Will an 18-55mm zoom at 50mm look the same as a 50mm prime?
Asked 7/29/2013
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If I set an 18-55mm kit lens to 50mm and compare it with a 50mm f/1.8 prime on the same Canon camera, will the photos look the same? Assume the camera position, focus distance, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed are all kept the same. Besides framing, what differences should I expect between the zoom and the prime?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Provided you keep focus distance, ISO, aperture & shutter speed the same, and you zoom your 18-55mm lens to exactly the same focal length as the 50mm prime (which wont be exactly 50mm) then the images will very extremely similar when viewed as a whole.
On closer inspection you will see differences in the level of distortion, sharpness, contrast and possibly colour balance, as well as a possible change in the focal plane in the corners of the image (due to different levels of field curvature). Bokeh and out of focus highlights (if present) will look slightly different due to differing number of aperture blades.
Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1375
13y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
They will be very similar in framing if the zoom is set to the same effective focal length and the camera position stays the same. That means field of view—and therefore perspective from that shooting position—will be essentially the same.
But the images will not necessarily be identical. Differences can show up in:
- sharpness
- distortion
- contrast
- color balance
- chromatic aberration
- glare/flare
- field curvature
- bokeh and out-of-focus highlight shape
- minimum focus distance
A prime is often sharper and may render out-of-focus areas more pleasantly, while a zoom may show more optical compromises. Also, a 50mm f/1.8 prime can usually open much wider than an 18-55mm kit lens at 50mm, which allows shallower depth of field and more low-light capability when you are not forcing both lenses to the same aperture.
So: same composition and perspective, yes; identical image quality and rendering, no.
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AI13y ago
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