How To Use A Wide Angle Lens
This Paradise Harbor image shows how to use a wide angle lens.
This photo of my friend Heidi, above spectacular Paradise Harbor in Antarctica, shows how to use a wide angle lens.
Heidi was a customer on an Aurora Expeditions photography tour I co-ran with my friend and colleague David Burren.
After slugging my way to the top of the hill above Paradise Harbor I had two remaining goals in mind.
I wanted to photograph the spectacular landscape
I wanted to be able to create a lasting visual record for some of my new friends of their Paradise Harbor adventure
Once I got to the top I was able to make a few quick environmental portraits of other members of the tour before making this photo of Heidi as she made her way down the slope in the best way possible.
And let me tell you the slide down was a hoot and a whole lot easier than the slog upwards.
As I was one of the last up the hill perhaps it's time I thanked folks, by which I mean their derrière's, for making by own way back down nice and smooth.
Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photography
A wide angle lens is usually the best option for landscape photography.
As you can see from the photo at the top of this post a wide angle shot is the best way to showcase the space and depth of an expansive landscape like Paradise Harbor.
The trick to using a wide angle lens is to first understand the potential compromises associated with wider focal lengths.
So the lesson is, wherever possible, to include an important focal point or subject in the near foreground whenever you're making photos with a wide angle lens.
Move a few steps back and that subject appears significantly further away and, as a consequence, its importance will likely diminish.
As a case in point the above photo was made with a Canon 24-105 mm f/4 zoom lens, at 24 mm, on a full frame Canon camera.
Back in the day a 24 mm focal length was considered, by many, as a classic wide angle lens. In some ways that's no longer the case when that lens is used on most modern DSLR cameras.
To understand what is a wide angle lens study this image.
What is a Wide Angle Lens?
Put simply a wide angle lens showcases more of the scene than a standard or telephoto lens.
A telephoto lens might allow you to concentrate attention on a single tree, or even a leaf.
Conversely a wide angle lens, used from the same location, might allow you to include a stand of trees, a foreground lake and some of the sky above in your composition.
Take a look at this image of a pool in a beautifully designed garden in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg is a beautiful destination and a wonderful city to explore on foot.
What I particularly like about this photo is how the use of a wide angle lens has exaggerated the foreground space and allowed me to use the lines on either side of the pond to lead the eye into the frame.
Let's summarize, in simple speak, some essential aspects associated with wide angle lenses used on today's DSLR and mirrorless cameras.
The shorter a lens's focal length (e.g., 24 mm as opposed to 200 mm) the wider the angle of view displayed within the camera's viewfinder and, as a consequence, the more of the scene that's recorded.
The longer the lens (e.g., 200 mm) the narrow the angle of view it displays.
The larger the camera's sensor the more of the scene (i.e., top, bottom, left and right) that's recorded.
The shorter the focal length (e.g., 24 mm) the smaller and further away distant subjects (e.g., mountains) appear.
The shorter the focal length (e.g., 24 mm) the larger and more dominate the near foreground appears.
The shorter the lens (e.g., 24 mm) the greater the sense of three dimensional space in the image.
The longer the lens (e.g., 200 mm) the greater the impression of compression between foreground and background and, as a consequence, the more two dimensional the image appears.
Wide Angle Photography
There’s lots of interesting applications that are ideally suited to wide angle photography. Here’s such a few examples of where a wide view can produce striking results.
Environmental portrait
Full length portrait
Group photo
Landscape photography
Architectural photography
It’s usually the case that, when you purchase a DSLR or Mirrorless camera, it comes with what’s known as a kit lens.
In most cases that kit lens is actually a zoom lens that covers a range of focal lengths from a general purpose wide angle lens up to the beginning of the telephoto range that’s well suited to portrait photography.
Wide angle Canon lens used to depict Joe in an Aussie pub.
Wide Angle Canon Lens
There are a number of great quality Canon wide angle lenses on the market.
I particularly like the 24 mm focal length and I’ve owned both a Canon 24 mm f/1.4 fixed lens and the versatile Canon 24-105 mm f/4 zoom lens.
I made this photo of Joe, illuminated by window light, at 24 mm.
By moving in close I was able to render Joe quite large in the frame and still show a lot of the environment in which I’ve placed him through the use of a Canon wide angle focal length.
A Canon wide angle zoom lens would be a great addition to your camera kit if you’re keen on exploring environmental portraits, architecture or landscape photography.
the Right Camera for Landscape Photography?
These days most DSLR photographers use APS-C sensor cameras.
The physically smaller size of these sensors, when compared to full frame sensors or 35 mm film-based cameras, changes the effective focal length of the lens attached.
Most Nikon and Sony DSLR cameras have a sensor that's half the size of a full frame camera.
That means you are effectively recording your image onto a much smaller canvas than would be the case with a full frame DSLR or 35 mm film-based camera.
As a consequence a significant amount of the surrounding scene (top, bottom, left and right), that would normally have been part of your composition when photographed with a full frame or 35 mm film-based camera, is cropped out by the smaller APS-C sensor camera.
By the way most Canon DSLR cameras have a sensor that is slightly smaller again, albeit only by a tiny amount.
But the goddess of photography is not entirely cruel. I like to think that, while she takes with one hand, she gives back with the other.
Oh Joy, It's Maths Time
To obtain the same framing, when standing in exactly the same place, as I did to make the above photo with my full frame Canon (or an equivalent full frame Nikon or Sony) camera,
Similarly, Nikon and Sony folks employing an APS-C sensor camera would have to use a 16 mm focal length.
That's 16 mm x 1.5 to arrive at 24 mm, a 50% increase in effective focal length.
As the cropping factor associated with Canon APS-C sensors is 1.6x a slightly wider lens would be required to achieve the equivalent 24 mm focal length.
It’s simply a matter of working out what number multiplied by the 1.6 cropping factor would achieve an equivalent 24 mm focal length.
How Does this Effect You
As most lenses are still made with full frame and 35 mm film-based cameras in mind the actual focal length of the lens, when attached to a common APS-C DSLR or mirrorless camera, is no longer relevant.
What you need to be concerned with is the effective focal length that eventuates as a consequence of the in-camera cropping that occurs on all cameras incorporating APS-C or smaller sized sensors.
The reality is that most folks don't realize this is even happening because the image they see in their viewfinder closely matches the image that is recorded onto their camera's sensor.
It's only when they compare camera views or final images, made with full frame cameras, that this significant difference in coverage is evident.
Just remember that a significant amount of the scene, that's projected through the lens, is being cropped (i.e., cut) from the image that's recorded onto an APS-C or smaller sensor.
How Do You Feel Now?
I'm sorry if, after reading the above explanation, you feel confused, annoyed or disappointed.
Please don't be angry with me. I'm just the messenger. I didn't create the problem, but am working hard to help make sense of it for you.
And remember, the goddess of photography deals out the cards equally.
The fact is with an APS-C or Micro Four Thirds camera you, potentially, both win and lose.
There's no doubt the larger viewfinder image associated with a full frame camera makes critical composition easier.
It also makes it easier to see, in the case of a portrait, that your subject has a pleasing expression and/or open eyes prior to you releasing the camera’s shutter.
Yet Hope Remains While the Company is True
You do loose on the wide angle end with APS-C and Micro Four Thirds size sensors. However, more and more lenses are being manufactured to help overcome this problem.
Take the kit lens that comes with most APS-C DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Perhaps it's an 18-55mm focal length.
Those numbers refer to the lens's actual focal length, but you need to do the math (e.g., maths for folks from Australia and the UK) to determine its effective focal length on your camera.
Let's stay with Nikon and Sony, as the math is easier.
The 1.5x cropping factor associated with your 18-55 mm kit lens produces an effective focal length of around 27 mm to 82.5 mm.
Now, what does that mean.
Well, again, you lose on the wide angle end. What is a very wide angle lens (i.e., 18 mm) actually produces an angle of view similar to that associated with a general purpose (i.e., 28 mm) wide angle lens on your APS-C camera.
Now, before the tears flow, here's the good news.
By cropping out a significant amount from the edges of the scene the APS-C sensor provides the impression that your lens is, in the case of Nikon and Sony APS-C sensor cameras, 50% more powerful than it actually is.
In this case the 55 mm focal length gives the impression that you've photographed with a 82.5 mm (let’s just round that off to 85 mm approx.) lens.
So you see, while you lose on the wide angle side of the ledger, you definitely win on the telephoto end.
So there's no silliness regarding brands it's important to understand that with the slightly smaller Canon APS-C sensor you loose a little more on the wide-angle end and, therefore, win slightly more on the telephoto end of the scale than with its Nikon or Sony APS-C counterparts.
But, as these differences are slight, I wouldn't be basing a camera purchase on the difference in size between APS-C sensors from brand to brand.
What Does This Mean To You?
If you photograph a lot of landscape and architectural subjects then it’s likely that most of your photos will be made with a wide angle lens.
If that’s the case you might be better off with a full frame camera.
If, on the other hand, you photograph predominantly sports, wildlife and candid portraiture you'd likely enjoy the benefits associated with the impression of increased magnification that’s associated with a common APS-C sensor camera.
Just remember, when employing an APS-C sensor camera, that the image projected through the lens is being cropped.
There is no actual optical magnification associated with the smaller sensor cameras.
At the end of the day the camera that most folks buy is determined, at least in part, by budget.
The sensor is, by far, the most expensive component of a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
The smaller the sensor the cheaper the camera is likely to be.
It's this fact that has seen a steady decline in the price of most modern DSLR cameras over the years.
Together with the other advantages associated with digital photography, this has resulted in a proliferation of enthusiast photographers worldwide.
Just be aware that, if you're looking to specialize in one particular area of photography, your ability to make the images you want to can be adversely affected by the camera you purchase.
Therefore, as part of your purchase decision, it's important to understand the benefits and potential compromises associated with APS-C, mirrorless and full frame cameras.
I have a major publication designed to help you with the purchase of a DSLR or mirrorless camera. It will be available, through this site, in the next few months.
Please stayed tuned!
