For those of you new to photography, a prime lens is simply a photographic lens whose focal length is fixed, as opposed to a zoom lens.Prime lenses are available in all lengths and varieties and offer some advantages in performance when compared to their zoom-lens brethren.Prime lenses are designed for a specific purpose. This means that optical performance is generally much better than zooms. It also means that primes can be made with larger apertures. Most primes perform better than their zoom counterparts and are sharper, with fewer visible aberrations.

All that said – due to convenience, I do occasionally use a zoom lens, but I prefer to use a prime lens when possible. I don’t mind zooming with my feet!As you may have guessed, not all prime lenses are created equal. In this list of five prime lenses, I offer up five of my very favorites, for a variety of camera systems. These lenses are all surefire bets. All are fantastic, and they are priced anywhere from sort of expensive to very expensive so be prepared for a little sticker shock. If you’re using any of these lenses you can rest assured that you have some of the best glass on the planet.In no particular order:

1. Lensbaby Velvet 56 f/1.6 (Sony, Fuji, Panasonic, Olympus, Canon, Nikon) This isn’t your grandmother’s Lensbaby. If you think you know something about this lens because you’ve used other Lensbaby lenses you’re simply wrong. This lens is unlike any other Lensbaby lens. It is capable of razor sharp images. It is also capable of that traditional creamy, out-of-focus look, and it’s also a very good macro lens. It’s manual focus only, but it’s very versatile and a pure joy to use. I own seven lenses that cover this focal length but usually have the Velvet 56 on my camera.

2. FUJINON XF90mm f/2 (Fuji) this lens offers bokeh-rich backgrounds. It’s weather-sealed and provides a 35mm equivalent focal length of 137mm. Despite its long reach, the XF90mm weighs only 20 ounces. Minimum focusing distance is just two feet. And it autofocuses really quickly.

3. The LUMIX G Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH Power OIS Lens (Panasonic, Olympus) offers a 35mm focal length equivalent of 85mm and a fast aperture of f/1.2 making it well-suited for portraits. It also features Power O.I.S. for optical image stabilization, ensuring sharp images by decreasing the effect of movement and camera shake. On the GX8, this lens works with the new Panasonic dual optimization features.It’s typical Leica quality. Metal design, including the mount. The glass is special. It has a Nano Surface Coating technology that minimizes reflections cause by stray light. This combines with two aspherical elements that suppress spherical aberration and distortion to give a clear image. Additionally, there is an Extra-low Dispersion element that increases contrast and sharpness and an Ultra High Refractive Index element allows for a uniform look to the edges of the frame.

4. Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens (Canon) this is the king of sharp telephoto lenses. At f/4 it’s very fast for a big zoom. It uses fluorite optics for sharper images and uses Canon’s latest three-mode, optical image stabilization. It also uses SWC (SubWavelength structure Coating) to reduce flare and ghosting. A circular aperture design helps to produce pleasing out of focus areas. It’s the most expensive lens on this list for a reason – it’s worth every penny.

5. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II Lens (Nikon) this lens uses Nikon’s VR II (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization and Nikon’s Silent Wave Motor (SWM) which provides users with fast and quiet autofocusing. The minimum focus distance is 7.2′ in manual mode and 7.5′ in AF mode.Three extra-low dispersion (ED) lens elements offer superior sharpness and color correction by effectively minimizing chromatic aberration. Build quality is first-rate with dust and moisture resistance, a magnesium die-cast body.Please note I am not saying these are the ONLY good prime lenses or that they are the best five lenses I am saying these are five OF THE BEST. Feel free to leave comments about your favorite primes (minus affiliate links please)….

Source: Five Prime Lenses For Photographers Who Want Their Trigger Tripped