So who has the better definition? Can someone point me to a photographic history book and tell me how 'prime' in relation to lenses came into being?
Definitions is really not what we are looking at here, but general usage, and words that can be substituted for them. What prime means in linguistics is irrelevant. My source was a top-notch one of general vocabulary. The authorities who researched and wrote and revised it felt the words I used were the most common substitutions for prime. What we really need here is a real good source of 'prime' in regards to photography. However, in my training, I cannot dismiss the psycho-social underpinnings of using the word to relate to a object that people prize. Brad. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Whaley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 11:48 AM Subject: Re: Terminology lesson. Re: 28-105 vs 24-90 vs 35-105 > Thanks, Chris. > You've adequately summed it up. > And, saved me some time trying to explain it to Brad. > > It also means 'underived,' which is yet another good definition, as it > applies to fixed lenses. > > keith whaley > > Chris Stoddart wrote: > > > > Brad sez: > > > Well, then there is something lacking in the photographic community. > > > Like I said prime means 'best, first-class, foremost, select, superior, > > > top, top-quality'. > > > > Brad, > > > > That is just one meaning of the word 'prime'. Another is an undivisable > > number, a 'prime number' in other words (it doesn't mean 'best number' > > :-) ). It's also used in linguistics to mean an undivisible unit. > > > > I suspect it's used in the undivisible sense here; i.e. fixed! > > > > Chris >
