjective opinion based on the type of photos they take, their own practice, the places they shoot in—in short, what works best for them.

You may read that prime lenses are better for any number of reasons, but in reality, those arguments can easily be challenged by someone who uses zooms. The only real arguments I see for either option are the following. Prime lenses will almost always be brighter than zooms, and this can clearly influence the kinds of photos you can take and their final look. You’ll get a faster shutter speed, more background blur, and more possibilities in difficult lighting conditions. On the other hand, you’ll need to change lenses and own more than one. If you specialize in a specific field (night, concert, or landscape photography), an excellent prime lens may be the best choice for you.

For zoom lenses, versatility is the main point. If you need flexible gear for a variety of situations, such as reporting or travel, then a zoom lens is probably the best solution for you. Conversely, it will be heavier and less bright than a prime lens. That’s what I think is important to remember.

I don’t want to start an endless debate in the comments, but feel free to share your thoughts on the article. Do you think I forgot anything? How do you see it? In the meantime, I invite you to take a look at how to choose a wide-angle lens.

See you soon,

Written by Sylvain PONS

I've been passionate about photography since 2010, learning as I went along. Today, I dedicate myself to guiding others in their choice of camera gear and sharing a variety of tips to improve their photography skills.

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