Diary: Switching from Primes to Zooms for Landscape Photography

Which lenses are better for landscape photography, primes or zooms? MPB resident photographer Ian, who usually creates his personal photography work using prime lenses, ventures out to Finland to shoot snowy landscapes with two Sony zooms—the 24-70mm f/2.8 GM and 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS—mounted to a full-frame mirrorless Sony A9. Over to you, Ian.

At some point or another, we’ve all spent hours researching whether prime lenses or zoom lenses are better for our style of photography. Primes offer the best image quality, while zooms are more convenient—but is it really that clear cut?

Historically, primes have ruled the roost for decades. Way before the advent of zooms, primes were the only option for most photographers. You’d either pack a selection of lenses and swap them around or carry different bodies each with a different lens. For photographers, it wasn’t until the 80s that zooms became more widely accepted—and they only really took hold in the 90s and 00s as a viable alternative to primes. 

In my professional photography, I mostly use zoom lenses. But, in my personal work, I’ve always tended to use primes. So, I was keen to find out whether zooms had any business in my own camera bag.

So, on a recent trip to Finland, I decided to take a Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM and 70-200mm f/2.8 GM mounted on a Sony A9.

Convenience

In my personal work, I don’t usually need to work too quickly—I even have time to manually focus. So, given the more favourable reputation of prime lenses, I never really had a reason to use zooms. However, working in inhospitable environments where speed is essential, convenience was my top priority. Less time spent changing lenses in freezing conditions could mean the difference between a few degrees of warmth. The decision was easy: convenience over image quality. Get the shot and get out! The same would apply to anyone who values getting the shot over small increments in image quality. Which will you value more, the shot you almost got—or the shot you nailed? As they say, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Image quality

In recent years, the gap between primes and zooms has been closing—especially now, with mirrorless tech. Thanks to the lack of a mirror, the capabilities of lens design have meant fewer compromises with less distortion and associated issues. The two Sony GM zooms—the 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8—were simply phenomenal. Though I didn't compare these zooms with primes, I was pleased with the images they rendered. These days, any aberrations and distortions are easily corrected within Photoshop and Lightroom. But there is still a difference between primes and zooms. If the ultimate image quality is all you care about, it’s still worth testing a good zoom against a few primes in your desired focal lengths. But, for me, the image quality I achieved with these zooms was very good.

Aperture

Depending on your style of shooting, a good prime lens offers more than just better image quality. Primes usually have larger apertures—usually between f/2 and f/1.4, with some going as low as f/1.2—often a full stop faster than most of their zoom counterparts. The wider aperture allows you to use a shallow depth of field, creating separation between subject and background, leading to defocused backgrounds, or bokeh. This is important if you shoot portraits and want that separation to remove any unwanted background distractions. Using a shallow depth of field to separate the subject and background is also useful if you wish to bring the viewer’s attention to a specific subject. Some zooms can help you achieve this look by using their longer focal length. But, at shorter lengths, f/2.8 is usually the widest aperture. For landscape photography, you’ll want to use a higher f-number—a smaller aperture—to get more of your scene in focus.

Intuition

One of the best things about using prime lenses is how they develop your intuition. Understanding how your lenses will render a scene depending on focal length, and knowing where to stand when you’ve spotted your subject, are both important skills.

Zoom lenses, on the other hand, give you the option of twisting the zoom ring to change your focal length. That’s really useful, but it comes at a cost. You won’t always be aware of exactly where in the zoom range you’ve landed and which focal length you’re using. So, you won’t gain the same intuitive understanding of focal length and how it will impact your image.

Choosing prime lenses isn't always as simple as using suitable lengths. Many people will prefer to move closer with a 50mm than shoot from further with an 85mm, simply because they prefer how a 50mm renders a scene. The same goes for street photographers using 28mm and 35mm. Lenses aren’t just about being closer or farther away. Read more about focal length, distance and perspective.

Cost and weight

Many working pros will carry a range of zooms, from wide to normal and portrait to telephoto. Most often, this will mean 24-70mm and 70-200mm. While these lenses aren’t inexpensive, they can cost less than owning an equivalent range in primes. Many pros will opt for a 24-70mm f/2.8, plus one fast prime to give them as many options in terms of efficiency and look. In general, they’ll save the prime for images that require a specific look. With any option you choose, you’ll need to consider cost vs weight. Some people choose to use only a couple of primes for all their work, whereas others will want the almost-infinite options in focal length a good zoom range can provide.

Your best bet is to consider why you need another lens. What is your primary objective? If it’s for image quality, then consider at which focal length you normally shoot. You might find your stay in the wide end of things, so you might not need the top end of a 24-70mm. At the same time, consider the look you want—do you need bokeh? I personally don't need the look a 50mm provides at f/1.4, so I can save money and weight just by that decision. Choosing the right lenses can be tricky. But, with a considered approach, you can carry less weight on your back and save yourself some money too.

In an ideal world, you’d have all the primes you’d ever need by your side—without worrying about who would carry them up a mountain in sub-zero temperatures. But, in the real world, most photographers don’t have that luxury. Instead, we must hike uphill and down with all our heavy kit on our backs. As someone who normally shoots with primes, I found using zooms liberating and enjoyable. Zoom lenses allowed me to concentrate on keeping myself safe and focusing instead on getting the shot I needed.

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