Why I Ditched the Zoom - A PRIME LENS for landscape photography
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- čas přidán 20. 05. 2023
- Can using just one lens can really help to improve your creativity with your camera.
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Excellent video Nigel! I appreciated how you walked and talked us through your thinking about each scene and liked the little tips along the way. Thank you!😊
That was really useful, Nigel. I have been an amateur photographer for over 60 years. However, I only started to paint and draw about 5 years ago. I'm still not very good at that, but it's fun to learn new things. I feel that even my newbie attempts to draw and paint have made me a much better photographer. I would recommend that serious photographers spend some time watching the CZcamsr Ian Roberts or someone similar. Ian works a lot with reference photographs that he takes himself. So, you get to see exactly how a professional oil painter analyzes a photographic composition to find a simpler but still compelling composition within it.
Even if you don't want to learn about painting techniques, there are many lessons from painting that I think you can apply to photography. The best place to explore that is when editing. Experiment with cropping, even severe cropping. If you're a landscape photographer and find a hidden gem, you can often return with a longer lens to get a higher-resolution shot. Also, with today's super sharp lenses and high-pixel-density sensors, don't be hesitant to choose an aspect ratio for your final image that fits the composition. There are reasons why the vast majority of paintings are on roughly square canvases.
A lovely video with great content. Lovely shots, and good practical advice showing, the pros and cons of using a fixed lens. The ‘positives’ outweigh the negatives I think. Nigel. Thank you for sharing, Nigel. Another lovely Sunday morning inspiring video.
Hi Nigel, really loved the video as usual. Your photos are fantastic and I love the way you take us through your thought processes. Keep up the good work!
I just love all those green colours. It is such a great exercise. You got some really nice shots.
Thanks Nigel, it was very timely for me as I was planning to ditch my zooms and pick out three focal lengths to take me back to my roots of 6 decades of photography. Your pictures were exceptional in this video. I have chosen what used to be my favourite analogue focal lengths which are 20/21mm 40mm and 85mm which is my favourite length for landscape particularly in the mountains. I have become very uninspired by using a 24-120 for too long and getting lazy. Thank you for the motivation.
I really enjoy using the 85mm lens for waterfall photography. I step way back, open the aperture up as far as it will go, and find trees that I can place near the outside edges. It works really well to create a natural frame around a waterfall with out of focus trees.
So relaxing Nigel, great explanations.
Great idea in looking at using different lens. I've done it in the same locations and it is amazing how your results are so different. One looks at compositions somewhat differently when using one particular lens over another.
I was feeling a tad "stressy',,, but after watching this I'm now completely blissed out... Thank you!!!
I have been trying to convince myself to go out with my Z7 and just the 85mm prime. You have pushed me to make that a reality. I love the lens, and it will challenge me to think out of the box. That was great advice and your images were fantastic. Cheers!
Amazing video Nigel ... great inspiration for woodland and using a prime lens. Thank you !!
As always Nigel, it is so interesting to hear about your photography in action. Thank you for sharing, I learn so much. Best regards,
Such a beautiful place. I love being in woods and the greens at this time of year are crazy
I appreciate your commentary on composition. Thanks Nigel!!!
So enjoyable, watching you talking about compositions, excellent. Thank you.
Another great video. Great to see you out and about much more as your back recovers. When will Pebbles be joining your adventures again? Cheers from Arizona.
Really enjoyed this video, beautiful scenery
Great video. Fixed zoom works in a woodland setting for sure once as you say, not afraid to move around a bit to get your composition. Nice music to enjoy my morning cuppa.
Excellent video Nigel ! Loved the fern shots and the tree studies. Seems like a cracking lens, I'm about to buy one, you've confirmed it will be an excellent choice! Hope the camper is coming along nicely! Cheers.
Just what I needed to watch as I'm off out exploring some new woodland tomorrow.
Very inspiring and helpful. Beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing! I normally shoot with a 24-105 zoom but I have an 85 mm I can’t wait to try out on my next hiking adventure 😎📷 again many thanks for sharing.
Great point about the benefits that shooting with a prime can bring. I have done the same (taken a prime only) but shot with the Z 105mm. Lovely lens!
This has become my absolute favourite focal length for nature walks, especially if the lens has a very open aperture. It really helps isolate subjects and create more intimate shots. Very nice shots, you have fantastic examples of how this lens can be effectively used.
Same! I love my Rokinon 85 and my A7III. Taking it out usually gets me out of whatever creative funk I find myself in :)
come sempre bellissimo video
That 85mm f/1.8 was my first purchase when i ditched my kit lens 5 years ago, awesome lens for so many things. Often i use that lens for isolating subjects. For a month ago i went in to some deep woodland with thick moss and old trees. It performs so well in those conditions when it´s low light and i can go handheld with f/1.8. As you said it challenges you to move around and that makes you progress and think more how you compose your photograph.
Another great video Nigel! I don´t know the name of the guy who runs the videocamera, but he does a great job aswell!
Enjoyed the video thank you Nigel. Whereas 85mm is a good choice for photographing in woodland, it could be extremely limiting in other landscape settings. You also need to watch focus with the hyperfocal distance at f/8 possibly being as much as 30m leading to challenges in getting back to front sharpness; maybe not so much of an issue in woodland where the main subject is probably closer than that and it doesn’t matter if the background sharpness falls off a bit.
Fabulous food for thought & content, well presented as usual Nigel. I am fortunate to have a 65mm & 105mm prime lens, but seldom (read never) use them except for occasional macro shots - so thank you for reminding me of that. I think I am guilty of falling into the "lazy" trap of always going out with my 18 - 135 zoom. I think I shall go out armed only with a prime to challenge my creativity as you suggest. Thank you!
Beautiful woodland photography!!!
Just started following you, great video... convinced to try a prime for woodland/ sea/landscape ... I only have Sigma 90mm on sony A7C... looking forward to my afternoon trying this out ... thank you for inspiration
Damned that "platform" transition was so smooth 😅 Great video as always, so inspiring to witness your experience transfer into always very thoughtful compositions...
Around 85 is a great focal length ... I use a 50mm 1.8 on an APC camera and get great results at 80mm ... nice to see some confirmation on this focal length. Thanks
always a nice adventure Nigel...
Lovely images Nigel. For the first time last week I shot with my 85mm. I was forced to do this due to weight restrictions, as I travelled to the North of Portugal by plane from the south. I shot the beautiful city of Porto and the Douro valley all with that lens with really pleasing results for the reason’s you presented in the video. Thanks for sharing your content.
Great video as always Nigel 👍🏻 I took my Nikon Z 50mm 1.8 prime for the first time into my local woods yesterday, I enjoyed the challenge.
I always use a fixed focal length when I shoot street photography but I have never tried it with landscapes. Thanks for sharing this idea.
I know I'm just a lone voice in a sea of noise, but I really enjoy your videos and photos Nigel. Keep up the excellent work.
Finally Sunday again 😁
Nice video Nigel, good advice to take the 85 mm out into the field, I bought one to do portraits but have not used it that much when shooting landscapes.I'll give it a go :-) I really loved some of the photos, the one with the dead tree jumped out to me, it looks like a giant hand reaching towards the dark brachnes above. Well spotted! Also the backlit ferns, were beautiful!
This makes me want to get my sigma 85 1.4 dg dn lens out to shoot landscapes. It's such an incredible sharp lens. I must admit my 24-70 2.8 GM II lens has made me a bit lazier but there are times I can't move physically so it works great but for being able to walk around, an 85mm is great! I always love seeing more isolated shots in my collection.
Great video. Thank you!!!
Hi Nigel, timely video as I am thinking about letting go of my zooms or at least augmenting them with some primes. Over the past year or so, I have noticed that despite having zoom lenses, I tend to use a few particular focal lengths for most of my shots. Going from zooms to primes sure would make my backpack much lighter too.
Very nice. Too many videos are simply live readings of spec sheets. I enjoy your practical reviews, your thought process while hunting for frames, and your fine work.
Great video once again , I use primes for landscapes as well. My wide angle lens is an 8 to 16 mm Fuji film lens which is fantastic but I’m just about to purchase the 75 mm 1.2 which is 112 mm equivalent. I’m loving the Fuji film XT5 it is such a good camera and this focal length is really good for landscape photography
I actually use my 35 mm 1.4 a lot for landscape photography which is a 50 mm equivalent it still works to use 50 mm lenses for lots of things.
I like your moxie Nigel! A prime lens, some sturdy pants and a pair of sand shoes to jump the fences so you can properly frame your landscapes (and escape the farmers clutches) is all you need
Great video. Moving around force us to have different perspectives. I don't have a prime 85mm but due to some weight/space constraint will be bringing a 50mm and 20mm f1.8 to a two week trip in Peru. This will include hight mountain and jungle landscapes so I hope these will cover my needs.
Very interesting. I took my 85mm 1.2 out with me when doing some bluebell woodland shots, but I ended up sticking to the faithful 24-70mm. Next time I will only take the 85mm so I have no choice!
Beautiful Photographs, I enjoy the show 🎉 keep it up buddy, wishes from India 🇮🇳
“Speaking of platforms … Squarespace” … smooth 😅 lovely shoot, enjoyed that … thanks 🙏
Leaving your tripod behind for a bit. I can see the grin on James Popsys' face. 😁
Nice Nigel, when the scene is wider than the lens allows and you can't get back further, you might consider doing a panorama even. Modern day cameras have such high amount of megapixels making it easy to crop in post too.
Nice video, Nigel. It's how I grew up in photography (starting almost 60 years ago) - and never owned a zoom lens in my life.
It's funny how visual people like photographers can describe their visual experiences in words and expect other visual people to be able to translate the words (requiring auditive, language skills) back into visuals - sometimes needing to make mental transformations of the 3D visuals into 2D, at that.
2:15 is the result of a change in point of view, hence perspective, hence composition, and there was an exploring walk up to there that did not need the big camera to be consulted time and again, but just the naked eye and the brain.
This video uses the main camera in the inset stills and videos to great benefit of the illustration of the story.
What still misses is the visual illustration of how you got to the viewpoint.
Imagine a headlamp band where the lamp is replaced by a small camera, so it records what you look at, and your moves through the countryside. I imagine that that would still add another level to the instructional value of the video and I immediately add, admit, that I have not considered the additionally required effort, time, money.
... And speaking of platform... Seamless transition, one of the best Squarespace moment on your channel 😁 👌👌👌
Thanks
I recently got a 85mm prime for my Fujifilm as well. Thought it would be perfect for "my style" because I like to shoot in the woods with my 50-230mm F4.5-6.3, and a faster lens could be great. Now I'm still struggling a bit with it, trying to find compositions a easily found with my zoom. Thanks for the video!!
That was a great segue into Squarespace.
I have a Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 S prime lens, and love it very much when it comes to wide angle landscape photoshoot.
I can easily imagine someone used to shooting with zoom lenses getting something out of fixed focal length. I've had a fixed focal length camera for over four years and have just graduated to a camera with a zoom lens, so I'm heading in the opposite direction at the moment. Now, being able to take shots that my previous camera blocked me from doing or at least doing well, is a revelation.
Last fall during a photo tour I just took my fuji 80 macro on a xt3. I do think I did my best work that day during the three days.🙂
When the weather is particularly bad I would bring the 50mm 1.8 S on my Z50 (so 75mm field of view), since the combo can handle the rain. It can be a little tight in coraded forests, but it really lets you pick out details.
Thank you!
It'd been a while since broke out my 85. I've been using my 30 a lot lately. I bounce back and forth to keep it interesting.
I've never shot Landscapes with a fixed lens, that would be quite a challenge for me. I don't have an 85mm, but I suppose I could try my 50mm? I think one of the best points to this exercise (that you said in the video) is that it would definitely force you to walk around and that could cause you to find different compostions which you might have missed if you had a more diverse lens and just stood in one place shootig at different focal lengths. Thanks for another great Video, Nigel!
I use my 400 prime for ‘landscape’ sometimes. Picking a scene within a scene sometimes gets some different and interesting images.
Pebbles 🐶 would have loved that location except for the lack of creek or puddles. Nice exercise. Carry on. 👍🥂
I only shoot with prime lenses now and I find I'm able to be so much more considered about each shot which, I believe, has really helped my creativity. I shoot coastal, landscape and beach in Cornwall, UK. I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow for a couple of days shooting with my 105 mm and 50 mm. I haven't shot street photography before so I suspect I'm taking the wrong lenses but it will make me work for each shot! 😀
I don't think 105 or 50 is the 'wrong' lens for street photography at all. I commonly shoot street with 40mm and 85mm primes and I'm with Nigel here - prime lenses make me creative. Zooms make me lazy
Nice video. I have yet to repurchase a 85mm lens. I have been using my old Nikon 105mm/macro. I like this old 2.8, D lens but looking forward to picking up a 85mm f/1.4 G for my D810. The 85mm f/1.4, D lens was really special. I sold lots of my Nikon gear to go with a Canon ML R5 set up. I started using Nikons back in the early 70's and I am so used to Nikon even though the R5 is a wonderful camera as is the RF lenses.
Interesting to see Nigel. I mostly shoot wide as a preference and do 33:33:33 landscapes, seascapes and nightscape/Milky Way scenes. For years I have agonised over whether I should just stick to something like a good zoom 16-35mm f2.8 or invest in a set of wide primes. Swapping lenses can be a pain, and you can’t always zoom with your feet because of hazards. But I’m favouring fast light primes. Since I do Astro I really like fast quality glass in which case if I have a 14 24 and 35 it would make little sense to also have a 16-35. Decisions decisions.
This is an excellent video! I have never seen anyone use an 85mm lens for landscape photography. Now I will have to try it. The stone wall in your video has my curiosity. Do you know the history of the wall and what it was used for?
Great video. I happen to own the 85 lens and it's my favorite for street photography. For everything else I'm using the 24-120 (the only two lenses I own and I'm happy with it).
Is there any other reason, except for experimentation, to use the 85 instead of the 24-120 at any focal length?
One of the good lenses is 105 macro also...
Its so versatile lens, great also for landscapes, flowers close ups and macro of course, and portraits if you are into it.
Its definietly one of my favorite Z lenses.
Hey I really loved you work.. specially the shot at 9m10s is an amazing composition. I have one question regarding this shot. You have used iso 64 for this one. Now why iso 64 at f1.8 and why not something like iso 100-200 or higher and a smaller aperture? I understand that you need more light for such low iso value. Can you please tell how much difference it would have made regarding noise in this shot just by cranking iso to 200 or may be even higher than that to suit a sharper aperture such as f8? I am not sure what mode you have used but it seems like this was on aperture priority with fixed iso. Please pardon me if I asked something silly, i am comparitvely new in photography.
Well done ! Prime Lenses are best for Landscape.
Great shots....loved the fern image....which link is the tall tripod?
It is on my website...
Your videos are always informative and beautiful - but this one was extra special. You provided so many tips! Just curious, why did you choose an 85mm over a different focal length prime lens?
I like that longer length when restricting myself as I feel it gives more possibilities to find compositions
The lens "living" on my Nikon (D800 for now) is the PC-E f:2.8 85 mm anyway ... It's the angle of view I'm "seeing", it's sharp with a very nice rendering (rather simple 6 element near symmetrical optic system), focuses to 1:2 and allows to tilt the plane of focus (really handy e.g. shooting some plants' foliage that is mostly in a plane, but not perpendicular to your direction of view). The only moderate downside is that its special housing and outsized hood make it bulky (not particularly heavy, though).
Make up your mind, Nigel..lolzzzzzzzz! I commented on your hike vid... I do have an el-cheapo EF 85 f/1.8, which I got for astro. It's nice..and the smallest lens I have, since my 14, 24, 28, and 35 are all fast and big.
Howdy Nigel. Greetings from the States. Always appreciate your videos, and just ordered my first prime (80mm) lens, so this is very timely.
In future videos, I wonder if you could offer thoughts on color blindness. I'm red/green/brown color blind. I think I can see them fine, but what I think looks correct doesn't always match what someone with clear color perception thinks looks right.
If you had any thoughts on tools in Lightroom, or even outside of it, to help with judging color, saturation, hue, and luminosity with a objective standard, I'd be very interested. Thanks for all your hard work!
What do you think about a Nikon 18-140mm for landscapes or an all around lens?? I just bought it from MPB. Looking forward to using at the upcoming car shows and the coast!
With the Nodal Ninja 6 panoramic head, you can shoot any multi-row panoramas at any fix up to 200mm with fantastic quality and not run back and forth, even shooting a spherical panorama. And then, in a calm atmosphere over a cup of coffee, crop and crop the necessary crop without denying yourself anything.
Hello Nigel, it funny in that I have a collection of lenses, but some days when I go out I just take one lens just for the challenge. But I just about always have a tripod.
I will walk around with the Lensbaby Velvet 85 or 28 in my neighborhood and gets some macro/flower shots. Lots of fun not being able to zoom in with the lens and using my zoom legs instead.
Ok whoa whoa…. 9:00, did you set another 3rd person camera? A drone? Your self-filming setup is always mind-blowingly good
Walking around looks so natural, but must have a wagon-full of batteries and kit behind the camera
fine inspirations and well explained, too.. did you know that e.g. the modern iPhones have a 24 and a 75 mm ens (full frame equivalent).. I mostly use 24/28 mm and 65/75 mm lenses for landscapes, mainly Sigma (for Sigma FP-L) and never miss the 35 or 105/13 mm (which I sometimes use for people etc.)
85mm is one of my favorite landscape lenses
Just got my 85 1.8 S. Lovely lens. Only thing better I have is 90 APO lens. 85 is a valuable focal and while grand vistas are nice, but limited. 85 allows one to isolate points of interest.
If you were going to shoot Redwood trees in northern California and could only take one prime lens, would it be a bit wider than 85mm, maybe 50mm? Wider?
Great video 👍 How come everyone is shooting 85mm these days? How does that work? A trend or something?
As usual brilliant have you gone off apples
No - still love apples...
Modern top end zoom glass will offer sharpness and image quality that would be indistinguishable from the equivalent prime lens to 99.9% of the population (pixel peepers excepted). Primes are limiting in many landscape scenarios because the option of moving with the camera is often not available.
Shooting a prime wide open in a portrait is a magnificent thing. Astrophotography also a niche. Landscape is a grey area.
More power to Nigel for bringing this up for discussion.
I love my 85mm...but preferable for car photography. Have to try it in nature I guess🙂
You pulled decent compositions out of the chaos of the woodland.
I'm sure a photographer can get something out of using a prime, but as an actual practice, I don't want to be limited or take multiple lenses for a zoom range that can be fulfilled within a single zoom lens (my bag is heavy enough! :) ). I get that primes can be sharper/bokehier, but cost is also a huge issue if I need to acquire several lenses instead of one.
I think 85mm is a bit of a good challenge, because with many genres, if you're going to shoot a prime (in general) I feel that 35 and 50mm are overshot (people shoot too much of it and they are more standard focal lengths anyway; this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but they are focal lengths we have grown accustomed to -- since they are considered standard and due to their popularity). But an 85mm especially for landscape use, can bring a new perspective that is not often seen and is somewhat unique, because many people generally associate an 85 (1.8) lens for portraits mostly.
I guess that depends on your eye. Some prefer grandeur scenes, that's why they pick 28mm or wider. Some prefer capturing specific details, like a few parts of mountains. 85mm or longer is very useful. Me? I'm the latter.
I would find the FFL too restrictive in landscape and woodland I'm afraid. For me the best combination is a zoom and still move your feet this gives limitless possibilities for framing and composition which a FFL cannot always do as witness the fact that if you had wanted to get the top of the mountain in you couldn't with the FFL.
Link to the tripod?
Hi Nigel, could it be that you missed the apple?
I bet the back appreciated that practice. Well done
The idea of moving your feet versus (or in addition to) zooming is definitely worth understanding. To say that using a FFL lens forces you to move your feet isn't necessarily true. If you assume that one uses a zoom lens rather than their feet because they're lazy, well, can you really expect them to move their feet? No, they probably would still take the shot, and then just crop--defeating the whole purpose (and of course end up with an image with less megapixels). Composition, and how best to get it involves many different skills and concepts. I would argue that moving your feet AND taking advantage of the ability to zoom is the best of both worlds (strictly from a compositional standpoint...lens sharpness, etc being a separate issue).
Very good show. In the good old times of film, we just used to take 24 or 28, 35, 50 and 85 or 105 with us, and those lenses covered 95% of all the requirements. Zooms, I am particularly taking about Nikon as with all due respect all other makes were just shite, were almost entirely used by photojournalists in particulr sports photographers for obvious reasons. The quality of zooms have improved quite a bit in the last 30 years or so, but there has been an increase in weight and bulk and price too. It is surprising how much you can achieve if you left the zooms at home and just took a couple of primes with you. A simple excercise is to analyse the focal lengths used in LR or whatever photo editing software you use. You'd be surprised by results that would show that only a small range of focal lengths have constantly been used. That is the range of your primes.
Use primes but an old Nikon 18-70mm is an amazing lens. Cost me £60 a few years ago.
@@stevemozzie6497 I had one which came with my D70. Now that is going back isn't it? I gave it to my daugther along with my D300 a couple of years ago.
I always struggle with woodland photography