
Les 3 Brasseurs moments ~ microbrewery-restaurant, Old Montreal, CA • click to embiggenOne of the things that I have rediscovered by picturing with the EP-1 and prime lenses is the joy of making pictures with prime lens.
Last year, when I acquired my first and then only prime lens for my Olympus E-3 digital camera - a 25mm f2.8 Zuiko pancake - I did so on a complete lark of sorts. I was just plain curious with a side-interest in starting to explore primes with relatively fast apertures for wide open / narrow DOF picturing. I also did so with a bit of apprehension regarding the commitment to picturing with a single focal length lens.
That apprehension was somewhat ameliorated by almost 3 decades of prime lens-only picturing. Prior to my entering the digital age, picture making wise, back in 2002, the only zoom lens that I ever owned was the Nikkor 43-86mm and it spent most of its time sitting around unused. Pre-digital picture making, primes ruled the roost. Period. End of sentence.
And, to be completely accurate, prior to my digital picturing days, I did not even own an AF lens.
All of that said, I was rather surprised to find that the "standard" lens on a dslr was a zoom lens. In fact, it seemed that prime lenses were scarcer than the proverbial hen's teeth. So, it was on with the show and zooms it was.
Long story, short - I became quite acclimated to using zoom lenses. My kit included/includes a 11-22mm, a 14-54mm, and a 50-200mm (22-400mm range, 35mm equiv.). For about 90% of my personal picturing, I used the 11-22mm lens and about 90% of that use was limited to and around the 11mm end of things - not exactly like picturing with a prime, but pretty close.
In any event, I was still a bit concerned about using just a prime lens - you know, things like did I still know how to use my legs and feet instead of a zoom ring to get the framing I wanted? Would I be left out in the world feeling foolish and confused because I didn't have the means / lens to get the shot? You know, dumbass things like that.
Long answer, short - my feet and legs still work and I have yet to feel foolish and confused out in the world of picture making. In fact, I've come to the conclusion that I can live on without ever again mounting a zoom lens on my camera (for personal picturing) - I don't need no stinkin' zooms.
BUT .... I am I asking too much by hoping that lens makers refocus some of their design and manufacturing expertise on producing some fast and compact prime lens? Is there a big enough market / demand out there for such products? Or, are so many "serious" picture makers buying up zooms simply because that's virtually all that's available or is that what the really want?
Any prime lens picture makers out there who might add their 2¢ on the topic? Is anyone discovering, has discovered / re-discovered, the joy of primes?