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02-29-2012, 11:43 AM   #76
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Well, in English, a prime camera may be the usual most used camera when you have more than one.
That's the only meaning I could come up with. But indeed a 'prime camera' has no specific meaning AFAICT.

02-29-2012, 11:57 AM   #77
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Sure, I understan, I only tryed to explane why I did understand the mention prime wrong
02-29-2012, 12:50 PM   #78
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English is really a terrible language, and I'm sorry you had to learn it as a second language.

1) Most of the time, in general English, prime means 'most important' or 'best'.

2) Some of the time, in general English, prime means 'to make something ready'.

3) If, instead of 'general English', you're talking about general camera lenses, prime means 'fixed focal length'.

4) Very, very rarely, if you're talking about cameras with multiple lenses attached (i.e. having a macro lens attached to your 'normal' lens), prime means the 'normal' lens rather than the macro lens.


I've never actually heard anyone use #4, I suspect it is no longer used. If you're talking about cameras, you should use #3.
02-29-2012, 04:52 PM   #79
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QuoteOriginally posted by riff Quote
I'd never use prime to describe a camera with better quality than an average quality.
In German, there is "prima" and "primär" and both meanings habe almost nothing in common. "prime" in English seems to have all these meanings (think of "prime time" ). But prime lens certainly is only used synonym to fixed focal length (in the context of this forum).

So, non native speakers (like me) should simply accept this to be the case.

02-29-2012, 07:43 PM   #80
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QuoteOriginally posted by falconeye Quote
"prime" in English seems to have all these meanings
In vernacular Anglish, the Spanish borrowing 'primo' means first-quality, while the similar borrowing 'prima' is just my female first cousin. I may eat a prime steak that's not too tough; prime a pump or flintlock rifle to initialize it; attend primary school (and read a few primers) before starting secondary school; study the set of prime numbers whilst navigating between Delta and Delta Prime; but I will not behave in a prim and proper fashion, I'm too old and nasty for that. And whilst my most primo lens may indeed be a prime, some of my zooms are pretty primo too.

Yes, Anglish is a mess, a devourer of languages. Fun fun fun.
02-29-2012, 08:25 PM   #81
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Slangification

During the first 30 years I was involved in Photography, I never once heard anyone use the word "prime" to describe a lens. I believe this is a very recent trend.
There were fixed focal length lenses, varifocal lenses, and zoom lenses. I bet the first person to introduce this confusion doesn't understand the difference between the words "then" and "than".
Also, I have to chuckle whenever I hear some trendy wannabee refer to a lens as "glass".
02-29-2012, 10:51 PM - 1 Like   #82
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QuoteOriginally posted by NotaxPen Quote
During the first 30 years I was involved in Photography, I never once heard anyone use the word "prime" to describe a lens. I believe this is a very recent trend.
There were fixed focal length lenses, varifocal lenses, and zoom lenses. I bet the first person to introduce this confusion doesn't understand the difference between the words "then" and "than".
Also, I have to chuckle whenever I hear some trendy wannabee refer to a lens as "glass".
Well, I suppose there is nothing like living in the past. It is sort of like having a mullet head.

02-29-2012, 10:56 PM   #83
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QuoteOriginally posted by ElJamoquio Quote
English is really a terrible language, and I'm sorry you had to learn it as a second language.

1) Most of the time, in general English, prime means 'most important' or 'best'.

2) Some of the time, in general English, prime means 'to make something ready'.

3) If, instead of 'general English', you're talking about general camera lenses, prime means 'fixed focal length'.

4) Very, very rarely, if you're talking about cameras with multiple lenses attached (i.e. having a macro lens attached to your 'normal' lens), prime means the 'normal' lens rather than the macro lens.


I've never actually heard anyone use #4, I suspect it is no longer used. If you're talking about cameras, you should use #3.
Thank's for this understandable explanation!
Here again: "second language" most probably do not mean that you learned it as a first language after your mother language but it is only an other language? I mean, even I did learn first Swedish after Finnish and only then English, so both Swedish and English are a second language and English is not a third...or?
03-01-2012, 08:33 PM   #84
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QuoteOriginally posted by markku55 Quote
Ok, I try to understand, but if you call some camera as a prime camera, do you mean it is with fixed focal length lens or is it a camera with better quality than an average quality cameras?
I'm sorry, I only try to explane how difficul it is to understand English some times, in Finland everything means what you say or write, and thats why we have a lot of different words for same thing not to understand wrong what you mean.
your doing a hell of lot better than most of us would in Finnish

I have heard from many people that English is a difficult language, and given the poor command of the language most native English speakers have already (not to mention the absolutely atrocious spelling) it's not a huge shock to me
03-01-2012, 08:57 PM   #85
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Anecdote related to the discussion of English ... My family is mostly native English speakers but we still find the language a constant source of silly amusement. Just tonight, my wife was making toast and asked if I wanted butter on it. She said "buttered" but put a longer than usual pause between syllables. "Butt turd" was the result.
03-01-2012, 09:46 PM   #86
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We could tell many funny tales about Anglish peculiarities. A primate may be an ape or a senior clergyman (or both). A primer may be a textbook or an undercoat of paint. The opposites 'flammable' and 'inflammable' mean the same thing. GHOTI is pronounced FISH. We can generate terrible puns and double-entendres by slightly varying pronunciations or spellings. Yes, I still have a button saying BYTE MY BAUD.

But much of our technical jargon has specific meanings quite unlike common usage, and with different meanings in different technical fields. 'Prime' and 'proof' and 'normal' are good examples we've already discussed. Computerese is filled with such words. And particle physics: 'charm' and 'beauty' and 'top' etc. And math: 'real' and 'imaginary' and 'prime' etc.

We gain mastery of a discipline by learning that field's language. Anglish not only devours natural languages, it also spins-off mutations. So learning photo-Anglish requires knowing what 'prime' and 'normal' and 'proof' indicate, how those terms differ from common usage. So much to learn...

Last edited by RioRico; 03-02-2012 at 07:25 PM.
03-02-2012, 01:48 AM   #87
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QuoteOriginally posted by eddie1960 Quote

I have heard from many people that English is a difficult language, and given the poor command of the language most native English speakers have already (not to mention the absolutely atrocious spelling) it's not a huge shock to me
As an 11 year old, I visited my family in California for several weeks, and went with my cousins to their school. I remember that I was amused that spelling was a subject of its own. But of course it makes sense! English spelling is a disaster, it's kind of weird that this inconsistent latino-germanic language with its disastrous lack of spelling rules has become the "language of the world"
03-02-2012, 01:20 PM   #88
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QuoteOriginally posted by gazonk Quote
As an 11 year old, I visited my family in California for several weeks, and went with my cousins to their school. I remember that I was amused that spelling was a subject of its own. But of course it makes sense! English spelling is a disaster, it's kind of weird that this inconsistent latino-germanic language with its disastrous lack of spelling rules has become the "language of the world"
Spelling is the tip of the iceberg....grammar is a lost art.
Spelling has always been in flux over the centuries ( in the 1500's Male was spelled Mayle

In the ancient past I went to a private boarding school. for my grade 13 i was back at a public school (British people please reverse public/private lol)
Being a big English fan i saw 2 English courses available so signed up for both. I dropped out of one after the first week when i realized they were teaching grammar had learned in grade 8. I lasted longer in the other but we were discussing concepts i had studied 2 years previously
spelling is a pet peeve though (they don't teach it the same now) When i read resumes during hiring blitzes a sure way to get weeded out of my pile was to have spelling errors (and grammatical ones as well - but i needed to have someone to interview)
03-02-2012, 04:39 PM   #89
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fontan Quote
Well, I suppose there is nothing like living in the past. It is sort of like having a mullet head.
Well, I suppose remembering the time before pop culture destroyed literacy is like living in the past. But just because literacy is in the past doesn't mean we can't have some in the future.

Hey, did you just call me a mullet head? I am soooo hurt ;-)
03-02-2012, 04:59 PM - 1 Like   #90
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Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.

English in a nut shell, so to speak.
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