Prime lenses are a not-so-secret weapon favored for their fast apertures, crisp detail, and creamy bokeh. They differ from the more commercially popular zoom lenses. This is due to their ability to better maximize available light and separate foreground from background with aesthetically-pleasing crispness. They also possess the power to be a catalyst for creativity since they force the shooter to be more physically involved in their compositions.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term ‘prime lens’ – let's start with a simple definition. A prime lens is one that has just one focal length only (in contrast to a zoom lens that covers a wider range of lengths).

Prime lenses come in a wide range of focal lengths from wide angles through to the very longest of tele-photo lenses used by many sports photographers and paparazzi.

While zoom lenses are ever popular and come as the standard kit lens with most DSLRs sold – prime lenses remain the favorite of many.

In recent years, zoom lenses have been taking over the hearts of many working professional photographers as the more obvious, versatile choice. With the latest image sensors producing amazing quality, even at extremely high ISOs, it makes sense why more people have been leaning towards the convenience of zoom lenses. Zoom lenses have also gotten impressively sharp – most, even some cheap kit lenses, are sharp enough for day-to-day needs and also boast effective image stabilization systems.

Some of the modern pro-grade lenses offer image quality that matches or even surpasses primes lenses in the same focal range. Despite all this, prime lenses haven’t really lost their desirability. Lens manufacturers such as Nikon and Canon have been rapidly updating and expanding their lens arsenal with new and better choices. Third-party manufacturers like Sigma are stepping into the game with confidence.

What is a prime lens?

A prime lens is a fixed focal length lens that doesn’t let you zoom in or out. This focal length is the distance between the point of convergence in the lens to the sensor in your camera. Prime lenses have very wide or large apertures. Apertures measure the size of hole when the lens opens inside a camera. Prime lenses have maximum apertures typically ranging from f/2.8 to f/1.2. There are few moving parts in a prime lens, making it difficult for major problems to arise.

One of the great things about prime lenses is that they can help sharpen your technique. With these lenses, you can’t rely on zoom to get the shot you want. You are the zoom. And your physical choices will affect the angle and zoom of the photo.

Using a Prime Lens for Video

When shooting HD video, prime lenses are ideal to use. They give you the ability to achieve the same shallow depth-of-field at wide open apertures for your video footage as you already get with your still photography. This is something that is generally difficult to do using a traditional video camera. Many photographers who are shooting HD video with their Nikon D-SLRs will appreciate the prime lenses ability to autofocus precisely and quickly when AF-F (Full-time AF) is selected or even to manually focus, which will lessen the occurrence of noise from the lens being picked up by the camera's internal microphone.

Prime lenses are well suited to a variety of subjects including; portraits, architecture, nature, landscape, sports and action, flora and low light. Nikon offers a range of prime or fixed focal length lenses.

Which focal length should I use?

Now comes the time to select a prime lens. And realistically, you may not be able to buy every length on the market, and even if you could, there’s no need. It all depends on the style or subject you’re shooting.

Longer lenses are typically best for portraits because they have a shallower depth of field.

If we keep the apertures the same, a 100mm lens will have a much shallower depth of field compared to a 28 mm lens.

Having such a small depth of field separates the background from the foreground, and does a great job isolating the subject.

Lenses that have focal lengths longer than 60 mm (or so), are referred to as telephoto lenses. They flatten facial features and are often much more flattering than a wider angle lens. A telephoto lens can be either a prime or zoom lens.

But if you’re shooting a street view, a short focal length may be the way to go. Wider angle lenses tend to exaggerate features, and are great for big open landscape shots.

Prime Lenses and Subject Matter

Another consideration will be subject matter. Portrait and food photographers tend to crop in closer to their subjects in-camera. The 85mm and 100mm lenses are great for this purpose. There is no distortion of the subject and the bokeh is soft and flattering. This effect brings even more emphasis to whatever is in focus.

Mid-Length Primes- For environmental and editorial work, the 35mm and 50mm seem to be the focal lengths of choice. They are versatile and interpret the scene in a way similar to how your eye perceives it. They are ideal for shooting both street photography and interiors since there is minimal distortion towards the edges of the frame and are generally wide enough to take in the context of a scene.

Wide Primes- Wider-angle lenses are ideal for larger crowds of people or tight indoor spaces. There is more lens distortion towards the outer corners of these kinds of lenses. If it is important for something to maintain its shape, make sure to keep it in the center “sweet spot” of the lens where distortion is less noticeable.

What Prime Lens Can Do For You

Choosing the right focal length for your subject strongly emphasizes your point-of-view. Being aware of what body type you are pairing a prime lens with is crucial for compensating for a potential crop factor.
When shooting with only primes, you are forced to be more physically involved. You are essentially using your body as the zoom, which has the power to encourage more creativity and see different angles.
Being aware of available accessories, such as filters, will allow you to use primes in difficult lighting situations or enhance the environment around you without sacrificing DOF.