Why can't a good zoom rival a good prime

My 100mm f/2.8L IS is SO VERY sharp and clear. It's such a great lens, I have a wonderful copy.

Is there a zoom that can produce equally sharp crisp quality? Is it the 70-200 2.8 II? Is it the 24-70 2.8 II? Is there another?

There are plenty of zooms that rival many primes, but generally the best primes beat the best zooms. It's just a matter of a lens designer being able to concentrate on perfection at 1 focal length rather than having to find the best compromise between a range of focal lengths.

Is there a prime that can produce equally sharp crisp pictures at focal lengths other than it's stated focal length......it's all about convenience! There is always a give and take. Although, the 70-200II will rival many primes!!

I think that the 24-70L II and 70-200L IS II are the only zooms that can really give primes a run for their money. But even then, the zooms cannot reach below f/2.8.

Albert Nam wrote in post #15115402
I think that the 24-70L II and 70-200L IS II are the only zooms that can really give primes a run for their money. But even then, the zooms cannot reach below f/2.8.

In addition to those two, the EF 70-200mm 4.0 IS, EF-S 17-55mm 2.8 IS, and EF-S 15-85mm IS are also three zooms that, in my opinion, are near perfect.

Edit: The 24-105mm 4.0 IS is right up there too.

My 70-200 f4 is considerably sharper than my (non L) 100mm macro.

Dustin Mustangs wrote in post #15115448
My 70-200 f4 is considerably sharper than my (non L) 100mm macro.

My 100 (non-L) macro is soooo much sharper then my 70-200/4L IS.. at f/2.8.

This is an argument....

This is an argument that can go on and on without ever reaching a conclusion.

I began my photography career shooting only with prime lenses. In fact, it was not until I began shooting with a DSLR camera (10D about twelve years or so ago) that I ever used a zoom lens for my photography.

Now, I shoot with 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and 70-200mm f/4L IS lenses on a pair of 1.6x cameras (40D and 7D). I consider these two lenses exceptionally sharp and since I can usually crop in the camera (with a 17-200mm focal range at my finger tips); I can most often use virtually the entire frame. This was most often not the case when shooting with a prime lens.

I have several prime lenses in my lens battery and will often use my 300mm f/4L IS and 400mm f/5.6L lenses on my two cameras.