Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan Farmer
Zooms have come a long way, I have heard that the Sigma 300-800 f/5.6 zoom is sharper than the Sigma 800 f/5.6 prime. Don't know why, a zoom has more elements making it more complicated.
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I can only guess that new manufacturing methods (computer controlled griding, and polishing), new kinds of glass, and aspherics mean that modern zooms perform to a level never before imagined and yet can be produced at an affordable price.
It could be that the 800 prime is simply an older design, and were it to be redone, it would beat the zoom. Just look at wide angle primes. Most are old designs from the 80's (in the case of Nikon anyway) whereas wide angle zooms are usually from the past decade.