ZOOM OR FIXED FOCAL OBJECTIVES, WHICH IS BETTER?

This photography is a continuous doubt of everything, right? SLR or mirrorless, full format or APS-C, many megapixels or better not so many, this model or better the previous one, this brand or better this other, zoom or fixed focal... there are so many photographic dilemmas that many times we don't even know where begin. And best of all, the more you know about photography, the more dilemmas you have, so luckily, you'll never stop learning in this regard .

Undoubtedly, one of those photographic dilemmas comes when we try to make a qualitative leap in our images; When we have spent a good season with our goal of the kit , we have squeezed it to the maximum, we have given it many opportunities, but we came to the conclusion that it cannot give us the results we are looking for. Normally the main reason that drives us to take that leap towards another objective is the lack of light .

That is why we set out to hunt for a target that is as bright as possible . Now, we come to the first question: zoom or fixed focal? Well, as always, there is no single answer, let's see it.

ADVANTAGES OF A ZOOM LENS

As much as you have heard that a fixed focal length is the best thing that can happen to you, the truth is that, as always, it will depend on your way of working, or what you want to achieve in photography. Because both zoom and fixed focal lengths have their advantages ?, let's see first the advantages of zoom, surely some of them you know well:

Comfort. Being able to frame a scene without having to move, or being able to reframe simply by moving the zoom back and forth, the truth is that it's most comfortable ;-).

Speed. Since, in principle, you don't need to change lenses, with a zoom you will point and shoot without the danger of losing an image by wasting time changing lenses, or zooming in/out, etc.

Lightness. Yes, don't get me wrong, a zoom is not lighter than a fixed 50mm, but an 18-200 zoom is lighter than a fixed 20mm + a fixed 24mm + a fixed 35mm, + a fixed 50mm, + a fixed 80mm…

Economy. Linked to the previous point, with a single objective you cover several focal lengths that in fixed optics would become several objectives and, therefore, several investments of different considerations.

Security. Since we do not need to change optics, we do not expose the mirror and internal mechanisms.

Quality. When we say that fixed lenses have a higher quality than zooms, this is only relative. It is true that the kit lens is usually made of cheap materials to make it competitive , but the truth is that there are high-quality and even high-luminosity zooms on the market. Of course, there is a big BUT, they are very expensive. And when I say expensive, I mean expensive ;-). So for someone who is an amateur it is an exaggerated outlay. That is why, if you have to compete in price and quality against a fixed focal length, things are complicated ;-).

By the way, there are also compact cameras with a lot of zoom , in case swapping lenses isn't your thing

ADVANTAGES OF A FIXED FOCAL LENS

Brightness. This is the main reason why you should have at least one fixed lens. The luminosity of an objective is measured in its aperture, the lower the value of it (for example, better f / 1.4 than f / 5.6) the brighter it is. This implies several things, all very positive:

You will be able to play with the depth of field . Surely you have been hallucinated more than once before an image where there is a blurred background and a small portion of the scene in focus, thus instantly focusing your attention on that point. Well, that is achieved by playing with the aperture of the diaphragm , therefore, the more it has, the more pronounced this blur can be in your photos.

You'll be able to work in low-light situations while maintaining sharpness by not having to increase ISO or reduce shutter time.

Aperture and depth of field

Less weight. I know that we have already said it for the zoom, but the truth is that, if we do not intend to compete with all the focal lengths of a zoom, fixed lenses are usually lighter than zooms. Now, I'll tell you a secret, in objectives, bad that it weighs us down, more weight usually indicates: better objective. So if you are going to compare two lenses of the same focal length and one weighs nothing and the other much more, it usually means that the materials with which it is built are better.

Economic. Do I make myself clear. If you want to compete between a zoom with an aperture of say f/2 and a fixed focal length of the same aperture, you will see that the price difference is abysmal. A zoom with an aperture of this style is prohibitively expensive, while a fixed focal length has a much lower price. In fact, you can increase one or two points of light and it is still at very affordable prices.

Creativity. We could say comfort vs. creativity because, although a zoom is comfortable by definition, getting closer to or further away from things almost effortlessly makes our creativity suffer easily. With fixed optics , the zoom is you , it forces you to move, to think, to vary the angle, in short, it forces you to be creative and there is nothing better for a photographic mind like yours than to work on creativity.

Resistance. A fixed optic has far fewer breakable gears and glass than a zoom, and therefore much less chance of one breaking . In addition, with the obsession of lowering costs for starter kits, the materials with which these zooms are built are simpler and of lower quality.

Sharpness. Remember that we always say that anything placed in front of your lens detracts from the image. Sometimes it is almost imperceptible, like when we place a good quality filter to protect the optics, but the more crystals we place in front of it, the less sharpness the final image will be. A fixed optic, by not having these crystals, is by itself much sharper, and produces fewer aberrations and deformities.

Discretion. Although there are large fixed optics, the truth is that the most used or standard ones (50mm or 35mm) are very light and discreet, allowing you to take a type of photography that is less intimidating than working with a zoom lens: portraits, street photography, events, etc.

Discretion

Focus speed. As they are also simpler constructions, the quality, speed and reliability of focusing in fixed lenses is better than in zoom lenses.

Unbeatable value for money. Getting a bright and versatile optic like a 50mm or a 35mm at the price they have is something that puts photography with professional results within the reach of most pockets:

The king of goals

The prince of goals

Life, in 35mm

Life, in 50mm

The million dollar question, 35mm or 50mm?

SHOULD I ALWAYS OPT FOR ONE OR THE OTHER?

Absolutely not. It will depend on the type of photography you intend to do and how you are as a photographer. If you cover, for example, sporting events and you need to get very close to your protagonists but you don't have much mobility, a zoom may be the most necessary and what will give you the best results. On the other hand, if what you want is light at all costs, sharpness, lightness and discretion, go for a fixed lens. Or you can even combine them depending on the interests of the moment.

But remember, the limitations are set by you. If you only have one lens in the kit, make the most of it, take advantage of its virtues and learn to get to know it to get the most out of it. As well as if you only have a fixed optic, the same. You don't need great equipment to take wonderful photographs, the photo is taken by the photographer and the rest is of very, very relative importance. Be happy with what you have and enjoy, happy photography!

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