Prime or zoom telephoto - which is the best for you?

Male American avocet photographed with Nikon 500 PF lens
 
Above image, cropped

Semipalmated plover photographed with Tamron 150-600 lens @ 600 mm

As above, cropped

Primes vs zooms.  The debate has gone on for a very long time, and there is value to all the pro and con arguments for both.  I have owned my fair share of both.  The question becomes, not which is the best, but rather, which is the right one for you.

In general, primes are sharper than zooms, offer a lower minimum aperture, and are faster in focusing.  They also tend to be more expensive because primes are built for users that have specific goals in mind rather than being more general-purpose.

Zooms are, in many ways, the antithesis of primes.  They are less expensive, have lower minimum apertures at full zoom, and are slower in their overall rate of focus.  Their advantage is based upon the lower price and greater versatility in the field.

Looking at the 500 mm prime (top two photos), I can say that it is the best lens I have ever owned.  It is fast, sharp, and not too heavy (the PF - Phase-Fresnel - makes the lens smaller, lighter, and easier to handle). The crop shows very good detail.  The downside is the cost - about $6000 CAD with taxes.

The bottom two photos were shot with my Tamron 150-600 (GI version).  The lens was heavy and slower in focusing.  Although it had a slightly long focal length (600 instead of 500), its sharpness was not as good as my 500 and so the extra magnification was of little value.  The up side is that it was much less (the GII version can be purchased for about $2000 CAD) and there were many times I used it at less than full zoom.

The thing to keep in mind is that you can buy very high-end zooms.  Below are a few shots from my Nikon 80-400 S zoom.  I sold my Tamron and now use this when I need both a long lens and some flexibility in the field.  It is expensive, about $3500 CAD with tax, but the bottom line is that it is also good.  It is not as sharp as my 500 but better than any other zoom I have owned.

Juvenile white ibis photographed with my Nikon 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 zoom
As above, cropped

The question comes down to, what do you need and what can you afford.  If you are anything like me, my budget for buying equipment has always been less than my wish-list.  It has only been in the last few years that I have been able to afford better stuff, and even then I don't have the best.  However, each purchase has allowed me to explore and capture exciting images that I could only ever have previously dreamed of.  And for me, that is amazing, regardless of which lens I was using at the time.

So, whatever you do, do it with the conviction that it will allow you to achieve new heights that you previously couldn't.  You will likely end up selling what you have and buying bigger and better when time and money allow.  But really, the most important thing in all this, have fun, get out, and take photos.  That is what I love most about photography, and its not about the equipment at all.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com













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