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Prime Versus Zoom Lenses for Nature Photos

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Prime vs Zoom Lenses for Wildlife Photography: Which Is Right for You?

You are standing at the edge of a marsh when a Great Blue Heron suddenly lifts off. Maybe you are photographing wildlife in Yellowstone when a bear appears around a bend much closer than expected. Or perhaps a small songbird that was sitting 50 feet away suddenly lands right in front of you.

At that moment, the prime vs zoom lenses for wildlife photography debate becomes very practical:

Can you frame the photograph before the moment is gone?

At Jeff & Angie Photography, we use both prime and zoom lenses for our bird, wildlife, landscape, and nature photography. We also see photographers using both types of lenses on our wildlife photography workshops and photography tours.

Neither lens automatically wins.

A prime lens can offer outstanding image quality, wider maximum apertures, and beautiful background separation. A zoom lens allows you the flexibility to change focal lengths quickly when your subject moves closer, farther away, or when you decide the environment is part of the story.

The best lens is the one that fits what you photograph, how you travel, and how you like to work in the field.

What Is the Difference Between a Prime Lens and a Zoom Lens?

A prime lens has one fixed focal length.

Examples include:

If you have a 600mm prime lens on your camera, it stays at 600mm. If you need a different composition, you have to move when possible, change lenses, or change the composition later through cropping.

A zoom lens covers a range of focal lengths.

Common zoom lenses used for nature photography include

The ability to change focal lengths without changing lenses makes a zoom incredibly versatile.

In Journey Through the Lens, I talk about choosing lenses according to the photograph you are trying to create. A wide-angle lens lets you include more of the scene, while a telephoto lens allows you to isolate distant subjects or create more intimate photographs.

That same thinking should guide the prime vs zoom lens decision.

Prime vs Zoom Lenses for Wildlife Photography

Wildlife photographers love long prime lenses for good reason.

A long prime often offers a wider maximum aperture than a comparable telephoto zoom. A wider aperture allows more light into the camera and can help you maintain the shutter speed you need when photographing early in the morning, late in the evening, or under a forest canopy.

Shutter speed becomes especially important when photographing birds in flight, running mammals, or any wildlife that may suddenly move.

Prime lenses can also produce beautiful background separation.

When you photograph a bird against distant vegetation or a mammal surrounded by soft grass, a wide aperture and longer focal length can help blur distracting backgrounds and make the subject stand out.

But wildlife has one major problem:

It does not care which lens you brought.

You may be photographing a distant bird perfectly with a 600mm prime when it suddenly flies toward you. Now your subject may be too large in the frame.

That’s where a telephoto zoom becomes extremely useful.

With a 100–400mm, 150–600mm, 200–600mm, or 60–600mm wildlife zoom lens, you can adjust your composition almost instantly.

No lens change.

No scrambling for another camera body.

Just turn the zoom ring and keep photographing.

When a Long Prime Lens Makes Sense

A long prime lens can be a great choice if you already know that most of your photography happens at one focal length.

If you spend most of your time photographing distant birds or wildlife, a 400mm or 600mm prime lens may fit the way you work.

A prime may also make sense if you frequently photograph:

But big prime lenses are specialized tools.

They can also be large, heavy, and expensive.

And because the focal length is fixed, you need to understand what happens when your subject suddenly gets closer.

That is something to consider before making a major investment in a wildlife photography lens.

When a Wildlife Zoom Is the Better Tool

A wildlife zoom shines when your subject’s distance constantly changes.

Think about a typical bird photography outing.

You may start with shorebirds far across a marsh, photograph a bird perched relatively close to the trail, and then suddenly have a deer step into the scene.

A zoom lets you react.

That flexibility is also incredibly valuable in our Jeff & Angie Photography wildlife photography workshops and nature photography tours, where we may encounter entirely different subjects within a short amount of time.

There is another reason we like zoom lenses:

They give you creative choices.

You do not always have to fill the frame with the animal.

At 600mm, you might create a tight portrait.

Zoom back to 400mm and give your subject more breathing room.

Pull back farther and include the habitat.

Now the photograph begins to tell a different story.

Instead of simply showing the viewer what the animal looked like, you begin showing them where it lived and what the moment felt like.

What Is the Best Lens for Bird Photography?

One of the questions we hear most often is

What is the best lens for bird photography?

Bird photographers usually need reach because birds are small, fast, and often skittish.

Long telephoto lenses allow you to photograph birds while maintaining a respectful distance.

A 150–600mm zoom, 200–600mm zoom, or 600mm prime can all be excellent bird photography lenses.

But for many photographers learning bird photography, a zoom has another important advantage.

It can help you find the bird.

Looking through a long telephoto lens gives you a very narrow field of view. New bird photographers sometimes struggle to locate a small subject at 600mm.

One technique I teach in Journey Through the Lens is to zoom out, locate the bird, and then zoom back in.

You can practice this before you ever go into the field.

Pick a small object in the distance. Look directly at it with your eyes. Bring the camera to your face and see how quickly you can find that same object through your telephoto lens.

That practice will make a tremendous difference when a bird gives you only a few seconds to make the photograph.

Zoom Lenses Can Help You Tell a Better Wildlife Story

One mistake wildlife photographers can make is thinking:

Closer is always better.

Sometimes it is.

Sometimes it isn’t.

A beautiful wildlife portrait can be powerful, but so can a photograph of an animal surrounded by its environment.

In Journey Through the Lens, I discuss creating what I call an animalscape—a photograph where the animal remains the main subject, but the landscape becomes part of the story.

A zoom lens makes creating these compositions much easier.

Instead of automatically zooming all the way in, stop and ask yourself:

What is my subject, and how much of the environment helps tell its story?

Maybe you photograph the bison tightly at 600 mm.

Then zoom out and photograph the same bison walking through falling snow with Yellowstone surrounding it.

Both images can be successful.

They simply tell different stories.

Prime vs Zoom Lenses for Landscape Photography

The prime vs zoom lens discussion isn’t limited to wildlife photography.

Zoom lenses are extremely useful for landscape photography, too.

A wide-angle zoom, such as a 16–35mm or 24–70mm lens, allows you to adjust your composition as the landscape changes.

You might use the wider end of the lens to include:

Then zoom in to simplify the scene.

Sometimes the best landscape photograph isn’t the entire mountain range.

It might be one mountain.

One group of trees.

A patch of light.

Or a small section of the landscape that caught your attention.

That’s where telephoto zooms become powerful landscape photography lenses.

One of my favorite lenses for what I call intimate landscapes is the 70–200mm.

A telephoto lens lets you isolate a small portion of the landscape and build the photograph around that one area.

Prime Lenses for Landscape and Night Photography

Milkway Photo with a beach foregound and a few clouds in the dark skyPrime lenses have their advantages for landscape photography as well.

Wide-angle primes are often compact and can have expansive maximum apertures.

That becomes particularly valuable for night photography.

A fast prime lens such as a 14mm, 24mm, or 35mm with a wide aperture can allow more light into the camera when photographing stars or the Milky Way.

Prime lenses can also change the way you compose.

Because you cannot simply turn the zoom ring, you have to physically think more about the photograph.

Move around when it is safe to do so. Look at the foreground. Watch your edges. Change your perspective. Ask yourself:

 

What is the actual subject of this photograph?

Sometimes restricting yourself to one focal length can force you to become more creative.

Don’t Choose a Lens Based on Aperture Alone

It is easy to look at lenses and assume that an f/2.8 or f/4 lens must automatically be better than an f/5.6 or f/6.3 lens.

But aperture is not only about light.

Aperture also controls depth of field.

A wide aperture creates a shallower depth of field.

That may be precisely what you want when you are trying to blur a distracting background.

But imagine photographing a bird that is angled toward you.

If your depth of field is extremely shallow, the eye may be sharp while other important parts of the bird are outside the plane of focus.

You may actually need to stop down.

That is why we don’t choose camera settings simply because one number sounds better than another.

Start with the photograph you are trying to create.

Then choose the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO that help you create it.

You can read more about that in our guide to the best camera settings for wildlife photography.

What About Teleconverters?

Teleconverters can give certain lenses additional reach.

They can be particularly useful with compatible prime lenses, but there are trade-offs.

A teleconverter can affect the maximum aperture, focusing performance, and sometimes image quality.

You also have to remember that distance itself affects image quality.

It doesn’t matter how much focal length you have if you are photographing through:

Sometimes an animal is simply too far away to create the photograph you want.

More millimeters will not always solve that problem.

Consider Your Travel Style Before Buying a Lens

This is one of the most important things photographers overlook when choosing the best wildlife photography lens.

Think beyond the camera store.

Imagine actually carrying that lens.

Are you:

Those things matter.

A lens that produces technically amazing photographs but stays at the hotel because you hate carrying it is not the right lens for your trip.

That is one reason our own camera bags change depending on where we’re going.

For one photography tour, a long prime may make perfect sense.

For another, a flexible zoom may be much more useful.

Pack for the photographs you expect to make—not every photograph you could possibly make.

How We Approach Gear on Jeff & Angie Photography Workshops and Tours

When photographers join us for a Jeff & Angie Photography wildlife photography workshop, bird photography workshop, or nature photography tour, we do not expect everyone to arrive with the same camera or lens.

We would rather help you understand the equipment you already own.

You do not need the biggest lens in the group to create a great photograph.

During our workshops and tours, we work with photographers on understanding things like

If you’re still developing your skills or deciding whether new equipment would actually help your photography, our photography mentorship for beginners is another way we can work through your camera settings, technique, composition, and gear choices together.

We would rather help you make better photographs with the equipment you already own than encourage you to spend thousands of dollars on a lens that doesn’t fit the way you photograph.

A Smart Way to Choose Your Next Wildlife Photography Lens

Before buying another lens, go through photographs you already have.

Look at the focal lengths you use most often.

Ask yourself:

Am I constantly at the longest end of my Zoom?

If nearly every bird photograph is taken at 600mm and then cropped heavily, additional reach may be useful.

Do I miss photographs because wildlife suddenly gets too close?

A zoom may solve that problem better than a longer prime.

Do I photograph mostly in low light?

A faster prime might provide a real advantage.

Do I enjoy tight portraits or environmental wildlife photographs?

Your answer may influence whether flexibility or maximum reach matters more.

If possible, rent or borrow the lens you are considering before buying it.

Take it somewhere you actually photograph.

Carry it for several hours.

Handhold it.

Find birds through it.

Track something moving.

Photograph early in the morning and late in the day.

Then ask yourself:

Did this lens actually make it easier for me to create the photographs I want to make?

That answer is far more valuable than a specification sheet.

Prime vs Zoom Lenses for Wildlife Photography: Which Do We Recommend?

So which wins the prime vs zoom lenses for the wildlife photography debate?

For Jeff and me, the answer is

Both.

We use prime lenses when the subject and situation call for them.

We use zoom lenses when versatility gives us an advantage.

For many photographers getting serious about bird and wildlife photography, a quality telephoto zoom is an excellent place to begin because it gives you reach while still allowing you to respond when your subject changes distance.

As your photography develops, you may discover that a long prime belongs in your camera bag too.

There is no reason to choose a side just because photographers on the internet like to debate gear.

The important thing is understanding what each lens allows you to create.

When the light becomes beautiful, the bird finally lands where you hoped it would, or wildlife gives you a moment that lasts only a few seconds, you shouldn’t be thinking about a prime-versus-zoom debate.

You should be making photographs.

That’s what we want photographers to take away from every Jeff & Angie Photography workshop and photography tour:

Understand your equipment.

Understand your subject.

Think about the story.

Then choose the tool that helps you create the photograph you imagined.

Keep on Clickin’!