Gear - Brett Harkness Photography

Gear Camera Lenses Round-up 

Prime reasons to look 

beyond the zoom lens 

adam Scorey talks to five professionals about their passion for primes, 

and asks why they have made the decision to invest in lenses that many 

thought would be made obsolete by the zoom 

Words Adam Scorey 

From the maddest of wide-angles to 

the longest of telephotos there is a 

prime for every occasion, and it would 

appear that fixed focal lengths are enjoying 

a bit of a resurgence of late. Top end, fast 

primes do cost that bit more than a zoom 

– especially when you get into the big boy 

telephoto territory – but tend to be faster, 

smaller, lighter and have a speedier AF 

performance too. 

Their positives are relatively well known, 

but their greatest weakness is their relative 

lack of flexibility when compared to a zoom; 

three lenses in one, particularly if with a 

fixed, relatively fast aperture, is quite a pull, 

plus you get a bit more space in your kit bag. 

Add to this not having to keep swapping 

lenses, with the timing and dust implications 

associated with this, and zooms can start to 

look a more attractive, more sensible option. 

So why are primes on the up? The easy 

answer would be to say bokeh. No, I’ve not 

just sneezed on my keyboard, I’m talking 

about backgrounds; soft, creamy looking 

swathes of defocused colour that wide 

apertures produce, which is a superb tool 

for creating separation from a subject. 

Well, you’ll already know that out-of-focus details in your 

images are made of small discs of light. Spherical aberration is 

where these small discs have an uneven distribution of light 

towards the centre or the edges (like a doughnut) – producing 

bad bokeh – so when grouped together the out-of-focus areas 

have ‘too much’ definition. A technically perfect lens will have 

no spherical aberration but will produce spheres that are 

evenly illuminated. However, the edges of the spheres are still 

too defined and create ‘sharper’ background details. For the 

perfect bokeh you need these out-of-focus spheres to have 

fuzzier, less defined edges (much like a Gaussian blur model), 

with the light concentration towards the centre of them 

so that when they blend into one another, the transitions 

between the spheres are far softer and produce good bokeh. 

A good rule of thumb to go by is the amount of blades in your 

lens’ diaphragm; generally the more blades, the more 

circular shape they make and the more natural-looking the 

bokeh that will be provided. Eight to nine blades seem to be 

about right. 

Bountiful bokeh also offers benefits from 

a less ethereal, more technical point of 

view, helping photographers remove great 

swathes of unwanted clutter from their 

images, particularly at very public sporting 

events. Fashion also plays its part, with more 

candid, wide aperture ‘street’ photography 

being very en vogue at the minute. But 

people also like to experiment as they search 

desperately for their own style to help them 

stay ahead of the competition – in theory at 

least primes can give them this. 

There are other technical considerations 

too; with the advent of mega-ISo DSLrs, 

namely the stunning Nikon D3S and 

Canon EoS 1D mark IV, low light shooting 

has been through a revolution. Shooting 

in situations the human eye struggles 

in while still offering bright, sharp and 

colourful images has almost invented a 

new type of photography. This combination 

of usable 12,800+ ISo speeds and f/2 has 

certainly made a lot of sports and press 

photographers’ jobs that much easier. 

my take on the resurgence of primes 

is that it’s more to do with image quality, 

and here I don’t mean colour accuracy or 

“The resurgence of primes is 

more to do with image quality ” 

Good bokeh Cheating 

CREDIT: BRETT HARKNESS 

AF performance, rather I’m talking about 

image resolution. In my time I’ve played with 

lenses of all sizes, types and prices, but my 

own favourite is the Canon 200mm f/2 – the 

Nikon version is equally good – which I was 

testing and had to return, but I seriously 

considered flogging one of the kids into 

slavery to buy one. Until I saw the quality 

of images available from this lens I’d felt like 

I’d just been messing about. of course, the 

images were sharp – you would expect that 

much from a top quality zoom as well – but 

the prime had allowed them to take on an 

extra definition and contrast that I’d never 

seen before. Their clarity was just incredible. 

With everyone and their dog pretending 

to be a professional photographer on the 

back of affordable consumer DSLrs and kit 

that enables them to ‘capture the moment’, 

a portfolio of images that jump from the 

print because the photographer who has 

produced them really understands their art 

and how to use his or her tools to shape and 

enhance light, could mean the difference 

between a full or empty diary. But don’t just 

take my word for it; listen to what these five 

hard-working pros have to say. 

When I say ‘cheating’, I jokingly 

mean software. You can create that 

lovely soft, defocused background in 

programs such as Alien Skin Bokeh 

2 (www.alienskin.com) and onone’s 

Plug-in Suite (www.ononesoftware. 

com), and they do a fine job. But do 

you want to look at hundreds of 

images and individually apply effects? 

This takes time and your pride alone 

should make you think twice. This 

software takes time to master and 

doesn’t work on every image. Add 

to this the cost of the software, the 

equivalent of a decent 50mm f/1.4 

roughly, what would you rather have? 

okay, it’s a rhetorical question but 

what you’ll be lacking is the ‘edge’ that 

these beautiful primes give. 

Camera Lenses Round-up 

Brett Harkness social photographer – www.brettharknessphotography.com 

Gear 

Primes allow you a degree of contact not permitted by zooms. my style is to get into people’s personal space and almost ‘force’ a 

reaction from them – the reactions you get are very different from standing back another three feet. You have to be quite bold to be 

able to do it, and have the trust of the people you are shooting, but it’s this closeness that gives me great imagery. Primes are harder 

to use as they make you think more and use your legs; wide open these lenses can be very hit and miss with only about an inch of 

the subject sharp, but this is their wicked beauty. They also slow you down and get you to look around the frame and as a result I 

find that I shoot less, my images are cleaner and I feel I’m using my skills as a photographer more. This in turn gives me an enormous 

sense of satisfaction. 

Canon eF 50mm f/1.2L 

USM 

Street price: £1,234 

Aperture range: f/1.2-16 

Diaphragm blades: 8 

Elements/groups: 8/6 

Close focusing: 45cm 

Filter size: 72mm 

Weight: 580g 

Wide open the 50mm f/1.2 can be a pain to use 

due to the tiny depth-of-field you’re working 

with, but it’s such a charming lens. I rarely use 

it above f/2.8, except for a little fashion work 

at f/16. But no matter the aperture, the image 

quality from this lens is a wonder to behold. Yes, 

there is a tiny amount of softness at the edges 

wide open, but this never affects the subject 

and, in fact, becomes part of the image itself. 

For my style of shooting, the 45cm close 

focus is ideal. I can really get right in close and 

capture a person’s character and personality 

through their reactions. It’s brilliant for that. 

However, I do find I experiment with it more 

confidently; things like dropping the camera to 

the floor, wide open, and shooting whatever 

the lens catches – this is great for weddings. 

I love the near silent operation from the 

AF, but I frequently switch to mF, particularly 

when at maximum aperture, to ensure I keep 

that tiny amount of depth-of-field in parallel. I 

often deal with the very delicate focusing that’s 

required by setting my lens to a certain point 

and then I simply move my body forward or 

backwards by tiny fractions. 

I’ve never had problems with flare or 

ghosting, either. one curious thing I have 

noticed when shooting with it, which I think 

reflects my own mindset, is that I find I exhale 

when taking a shot. With most of my other 

lenses I tend to hold my breath and then shoot. 

This may be because I feel I have more control 

with the 50mm and perhaps relax more with 

it – it just feels more natural to me and it’s the 

way that I instinctively find myself working. 

overall there is very little that I can find to 

fault this lens and that’s why I love it so much. If 

I had one minor gripe it’s the fact that because 

I’m out in all sorts of shooting situations and 

environments I’ve found that I’ve needed to 

replace the o-rings a few more times than 

expected. 

Apart from that I just love this beautiful, fast 

lens and if I could only have one optic in my kit 

bag this would have to be my choice. 

aBOVe: The ultra-wide aperture of the 50mm f/1.2 is perfect for highlighting just a small part of your 

subject, in this case, this Indian girl’s eyes, but your focusing needs to be spot-on 

aBOVe: You are also able to experiment more with depth-of-field and blur with such a wide aperture, and 

you can be confident the image quality will be just superb 

82 July 2011 Taking your photography to the next level Taking your photography to the next level July 2011 83


84 July 2011 Taking your photography to the next level 

Mick Cookson wedding photographer - www.mickcookson.com 

my wedding photography takes me to all types of low light venues – especially in winter. The 24mm f/1.4G AF-S is a lifesaver 

when shooting reportage-style inside candle-lit receptions etc. At f/2 and 1600/3200 ISo (which is common), the images from it 

are simply stunning. In short, my reasons for looking at prime lenses over a zoom boils down to a number of factors: they are faster, 

often smaller and more lightweight, tend to be well built and offer great flexibility and excellent image quality. All of these things 

are helpful to me in the wedding arena because I have to be able to work quickly and in a variety of testing conditions. my clients 

will demand the very best quality in the images I provide. If I need to I will also know that the resolution is there in the files to allow 

me to crop into a picture and to still get great results. I need that back-up and primes are a great partner to have alongside my zooms. 

Nikon 24mm f/1.4G eD 



Diaphragm blades: 9 (rounded) 




Weight: 620g 

At most weddings I use prime lenses for 

the majority of the shoot, but had been 

struggling with a lack of a good 24mm/28mm 

fast prime. Nikon didn’t make one until a year 

or so ago – theirs was an f/2.8 version, unlike 

Canon’s gorgeous f/1.4L, which meant using 

a 35mm f/2 and compromising. 

However, when the 24mm f/1.4G AF-S 

was released I just had to have it! True to 

form, as with any pro lens, it’s bigger and 

heavier than a ‘standard’ f/2.8 version – 

weighing in at 620g with a 77mm filter 

thread. There’s no aperture ring on the G 

series of lenses, and the body is mostly 

polycarbonate. But it feels solid and bullet 

proof – like a working pro’s lens should. 

The new 24mm uses Nikon AF-S focusing, 

and in use is rapid and silent, with accurate 

spot-on focusing time after time. At f/1.4 the 

lens puts in a good performance, and is very 

usable in low light shooting at high ISOs, but 

really comes into its own from f/2 onwards. 

Barrel distortion and edge vignetting is 

still noticeable though at wide apertures. 

Computer design aside, you’d think that the 

distortion at least would be better corrected 

– perhaps a trade-off for resolution? In any 

case, any curved lines can easily be corrected 

in image editing software. 

In use this lens is worth the heavy 

price tag it commands. The images are just 

stunning – head and shoulders above my 

other prime lenses. Results from this 24mm 

are ridiculously sharp, with plenty of colour 

and contrast. You can see, even at the Raw 

file stage, just how much extra resolution this 

beast has over, say, the 28mm f/2.8 or 35mm 

f/2 lens. 

I’ve just bought the new 35mm f/1.4G to 

go with it and it’s important to me to have 

the quality and flexibility behind me that the 

best quality primes can provide. For those 

involved in the wedding market it’s a great way 

to work and although there is obviously a place 

for zooms as well in this environment, primes 

are the natural choice for my business. 

aBOVe: The 

extra width the 

24mm allows, 

in combination 

with the f/1.4 

aperture, is 

perfect for my 

style of wedding 

portraiture. It 

gives my images 

more of a ‘street’ 

look that really 

works for me 

LeFT: A fast 

prime lens paired 

with a high Iso 

gives you the 

opportunity to 

look for detail at 

a wedding and 

to shoot high 

quality images 

using just the 

available light


Karl Shaw portrait photographer - www.k4rl.co.uk 

As photographers, we should all take our time and think more, and a prime lens certainly enables me to do this. Studio 

environments are hectic places where you have so many things on your plate, from the model’s clothes and hair through to your 

lighting and backgrounds, and you are often paying for everything by the hour! So there is a temptation to rush, which I don’t feel is 

conducive to creative thinking. Primes also force you to use your brain more when it comes to composition, as you need to shift your 

position rather than just zoom in and out. Fast apertures are great for bokeh effects, but they also tend to make focusing easier and 

they give you a clearer viewfinder too – both of which are important to me.. But I also feel they make a photographer’s job easier in 

that your perspective is set and your options are more restricted. In short, I would be lost without my 50mm. 

Nikon aF 50mm f/1.8D 

Street price: £110 






Weight: 155g 

There are three main reasons that I like the 

50mm: first it’s bitingly sharp, which is essential 

for portraits. Second, there is virtually no 

chromatic aberration (yellow/purple fringing) 

to be seen in the images and third, I favour 

the human eye-view perspective the 50mm 

gives. It helps that this f/1.8 lens is as cheap 

as chips as well, which for the quality you can 

get from it, particularly when partnered with 

my full frame Nikon D3s, makes it particularly 

good value. For this price you can afford to take 

a punt and add it to your kit bag just on the 

off-chance that you might find a use for it and, 

believe me, I’m sure you will. 

I don’t tend to need ultra fast maximum 

apertures in any case as most of my work is 

shot in a studio environment, so this is why I 

opted to go for the f/1.8 rather than the more 

expensive versions; it just gives me what I 

need. As you’d expect, the AF performance is 

very good, though it has been known to hunt 

a little if I am being super critical. It’s very light 

in the hand – big zooms, such as the 24-70mm, 

though lovely, are very heavy by comparison 

and you really feel them after a long studio 

session – but the small size of this prime can be 

also a bit of a disadvantage, particularly when 

hand-holding in portrait format. There’s not 

really anything to get hold of on this lens and 

I end up with both hands holding the camera 

rather than the lens, which is not always 

comfortable. 

The viewfinder image is nice and bright, 

so quickly checking AF accuracy is easy and 

doesn’t halt the flow of a sitting; I very rarely 

use the lens in mF. Chromatic aberration is 

virtually non-existent – even the best zooms 

suffer a little with this – and there are no issues 

with corner vignetting either, so this saves 

me time in Photoshop. The 50mm gives me 

flexibility with working distances too; a studio 

can be huge or really tight, but the 45cm close 

focus means I can get in close if I need to. In 

short, I’ve got a pro spec lens that costs less 

than a crappy kit lens on an entry-level DSLr, 

and really what more could you ask for! 

aBOVe: I’m 

always amazed 

at just how 

good this little 

lens is. Add to 

that the life-like 

perspective and 

I think this is one 

of the top studio 

lenses you can 

buy 

LeFT: You need 

to take a little 

care around the 

edges of the 

frame with the 

50mm on a fullframe 

if working 

in close as you 

can get some 

distortions in 

your shots 

Camera Lenses Round-up 

Jon Buckle editorial sports photographer – www.jonbucklephoto.com 

I suppose some may say that I am old school, but I like the fact that prime lenses challenge you more as a photographer; 

zooms can end up being a distraction and you can miss things or spend too much time worrying about a fraction more or 

less magnification. Fixed lenses make you think more about where you position yourself and the type of shot you are after 

before you even get your gear out. Okay, I may miss a few shots here and there, but the benefits of far crisper images, greater 

separation and faster AF far outweigh the odd celebration shot I can’t capture. They also make you, the photographer, get up 

and move about rather than fall back on the zoom as some form of compromise in composition and quality; they make you 

look for a picture. Of course, zooms definitely have their place, I just prefer the primes for my sports and portraiture work. 

Nikon aF-S 400mm 

f/2.8G eD Vr II 





Close focusing: 2.9m 

Filter size: 52mm (rear) 

Weight: 4.62 Kg 

Nikon aF DC 135mm f/2D 


Aperture range: f/2-16 





Weight: 815g 

Nikon aF-S 85mm f/1.4G 







Weight: 595g 

Gear 

I have a passion for bold images that are generally quite tight, so the 400mm is ideal for this. 

It’s my main lens for action shots at the footie, usually on the 18 yard line, and it’s especially 

good for floodlit matches due to the super-fast aperture – but I also use it at Wimbledon for 

tight head shots too. I only shoot on full-frame Nikon D3s cameras to make full use of wide 

apertures. The images from the 400mm are just so crisp, clean and full of contrast, and I can 

shoot at f/2.8, and even f/4, and achieve such beautiful soft backdrops to my images that they 

sometimes seem unnatural. The AF is superb and super fast too; a complete trust in your kit is 

so important for me. I often use the AF limiter for things like cricket, which is a great feature. 

Though it does have VR II, I don’t tend to use it that much; the D3s’ ISO is just so good when 

combined with the fast aperture, it’s just not needed. 

Until you have shot portraits at f/2, you really don’t know what you are missing. The 135mm 

perspective is so lovely, and the bokeh you can achieve is amazing. More regularly, though, I 

use this lens for the footie and mid-length shots at tennis where scruffy backgrounds are a 

constant problem, but f/2 soon sorts them out. Being a little shorter in the focal length stakes 

you can grab shots of players closer in to goal, which is where I most often use it. It’s also 

employed down the wicket line at the cricket on a Pocket Wizard, which is operated by my 

foot. When wide open, your focusing has to be perfect as the depth-of-field is zilch, but the 

viewfinder image this produces is one of the best in my kit bag so checking accuracy is not too 

bad at all. This really is a lens that produces a ‘wow’ factor and in my line of work, where I need 

to stand out from others, this lens definitely helps me do that. 

If the 135mm f/2 was good then this lens, certainly at wide apertures, is just unbeatable. 

It’s such a flexible lens and good for anything from tight headshots to three-quarter length 

portraits etc. People sometimes look at the portraits I’ve taken on this lens and think I’ve done 

something whizzy in Photoshop, but, of course, I haven’t – in fact this lens is nicknamed ‘The 

Cream Machine’, and with good reason. Admittedly, this super-wide look isn’t everyone’s 

cup of tea, but I love it. It’s also a great lens to experiment with as the working distance 

is so flexible; 85cm on a 85mm is quite tight, and I love these bolder compositions, but by 

moving about a bit you can play with angles and views – it helps to keep me on my toes. The 

perspective of this lens is particularly pleasing for portraits, as it doesn’t have the slight 

‘distortion’ of the 50mm. The images, to me, just feel so natural and really pop out at you. 

86 July 2011 Taking your photography to the next level Taking your photography to the next level July 2011 87 

LeFT: I’m a 

massive fan 

of tight shots 

as they add 

copious amounts 

of drama into 

the images – of 

course, it helps if 

you’re shooting 

rooney! 

rIGHT: You 

sometimes need 

to be able to 

leave some of 

the background 

in to give the 

image a sense of 

place. shot at f/4, 

the faces help to 

tell the image’s 

story


88 July 2011 Taking your photography to the next level 

Nels akerlund commercial & editorial photographer – www.nelsakerlund.com 

Image sharpness and speed are the main reasons I shoot with prime lenses. My business covers architectural, commercial and 

editorial photography and I have a diverse global clientele, which includes the likes of the National Geographic Society, The 

New York Times, the Architectural Record, Siemans and Alien Skin software. I often find myself having to shoot in low light 

environments and need all the speed possible to get the shot. When photography is what you do for a living it’s paramount 

to use the highest quality glass available. Yes, zoom lenses have come on in leaps and bounds in the last ten years and we do 

use them on a regular basis, but if I can shoot with a prime, that is my first choice. There are also situations where there are no 

viable options outside of a prime (600mm for example). In my business the extra cost of a prime lens is well worth it. 

Canon eF 600mm f/4L 

IS USM 


Aperture range: f/4-32 




Filter size: 52mm (rear) 

Weight: 5.36Kg 

This is a big lens and I highly recommend 

a gimbal head on your tripod (a head with 

pivoted support that allows the rotation of 

the lens about a single axis) in order to have 

the highest level of success when working 

with this optic. It’s one of the sharpest lenses 

I have used and I won’t shoot wildlife without 

it. It’s quick to focus and tracks incredibly well 

in AI-Servo mode. There is no denying that 

its price is high but if you are struggling to 

justify its purchase a great solution would be 

to rent one when you need it. 

Canon eF 100mm f/2.8 

Macro IS USM 







Weight: 625g 

Canon eF 400mm 

f/5.6L USM 







Weight: 1.25Kg 

This is a lightweight, accurate lens I use for 

detail shots at weddings, and it’s fast and 

light enough for me to hand-hold it in low 

light environments. I have found that I get the 

best results when hand-holding if I shoot in 

AI-Servo mode. Since there is little depth-offield 

when you are very close to your subject 

this helps to ensure you get sharp results. 

For the price this is a great solution for macro 

photography. 

The reason I use the 400mm f/5.6 is mainly the 

size and weight of the lens: it’s much smaller 

and lighter than Canon’s other faster 400mm 

prime lenses. I use this lens for editorial shoots 

where I can’t have a tripod. I keep the lens and 

a body on a monopod and it’s light enough 

for me to freely move around. It’s razor sharp 

and the only drawback is its f/5.6 maximum 

aperture: however, for the price it’s a fantastic 

piece of glass! 

Pre-owned & hire 

Whatever the term, buying a 

second-hand lens is a cheaper 

alternative to some of the credit 

card-busting new lens prices. 

Nikon makes things really easy 

with just about every lens it 

has ever produced fitting its 

system, Canon less so as the EoS 

system only came about in the 

late eighties. The key is to find a 

good dealer who can do all the 

work for you and source top 

quality equipment that won’t 

let you down – for Nikon, try 

Grays of Westminster (www. 

graysofwestminster.com) and for 

Canon www.fixationuk.com. A 

third option is to hire a lens for a 

job – www.lensesforhire.co.uk is a 

good place to start searching.

Gear - Brett Harkness Photography

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