On a current post in DP review, my favorite digital photography web site, someone posed the eternal question of which lens to use for street photography: the Canon 35mmL or the Canon 16-35L. My reply was:
"It's like comparing a car with a truck. No one can really tell you what to do. It all depends on your shooting style and needs. Of course the prime will always be better but if you are interested in taking photos, the zoom is more versatile. A picture taken no matter how optically not perfect is better than a picture missed. I have the 16-35L and it's a good lens. Personally, there are times when a prime is very liberating because, and this may sound odd, it's lack of versatility makes you concentrate more on the subject. I think many of you will understand."
It may be ironic but this is really a case where less is more. Not thinking about the right focal length and keeping on zooming, one uses the prime on a scene as is and does one's best. yes, the prime keeps it simple and that is at times much better. As the great Einstein said about a machine that it should be as simple as possible to do a task but not more so, one can apply this wisdom to photography. Keep the equipment as simple as possible to do it's job but not simpler than needed.
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