general lens question

Ask the risk of sounding stupid...

what's the difference in the results between a photo taken with a 50mm lens, and the same photo taken with a 18-55mm lens set to 50mm?

stu.

Prime lenses such as the 50mm tend to be sharper than zoom lenses and usually have a wider aperture.

What K said

Also, prime lens have more bits to fiddle with

Prime lens generaly seem to be considered the best.

the 50mm lens is a prime lens and generally considered to produce a sharper picture, for example portraits.
However like everything there is a minus side as well and that is there is no Zoom obviously. The 18-55mm being zoom has the advantage of being able to get closer/ further way without moving yet still produces a very good picture across the range, for example landscapes.

So both have their particular speciality job and it depends on what you want to photo.

Bazza

Have you forgotton you have legs?

If it hadn't been for taking a booking here at the kennels I would have answered first.

Bazza

K.
legs are ok if you can get to the position to take the photo, but sometimes that is impossible thru obstructions ie bushes- roads -water etc then the zoom comes into its own.

Bazza

Have you never you never heard of walking on water! LOL

I ado agree with that point. There is a time and a place for zooms, but personally feel that primes are the way to go for higher image quality. They also encourage ou to me more active within the photo, rather than just standing there and zooming

However that said, im currently saving up for the 70 - 200mm for the summer job im hoping to get, invloving horse events

For a visual answer to the op. I have taken 2 shots to comapre. Both shot at 50mm but one with a prime and the other with my old kit lens...

i take it the left hand one is the prime lens? where all the settings the same on both pics?

Yeah thats right. The settings were slightly out my half a stop due to the primes aperture settings