Prime lenses are preferred by many photographers for the many advantages they bring. Mainly, they tend to produce sharper images than zoom lenses and can produce a more shallow depth of field. These qualities make a wide selection of lenses perfect for genres like portrait photography and low light photography. However, its fixed focal length is also a drawback since composing involves moving closer or further away from your subject. If that’s not a total deal breaker for you, one of the focal lengths you may want to consider is 28mm. But will that cover all your photography needs?
For Colorado-based photographer Matthew Arrington, the answer is yes, and there are five reasons why. He describes 28mm as an “unsung focal length” but still worth considering as an all-around prime lens. In fact, he also called it as his “desert island focal length.”
That said, if you do a lot of travel photography, he highly recommends using the 28mm to include more of the scene in your composition. This will make your photos of sweeping tourist locations and landmarks more immersive and engaging. It’s the same case for landscape photography, for which wide angle lenses are already considered the standard.
Do you agree with these reasons for the 28mm as an all-around prime lens? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or in our group discussions if you’re already part of the Photofocus Community!
I love my Leica Q2 with 28mm 1.7 . It’s almost perfect for all types of photography, especially for travel.
Primes DON”T “produce wider depth of field”, as stated in your second sentance. They produce shallower depth of field. There’s a big difference between the two.
Incorrect, f-stop controls DOF, granted most primes have faster f-stops.
I would disagree with the title, and the photographers take. For a very small, limited subset of photography it would be accurate. But most other areas, a 28 prime is a meh lens.
Lens choice is a personal matter. An experienced photographer will know what’s best to fulfill his or her vision. Following someone else’s suggestion is not a good start to getting that experience.