Primes represented by positive definite binary quadratic forms

Let $f$ be a primitive positive definite integral binary quadratic form of discriminant $-D$ and let $\pi_f(x)$ be the number of primes up to $x$ which are represented by $f$. We prove several types of upper bounds for $\pi_f(x)$ within a constant factor of its asymptotic size: unconditional, conditional on the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis (GRH), and for almost all discriminants. The key feature of these estimates is that they hold whenever $x$ exceeds a small power of $D$ and, in some cases, this range of $x$ is essentially best possible. In particular, if $f$ is reduced then this optimal range of $x$ is achieved for almost all discriminants or by assuming GRH. We also exhibit an upper bound for the number of primes represented by $f$ in a short interval and a lower bound for the number of small integers represented by $f$ which have few prime factors.