Zoom lenses look and sound impressive. My 24mm-70mm is bigger than most of my primes and it sounds like I know my stuff when I tell people I have a range of focal lengths with just the flick of the wrist.
Most of us when we get a new camera get the kit lens and nine times out of ten it’s a zoom.
When it comes to discovering your style and working on composition, is a zoom lens better than a prime lens?
Let’s find out…
Before we start out, this isn’t a ‘zoom lens bashing’ post and I am biased towards primes for the reasons we’re about to discover.
This post is here as a thought-provoking piece.
The Myth: Zoom Lens = More Options.
Size doesn’t matter. Zoom is simply zoom. That’s it ~ Josh Johnson
It’s easy for us to think that zoom lens gives us more options. Sure, it gives us a range of focal lengths to play with, but this doesn’t equal more options for creativity or composition.
They aren’t necessarily synonymous.
Photography is all about HOW we see, rather than WHAT we see.
Standing in one spot is only seeing from that one spot. Zoom lens or not. Changing focal length in the same spot doesn’t change perspective.
To see something different, to feel something different, we have to move somewhere different.
When it comes to food photography you’re only limited by how you see its story, rather than your lens.
Shooting with a prime lens, you’re forced to change your position. Therefore changing perspective. This is where we see new things.
By using a zoom lens and only focusing on fitting the entire scene into your shot, you can miss opportunities to create composition techniques like diptychs.
RELATED: How To Create A Diptych in Food Photography
Lens Quiz
Which Lens Matches Your Food Photography Style?
TRUTH 1: Zoom Lenses Can Make us Lazy.
When you have a zoom lens, it’s just too tempting to zoom in and out rather than moving our bodies, (and hence our angle of view).
Relying on zooming over changing perspective makes us lazy. Our composition suffers as our view of our food stories have become limited. We don’t truly get to know each focal length.
To truly know each focal length, you have to spend considerable time with just you and it. Having those uncomfortable moments and those moments of pure surprise.
How we use focal length, lenses and angles contribute a lot to finding our style. This involving moving your body and changing persepctive.
Don’t let a zoom lens make you lazy with improving composition.
Here’s me! I only use prime lenses, so I had to get far and high to get the shot. This could make my shot interesting because I had to change my perspective.
TRUTH 2: Constraints Make You A Better Photographer.
I don’t look at constraints and limiting as the same thing.
It’s all about how you see rather than what you see. How you see depends on how much you’re willing to move.
When shooting with our zoom lenses we are tempted to make our food scene fit exactly as we want, rather than seeing this as an opportunity to be pushed creatively.
Shooting with a prime lens or at one focal length forces you to see the world in a certain way, and when the world doesn’t fit the way you exactly want you have to be more creative
~ Eric Kim
Please read that again. It’s powerful.
Instead of zooming out to fit this table scene in, I decided to use get creative and only show part of the scene. This gives the image some intrigue and mystery.
What to Do Instead – Use ‘Foot Zoom’
Having a prime lens forces you to use ‘foot zoom’. Meaning that because your lens can’t zoom, you have to move your body and hence the camera to get further or closer to your subject.
So before you start a listing on eBay to rid your life of that zoom lens you’ve treasured till now, turn your zoom into a pseudoprime lens for a day:
- Pick a focal length and set it to that for the day.
- Use ‘foot zoom’ instead to crouch, move, experiment. Go up, down, side to side, nearer and farther.
- If you normally shoot wide, try narrow instead. If you normally shoot narrow, try shooting wide instead.
- Compare all of these different shots to see what changing perspective does for your photos.
If you usually shoot with zoom lenses, I’d love to hear your approach and how you use the lens to stay creative. Leave me a comment!
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
I wish I would have had this article several weeks ago, it would have saved me days of angst. I knew I needed another lens other than my 50 mm on my crop frame camera. I was debating over the zoom you are talking about or a 35 mm. I opted for a 35 mm and I am so anxious to get it — should be here Monday or Tuesday of next week. Your post reaffirms my decision. Thank you for the all your tips and now I’m going to share this with my Food Photo Group. Have a great day.
Rachel
Hey Marisa, glad that you got the 35mm we were talking about. I think that will really go well for you and all the travelling you do. Regardless of whether you have a zoom or not, it is good to know how to really learn all about each focal length. In essence the zoom lens is the problem, it’s how we use it!
Julie at icanlivewithoutsugar
Hi Rachel,
Liking what I see.
Your photos are gorgeous.
What’s more you live in my part of the world (Melbourne!).
So grateful that Marisa led me to you (thanks Marisa).
Cheers!
Rachel
Hey Julie! Lovely to e-meet you and a fellow Melbournian. Yes, Marisa is so generous isn’t she? Great to have you along for the ride.
Melanie Kathryn
Helpful tips! I love my 24-70 because it’s so versatile and my 100mm because it’s just amazing for up close. I really want to get another fixed lens.
I’m a Canon girl. Any specific one I shoot definitely go for? 35, 50, etc?
Thanks!
Jonathan Thompson
Melanie, if you’re considering a 50mm in the Canon range, the 50mm f1.4 is a great lens. The f1.8 version is nice and cheap but I think you’ll be happier with the f1.4 and it’s certainly cheaper that the f1.2L
Rachel
Hey Melanie! Glad you find the article intriguing. I also have a 24-70 and it’s more how we use the lens rather than the lens itself. It’s def a great lens to have for a food photographer. I just know that we can forget to really explore each focal length when we favour a zoom. Do you have a full frame or cropped sensor? Is the lens specially for food or do you have bigger plans for it?
Jonathan Thompson
Hi Rachel,
This article made me smile the moment I read the title. You maybe aware I use a 24-70 most of the time for my food photography and I was interested in your points you would make in this article.
You certainly didn’t disappoint me. Moving and working the scene is so important, looking for different angles and view points. I think I use my zoom different from many others. I have seen folks standing still and zooming in and out, with their feet, apparently, stuck to one spot. I used to use primes a lot, still do from time to time, but my 24-70 and 100 macro are my choice for now. I’ve even taken the 70-200 out, stood halfway across our little studio and shot from a totally different view point, just to do things different. In case anyone else is reading this, I shoot much more than food, so my gear is a little more varied than some.
Shoot with what feels good, with what you can afford is always my advice, but for goodness sake, move your feet. Look for the angles, the crops, the story. Get the safe shot and then work it baby!!!! 馃槈
I totally agree, you should get intimate with your kit, work it until you know it inside out. Anything you can do to get working on the craft and not relying on your gear to do the work, is a good thing.
Great article as always, this is quickly becoming an amazing resource 馃檪
Rachel
Glad to not disappoint! As I am sure you know, it is not the zoom lens but how we use it that really kills creativity and encouragers laziness. But once we are aware we can make changes and not fall into that trap. I have also done that with a 70-200 before I got the 105mm. haha. It sounds funny right.
I think it’s rather a matter of really exploring each focal length, like really getting to know it. I know that I could use some more 1:1 time with my 35mm. Maybe that’s a project I could explore.
Jonathan Thompson
I always find it an enjoyable and interesting experience when I use one lens, one focal length and keep shooting it. When you discount any other option it’s amazing how creative you can get. I often make a mental note of what focal length I’m at when using a zoom. It tends to be 35, 50 and 70, mostly the wider end.
I love restricting my choices, it’s when you discover all kinds of things you may never have thought of before. A focal length challenge sounds like a great idea, I’ll make sure I do that once I get all my video edits in the bag.
Hayley
I second that, Jonathan – what an incredibly helpful blog you have Rachel!!! Thank you!!
Sally May Mills
Great article. I totally agree with your comments. I have shot almost exclusively with a 50mm prime for four years and other than the odd situation (architecture) I love it. For my food photography it is all I need in my kit. Legs are my zoom.
Rachel
Hey Sally! Glad you found it helpful. Yes, it is for sure a good way to learn and sounds like you’ll be an expert at creativity and composition with your legs leading the way!
Anja
Another thing I noticed with a zoom lens is that if the lens is really heavy it tends to zoom in on its own in the overhead position, which means the photo will be out of focus. No such thing with a prime lens. Great article btw, I’m not using zoom lens for my photography for a while and it was still nice to hear all those things 馃榾
Rachel
That is totally true Anja and something that I have experienced as well. Thanks for stopping by.
Dimana
As a newbie in the food photography world, I am so happy and grateful for your blog and all the articles you do to help people like me! I finally understood that my lens is actually a Zoom lens and now I know the difference between a prime & a zoom (a revelation, right! :D)
Anyway, I always seem to be moving around my scene even when I didn’t know that I can just stay in one place and zoom in/out. Probably because I’m using a crop sensor camera (an oldie, but goodie Olympus PEN).
Early in my photography journey I read an article from a landscape photographer who said that capturing that great shot is simply a literal change in your point of view. That kinda stuck subconsciously with me over time. Thanks for the great article! x
Rachel
Hey Dimana, that is so great to hear. There is a lot to know about photography! Such a powerful thing to remember. So glad it stuck with you xx