Yep. Your standard affordable ($300-ish range) zoom (70-300, for instance) doesn't have a very big barrel, so while you get a decent range of zoom, and a fairly decent apeture (f4.5, usually), you'll still need to keep a tripod handy. A fixed lens usually will have a bigger body, with a larger lens diameter, which lets in a lot more light, but is going to cost a lot more for various reasons. But, they're usually worth it if you take a lot of pics. I think my next lens (still weighing what's more important...authentic 1942-era scope/mount for my Mosin, or camera lens...hmm...) is probably going to be a good 100mm macro.