"I don't know whether that was worth it, but I think it was worth the try." Weirdly motivational sentence there. Even if you don't end up with a shot you liked, you'd then know about it and know whether the composition works, if nothing else.
I love using my primes! Zooms just make it easier to shoot places you don't go very often. Just got back from 3 weeks driving up Route 1, used my zooms 99% of the time. It's so much easier to keep 3 zoom lenses on me and get lots of shots and different focal lengths. I did use my primes around Alcatraz and had the best photography day of the trip.
Couldn't agree more. Over the last year or so I've bought a bunch of vintage primes. They have completely changed my photography. For the better. Going for a walk with one prime lens is life changing. When I started photography i had one lens a 50mm on a canon 35mm SLR. I shot everything with that. Then when I got my first dslr i had zooms. I bought a 50mm too but spent years shooting with zooms until recently. Its incredible how different you approach photos with a 100mm or a 24mm or even a 35mm when they are your only option. You literally see the world differently. I'd encourage everyone to get at least two primes, buy them second hand or rent, or borrow and change your prospective. You'll only improve your photography. And like you said take your kit lens and decide for a shoot to keep it at a specific focal length. No cheating.
I always carry two cameras one has a wide and one has a 70 to 200. And my wide is 15-30mm so I really don’t miss 30 to 70 much. You can always move forward and crop. But I pretty much don’t leave home now with out my 70 to 200.. Changing lenses on landscape shoot is a really bad idea. You’d be surprised how much stuff gets inside your Camera. I just prefer to have two bodies and two lenses are carrier. NikonD850 which has my 70 to 200. I’m transitioning slowly to a lighter setup, and I purchased a Fuji film. Xt5. I’m carrying a 23 mm F2 and I’m shooting a lot of landscapes with a 35 mm equivalent. And I’m absolutely loving it and you’re right it forces you to create and it forces you to think more about the composition.
Hi James. I've been looking out for a D700 for my daughter and myself to play with. I got outbid on eBay for one with near 100k clicks and realised that for only £40 more I could get one with 20k clicks and a warranty on MPB. So I bought it. It turned up this morning and it looks mint, for only £300. I'm very excited to get out and try it out. Thanks for your videos and to MPB.
I've come around to realizing that I need a zoom in my kit, and not just any ordinary zoom, but a to-the-moon super zoom. After owning several Fujifilm XF zooms, I've landed on the Tamron 18-300. It isn't as fast in performance or sharp on the edges as my XF 70-300, but the flexibility more than makes up for it. It's allowed me to sell of a number off a number of lenses and just keep a couple manual primes - one Kamlan F1 50mm mkII and a Samyang F2 135mm.
I’m still rocking a Canon 90d and bought the Sigma 18-35mm , F1.8 throughout the range. Awesome lens and like carrying a bag of primes. When travelling I chuck in a 50mm F1.8. 👍
Over the years, I've used both primes and zooms. Currently, I use both. I like using primes when I'm home. But, zooms are just much more convenient to use when traveling.
Excellent points James. I agree, but I only tend to use small primes because they're more compact, and I'm usually trying to cram my camera into a small bag on my handlebars. The 12-32mm Lumix is a rare combination of tiny and great quality; I think you might rather enjoy that if you're still using the GX-1. It's cheap, and crisp. More so than earlier M43 kit zooms I've used. I've never been so surprised by how good a lens actually is.
I'm slowly learning this lesson. Was looking through the last few years worth of landscape/climbing/splitboarding etc. adventure stuff and realized it was all starting to look very much the same. Not in a good stylistic way, more like the compositions are all a bit off since I've been forcing the shots I want despite being limited to the one focal length. Why fight it ... just got a wide zoom and excited to try the dark side. Composition > Light > Technical perfection.
Strikes me as a bit odd how I just watched the video you posted from 4 years ago. Explaining how you are switching from full frame and you mention how you’d need so many primes and then I see this most recent vid. Great videos, awesome job!
Sorry about the horrible desaturated grade on the video. No idea what happened there. And sorry about the shouting too. Next video will be quieter and more colourful… he says. Also - the scammers are back. I’m not on Telegram… Sorry about this!
I saw a video that showed how someone has developed an App that uses the YT API and can filter out such comments and report them, automatically if I remember correctly. ps, Was there an erroneous clip of footage peeping out of the timeline near the end?
You just got to love those windy days! 🙄 Hopefully, your ears have stopped bleeding. I really love the softness of your photos James, they give a sense of calmness on an otherwise not calm day.
Agree!! The constant argument that primes are better than zooms is tiring, of course primes have there place but you can just change the focal length, not everything has to be 1.8., I use m43 12-40, small, compact, light and does the job. Thanks for having a different take on this. I thought I was only who sets my focal length at different stages rather changing lenses.keep up the good work
I have a love hate relationship with zooms. They can be so useful when you're in a spot and can't change lens but I rush things when I use them. I move around more and get better shots because I move when I use the primes. Consequently I have a couple of zooms sitting on a shelf that I can't decide whether to sell or not lol. I don't even put them in my bag nowadays and I still can't part with them 🙄😂
I feel like this video is just about how I feel about it. A couple years, I reduced my kit from an X-H1, plus some zooms (16-55mm) and primes (35mm F2, 80mm), and moved to just an X100V (with the teleconverters) in order challenge myself a bit. It's a lovely small setup, but I miss the flexibility of having zooms available. Add in that I have moved to an area that is ideal for landscapes, birding, and astro, and it has me looking at buying back into an interchangeable system again (probably the X-H2 with a 16-55mm and the 70-300mm).
I used strictly primes when I started serious SLR photography (24mm, 50mm, 100mm and 200mm). Now I'm strictly a zoom user. I'm a Canon DSLR shooter and I feel their L-series lenses give me all the image quality I need and more convenience.
I have always been a zoom user, currently the 24-105/4, 16-35/4 and 70-300/4,5-5,6. But I also have the compulsory primes, a 55/1,8 and 85/1,8 which I rarly uses. Then l got bitten by the analog trend, and purchased the old Olumpus OM1 and OM2 (love them…) with a wide selection of prime lenses. What an experience! The shortcommings of film versus digital is obvius, but the tactile experience of the manual cameras and manual lenses has been an awakening. Now I have got my self the Zeiss Loxia 21 and 35 mm manual (with aperture ring) lenses for my A7R II camera. The future for me will be (partly at least) manual lenses, but with digital cameras.
Always enjoy the videos, you provide some great advice, but just as importantly, enthusiasm for photography. Can you add your presets to the metadata so that we know what you are using (Might even sell a few more). Cheers.
So true. I got 3 beautiful primes on G9. Then got olympus lens 12 - 200 and this stays on it 99% of the time. Just so more convince. And the ability to go from 12 mm to 200 especially landscape is amazing.
Another interesting video James, i have just upgraded from a Sony NEX 5R to Sony A6600 & the only lenses i have at present are SONY SEL 18-200 & SONY 18-55. I can't see at this minute that i would go to a prime. Only down side to the current lenses is that they are 3.5-6.3, not a massive problem but a 2.8 might be better in the future. I guess the prime does get you thinking about your compositions more & makes you move around a little more to get the shot.. Thanks for another interesting video mate.
I went to Llangrannog earlier this year but had very flat light, I love the images you captured. I also prefer primes but since moving to Sony I have switched to zooms so I might have to try your suggestion with sticking to the one focal length. Great video as always!
My word may not mean much as I’m just one man but I must say from what I personally can see the newer telephotos from sigma and tamron like the sigma 24-70 art and the tamron 28-200 are 99% as sharp as my primes and the price on them isn’t bad at all! I take them everywhere now and only shoot primes once in awhile. I think photographers are way overhyping primes and mistaking the fact that telephotos are now getting incredibly good 👍
Regarding the „stupid“ question, wether wind makes a sound on their own or not, the answer is no. You can see it that fact quit good at the beginning of the movie “master and commander” with Russel crow. There is als a clip here on YT, which describes the opening scene and also the fact that wind alone has no sound. Enough unnecessary knowledge for that… great video! 👌
My first prime was 50mm and I didn't enjoy it but it was fast. I 'upgraded' the thrifty to the RF 50mm and still can't find a groove. I got the 35mm prime and now understand the love for restriction. This lens lives on my camera for now. However the 24-105 and 100-400 are usually in reach. Because lazy. I have also pretend my zoom is a prime and set it at one FL until I can't stand it. I enjoyed these photos James. The first one on the site made me ask many questions in rapid succession. Why are the sheep all feeding here? Oh maybe the farmer in that house is tending to them. How many rooms does that fireplace heat? How much work does it take to tend that fire? and the sheep? How big is that place? Like I said that photo drove home the point you make about a photo being about something not OF something for me. Thanks for shouting about this buddy.
I was in the outback high desert of central Oregon today. A dust devil whipped up behind us. It 100% sounded like a freight train. _Wind does make a sound, and it’s terrifying 😂_
I have the Sony 24-70 GMii and love it. I am someone that generally prefers zoom lenses to optimise my composition. If I use primes, then that just means more cropping, as often you can’t stand in the optimal position for a particular prime focal length, and I hate changing lenses when out for the reasons you expressed
I remember a video not long ago that said you were done buying camera gear :) Have to say that I have the same dilema. Currently own the Sigma.... but I know I would prefer the G Master. I think the main reason I actually want the G Master is that it zooms the correct way.... the sigma drives me nuts zooming the opposite way from all my other lenses.
Great video again, thank you. I've got an x100 so I have to do all that shuffling around when it and about, and in particular I change shooting angle a lot. With the zoom on my SLR I find there's always a shot right where your standing. Just not the best shot 🙂
Man I have that exact same shirt. It has one crippling design flaw in that it has no popper halfway up the cuff split, resulting in a really insidious draught on a really small, sensitive, area of the forearms 😆
I exercise like that with my zoom that I set it to one focal length that I don't change. If I get bored with that halfway through the day, I set a new focal length. No need to change to primes for that.
I tried to use prime lens for a bit, 50mm F1.8, 24mm, etc, but they always end up just collecting dust on my shelf. I tried to take my camera out everyday, in case I see anything randomly interesting. And for that purpose it is zoom lens all the way. The ability to zoom is nearly always more important than the absolute highest image quality of the prime. I just don't find myself missing the prime. For example, I tried to carry the 80-200 F2.8L for a bit. This isn't even a prime, but even then I feel how limiting it is, when I don't have the 24-80 range at all. And when I just take my 16-35 (once again, not even a prime), I find myself missing the 80-200 range. There are so many random interesting stuff everywhere and I need that flexibility, even at the cost of image quality. Maybe it is just the way I photograph, but primes for sure won't do it for me. I don't have a single macro lens, and always wanted to get into macro photography. But I cannot bring myself to pull the trigger on the good old 100mm F2.8 Macro. I kept thinking honestly, how often would I actually bring that out and carry it around?
Sitting in my cold house and freezing more after seeing you in that wind. A prime of most focal lengths would be a dream. But, I guess WE NEED HEATING. Damn. Thanks for the glimpse though! 😀
If you want to protect your ears get a nice merino balaclava or even hoody. Use either one then cover with the toque; you’ll look like a goober, but if it’s good enough for a Canadian prairie winter it should do the trick in Wales!
Hi from Canada. I love my 35mm prime and yet I find that I always grab my zoom simply because I'm.....lazy. I'm okay with that. Thanks for your videos. They inspire me and your humor makes them very engaging. Keep filming! Take care, K from Canada
Carrying potentially a slew of primes out into the field in a back pack can be rich on your back with that heavy load. You'd do this if you want shallow depth of field shooting wide open or want low light, again shooting wide open. Having zooms with a maximum fixed aperture of F2.8 means you take less lenses into the field. This doesn't matter if you're 50 ft from the car, but if you're hiking or cycling a long distance the weight and bulk gets prohibitive. Pretrial I hate seeing something that I want to shoot and not have the right lens with me to cape it the way I want to. Sometimes you simply can't just use you feet to get closer for the composition. A person has to weigh the proof and cons make a decision and live with what you can take with you to shoot with. The other consideration is that with zooms especially this part zooms you get better value for money. You could get the leg lenses to take you from 14mm all the way to 600mm. I have the Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 Art EF mount, Canon RF 24-105mm F4, Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 Sport EF mount, Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 Contemporary, Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 Contemporary. So depending on what combo of lenses I take with me I can get a lot of focal range. But those are just my decisive so far. If live the Sigma (14mm F1.8, 24mm F1.4, 35mm F1.4, 50mm F1.4, 85mm F1.4, 105mm F1.4 - the Bokeh Master, 135mm F1.8)... but that's a lot of prints and money but those lenses really aren't offered at this focal lengths and apertures by Canon, which is what I'm shooting and if Canon did they would charge at least double per lens. In not a professional and can't right off the cost of my gear on my taxes or recoup my investment from selling my photos, calendars or workshops. My photography is for me. So I make the choices that work for me. In the end we all do this.
Of course drones do make a sound--an obnoxious one that bothers humans and frightens/disrupts wildlife/aviation. The main problem with primes (and I do have some) is that so often, changing lenses (or position) is not practical and it's always better to have the right FL for the composition (cropping should generally only be done if your native aspect ratio just doesn't work). Also, in many cases, a longer FL from a greater distance works better than a shorter FL from close up (to cut distractions from the frame and possibly for DoF), plus it saves time for more photos! There used to be a bit of an optical advantage with primes, but recent technology has produced zooms every bit as good a primes (and some very fast ones).
Is there such a thing as a lens changing bag that would allow you to change lenses in a safe environment? There are lots of film changing bags that would do the trick, except that they are lightproof, so you can't see what you're doing. But if someone would make a bag like that but from a clear material, you could change lenses in dusty or wet conditions without getting the sensor dirty.
Just returned from a trip to Kazakhstan with my sony a7c and two tiny primes, Samyang 24mm f1.8 and Sigma 90mm f2.8. I brought them along for their light weight but there were many, many times I was cursing under my breath while trying to quickly switch lenses. 😅
As someone who is just getting into photography and about to get their first camera in a few days, what do you suggest using? Im getting a g85 with the kitlens, but i hear a lot of good things about the 25mm f1.7 ... Just wanted a professional opinion lol. I figure ill be using the kitlens for quite a while with no issues
When it comes to the USA site for MPB my experience wouldn't bother. I waited weeks for my camera. The sales service was awful. They never answered my emails and I couldn't get them on the phone. So I gave up. I will never do business with them again. I will stick with B&H or KEH'S. Their service department answer the phone every time and they will answer emails that they receive promptly. I give them 100% in service and sales. Maybe the European store for MBP is excellent but the US store sucks. Of course that's my experience.
I've bought a couple of lenses from MPB UK, and recently sold a couple to them. Both the buying and selling were a nice easy process - the grading on the lens I bought was fair/accurate, as was the agreed grading of the two lenses I sold to them. They took the maximum 5 working days to check my gear, but once they had checked it and asked me for my bank details I had my money the next day. Pretty happy with them as a result, certainly better than Wex, who I think are a bit over generous with their own grading. In essence, sorry to hear that the experience with them isn't as good in the USA, but they seem alright here in the UK 👍
I shoot Fuji-film so I don’t care about Sony content, I don’t shoot landscapes at all, but I come for questions such as “does the wind have a noise” 😂 Best content James. Keep at it.
Hey there, since MPB is the sponsor, maybe you can give feedback to them? Cause I'm pretty sure the MPB staff that examine the cameras do a very good job for modern stuff, lens inspections etc but they aren't really trained to look after special problems it seems. I bought a D700 about a month ago on MPB, and those nikon dslrs have a little lever in the lens mount to control the aperture, inherited from the film days. On my D700, that lever was broken and a quick look on the lens mount would have spared me a few weeks of delay. There is always errors and things getting through the net, and the customer service was pretty reactive so I won't say that it was that big of a deal, but maybe a closer inspection of the product would be nice when it comes to older cameras that have a lot of moving parts and lots of potential failure points compared to modern ones. Cheers !
Never mind does wind make a sound, the better question is does sound exist before it comes into contact with ears ? before that it's just a wave of energy in the atmosphere.
A large focal range zoom for outdoors use is really useful ('travel' lens) and a brighter wide prime for street, low light and indoors is a nice light combination.
Yeah. Also tbh I just run a zoom most of the time since I “zoom with my feet” with zooms all the time. Primes are just annoying and very limiting for the fast paced run and gun style photography I’m doing
I love my 50 2.5G and the 24 1.4 GM lenses and prefer shooting with them over zooms, but yeah if I don't want to fart around with switching lenses (or carry my a7RIII with one lens and my a7RIV with the other,) I just take the sigma 24-70 with me. I feel you on the dust getting in the RIV. I really wish Sony push out a firmware giving it the ability to close the shutter curtain like the a1 and a7IV, but I'll eat my house brick by brick with ketchup if that ever happens.
Noticed you are a convert to Vivobarefoot I’ve been thing over adding some Magna Forests to my seemingly ever expanding vivobarefoot shoe collection. 😬
I know you shoot RAW photos and edit but do you shoot SLOG video footage and grade after? A question I ask myself about a lot of photography channels on RUclips.
Sony need to implement what Canon did with my R5 I bought. Have the mechanical shutter come down when turning off the camera, so when you change lens the sensor is protected.
@@KPAki1Ler It's not just then, it's also down if you have no lens attached. Presumably you want it down to stop stuff getting on the sensor, that same stuff could potentially damage the shutter instead, which as I said is more fragile. I don't seem to have as much of an issue with getting stuff on my sensor as others, so it's great that it's an optional function. If there was an actual separate sensor protector instead of using the shutter, then I'd probably turn that on (I believe the Nikon Z 9 has this as it it doesn't have a mechanical shutter for taking photos, but I may be wrong).
What is that camera holder, i really like it and do they make a model that would work for the canon 1300d PS. Please drop a link it would be much appreciated thanks
James, is not having the Sony 24-70 GM II full Adobe Raw lens profile yet (correcting distortion) a bother? I'm kind of stressing on it, being the lens has been out for 6 months.
I'll try out the GM I profile James, thanks. We shouldn't have to do this for a lens that cost so much. Sony should be helping out with Adobe to get this resolved.
Speaking of primes, I noticed on your website that you have a 35mm prime and yet you say your favourite focal length is 50mm. Have you considered the Sony Zeiss 55mm?
I used that lens for a bit, it's super sharp, and the AF is good. Unfortunately it's very heavy, and doesn't come with a tripod collar, which makes it a little uncomfortable to walk around with. The vignette is also sometimes annoying even with the good corrections available.
It's become my main lens for everything from concerts and weddings to street photography. It's big and heavy, but it's lighter than a collection of primes or even a set of two zooms. The biggest benefit though is that there's no lens swapping for me anymore! When I show up to a wedding, I use a macro, a wide zoom for establishing shots of the venue, and then the rest of the day is the 35-150.
I don't get why people say it's heavy when it's 300g lighter than a 70-200 f/2.8 which is no problem carrying around all day. Maybe without a strap I could see it being a bit too heavy.
"I don't know whether that was worth it, but I think it was worth the try."
Weirdly motivational sentence there. Even if you don't end up with a shot you liked, you'd then know about it and know whether the composition works, if nothing else.
Oh hey new James video. Always feels like a little surprise gift.
More!!!
I love using my primes! Zooms just make it easier to shoot places you don't go very often. Just got back from 3 weeks driving up Route 1, used my zooms 99% of the time. It's so much easier to keep 3 zoom lenses on me and get lots of shots and different focal lengths. I did use my primes around Alcatraz and had the best photography day of the trip.
Couldn't agree more. Over the last year or so I've bought a bunch of vintage primes. They have completely changed my photography. For the better. Going for a walk with one prime lens is life changing. When I started photography i had one lens a 50mm on a canon 35mm SLR. I shot everything with that. Then when I got my first dslr i had zooms. I bought a 50mm too but spent years shooting with zooms until recently. Its incredible how different you approach photos with a 100mm or a 24mm or even a 35mm when they are your only option. You literally see the world differently. I'd encourage everyone to get at least two primes, buy them second hand or rent, or borrow and change your prospective. You'll only improve your photography. And like you said take your kit lens and decide for a shoot to keep it at a specific focal length. No cheating.
Love hearing your trail of thoughts in videos. Your channel is one of the only that I dont scrub through
Yay-yay-yay!!! New vid! Thanks for the content, James! Good stuff!
Gotta love seeing a James popsys video notification pop up
I always carry two cameras one has a wide and one has a 70 to 200. And my wide is 15-30mm so I really don’t miss 30 to 70 much. You can always move forward and crop. But I pretty much don’t leave home now with out my 70 to 200.. Changing lenses on landscape shoot is a really bad idea. You’d be surprised how much stuff gets inside your Camera. I just prefer to have two bodies and two lenses are carrier. NikonD850 which has my 70 to 200.
I’m transitioning slowly to a lighter setup, and I purchased a Fuji film. Xt5. I’m carrying a 23 mm F2 and I’m shooting a lot of landscapes with a 35 mm equivalent. And I’m absolutely loving it and you’re right it forces you to create and it forces you to think more about the composition.
Loving the lighthouse shot near the beginning 👌
Hi James. I've been looking out for a D700 for my daughter and myself to play with. I got outbid on eBay for one with near 100k clicks and realised that for only £40 more I could get one with 20k clicks and a warranty on MPB. So I bought it. It turned up this morning and it looks mint, for only £300. I'm very excited to get out and try it out. Thanks for your videos and to MPB.
I've come around to realizing that I need a zoom in my kit, and not just any ordinary zoom, but a to-the-moon super zoom. After owning several Fujifilm XF zooms, I've landed on the Tamron 18-300. It isn't as fast in performance or sharp on the edges as my XF 70-300, but the flexibility more than makes up for it. It's allowed me to sell of a number off a number of lenses and just keep a couple manual primes - one Kamlan F1 50mm mkII and a Samyang F2 135mm.
I’m still rocking a Canon 90d and bought the Sigma 18-35mm , F1.8 throughout the range. Awesome lens and like carrying a bag of primes. When travelling I chuck in a 50mm F1.8. 👍
Over the years, I've used both primes and zooms. Currently, I use both. I like using primes when I'm home. But, zooms are just much more convenient to use when traveling.
Excellent points James. I agree, but I only tend to use small primes because they're more compact, and I'm usually trying to cram my camera into a small bag on my handlebars. The 12-32mm Lumix is a rare combination of tiny and great quality; I think you might rather enjoy that if you're still using the GX-1. It's cheap, and crisp. More so than earlier M43 kit zooms I've used. I've never been so surprised by how good a lens actually is.
Just bought a little compact gx9, what other lenses would you recommend?
12-32 lumix went with the kit xD
I'm slowly learning this lesson. Was looking through the last few years worth of landscape/climbing/splitboarding etc. adventure stuff and realized it was all starting to look very much the same. Not in a good stylistic way, more like the compositions are all a bit off since I've been forcing the shots I want despite being limited to the one focal length. Why fight it ... just got a wide zoom and excited to try the dark side. Composition > Light > Technical perfection.
Strikes me as a bit odd how I just watched the video you posted from 4 years ago. Explaining how you are switching from full frame and you mention how you’d need so many primes and then I see this most recent vid. Great videos, awesome job!
Sorry about the horrible desaturated grade on the video. No idea what happened there. And sorry about the shouting too. Next video will be quieter and more colourful… he says.
Also - the scammers are back. I’m not on Telegram… Sorry about this!
Unacceptable, Mr. Popsys. I'll let it slide... this time.
I’ll let it slide too. 😁
On the serious side, thank you for having this channel. I always enjoy your videos.
it's honestly not bad i like cold chilly aspect of winter it give since winter is coming
Really? What about huricane level winds, huh....
I saw a video that showed how someone has developed an App that uses the YT API and can filter out such comments and report them, automatically if I remember correctly.
ps, Was there an erroneous clip of footage peeping out of the timeline near the end?
Always a joy to watch, James. 👍🦘🇦🇺
Liked the video for the walking out to add scale effort.
Great shot.
Gonna start doing that more
Good video.
There's pros and cons to using primes or zooms. Ultimately what matters is whether a photographer is achieving the photos they want.
You just got to love those windy days! 🙄 Hopefully, your ears have stopped bleeding. I really love the softness of your photos James, they give a sense of calmness on an otherwise not calm day.
Agree!! The constant argument that primes are better than zooms is tiring, of course primes have there place but you can just change the focal length, not everything has to be 1.8., I use m43 12-40, small, compact, light and does the job. Thanks for having a different take on this. I thought I was only who sets my focal length at different stages rather changing lenses.keep up the good work
I love that 12-40, I remember saving up for it for ages and it was worth every penny!
Yep, couldn't believe when I started to use it. I bought the 14-42 pancake for holiday, what a gem that is. I've got some of my best shots with it.
Shoutout to the microphone that incredibly silenced all the wind noise without really reducing your voice volume!
I have a love hate relationship with zooms. They can be so useful when you're in a spot and can't change lens but I rush things when I use them. I move around more and get better shots because I move when I use the primes. Consequently I have a couple of zooms sitting on a shelf that I can't decide whether to sell or not lol. I don't even put them in my bag nowadays and I still can't part with them 🙄😂
Your videos always make me chuckle and I learnt stuff. Thank you!
Started watching your videos few months ago . And love the content .
I feel like this video is just about how I feel about it. A couple years, I reduced my kit from an X-H1, plus some zooms (16-55mm) and primes (35mm F2, 80mm), and moved to just an X100V (with the teleconverters) in order challenge myself a bit. It's a lovely small setup, but I miss the flexibility of having zooms available. Add in that I have moved to an area that is ideal for landscapes, birding, and astro, and it has me looking at buying back into an interchangeable system again (probably the X-H2 with a 16-55mm and the 70-300mm).
I just recently got the X-H2S, and I have to say it works wonderfully with the 16-55 -- but it sure weighs a lot more than my X100V! 😄
I used strictly primes when I started serious SLR photography (24mm, 50mm, 100mm and 200mm). Now I'm strictly a zoom user. I'm a Canon DSLR shooter and I feel their L-series lenses give me all the image quality I need and more convenience.
I have always been a zoom user, currently the 24-105/4, 16-35/4 and 70-300/4,5-5,6. But I also have the compulsory primes, a 55/1,8 and 85/1,8 which I rarly uses. Then l got bitten by the analog trend, and purchased the old Olumpus OM1 and OM2 (love them…) with a wide selection of prime lenses. What an experience! The shortcommings of film versus digital is obvius, but the tactile experience of the manual cameras and manual lenses has been an awakening. Now I have got my self the Zeiss Loxia 21 and 35 mm manual (with aperture ring) lenses for my A7R II camera. The future for me will be (partly at least) manual lenses, but with digital cameras.
Wayhey! Not too far from me in this vid. 👍Lovely stretch of coastline and villages along there. Good vid!
Thanks James just bought my first ever prime a nifty 50 z
Love your take on zoom vs prime lenses. The 24-70 GM II is easily my favorite lens on a7IV
I have the canon 24-70 and love this lens! Great photos, I love Wales it's so beautiful!
Apart from finding your videos extremely useful and interesting, I just love your sense of humour! You always make me laugh 😊
Thoroughly enjoyed your video. From a hearing impaired person, I hear you perfectly loud & clear. 👌😃
Thank you very much for the video!
Always enjoy the videos, you provide some great advice, but just as importantly, enthusiasm for photography. Can you add your presets to the metadata so that we know what you are using (Might even sell a few more). Cheers.
So true. I got 3 beautiful primes on G9. Then got olympus lens 12 - 200 and this stays on it 99% of the time. Just so more convince. And the ability to go from 12 mm to 200 especially landscape is amazing.
Another interesting video James, i have just upgraded from a Sony NEX 5R to Sony A6600 & the only lenses i have at present are SONY SEL 18-200 & SONY 18-55. I can't see at this minute that i would go to a prime. Only down side to the current lenses is that they are 3.5-6.3, not a massive problem but a 2.8 might be better in the future. I guess the prime does get you thinking about your compositions more & makes you move around a little more to get the shot.. Thanks for another interesting video mate.
Same. These days I just haul around a 24-70 and a 100-400. Takes care of pretty much everything.
I went to Llangrannog earlier this year but had very flat light, I love the images you captured. I also prefer primes but since moving to Sony I have switched to zooms so I might have to try your suggestion with sticking to the one focal length. Great video as always!
My word may not mean much as I’m just one man but I must say from what I personally can see the newer telephotos from sigma and tamron like the sigma 24-70 art and the tamron 28-200 are 99% as sharp as my primes and the price on them isn’t bad at all! I take them everywhere now and only shoot primes once in awhile. I think photographers are way overhyping primes and mistaking the fact that telephotos are now getting incredibly good 👍
Great photos James! Exactly why I ended up getting a 24-70 too despite loving primes
Cheers Simon! I saw your story about how you’ll use it - sounds good 😃
Regarding the „stupid“ question, wether wind makes a sound on their own or not, the answer is no.
You can see it that fact quit good at the beginning of the movie “master and commander” with Russel crow. There is als a clip here on YT, which describes the opening scene and also the fact that wind alone has no sound.
Enough unnecessary knowledge for that… great video! 👌
Been there (Llangrannog when I was 11... Amazing to watch it back now ! ^^
My first prime was 50mm and I didn't enjoy it but it was fast. I 'upgraded' the thrifty to the RF 50mm and still can't find a groove. I got the 35mm prime and now understand the love for restriction. This lens lives on my camera for now. However the 24-105 and 100-400 are usually in reach. Because lazy. I have also pretend my zoom is a prime and set it at one FL until I can't stand it.
I enjoyed these photos James. The first one on the site made me ask many questions in rapid succession. Why are the sheep all feeding here? Oh maybe the farmer in that house is tending to them. How many rooms does that fireplace heat? How much work does it take to tend that fire? and the sheep? How big is that place? Like I said that photo drove home the point you make about a photo being about something not OF something for me. Thanks for shouting about this buddy.
I was in the outback high desert of central Oregon today. A dust devil whipped up behind us. It 100% sounded like a freight train. _Wind does make a sound, and it’s terrifying 😂_
I have the Sony 24-70 GMii and love it. I am someone that generally prefers zoom lenses to optimise my composition. If I use primes, then that just means more cropping, as often you can’t stand in the optimal position for a particular prime focal length, and I hate changing lenses when out for the reasons you expressed
Great video again. Loved the photos 👌
I remember a video not long ago that said you were done buying camera gear :) Have to say that I have the same dilema. Currently own the Sigma.... but I know I would prefer the G Master. I think the main reason I actually want the G Master is that it zooms the correct way.... the sigma drives me nuts zooming the opposite way from all my other lenses.
Great video again, thank you. I've got an x100 so I have to do all that shuffling around when it and about, and in particular I change shooting angle a lot. With the zoom on my SLR I find there's always a shot right where your standing. Just not the best shot 🙂
You make me laugh James. And I'm also a zoom lover for the same reasons, versatility and keeping my camera clean.
Man I have that exact same shirt. It has one crippling design flaw in that it has no popper halfway up the cuff split, resulting in a really insidious draught on a really small, sensitive, area of the forearms 😆
I exercise like that with my zoom that I set it to one focal length that I don't change. If I get bored with that halfway through the day, I set a new focal length. No need to change to primes for that.
I tried to use prime lens for a bit, 50mm F1.8, 24mm, etc, but they always end up just collecting dust on my shelf. I tried to take my camera out everyday, in case I see anything randomly interesting. And for that purpose it is zoom lens all the way. The ability to zoom is nearly always more important than the absolute highest image quality of the prime. I just don't find myself missing the prime.
For example, I tried to carry the 80-200 F2.8L for a bit. This isn't even a prime, but even then I feel how limiting it is, when I don't have the 24-80 range at all. And when I just take my 16-35 (once again, not even a prime), I find myself missing the 80-200 range. There are so many random interesting stuff everywhere and I need that flexibility, even at the cost of image quality. Maybe it is just the way I photograph, but primes for sure won't do it for me.
I don't have a single macro lens, and always wanted to get into macro photography. But I cannot bring myself to pull the trigger on the good old 100mm F2.8 Macro. I kept thinking honestly, how often would I actually bring that out and carry it around?
Sitting in my cold house and freezing more after seeing you in that wind. A prime of most focal lengths would be a dream. But, I guess WE NEED HEATING. Damn. Thanks for the glimpse though! 😀
If you want to protect your ears get a nice merino balaclava or even hoody. Use either one then cover with the toque; you’ll look like a goober, but if it’s good enough for a Canadian prairie winter it should do the trick in Wales!
Hi from Canada. I love my 35mm prime and yet I find that I always grab my zoom simply because I'm.....lazy. I'm okay with that. Thanks for your videos. They inspire me and your humor makes them very engaging. Keep filming!
Take care, K from Canada
Im looking forward to the new Tampon 20 -40mm F2.8, its pretty much my focal range.
I reckon if the wind wasn't hitting stuff it wouldn't make any sound..
Clearly the most important fact from the video.
Carrying potentially a slew of primes out into the field in a back pack can be rich on your back with that heavy load. You'd do this if you want shallow depth of field shooting wide open or want low light, again shooting wide open. Having zooms with a maximum fixed aperture of F2.8 means you take less lenses into the field. This doesn't matter if you're 50 ft from the car, but if you're hiking or cycling a long distance the weight and bulk gets prohibitive. Pretrial I hate seeing something that I want to shoot and not have the right lens with me to cape it the way I want to. Sometimes you simply can't just use you feet to get closer for the composition. A person has to weigh the proof and cons make a decision and live with what you can take with you to shoot with. The other consideration is that with zooms especially this part zooms you get better value for money. You could get the leg lenses to take you from 14mm all the way to 600mm. I have the Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 Art EF mount, Canon RF 24-105mm F4, Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 Sport EF mount, Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 Contemporary, Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 Contemporary. So depending on what combo of lenses I take with me I can get a lot of focal range. But those are just my decisive so far. If live the Sigma (14mm F1.8, 24mm F1.4, 35mm F1.4, 50mm F1.4, 85mm F1.4, 105mm F1.4 - the Bokeh Master, 135mm F1.8)... but that's a lot of prints and money but those lenses really aren't offered at this focal lengths and apertures by Canon, which is what I'm shooting and if Canon did they would charge at least double per lens. In not a professional and can't right off the cost of my gear on my taxes or recoup my investment from selling my photos, calendars or workshops. My photography is for me. So I make the choices that work for me. In the end we all do this.
Of course drones do make a sound--an obnoxious one that bothers humans and frightens/disrupts wildlife/aviation. The main problem with primes (and I do have some) is that so often, changing lenses (or position) is not practical and it's always better to have the right FL for the composition (cropping should generally only be done if your native aspect ratio just doesn't work). Also, in many cases, a longer FL from a greater distance works better than a shorter FL from close up (to cut distractions from the frame and possibly for DoF), plus it saves time for more photos! There used to be a bit of an optical advantage with primes, but recent technology has produced zooms every bit as good a primes (and some very fast ones).
Is there such a thing as a lens changing bag that would allow you to change lenses in a safe environment? There are lots of film changing bags that would do the trick, except that they are lightproof, so you can't see what you're doing. But if someone would make a bag like that but from a clear material, you could change lenses in dusty or wet conditions without getting the sensor dirty.
Just returned from a trip to Kazakhstan with my sony a7c and two tiny primes, Samyang 24mm f1.8 and Sigma 90mm f2.8. I brought them along for their light weight but there were many, many times I was cursing under my breath while trying to quickly switch lenses. 😅
Nice video!!! Could you tell me the model of the trouser that you are wearing? All the best
It's an unreal lens. I've never been a fan of zooms either, but as soon as I put this Mk2 24-70 on the Sony its never came off.
Yeah I think I might just glue mine on mate 😂
@@JamesPopsysPhoto 🤣
Great video as ever, but tell me about those boots!
Respect to that tripod foe keeping its composure 😎
As someone who is just getting into photography and about to get their first camera in a few days, what do you suggest using? Im getting a g85 with the kitlens, but i hear a lot of good things about the 25mm f1.7 ... Just wanted a professional opinion lol. I figure ill be using the kitlens for quite a while with no issues
Cute excuse for buying that great upgrade lens.
Hmm, almost pulled the trigger. However I would argue that the Sony ZV-E10 paired with a Samyang 35 f2.8 pancake is a better choice.
Prefer zoom lens over primes. Just got new Tamron 50 - 400 e mount for my A7iv. Hoping this will cover all my needs for landscape and woodland work
When it comes to the USA site for MPB my experience wouldn't bother. I waited weeks for my camera. The sales service was awful. They never answered my emails and I couldn't get them on the phone. So I gave up. I will never do business with them again. I will stick with B&H or KEH'S. Their service department answer the phone every time and they will answer emails that they receive promptly. I give them 100% in service and sales. Maybe the European store for MBP is excellent but the US store sucks. Of course that's my experience.
I've bought a couple of lenses from MPB UK, and recently sold a couple to them. Both the buying and selling were a nice easy process - the grading on the lens I bought was fair/accurate, as was the agreed grading of the two lenses I sold to them. They took the maximum 5 working days to check my gear, but once they had checked it and asked me for my bank details I had my money the next day.
Pretty happy with them as a result, certainly better than Wex, who I think are a bit over generous with their own grading.
In essence, sorry to hear that the experience with them isn't as good in the USA, but they seem alright here in the UK 👍
I shoot Fuji-film so I don’t care about Sony content, I don’t shoot landscapes at all, but I come for questions such as “does the wind have a noise” 😂
Best content James. Keep at it.
It's a variation on the famous "If a tree falls in the forest" philosophical conundrum.
To answer your question, sound only exists if someone observe it. So, no, wind has no sound if no one is present to hear it.
Hey there, since MPB is the sponsor, maybe you can give feedback to them?
Cause I'm pretty sure the MPB staff that examine the cameras do a very good job for modern stuff, lens inspections etc but they aren't really trained to look after special problems it seems. I bought a D700 about a month ago on MPB, and those nikon dslrs have a little lever in the lens mount to control the aperture, inherited from the film days. On my D700, that lever was broken and a quick look on the lens mount would have spared me a few weeks of delay.
There is always errors and things getting through the net, and the customer service was pretty reactive so I won't say that it was that big of a deal, but maybe a closer inspection of the product would be nice when it comes to older cameras that have a lot of moving parts and lots of potential failure points compared to modern ones.
Cheers !
I’ll pass it on - I’ve always found them very responsive to feedback like this. Thanks!
A bit off topic, but do you have any decent recommendations for good hiking/walking boots?
I think nothing makes a sound unless you hear it, otherwise it's just a series of pressure waves that dissipate at some point.
Ive used only primes on my d850 with many lense swaps since 2018 and never cleaned the sensor and got only 1 small dust spot so far ^^
"Some let me make you of autumnal spells,
The spider-tongued, and the loud hills of Wales"
If it started raining. Did you had any cover or way to protect yourself or the gear?
Never mind does wind make a sound, the better question is does sound exist before it comes into contact with ears ? before that it's just a wave of energy in the atmosphere.
Random nine photographic question - what are the trainers you’re wearing in this video?
Nikkor 18 - 300 is the only lense I use.
Actually, had a 50mm prime but I cant find it, lol
A large focal range zoom for outdoors use is really useful ('travel' lens) and a brighter wide prime for street, low light and indoors is a nice light combination.
Yeah. Also tbh I just run a zoom most of the time since I “zoom with my feet” with zooms all the time. Primes are just annoying and very limiting for the fast paced run and gun style photography I’m doing
I love my 50 2.5G and the 24 1.4 GM lenses and prefer shooting with them over zooms, but yeah if I don't want to fart around with switching lenses (or carry my a7RIII with one lens and my a7RIV with the other,) I just take the sigma 24-70 with me. I feel you on the dust getting in the RIV. I really wish Sony push out a firmware giving it the ability to close the shutter curtain like the a1 and a7IV, but I'll eat my house brick by brick with ketchup if that ever happens.
Is that backpack the Shimoda? Looks great, I need to upgrade from my Peak Design bag.
Yep, looks like an Action X50. I have it too, awesome quality. Worth the money if you have a need for a hiking bag
Noticed you are a convert to Vivobarefoot I’ve been thing over adding some Magna Forests to my seemingly ever expanding vivobarefoot shoe collection. 😬
I know you shoot RAW photos and edit but do you shoot SLOG video footage and grade after? A question I ask myself about a lot of photography channels on RUclips.
Slight improvement at enormous cost is the very definition of "upgrade."
Sony need to implement what Canon did with my R5 I bought. Have the mechanical shutter come down when turning off the camera, so when you change lens the sensor is protected.
Sony A7IV already does it. Very likely the A7RV will too.
Indeed they have, my Sony has it but I don't use it as the shutter is more fragile than the sensor.
@@JonBowers why would you be worried about the shutter going down once, while changing lenses? Most have a lifetime of 300,000+ actuations?
@@KPAki1Ler It's not just then, it's also down if you have no lens attached. Presumably you want it down to stop stuff getting on the sensor, that same stuff could potentially damage the shutter instead, which as I said is more fragile. I don't seem to have as much of an issue with getting stuff on my sensor as others, so it's great that it's an optional function. If there was an actual separate sensor protector instead of using the shutter, then I'd probably turn that on (I believe the Nikon Z 9 has this as it it doesn't have a mechanical shutter for taking photos, but I may be wrong).
It is amazing that the places you go are so lonely that you can walk far away from your camera without anybody stealing it.
Hi James, engineer here, wind (the free movement of air) doesn’t make a sound, but air turbulence, especially around your ears does. 😬
How do you set up your camera for those kind of self-shots @7:47 ?
What is that camera holder, i really like it and do they make a model that would work for the canon 1300d
PS. Please drop a link it would be much appreciated thanks
The one on your website on amazon is unavailable
Ps I'm British
Takk!
James, is not having the Sony 24-70 GM II full Adobe Raw lens profile yet (correcting distortion) a bother? I'm kind of stressing on it, being the lens has been out for 6 months.
It’s madness isn’t it! Im just using the mark 1 profile at the moment, but had to check multiple times that my Lightroom was actually up to date…
I'll try out the GM I profile James, thanks. We shouldn't have to do this for a lens that cost so much. Sony should be helping out with Adobe to get this resolved.
Speaking of primes, I noticed on your website that you have a 35mm prime and yet you say your favourite focal length is 50mm. Have you considered the Sony Zeiss 55mm?
I’m probably leaning more towards the Tamron 35-150 f2-2.8 for my next zoom over the Sony.
I used that lens for a bit, it's super sharp, and the AF is good.
Unfortunately it's very heavy, and doesn't come with a tripod collar, which makes it a little uncomfortable to walk around with. The vignette is also sometimes annoying even with the good corrections available.
It's become my main lens for everything from concerts and weddings to street photography. It's big and heavy, but it's lighter than a collection of primes or even a set of two zooms. The biggest benefit though is that there's no lens swapping for me anymore! When I show up to a wedding, I use a macro, a wide zoom for establishing shots of the venue, and then the rest of the day is the 35-150.
Unfortunately it’s just simply to heavy for my use. Sent it back and much prefer the 28-200
I don't get why people say it's heavy when it's 300g lighter than a 70-200 f/2.8 which is no problem carrying around all day. Maybe without a strap I could see it being a bit too heavy.
@@ManchmalGaming I wouldn’t use either of those as a travel lens.
Yes wind has its own voice