The best thing about prime lenses 

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It's so nice to see someone doing intimate landscape work instead of just epic or grand landscapes. Finding a compelling composition often involves reducing the number of focus points and leading lines, not seeing how many you can cram into one epic image. You didn't mention the primary reason that I like primes and have for decades: low flare and low chromatic aberration. This combination of sharpness and low flare produces very rich textures, subtle colors, and deep shadows that still retain detail. More subtly, these lenses also tolerate much stronger lighting contrasts. Even ten years ago we were all told repeatedly that trying to take photographs at midday or with a clear sky was a clear mark of an unskilled amateur. Ten years ago, I had some high quality zoom lenses for a Canon DSLR. Sorry, I don't remember the exact models. Right now, for other than wildlife I use the new Sony GM primes: 35mm, 50mm, and 135mm. The differences compared to a decade ago have been for me astounding and very liberating. I find, to my surprise, that the lens most often on my camera is the 135mm, although I find the 35 and the 50mm lenses very useful as well. So, should everyone buy prime lenses? As a trained scientist, I look for confounding variables. From what I hear, design and manufacturing of lenses has changed greatly in the past decade, especially in the past few years. So, is it because the lenses are primes or is it because they are of much more recent design? Frankly, I don't have the money or time to do a proper test. I do suspect that Sony, Canon, and Nikon all have access to the same advances in lens-making technology. I think that your mini-tutorial at the kissing gate is a good illustration of the advantages of low flare and sharpness. You show the same scene through a 35mm Sony GM prime and a GoPro lens of presumably much lower quality. Despite the fact that the ambient light is completely flat, the shadows in the deep woods compared to the brighter light on the vines on the trees makes for a lot of inherent contrast. Even on RU-vid you can see that the GoPro shadows are comparatively muddy and indistinct, as are the colors and highlights in the vines on the trees and the flowers near the path.

I loved this video! In particular, you talking through key elements of your composition thought process and showing it in real-time. Every time you do that in one of your videos I pick up something interesting to consider and it has helped me a lot so thank you :)

Nothing wrong with primes, I cherish them, too, both for their rendering and the reason you're highlighting. The danger of compositional laziness coming with zooms, however, can be mitigated if you accustom yourself to using them essentially as a stack of primes, with the bonus of not having to change lenses.

I feel like this is a “classic” James Popsys video, like the ones I first started enjoying from a few years ago. Really enjoyed it 👍🏼😁

The thing about lanes like that (for me, anyway) is the dichotomy between the peace and quiet now and the fact that at one point in time, there was a team of guys with big equipment laying that asphalt. And long, long before them there was a farmer whose very life depended on being successful at farming or raising sheep who laid those stone walls by himself, by hand out in the middle of nowhere. The stone walls are what get me--the isolated areas that they sometimes run through that was so crucial to people so long ago.

It is fun shooting primes. It seems like whenever I'm enjoying a prime only shoot I get distracted by birds and want a telephoto lens and vice versa😂

I think a lot of it depends on genre. As a wildlife photographer, I think zooms are a must. Quite often I have minimal to no time to adjust camera settings, not to mention lenses. :-) Prime can be a fun exercise just to see how creative you can get with it, but normally need to be able to zoom.

James, thanks for a lovely calming video to watch on a Sunday morning. I love primes for the reasons you mentioned, especially the 35 and 50mm. They help me look for and hopefully ‘see’ a good composition. And I love the process of looking and actually taking the shot. I found that using manual focus lenses engages me more in the process and gives me much more satisfaction when I get it right. I’m trying hard not to take quick snaps but to take my time to enjoy it to the maximum. Incidentally I love that shirt you were wearing. Can I be cheeky and ask what make please?

A 35mm Lens is a great Prime Lens for many situations, though I do not like the size and weight of the Sony 35mm 1.4 GM and I do neither need aperture 1.4 or autofocus, so I have the excellent Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm 2.0 Aspherical which are at least as good as the Sony, just much more compact, light and solid built. Prime Lenses rule ! I have got Sony 14mm 1.8 GM, Sony 24mm 1.4 GM, Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm 2.0 Aspherical, Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8, Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm 2.0 and Sony 135mm 1.8 GM, I like the Voigtländer APO-Lanthar Lenses much more than the Sony GM Lenses !!! My Cameras are Sony A7RIV and Sony A7RIVA.

There is more to a lens than sharpness. In fact many famous photos in the past were not particularly sharp, especially in the corners. The latter you may choose to cover when adding vignetting. Colour rendition, aperture availability, colour rendition, distortion, image integrity… Perhaps this video should have been titled Composition of autumn country lanes in England?

Love your thought process. Love the images. I'm jealous of your "lanes" They look like something from a fairy tale. But mostly love the tenor of the whole video. You out did yourself sir.

For me, zooms are for work and primes are for taking photos :-)

Modern top-shelf zooms are mind-blowing compared to older ones, but primes definitely have a margin over zooms.

The main advantage of primes for me is not the sharpness. I actually prefer older primes that are less sharp, but their tone rendering is the best, due to their low element count. I just can't find the tones and colours I get from my very old nikon lenses in anything else, and that's why I'm hesitant to ever switch to a zoom lens.

Appreciate the reminder -- I have one zoom and two primes to cover a range. Having recently gone back to dedicated camera/lenses vs. a smartphone (ease of use, "good enough"), the zoom tends to stay on the camera most of the time, but I like that idea to restrict yourself to one focal length. Beautiful images as always, James! 🤗

Love your videos. You carry humility but also clearly know what you are talking about. Just one thing I thought, would’ve been nice to see all 4 of the gate frames you took in a single shot for easy comparison for us aspiring viewers. Keep up the awesome work. You’ve inspired me to get my camera out again!

Primes slow down my photography and makes me think much more about the shot. So yup 100%

Video has influenced lens choice. Few still photographers demanded wide angle, wide aperture lenses previously. Now subject separation for arms-length vlogging has created a desire for such optics. How useful they are for still photography is debateable, given their size and price over smaller aperture equivalents.

Just want you to know that of all the Photography channels I subscribe to yours is the one I watch consistently. I always feel like I’m out taking photos with you and not a video at all. 👍

My main landscape lens is a 24-105mm but I find the majority of my images with it are shot at 45-55mm. I do tend to walk around a lot to frame a composition, so I guess it's natural to shoot at focal lengths closer to how my eyes see.

That garlic looks a lot like hogweed. I've found that going out with a single prime results in much better photos and I tend to enjoy it a lot more too. Nothing wrong with zooms but I've sold mine and bought more primes.

zooms offer easier composition - especially these Nikon R mounts ... aka Z lenses ... for example the z 24-70 f2.8 is as sharp as primes at any focal length. Personally, I think a prime like a 600mm is just too restrictive unless you're using a big megapixel camera that you can crop on. my 5cts worth. This is a nice video, but BUT now I've got to go get a prime now ! I do have the z MC 105mm macro, which is pretty good for those scenes too Hmmmmm

Zooms have closed the gap down considerably over the years. I grew up with a 28,50,135 on my Pentax k1000. I own a plethora of lenses but I always gravitate to a 24, 50, 135 trio for most things.

I agree to a point. Limited to one focal length forces the photographer to be more inventive and compose very carefully.

My Sigma 35mm f1.4 is my favorite lens I own, something about 35mm just agrees with me. Great shots as usual man. Keep up the great work.

Funny enough, I dug my plastic cheapo 50mm f1.8 last weekend whilst taking me dog for a stroll and ended up with some crackin flower shots, normally I’m a 15mm landscaper shooter, nice video fella. Cheers

Another interesting video James, thanks for sharing. With any luck you and Nigel will be out shooting together when he is up and about

Nice, thanks for sharing. Yes, I know the benefits of primes. Certainly with say a Sony A7R-IV having 61 megapixels, you can crop in post without losing to much usable resolution. I do wonder how did you pack your bag and prepare your trip. Did you choose the 35mm before and how many times did you switch lenses ? I did an entire holiday in Canada once with only a 50mm f/1.4 while having zoom lenses available, back in the film days. Now I have a 24-105 and 100-400 lens that I use for everything. It saves weight and volume in my backpack during (uphill) hiking. Add a tripod, drone+remote, spare batteries&powerbank, spare clothing, food, drink and you probably know what I'm talking about...

Even with a zoom lens I find myself walking around a lot instead of zooming in or out. The latter would change the field of view and perspective and often I can‘t achieve the look I want. Also, with my zooms (18-55 and 70-300 on APS-C) I tend to use the ends quite often, especially 300 mm. It really depends on the situation. Some people here are mentioning wildlife photography, that‘s where zooms shine for me, and also family stuff or weddings where lens changes take too much time.

Beautiful comps from everyday scenes many of us would simply stroll past. Nicely done. Thank you.

Great stuff James! Loved the countryside feel with all the shots & the depth you created with F1.8. Hope you had a good nap 👍

Love primes. Recently built up a full focal range with vintage primes. Some for video others for photography (Nikon) and it was really changed my photography. Going for a walk with just a 35 or 85 you see such different things. It's awesome

Great video, mate! I only shoot primes myself, and love it!

really enjoyed those photographs. interesting video James.

I'm selling my GM 35mm cause it's just so boring, the 35mm does not really have distinctive character like a 24mm or a 50mm.

No close up sheep photos? You are slipping, James. ;-) Hope you feel better and thanks for the video.

I love primes. I use a 20, 55, and 85. Covers most everything. However, I've learned to keep my mouth shut about my gear. I'm constantly told I need to carry a 24-300 f4 to f6 or whatever. But with my dear 20 f1.8 I can stand 3 feet away in low light and get a good photo. I just don't tell what I'm doing.

🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑 Hundreds of them!

6:40 Trying to make a point about the significance of PERSPECTIVE without ever once mentioning the word perspective... Priceless.

Honestly as a student I nearly always shoot at one focal length… 80mm (50mm prime on a cropped sensor) mostly because i don’t have the money for different primes. However I absolutely love shooting at 80mm and some of my favourite photos ever have been with that simple set up. It’s the lens that’s always on my camera

Great video as always. But I have one equipment question. What is the clip that you use to hold the camera to the backpack strap ?

Great video James and your images are indeed very atmospheric. Really enjoy listening to your thought process when composing shots.

I wish I had a 1.4 that sharp. My Voigtlander 58mm 1.4 is a nice lens, but I can rarely use it wide open unless I really want a dreamy effect. Nothing like what tou get here…

Thanks for posting and I do like your content. That said, I think the “use a prime lens as an educational tool” is a poor argument and almost a form of “gatekeeping”… signaling that zooms are for pros and primes are for newbs who need to learn. Such a weak argument. If you’re into landscapes get a decent wide angle zoom and a decent 70-200, end of story. Then have a nice f1.4 35mm or 50mm prime for other things, like portraits, events, street, general vacation stuff. Can you use a prime for landscapes ? Of course you can… are you new to landscape photography and trying to make the right lens investment? dont get a prime, and if you really really REALLY want to test the waters, go for something like a cheap retro Canon FD lens (manual focus) on eBay ($100 to $200 max) that can be adapted to Sony or mirrorless body of choice

I only have a handful of primes but wish I could afford more carry a spray bottle with you

Love my primes Need my zooms 😁

The sounds of the birds is beautiful, this is how my garden sounds in the morning, and I live in Wales

Jump up off my sofa for some wet leaf photos outside my front door, at 18mm 😁… and my son playing with green slime and Lego technic during half term… 40 & 135 Batis are my other 2 lens. I like the fact these 3 lens encourage me to have very different compositions when using each of them

I have really enjoyed watching this video, it was very atmospheric. Back in your studio you were commenting about compression. I don't think I really understand what that is and wonder if all my photos suffer from it 🤔

Four sets of double unskippable ads in a 13 minute video. And of course one more at the beginning and end. Give me a break RU-vid!!!!!!!

To zoom you change the focal length and to recompose you move the camera. You can´t do it the other way around by zooming with your feet. That´s impossible. That´s why I hate the concept "zoom with your feet". However, the zoom feature may be a disturbence to many new photographers while working on the composition. Eliminating the zoom feature by mounting a prime lense is a good way to force yourself to work only on the composition in peace. That´s why I love the concept "zoom with your feet". This is a very good video on the topic. Thanks for sharing James.

I think the compositional advantages of primes, zooming with your feet, moving around, are a red herring. Only the laziest people would not make use of this.

When I see someone talking about IQ, ask them if they use Zooms, if they say yes, I just laugh in their face. It’s biggest degrader of IQ in the Western World…

I have fascination with taking pictures of the roots of fallen trees. When possible, I zoom with my feet, but I am so happy to have a zoom wth me when a picture might otherwise risk my life. :)

I love your road photos ... they tell such a story! Woods are such hard work ... unless you're Simon Baxter of course! 😁

Followed your advice and tried zooming with my feet. Got athlete's foot powder on the sensor. I'd like to speak to the management please.

I like your point about roads, especially curves. Leaves you thinking: what is around that corner?

Hmm, i got this video recommended after unboxing my Tamron 35-150.

Sunsets are nice but I’ve shot them a million times. Trying to balance the exposure with bracketed shots or filters is tedious. I often won’t bother any more unless the sky is spectacular.

I'm just starting out and my instructor has basically said "no zoom" learn with primes.

We're about to go to Canada for the first time (Vancouver), and I'm trying to decide whether I'm brave enough to just take my 35 f1.4, or my 23 f.2 (aps-c). Or do I cave and take the 18-55? The image quality is about the same. Gaaaa, I just know I'm going to succomb to the safety of the zoom...

Could you share what apertures are used? Not 1.4 wide open for landscape, right?

curious how you evaluate your gravel bike against your old mountain bike for outdoor photography use - can you share your thoughts about it?

Thanks for the video. In addition to digital cameras, I also shoot medium format and large format film cameras which do not have a large selection of zoom lenses.

Those were some gorgeous photos. A really nice video. Thanks.

Hey JP, its not a sin to break, pick-away a leaf or two, to enhancing your composition. This movie was useful, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

You took a photo of the post office red box but did you take a photo of that bench with the plants about to overtake it? Nature overtaking human-made objects are awesome.

Love the ‘kissing gate’ photos….😘📸😎

Good point about prime's, good work

Loved it! I agree about rustic lane ways etc… cottages are too if they were built pre the age of characterless buildings

Are you ever going to talk about the best thing about prime lenses??

Hi James, just one question, are the photos you showed in the video after editing or are they unedited?

I have a thing about paths and roads. It’s probably a lazy way of finding a leading line but I’m always happy with a good shot of a road.

Moved from Nikon FF to Fuji APS-C and gave up my zooms in the process. I have the Fujicrons and two cheap zooms, one of which I have never used. The other is a 50-230mm that I only use at grandson's soccer games. For everything else it's a prime lens. I love shooting at a fixed focal length but it still feels uncomfortable to not have a zoom with me. I relied heavily on zooms on my Nikon and only used primes for portraits or other special occasions. Quite a change, but I find I get better photos using a prime, perhaps because it truly does take time to get it right and you have to make it look right with the focal length you have with you.

I only have primes and agree with everything you said.

Do you use a polarized filter in the overcast conditions?

Living in Britain, it's good you like these conditions :)

I spent a summer term in Wales and as I remember you didn’t have wait too long for the next rain shower. Great country for photography even if it did rain too much.

Cow Parsley. Not big enough for Hogweed. Nice video as ever James. Love the challenge of a single focal length.

Will you buy me a plane ride to your woodland? Im in Canada.

Thanks so much for this! I'm more of an editor myself but getting in to cameras more and more and videos like this really help! Cheers mate!

Yep, the lanes at this time of the year are a pure delight, especially when they are lined with Cow Parsley, which takes on a very attractive, warm "glow" in the evening.......

I love your video in video perspective. That is really really clever.

I really like the images of the bluebells with/without the gate. Are these gonna be available as a print?

It’s Cow parsley btw not garlic

The discussion when taking the picture at the gate was very interesting, thanks. I loved the vertical. I'm too much of a coward to use just one focal length: FOMO. It would drive me crazy to have left the focal length I wanted to use at home! My camera backpack always has the FF equivalent of 16-800, thanks to the G9. BTW, I thought the term was "pixel badger" not "pixel peeping"? Cheers.

Yeah, primes will teach you. I agree. I currently use only primes on my Fuji X kit but I bring four of them because they are so tiny. (16, 23, 35 and 50mm, the smaller ones.) Those four combined are only 50g more than the 16-55mm 2.8 zoom alone. That way I always have a small system in hand while still retaining the option to change focal length. But I would have to change lenses and ... I'm lazy. So I only switch when I really need to. Also I get away with 49mm filters, which is nice. (step-up rings on everything but the 16mm, don't use hoods)

As a former music photographer, where everybody else had 24-70 and 70-200 lenses, I was the only one shooting with 2, sometimes 3 primes, for the exact same reason you said, forcing you to move around and find better angles and compositions, and to think more on how to shoot a photo. Another advantage, is if you shoot with a zoom lens at f/2.8, you are at full aperture where normally lenses are at their "worst" quality, where with a fixed lens, I can shoot at f/2, or even at f/2.8, and I already stopped down and got closer to peak performance for that lens (if you are starting from something like an f/1.4 lens).

Nice intimate photos down those narrow country lanes James. The best prime lenses compared to the best zoom lenses will have better low light capabilities when shooting wide open due the wider aperture at low ISO. You can also get better landscape astrophotography images for that reason. Even less expensive prime lenses compared to roughly the same price point zoom lenses will likely produce images at low light, low ISO photos. I guess it all depends on how large you want your camera bag to be and how long you intend to be out and whether you're shooting at night and day time during that one session. If you want to have all your lenses with you and you're not trekking far off the beaten path you can have your zooms and primes with you in a large bag and not worry about the weight. If you're shooting semi-deep sky astrophotography with a star tracker a telephoto prime, with as wide an aperture as possible is a good bet, if it's capturing the entire Milky Way, then a 14mm or 24MM F1.8 or F1.4 is your best bet. If you're doing daytime landscape, urban or flowering plant photography, then something in the 35 - 85mm range is likely your best bet. But buy used or whatever you can afford first and foremost. This is all my take on things of course and my examples stretch beyond the examples James used in this video.

Love that shot at 3:30. Nice composition. I rarely took photos without subject/person. Guess I need to go on a walk more..

Looks like a shimoda bag. Nice!

I have the 28-60mm compact lens for traveling and I have some of my favourite photos with it but most of the time I have 50mm on because I just enjoy using it more. It just makes me think more

There's something to be said about just going out in nature with only a prime lens. Looks like a cozy little adventure and you managed to take some real bangers too.

Thank you James, this was a really informative video (not that your others arent) - It was great to see the POV from the camera when shooting that gate... I certainly need to shoot more with my prime lenses, I love them when they're in use, but too lazy on too many occasions to use them

I think I've mentioned this before, but I absolutely love photographing pathways.. almost to the point of being obsessed with them! So this type of photography really appeals to me. By the way, it's not the baby monitor that wouldn't shut up, it's the baby! 😁

Great shots man, really enjoyed this. Been sticking with 35mm this last couple of weeks primarily, nothing like the smell of wild garlic in the morning 👍

I would love to hear your feelings on manual primes.

That is definitely a lovely morning out James, great stuff and great advice on using primes or one focal length, really helps with getting your mind into the game and not just your camera!

I don’t think I have ever taken a photo before 6am 🤪