What is the fixed focus lens in photography?

There are many debates in photography, but the most common one that seems endless is the debate about fixed focus and zoom. Because fixed-focus lens and zoom lens have their own advantages and disadvantages, both sides can argue. But this article is here to show you the benefits of using them and help you determine whether it is suitable for you. Finding the right lens is very important, because if you shoot with the right lens, you can greatly improve your photos.

First, the benefits of fixed-focus lens

At first glance, you may think that you don't need a fixed-focus lens, but choose a more common zoom lens. Before making this decision, let's take a look at which fixed-focus lenses must be equipped.

More light

The first major benefit of using a fixed-focus lens is that it can provide more illumination. The fixed-focus lens allows you to choose to let more light into the camera because it has a larger maximum aperture. Basically, when the shutter is open, the lens can be opened wider, so more light can be allowed in. It is an ideal choice to shoot in a low light environment. If you shoot in these poor lighting conditions, please consider using a fixed focus lens.

A clearer picture

Do you want a clearer and sharper image? If so, fixed-focus lenses are good at producing clear images. Because the fixed-focus lens has no zoom function, there is less glass inside the lens itself. Because the lens contains the least amount of glass, the quality of taking pictures will be obviously improved. In order to enlarge the clearer picture quality, the fixed-focus lens is also very suitable to avoid lens deformation. This is because the number of moving parts in the lens is the least, so the distortion is small. Lens distortion has not been completely eliminated, but it has been controlled to a minimum.

Constitutive factors

Compared with zoom lens, fixed focus lens is much smaller. Small size, you can carry more fixed-focus lenses in the camera bag, so you don't have to worry about not having a suitable fixed-focus lens. If you take your camera bag when traveling, this extra space means that you will have more space to put other accessories and equipment that you could not carry before. If you choose not to use extra equipment to fill the empty space, your suitcase will be lighter, thus reducing the weight of your shoulders.

Second, the shortcomings of fixed-focus lens

But before buying a fixed-focus lens, you should understand some shortcomings of the fixed-focus lens.

No scaling

This is the biggest disadvantage of choosing a fixed focus lens. Fixed focal length means that magnification cannot be selected. If you want to zoom in or out, you must reposition yourself at an appropriate distance. This is a shortcoming, but it is not impossible. If you choose to use a fixed-focus lens, this obstacle will be overcome and the composition will become better. After adjusting this, you can take some beautiful photos.

price

Fixed focus lenses may be more expensive than zoom lenses. The price of basic lens is very cheap, but if you want a more complete experience and better products, you must jump to a more advanced basic lens model.

Third, the difference between fixed-focus lens and zoom lens

Fixed focus lens has many advantages, and at the same time it can reduce its shortcomings. This raises a question, that is, what is the difference between a fixed-focus lens and a zoom lens?

compose

Zoom lenses are much more complicated than fixed-focus lenses. There are many moving parts and glass inside the zoom lens, which makes it difficult for you to fully understand the shooting situation. The fixed-focus lens has the least moving parts and glass, and its structure is very simple and easy to understand.

quality

There are many high-quality zoom and fixed-focus lenses on the market, but fixed-focus lenses have advantages. For many years, the zoom lens has lagged behind the quality in image quality and structure. The quality of zoom lens has been improving. The fixed-focus lens has less glass, so it can take clearer images.

hum

As the name implies, the zoom lens has the ability to zoom in or out, so it can have different compositions when shooting. The fixed-focus lens is completely motionless, and what you see is what you get. This may be exactly what you are looking for, or it may push you to the zoom lens.

hole

Besides zooming, the main difference lies in the aperture of zoom lens and fixed focus lens. The opening of the fixed-focus lens is much larger than that of the zoom lens to allow more light to enter the lens, which makes the fixed-focus lens perform well in low light conditions. Zoom lenses sometimes work almost in low light, but you have to push ISO to the maximum, which is not ideal.