Originally posted by ChristianRock I ask your permission to use this quote in the future
Obviously we are in the minority, people seem to think zooms are more essential than primes. But that's the objective of doing this poll, to find out what people are more inclined to want.
Quite a few people do like primes to the point that they're willing to live with just a prime if they had to. Let's keep the comments (and votes) coming
There are some images you look at the scene and you think "where's my zoom". Others you look at and think "where's my prime" The idea of sacrificing one of those for the other is just wrong.
Primes have a unique rendering at a unique focal length. With zooms, qualities like bokeh and transitions can change over the range of the zoom. If you have a scene and you have a specific look in mind for that scene, odds are you're going to want primes. A zoom is less certainty. However if the scene is strong enough it's not the finer elements of rendering that are necessary, you might want to use a zoom and get your framing exactly the way you want it.
I tend to carry the 21 ltd, and 40XS everywhere, just because I can. And when you want them, you want them, but I'm also carrying the 18-135 or 55-300 for the 95% of the time when it doesn't matter. Some, I'm sure, can't bear the thought of missing a chance to take an image with their favourite prime, even if in the end it doesn't come out so good. Others want that precise framing, using the whole frame to get every once of resolution that in many circumstances can only be done with a zoom. I frequently shoot 5 focal lengths with one tripod set. During a 15 minute sunset with the light dramticly changing minute to minute, that's just not possible with a prime.
But I hate missing shots that could have been had.
Some are interested in the one shot taken with the one lens with all focal length variables under control. It all depends on what values you're chasing.
That being said, it's surprising how many people are selecting primes as their only lenses. I guess size is a bigger thing than I think it is. Personally if that's the big drawback, why wouldn't u just get a smaller zoom like the DA 20-40?