The Case Against Zoom Lenses

Zoom lenses are convenient for sure, but unless you know how to use them properly, they can cause more problems than they solve…

The problem with zoom lenses is that they encourage you to stand in one place. And in order to take a compelling photograph, you must visualize the potential image from several locations. These locations may be in front of or behind, to the left or right, or above or below your present camera position. This is because each of these positions changes the perspective of the photo. Once you find the perspective that will render the subject faithfully to your visualization, you then need to select the lens of the appropriate focal length to accommodate the distance from your subject.

This doesn’t mean that you should abandon the use of zoom lenses. But to get the most out of them, some discipline is in order.

Think of the zoom lens as several prime lenses in one. Since you would most likely use a normal or slightly wider prime lens in the absence of a zoom, set your lens to this focal length first, perhaps 50mm, or 35mm for APS-C. Then go about visualizing your image.

Approach the subject from different angles and distances. For example, you may find that moving closer to the subject makes the background appear smaller, providing a great sense of depth. “Moving closer” by zooming in using a longer focal length does not achieve this effect. Or, you may find that moving farther away flattens the space and makes the subject appear smaller in relationship to the background. Again, zooming out to give the effect of moving further away doesn’t really give you what you want.

Once the foreground and background are in the desired proportion, you can then assess the “crop” of the image. If the subject is now too large to fit in the viewfinder, use a wider lens. Too small, and you need a longer lens. You can now use the zoom lens to achieve the required focal length needed to crop the images, rather than to change the perceived camera to subject distance.