wide angle lens usage?

hey bubblers,
i’ve been wondering if my next lens should be a wide-angle lens. i have not done a ton of research so this may be a really stupid question, and you can just chalk it up to my ignorance if you need to. but can one use a wide-angle lens to shoot anything closeup? or does it all have to be landscape-type stuff, really far away? does it just depend on the lens, or are they all used for a certain focus length.

any kind help would be very appreciated.

Hi Nikki,

You can use a wide angle to shoot anything you want as long as thats the effect you are after. I enjoy using wide’s even for portraits. Its not very flattering, In fact, it is NOT flattering at all. but because of the proximity, you capture a feeling of interaction.

landscapes are not always captured with wide, sometimes telephotos do a good landscape well.

I use a sigma 17-35mm (real) all the time. It is my most favourite lens and I never go anywhere without it.

You do get some interesting distortion ay 17mm, but that is ok, especially for landscapes and any scene with clouds.

If you are using a digital LSR make sure it is suited to the magnification ratio of your camera so you get a REAL 17mm.

GO THE WIDE ANGLE!

TIP:
When shooting portraits with a wide angle lens, attempt to put your subject closer to the middle of the frame to reduce distortion. Some peoples faces can be photographed closer with a wide angle lens – generally thinner faced people,don’t attempt to use the lens on someone with a round face or someone who has harsh and anglular features, it will only emphasise these facets. In fact it is a good idea to use the longest focal length lens possible with people with harsh features – it helps flatten them out.

My best advice to you is to borrow a friend’s lens and have a play long before you start weighing up what to buy. Often the only real way to know what you need is to try using it and see if you like the results.

I recently purchased a Tokina 12-24mm lens that I thought I was going to use primarily for landscapes. As it t urns out, I use it quite a bit, it allows me to get close and yet see the entire picture so to speak. It’s now my favorite lens to use and I highly reccommend keeping one in your bag.

I’ve got a Sigma 10-20 and I like it most for internal shots in places like churches, or street photography in alleys where sometimes you simply can’t go back any further without having to pass through a wall! The distortion is a bit too much (in my opinion) for candid or people photography. Definitely recommend playing around with it first, depending on how heavily you’re likely to use it (or how much money you have to spare!) the money might be hard to justify. I’m glad I bought mine but in terms of usefulness it doesn’t get used that often!

That said, when it sings, it sings:

I’ve got the Canon 10-22 and I love it but haven’t been using it quite as much recently, been shotting less landscape stuff. Anyway they are great for creating a different perspective on an object and fitting a lot into a photo but they will also make distant object appear very distant and should be used with caution. Also if you are into stitching photos you will generally not be able to stitch wide angle shots.

Anyway some examples:

The great thing about wide angles is you can make a two dimensional image look three dimensional by making small objects in the foreground look huge & large things in the background look tiny. The brain automatically translates this as depth. Its great to be able to create an image that the viewer feels like they can walk into. You can also get a lot more in focus with a smaller aperture which is great for low light photography & landscapes where you want sharpness in the foreground & background. The Sigma 10-20mm lens is awesome value for money but as Ben said above you will get unflattering distortion on the edge of the frame if using it for portraits.

I too love my wide angle lens, a present from my hubby for birthday/Christmas. It’s great to experiment with and I find it so much fun. I created this image from using the wide angle…..

If it’s not too late for this… Press guys often use wideangles ‘up close and personal’, and, nothwithstanding the completely correct comments about distortion in close portraits, you can use a wideangle for portraits too, if you want to create an environmental portrait – perhaps even using the distortion on purpose!

As Adam said, you can change the size relation between foreground and background objects by using different focal lengths. Using a wideangle lens makes everything appear smaller and further away; by getting closer to your subject, it appears larger again, but the background doesn’t get much bigger (in simple terms). Jo’s advice was good as well – if you are unsure about the effects and useage of a wide lens, then borrowing one for a while will allow you to see the effects described above, and perhaps decide whether it suits the kind of work you want to do.

If you want to get a feel for sort of focal length you have been shooting, you could try running something like ExposurePlot to analyse your existing photos. If you find that a lot of you photo’s are at the widest end of your available focal length’s, then it may be an indication that you will make use of a wide angle lens.

This post from Martybugs has a good example of how ExposurePlot can show what sort of focal length’s you are shooting at (about 1/2 way down).

Otherwise, if you don’t have anyone you can borrow a lens off to try, a number of photographic shops will hire out lenses relativly cheaply.

Otherwise, if you don’t have anyone you can borrow a lens off to try, a number of photographic shops will hire out lenses relativly cheaply.

I definitely agree. If you’re not quite sure what lens(es) to buy (and you don’t have friends with those lenses) try hiring a lens or two for a day or two. It’s surprisingly cheap, and it’ll give you a chance to try the lens in different situations, to see if it is really what you want.

wow, thanks so much for the suggestions everyone! these are very helpful. (i actually forgot i posted this until today!) i think i have decided i’m going to get (for a bday gift) a simple wide angle ‘filter’ – and i don’t know the right word but it’s not an actual lens…it just goes on the front of my lens like a filter. i want some wide angle capability but definitely not the extremity of a fisheye…for landscape and architecture and probably some other stuff too. i have around $50 to spend. any other hints would be great…otherwise, i’ll take my newfound knowledge and head over to Adorama or whatever. :)

ok, so here is another question…maybe this is silly. but how is a wide angle lens going to be good for landscapes if it, for example, makes a mountain appear smaller? this sounds like the opposite of the best thing to do. i guess i don’t understand how that is helpful. but i have looked at a million pictures taken with these lenses and i guess they still look wonderful to me. is it essential to have a foreground and ‘background’ to make them ‘work’?

thanks again for your nice comments. and thanks for bearing with me! :)

ps. there is only one place that i know of in my town that rents lenses, and the cost is prohibitive to say the least, at least for me. :( so that’s a great idea but very sadly not an option! i wish it was!!

but how is a wide angle lens going to be good for landscapes if it, for example, makes a mountain appear smaller? this sounds like the opposite of the best thing to do.

In my view it’s about getting that one photo that will stand out from the rest coz it’s “different”.... all about the effects that can be created really. (i’m sure there are different reasons available from everyone on here though!)

As an aside – thanks guys n gals – you just confirmed my thoughts that i want, no, NEED, a wide angle lens for my canon – anyone know of any going at “the right price”?? :D

Anyone know of anywhere in Northern Ireland that hires lenses? (Prob not but it’s worth a try) or anywhere online even?

the Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4 AT-X Pro DX while not as wide as the canon has constant f4 and can be picked up online for under $500(300 euros i saw) gets some good reviews.

ok, so here is another question…maybe this is silly. but how is a wide angle lens going to be good for landscapes if it, for example, makes a mountain appear smaller? this sounds like the opposite of the best thing to do. i guess i don’t understand how that is helpful.

You’re right, it is counter-intuitive, isn’t it? If you just point the lens at a far away mountain, then yes, it will make it appear smaller. The trick is in the composition and framing of the photograph. Take a look at this, one of many wonderful landscapes by Philippe Sainte-Laudy. Notice that the mountains actually do appear very small in terms of the amount of the picture they take up, but there is an incredible sense of depth in the photo created by the inclusion of the close-by rocks and the middle-distance jetty. So even though the mountains are “small” in the photo, they look big and majestic because of the frame of reference provided by the wide-angle lens. If you used a telephoto to make those mountains appear “big” in the frame, the picture would (most likely) be much more boring.

Hope this helps, cheers, prbimages.