Digital Camera Experts

[pocketfours]

you do more research

When you see people arguing that zoom lenses take better pictures than prime lenses it's probably a good time to realize that you didn't want to talk about photography in a poker forum anyway.

Here's an MTF chart comparison for those who think zoom lenses are the shit (small catch-22 here). These aren't your typical consumer kit zoom lenses either mind you...










EF 70-300 f/4-5.6L:

[PlayToWin]

When you see people arguing that zoom lenses take better pictures than prime lenses ....

I never said zoom's were better. I know they're not as good. What I meant was that to say they're "not even close" is wrong. I've got the Canon 70-200 2.8 and it's fantastic.

Here's an MTF chart comparison ....

Yea, I've never seen these. There's no units on the charts. In the real world, in prints, is it a obvious difference in quality? I kinda doubt it. Before I got my system, I agonized over the issue of zoom vs prime. I went for pro f2.8 zooms and I'm very happy.

Things to think about:
If you want a vacation camera, the versatility of zooms is fantastic.

If you're gonna shoot sports, you'll need a good telephoto (I uses a 2X converter on my 70-200) and you'll need a good autofocus system (depending on the sport). You can't really get good autofocus without spending some cash. Read lots of reviews.

[pocketfours]

I never said zoom's were better. I know they're not as good. What I meant was that to say they're "not even close" is wrong. I've got the Canon 70-200 2.8 and it's fantastic.

I also have the 70-200 2.8L (IS mkI) and it's quite soft at the wide end unless you stop it down. It's very decent at 200mm, even wide open, but afaik that's because it's a 200mm prime design converted into a zoom. It's impossible to argue about what is close and what isn't. If you want to sell your photos you want them pretty damn crisp.

In the real world, in prints, is it a obvious difference in quality? I kinda doubt it. Before I got my system, I agonized over the issue of zoom vs prime. I went for pro f2.8 zooms and I'm very happy.

For a professional, the difference is perfectly apparent and obvious. In addition to the sharpness of the lens, there's contrast, vignetting, flare, distortion and CA to consider as well, and for many applications you want a wider aperture than a zoom can provide.

I'm just talking about zooms vs primes, this has nothing to do with griffey wanting a camera for holiday snaps, that is unless he's a perfectionist, like most enthusiastic photographers I know.