Prime lenses you currently own or on your wishlist.

[infared]

well...yeah... the new zoom gets blurry in the background..especially at 2.8 @ 200mm...BUT...it is NOTHING like the nice soft, creamy, bokehliscious smear your get from the 85mm f/1.2L II wide open...I seems that whatever makes that new 70-200 zoom so sharp also makes the bokeh kind of nervous and edgy....not as soft. ...Again..you don't know that until you compare it....but it is a pretty extreme difference even @ f/1.4..the background softness of the 85mm compared to that zoom. Different eggs.The backgrounds with my Sigma are pretty nice too wide open...definitely.
Of course a lot of factors enter in here, like closeness to subject, etc...which affects all of the above.

 

[vuilang]

Prime only?
now:
35L
50 1.4
85LII
200 F2IS

Want/Wish:
zeiss 21 2.8 or 24LII or 24LII T/S (cant decide yet, or maybe all 3? Someone plz help me with this)

 

[bigblue1ca]

Currently own:

14L ii f/2.8
24L ii f/1.4
35L f/1.4
50L f/1.2
85L f/1.2 ii
135L f/2
16-35L 2.8ii
24-70L 2.8
200L f/2.8 ii

Wishlist:
50mm 1.8

;D

 

[lbloom]

Hi all, i currently own a canon 50mm f1.8.. It feels more like a toy but i love it as it produces excellent images. However, there are a few prime lenses that i wish to have such as:

50mm f1.4 - an upgrade from the f1.8
24mm f1.4 L ii - for group or landscape

Yes, some of us prefer zoom lenses due to several factors such as versatility or maybe even economically - a factor that i really focus on

Please share what prime lenses you currently own and why you love them and what are the lenses you would like to have... it would greatly help me to understand more about the power of prime lenses

Thanks!

I own the 24mm f/1.4 L II and the 50mm f/1.4 (and the 85mm L II) and I use the 5DII.

The 24mm length is not good for portraits but it is wonderful for large groups and landscapes as it is very sharp. This is my favorite lens because of the quality of the images it produces. It is also very well built but a bit heavy...

The 50mm f/1.4 is a great lens. It is lightweight, small and sharp above f/2 (roughly). I don't use it much wide open as it gets quite soft, but it is very sharp stopped down. A great lens for the money. The 50mm L version certainly has superior bokeh.

I, too, love primes for their speed and IQ. I decided to learn on primes from day one because they are more my style, though zooms certainly have their uses. I think investing in primes is a great decision.

My wish list would be a macro lens (100mmL) to take shots of my children's smaller features. And possibly the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II USM for events. I rented this lens and although I was a little preoccupied by the zoom function, the shots were amazing!

Like I said, the 24mmL II continues to impress me combined with the 5DII.

 

[digicV]

Guys, two primes EVERYONE must try atleast once. (Drumbeat roll here....)
1. 21mm Zeiss Distagon
2. 50mm f1.8 Canon EF
(Everyone= anyone with a full frame camera really)

 

[dr croubie]

Guys, two primes EVERYONE must try atleast once. (Drumbeat roll here....)
1. 21mm Zeiss Distagon
2. 50mm f1.8 Canon EF
(Everyone= anyone with a full frame camera really)

I'll stick a random one on to that list, the Zeiss Sonnar 180 f/2.8, for only $200 (or as low as $100 if you're a good ebayer) including adapter to EF-mount, it really gets you into the idea of über-shallow-DOF for wildlife (best used in combination with a cable-release, tripod, and bird-feeder a few meters away in your backyard). Or a canon 200 f/2.8 for a bit more, but both still a lot lot lot less than you pay for the 70-200 f/2.8L or 300 f/2.8.