Tuesday, 16 August 2016

On smaller prints, will a high-quality zoom lens provide near equal image quality compared to primes?


Let's say I shoot with Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4, and a Canon EF 85mm f/1.8. Can these 3 primes be replaced with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 for the convenience of not needing to change lens so often?



Also I just wanna clarify that when I'm comparing image quality I'm talking about what can be actually be seen in a 10R print, I don't need a pixel by pixel comparison. In addition I'm just a amateur shooter, mainly shooting portraits and street, with some landscape, architecture, and random things lying around.


EDIT: I shoot with a 5D, so 24mm is enough for my wide-angle needs. Also I'll still be using the primes when I have a specific thing in mind to shoot. I just prefer to shoot light when walking around in the city or when I'm travelling.



Answer



It depends heavily on what qualities in the final picture you care about. An f/2.8 lens won't simulate the depth of field of an f/1.4 lens -- ever. Even if the zoom was sharper, it still wouldn't give the shallow DoF of the f/1.4 primes. For portraits, that can (and often will) matter a lot. For landscapes, you'll typically use a fairly small aperture in any case so it's unlikely to make any real difference.


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