"Eric Miller" wrote in message
. ..

"Nostrobino" wrote in message
...
Zoom lenses ARE prime lenses, notwithstanding the now-popular misusage of
"prime."

A prime lens is the camera lens as distinct from some other lens or
lenticular device (close-up lens, tele converter, etc.) used with it. It
has meant that since long before zoom lenses became commonplace, and
therefore no need to use another term to mean "non-zoom."

"Prime" is properly used in the sense of primary, main, chief or
original--all dictionary definitions for "prime."

There is NO dictionary definition for "prime" which means fixed focal
length or single focal length, or fixed or single anything else.

It would be nice if this nonsensical misusage, which obviously is based
on someone's misunderstanding of the term some years ago (and then spread
like cancer through the power of the Internet) could be stamped out.
Surely "FFL" is at least as easy to type as "prime" anyway, and there
never was any reason other than shortness to replace "fixed focal length"
with the incorrect term.

N.


Many now accepted meanings of words have been created through misusage.

Yes. The unfortunate thing is that some people think this is evolution, when
in fact it is deterioration. "Accepted meanings of words" now are sometimes
even the reverse of the actual meanings. For example, many people think "hoi
polloi" means the wealthy upper class.


Perhaps you would prefer a dead language to English?

No, English is great. If I didn't care for it so much I wouldn't be trying
to defend it.

N.