Zoom vs. Prime Lenses - Part 3: Advantages and Disadvantages of Zoom Lenses

In the last post I spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of prime lenses, in this post I will be talking about the advantages and disadvantages of zoom lenses.

As I have spoken before, zoom lenses have a movable focal length which makes them extremely popular and convenient.

Advantages:

1. Versatility. Zoom lenses usually can handle a variety of different situations.

2. Image stabilization. Modern zoom lenses often offer 3-4 stop image stabilization systems. This enables your lens to counterbalance camera shake allowing you to use extremely low shutter speeds.

3. Portability. A single zoom lens can replace two or three prime lenses allowing you to reduce the weight of your equipment because you don’t need to bring several prime lenses to cover the whole range.

Disadvantages:

1. Being lazy. Zoom lenses tend to make you stay comfortable in one spot and then zoom as necessary becoming lazy.

2. Size and weight. Zoom lenses tend to be larger and heavier than their prime counterparts because they need a movable barrel that will change the focal length.

3. Image quality. Compared to fixed focal length the image produced by a zoom lens is not so clear. Moreover, the image quality of the large focal segment span is not as good as that of the short focal segment.

4. Cost. Zoom lenses are more expensive than prime lenses.

Now that you know the differences between prime lenses and zoom lenses, you are ready to make an informed decision about how to invest in your photography equipment.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 is a zoom lens

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 is a zoom lens