photographeristochoosetoshootaclose-inheadshotofa
subjectwiththelowerendofa24–70zoom,theresultant
portrait will be distorted and unflattering to the sitter;
however; this value would be perfectly suited to a
full-lengthshotwithspaceforthesubjecttomovearound
the frame.
Prime Lenses (fixed focal length lens)
Primelensesarethosewherethefocallengthofthelensis
fixed.Youwillseethatcommonprimelensesforusein
portraitureare50mm,85mmand135mm,agoodrangefor
covering a good variety of focal lengths.
Againtherearebenefitstobegainedfromusingfixedfocal
lenses.Manybelievethatcreativelytheselensesareforthe
‘true’photographers,theonesthatstopandconsidertheir
subject and then decide upon the correct lens for the
outcometheyrequire,composingandframingtheimageat
this level to maximize the impact of the shot. This of
courseisnotpossibleinallshootingscenarios,andassuch
using a prime lens may compromise the ‘perfect’ shot.
Ingeneralprimelensesarealsocheaperthanzoomlenses,
although you may have to invest in a few if you are
shooting different genres of photography.
Typically fixed focal lenses will have a wider aperture
value than zoom lenses (some as low as 1.4) and
subsequentlyaremoreusableinlowlightsituations.They
aresometimesreferredtoasafastlens,asthelightisable
to reach the sensor ata quicker rate thanthose with a
narroweraperturevalue,allowingtheuseofafastershutter
speed.Itmustbeconsideredthatwiththiscapabilityyou