5 Reasons Why Zooms are Better Than Primes

Last week I presented the 5 reasons why primes are better than zooms. Indeed, technically the prime lenses are faster, with better low light performance, more shallow depth of field, better bokeh and sharper. No one can deny that. As a matter of fact, this is only from a technical point of view. Photography is way more than just gear stuff! That is when Zoom lenses come into play. They are better in their own way. So here are the 5 reasons why zooms are better than primes:

5/ Dust. You are less likely to get dust on your sensor. Outdoor photo sessions can be tricky when you have to constantly switch your prime lenses. At least, if you have a sufficient focal range, only one zoom can be enough.

© 2014 Aaron Johnson

5 Reasons Why Primes Are Better Than Zooms

Beginners can sometimes be surprised when they discover you have such an expensive camera and yet you are not able to zoom with it. “In 2014, we have good enough technology to make zooms in every camera,” one of my friends told me once.

However, the performance of the primes lenses is important for a lot of photography areas. I do think primes are better than zooms for different reasons and aspects. Here I am about to tell you why:

5) Value

You can get very good prime lenses for a reasonable amount of money. Usually, 35 and 50mm f/1.8 are so common they are now quite cheap. Even the Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 is available at around $300. For such a nice and sharp piece of glass, it’s pretty affordable, believe me. For this price, you will have one constraint though. It’s full manual, so no image stabilization and no autofocus. As pointed out in one of our previous article, it’s not always  a problem especially for short focals. Unless you need a very long focal lenght like 300 or 500mm, most are good and affordable. For the price of one zoom you can often have 2 primes.

Lens Shootout – Leica Summaron 35mm f/2.8 v. Zeiss Sonnar 55mm f/1.8

The biggest and oldest names in the photography industry has got to be Leica and Zeiss. Carl Zeiss AG was founded in 1846 in Jena, Germany as a optical systems manufacturer and Leitz Camera GmbH (now Leica) was founded in 1849  in Wetzlar, Germany. Both companies have seen their market share tumble since the Japanese combined high quality optics and manufacturing along with reliability, innovation, and affordability. But Leica and Zeiss are survivors, and within the last few years there seem to a strong resurgence with these two old storied brands.

In my stable of lenses, I have the Leica Summaron 35mm f/2.8 and the Zeiss Sonnar *T 55mm f/1.8. Both 35mm and 50mm lenses are considered “normal primes,” great for street photography and general purpose photography. I’ve had the pleasure of using these over the last few months now, so I thought I’d do a brief comparison review.

Model Q&A with Isabella Cammarata, the Teen and Future Supermodel

There is power in youthfulness. The cosmetics industry is built on it. The world spends billions of dollars to stay, feel, and look young. The same goes for the modeling world. Kate Moss was discovered at 14 at JFK airport, Candice Swanepoel was spotted in a flea market when she was 15, and Lily Aldridge, my personal favorite, began modeling at 16. Unlike other careers where the older you are the more salary, prestige, and respect you can command, being young and beautiful is incredibly marketable in the beauty industries. It is a bizarro world.

It is difficult to capitalize on this advantage when you are also inexperienced. Teens are young adults still learning their way through social situations, family situations, and professional situations. At the same time, I sometimes dread booking young models because I’ve been burned many times when they don’t show up to a shoot. How do teen models deal with the pressures of school, early adulthood, family, and a modeling career?

At just 15 years old, Isabella is currently our youngest model at iLHP. She is extremely professional, mature beyond her years, and yet malleable and open to new ideas like most young people are. She is just starting out in the north east and we had a chance to speak with her after our Terry Shoots last month. With her Candice Swanepoel cheekbones and teenage-attitude stare, this Korean Italian bombshell will undoubtedly have a long and successful modeling career.

Photographing Paris

A year has now past since I was fortunate enough to be able to call Paris my home. I am now living in Toronto again where I spent most of my life growing up.

When I said farewell to Paris, I left feeling completely heartbroken that my journey had come to an end.  I lived in a quintessential Parisian flat in the 8th arrondissement of Paris just a short walk to Avenue des Champs-Élysées.  I would glance in one direction and be able to lay eyes on the stunning Arc de Triomphe and turn my head the other way and catch a glimpse of Place de la Concorde.

Needless to say, I was not looking forward to moving back to Toronto after living so many years abroad (8 years in the US before France).  I was frightened I would not be able to search deep enough to find any creative inspiration and truthfully, just be bored.  How could one possibly compare the two cities?  Paris is bursting with fascinating history,  extreme elegance and utter romance everywhere your eyes wonder.  As for Toronto, everything appears to be common, newly built and rather uninspiring.

View from top of Sacre Coeur | 1/40 sec f / 11, ISO 160 |