I dont have a canon and I dont have a D4
but on a D800 Nikon primes and zooms focus fast enought for my needs
Can zoom lenses compare in quality to prime?
(33 posts) (19 voices)-
Posted 8 months ago #
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I only have AF-S lenses, but I have never found any of mine zooms or primes to be slow. I haven't ever gotten out the stopwatch to try though. My 18-200 might have been the slowest. The only one I can really tell a difference is my 105 F2.8 because it hunt sometimes, but if focus is near what the next object is...it really isn't all that slow either.
Posted 8 months ago # -
The 18-135 that I have is pretty sharp indeed, but may not have subject isolation when I want it.
The 105mm macro Nikkor is really really darn sharp. From my second story window, shot through a window wide open, if I zoom in enough I can read the registration of my father's car.
Focus can be slow though, especially if I go from infinity to closest. But considering the range of focus at which it can cover, that's pretty incredible in my opinion.
The 35mm 1.8 is pretty darn sharp too, but can get some weird bokeh going on, although not as weird as the 18-135.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Everybody's needs are different. I have the big three 2.8 zooms and a number of primes, but the four I have with me today at work are the four AF primes I own: 24, 50, 85 and 105, all Gs. This weekend I'll switch to the zooms for family pictures.
I prefer the primes for being lightweight, fast, and flexible and easy to use. I've taken more exposures on the 24 and 85 than all the other lenses put together. I am happy and my clients are happier with the results from these two lenses. They both seem to be a natural extension of the way the world looks to me when I'm not looking through a viewfinder. Zooms add another parameter that is not directly intuitive to me.
Also, I can put the body and three or four primes in a tiny, lightweight bag. Sometimes I have to travel to some inconvenient places and I need to be able to move quickly and stow my gear in a tiny spot on a plane or a boat, so I appreciate the compactness of primes.
I didn't use zoom lenses much at all in the past. Until last year I had just one. What changed my mind on zooms is the high quality of the newer zooms and the constant aperture. So primes are more familiar to me and maybe that is another reason I like them, but that may change with time as I use the zooms more.
Having said all that, I would never tell anyone it is a bad idea to invest in the 24 - 70 2.8 G: it is an excellent piece of optics. The zoom will be less money than a 24 and a 50, with the bonus of not having to change lenses. For any hardly noticeable differences in distortion or vignetting, take advantage of the Lightroom 4 discount available when you buy the lens, and you'll be able to "fix" them using lens correction when you import your photos.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Hi all,
Today's zooms are all pretty good, regardless of their aperture size, although the wider the aperture, the faster one can shoot in lower light.
Older zooms, as in 35 or more years ago, were a bit more soft, prone to aberration, and being just plain less desirable (although I used and enjoyed using them for their convenience - the aberrations didn't show up in newsprint); but I would suggest that any of the zooms today suffer none of these problems.
One addition consideration is the bokeh or 'quality' of the out of focus content separated from the subject. Some lenses do produce images that have a quality different than others, especially at their wider apertures.
I find my 'go to' portrait lens is the f1.8 85mm and the f2.8 60mm Macro and f2.8 105 Macro. I also use the f1.8 50mm and the f1.8 35mm depending upon subject.
Zooms are great lenses and I wouldn't hesitate to use them for their convenience.
My best,
Mike
Posted 8 months ago # -
MSMoto's redirect (original New comment) got lost on page 1 - to recap:
Newfie said:
I just fininshed watching a new youtube clip that pits the D4 against the 1DX and it clearly show the 1DX out performing the D4. What I did notice though is that the presenter fitted the D4 with an 85mm f1.4. I have that lens along with the 50mm f1.4 and the 105 f2.8. My experience is that the Nikon primes, except for the super teles, are slow focusing relative to the three 2.8 zooms. Whenever I use the 70-200 it is lightening fact and accurate, same for the 14-24 and 24-70.It seems that most reviews are often with prime lenses. Using one of the 2.8 zooms might yield a different outcome when comparing brands, especially considering Canon primes tend to focus faster.
What has your experience been?
I think the real question is if that test is even valid - I say not remotely. Very rarely do I have the AF not focus "fast" enough. The tests I see start at infinity or close focus then to the lock on the opposite end. If I'm shooting a 50mm prime, I'm never moving focus points more than a few feet from the previous shot.
There are a whole slew of reasons why 2.8s are faster, more "give" in the focus area, being designed for intended uses (i.e. macro, portrait, journalism) and so on. In the end it is only micro seconds difference.
Posted 8 months ago # -
msmoto said:
I would agree that prime lenses when shot wide open will be a bit slower...but come on...when one is shooting at 1.4 or 1.2 the DOF is so sallow that who on earth is going to worry about speed...it is about getting focus given ones composition. If i'm mistaken please let me know.
In general, 2.8 are going to be faster over all given that many that use these lenses may have lots of fast moving subjects in their shot. Personally, I use more 2.8 line of my lenses than my primes...the 105 2.8 being the one I use the most...which I love!!
Lastly, I too have seen many many videos putting the D4 vs 1Dx against each other and trying to see which has the fastest AF system. The one thing that many of them don't point out or when they do they do so in passing, be it the 1Dx or Mark III, is these bodies total inability to focus at all in very low light conditions. All they do in hunt...while the D4 lock's in EVERY TIME.
Posted 8 months ago # -
The faster the lens, the more sensitive it is to focus (shallower DoF). This increases the effective focus response of the lens/motor system. For AFS systems, I think this means a slower motor is used for faster lenses. My 1.4 lenses are all my slowest to focus.
But as TTJ points out AF speed is rarely a problem.
In my opinion the trinity zooms at f/2.8 are all just about as sharp as the associated primes at that aperture. The zooms also focus faster. But the zooms are 2 stops slower than the 24 f/1.4, 50 f/1.4 and 85 f/1.4, they don't have the ability to isolate the subject as well as the primes and they weigh more.
As far as lens quality is concerned, the pro zooms are all top notch, so the real question regarding (pro) zooms vs primes is one of application.
Unless of course you're talking about something like the Zeiss 100.....
Posted 8 months ago #
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