You Ask: Should I get a 50mm prime lens or a 18-55 zoom lens?

Our opinion (based on on the fact that we read camera news, specs, reports, forum every single day, oh and we love photography too) is yes.

Yes get the 55mm/F1.8 prime lens especially if you’re into portraiture, low light shooting and bokeh. Other wise save your money on a wide angle lens or a 18-200 zoom lens. Don’t get the 18-55 zoom lens unless it’s part of your purchased camera kit, instead buy the 17-200mm zoom lens.

Now another question is if you already have the 18-55 zoom kit lens should you still get the 55m/f1.8 prime lens? We still think you should. Prime lens will last you a long time, unlike camera bodies that upgrade every 6 months a good lens will last 10-20 years. So it’s wiser if you invest your money in buying excellent lenses rather than investing in just about any camera gizmo.

55mm prime lens are great for half body portraiture. It also helps you improve your composition since you have to think about the shot using the fixed lens instead of just zooming in out. The 55mm is also a great macro camera.

Now there are varied opinions regarding prime versus zoom lenses. In a forum, photo hobbyist Kent Staubus mentioned a good point “I strongly disagree that so-called prime lenses (single focal lenses) are sharper than pro quality zooms. Yes, I’ve tested them side by side. Usually the modern zoom is sharper, by just a hair. There’s a LOT of hype about single focal lenses on internet forums. Twenty years ago zooms were much more primitive than they are now, and single focal lenses were better. That’s just not the case now. BTW, I also have the Nikon 50mm f1.8 and think it’s over rated in performance. It has problems on digital cameras.”

However the another photographer said “The key difference is not performance in low light. The key difference is control of the depth of field. Creative use of f/2 or f/2.8 results in a very different look that is IMPOSSIBLE with an f/5.6 zoom. A good photographer cannot take a shot that requires f/2 for creative purposes with an f/5.6 zoom.”

Beloved photo guru Ken Rockwell also gave his opinion and stated that “This lens is so good I own two. Well, OK, that’s not exactly why I own two, but I really do have them.”.

Prime lenses take sharp photos, give much creative control with its aperture, trains you to be a better photog and is quite reasonably priced, so it will be a good buy.