Primes or zooms – which should you buy? It's a longstanding question among photographers, with advice always varying depending on whom is dispensing it.
As far as which lenses photographers actually do buy, though, we now know the answer: primes are outselling zooms… but by the skin of their teeth.
• If you're asking what is a prime lens (opens in new tab), let us explain!
That's according to a breakdown of the bestselling lenses of 2023 so far, provided to us by B&H Photo (opens in new tab). It reveals that, of the 53 top-selling optics across 6 different camera mounts, 27 were prime lenses and 26 were zooms. We have to admit, a split that even came as quite a surprise to us.
Looking into the most popular lenses of each type, perhaps unsurprisingly, the nifty fifty (or its equivalents in cropped sensor formats) is still the most popular prime, as everybody needs a 50mm lens (opens in new tab). And when it comes to zooms, the trusty 24-70mm trinity (or, again, its equivalents) remains the lens most commonly picked up.
You can check out all the lens breakdowns by clicking the names of the mounts in the shortcuts bar above.
Best sellers of 2023: Canon EF
1) Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM (opens in new tab)
2) Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM (opens in new tab)
3) Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art
4) Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary (opens in new tab)
5) Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM (opens in new tab)
6) Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art (opens in new tab)
7) Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM (opens in new tab)
8) Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM (opens in new tab)
9) Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM (opens in new tab)
Best sellers of 2023: Sony E
1) Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G (opens in new tab)
2) Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II (opens in new tab)
3) Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary (opens in new tab)
4) Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G (opens in new tab)
5) Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM (opens in new tab)
6) Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 (opens in new tab)
7) Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD (opens in new tab)
8) Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art (opens in new tab)
9) Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD (opens in new tab)
10) Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS (opens in new tab)
Best sellers of 2023: Micro Four Thirds
1) OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS Pro
2) Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 Asph (opens in new tab)
3) Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS (opens in new tab)
4) Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 45-175mm f/4-5.6 Asph Power OIS (opens in new tab)
5) Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 II Asph Power OIS (opens in new tab)
Best sellers of 2023: Canon RF
1) Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM (opens in new tab)
2) Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM (opens in new tab)
3) Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM (opens in new tab)
4) Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM (opens in new tab)
5) Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM (opens in new tab)
6) Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM (opens in new tab)
7) Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM (opens in new tab)
8) Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM (opens in new tab)
9) Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM (opens in new tab)
10) Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM (opens in new tab)
Best sellers of 2023: Fujifilm X
1) Viltrox 75mm f/1.2 AF (opens in new tab)
2) Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary (opens in new tab)
3) Fujifilm XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR (opens in new tab)
4) Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 XF (opens in new tab)
5) Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR (opens in new tab)
6) Fujifilm XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR (opens in new tab)
7) Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR (Black) (opens in new tab)
8) Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR (opens in new tab)
9) TTartisan 27mm f/2.8
10) Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary (opens in new tab)
Best sellers of 2023: Nikon Z
1) Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.2 S (opens in new tab)
2) Nikon Nikkor Z 26mm f/2.8 (opens in new tab)
3) Nikon Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S (opens in new tab)
4) Nikon Nikkor Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S (opens in new tab)
5) Nikon Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro (opens in new tab)
6) Nikon Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S (opens in new tab)
7) Nikon Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 (opens in new tab)
8) Nikon Nikkor Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S (opens in new tab)
9) Nikon Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S (opens in new tab)
If you enjoyed this article, check out the best 50mm lenses (opens in new tab) across all brands. You might also want to browse the best Canon lenses (opens in new tab), best Sony lenses (opens in new tab), best Micro Four Thirds lenses (opens in new tab), best Fujifilm lenses (opens in new tab) and best Nikon lenses (opens in new tab).
