# What do you use your wide angle lens for?



## Ripley (Sep 19, 2014)

I've been wanting to try a wide angle lens for some time now. Obviously the new 16-35mm f4 IS is regarded as a great lens with great IQ so that's the one I'm currently considering buying. 

A lot of the wide angle lens info and pictures on the net is about landscape, which won't be my primary usage. I often find that 24mm isn't wide enough for capturing groups of people, especially in confined spaces. Would having an UWA zoom in my kit be a good thing? What do you use your wide angle lens for other than landscapes?


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 19, 2014)

I recently sold my 16-35/2.8L II, since for my general shooting 24mm is wide enough. Where I need the UWA is mainly architecture, I considered the 16-35/4L IS for increased sharpness over the f/2.8, but decided on the TS-E 17mm (I already have the TS-E 24 II). 

If you need to use a UWA for groups of people, distortion can be a problem. I'd recommend looking into DxO's software which corrects for volume anamorphosis.


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## BL (Sep 19, 2014)

UWA for groups of people can be tricky, and that's not what I used to use my 16-35 for. Often times, folks at the edges of the frame can come out distorted, making them look wider than they should.


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## Khalai (Sep 19, 2014)

Ripley said:


> I've been wanting to try a wide angle lens for some time now. Obviously the new 16-35mm f4 IS is regarded as a great lens with great IQ so that's the one I'm currently considering buying.
> 
> A lot of the wide angle lens info and pictures on the net is about landscape, which won't be my primary usage. I often find that 24mm isn't wide enough for capturing groups of people, especially in confined spaces. Would having an UWA zoom in my kit be a good thing? What do you use your wide angle lens for other than landscapes?



Even at 24mm, people can look distorted, when they are on the edge. 16-24mm could turn them into monsters from the black hole event. horizon


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## Ripley (Sep 19, 2014)

Thank you for the replies! I suspect that going wider than 24mm might not be that beneficial for me...


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## tomscott (Sep 19, 2014)

A lot of people use them for landscape, but since owning the 16-35MKII I tend to shoot longer. Filling the frame with as much as possible is great but it also makes things further away. I find the wider end of mid tele better as you get a little more compression so its more like what your eye sees, somewhere like 35mm.

If your careful then and don't shoot to the extreme of 16mm more like 20-24mm it can still be used quite nicely for groups of people, and 20 compared to 24mm is quite a difference, used it on occasion for event shooting.

Although I did shoot a few Panos at 16mm pretty happy with the results.



Haweswater Reservoir, Corpse Road, Cumbria by TomScottPhoto, on Flickr

16-35mm is really useful for indoor photography in tight spaces. I also find the 16-35mm useful for night sky scenes.


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## AcutancePhotography (Sep 19, 2014)

BL said:


> UWA for groups of people can be tricky, and that's not what I used to use my 16-35 for. Often times, folks at the edges of the frame can come out distorted, making them look wider than they should.



So just put the skinny people at the ends and the fat people in the center. ;D


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## Ripley (Sep 19, 2014)

tomscott said:


> A lot of people use them for landscape, but since owning the 16-35MKII I tend to shoot longer. Filling the frame with as much as possible is great but it also makes things further away. I find the wider end of mid tele better as you get a little more compression so its more like what your eye sees, somewhere like 35mm.
> 
> If your careful then and don't shoot to the extreme of 16mm more like 20-24mm it can still be used quite nicely for groups of people, and 20 compared to 24mm is quite a difference, used it on occasion for event shooting.
> 
> ...



Gorgeous photo. Thanks for the input!


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## Jesse (Sep 19, 2014)

Cats


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## mrsfotografie (Sep 19, 2014)

Exaggerated perspective. If you think the main application of a wide angle lens is to 'get it all in', you've missed the point. Watch a Bollywood movie and you'll know what I mean. A wide angle lens is the ultimate tool to add 'drama'.


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## mrsfotografie (Sep 19, 2014)

tomscott said:


> Although I did shoot a few Panos at 16mm pretty happy with the results.



A 24mm can give the same results and higher effective resolution if you stitch a panorama. You're cropping off the top and bottom that give the real wide angle effect.


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## mackguyver (Sep 19, 2014)

Don't buy one "to get it all in" the frame as they saying goes. Wide angles are tricky to use (esp. below 20mm), but once you get them, they result in really dramatic shots. A quick Google search pulled up a lot of links - I took a look through them and here are the better ones that you might find helpful:

http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0403/dw0403-1.html

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/wide-angle-lenses.htm

http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/wide-angle-lenses

http://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/mastering-wide-angle-photography--photo-9243

http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/3892/5-uses-for-a-wide-angle-lens/

http://www.trilliumphotoclub.org/Tutorials/Wide%20Angle%20Lens.html


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## mrsfotografie (Sep 19, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> Don't buy one "to get it all in"



I beat you to it


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## Eldar (Sep 19, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> , but decided on the TS-E 17mm (I already have the TS-E 24 II).


Congratulations on that one! That is a phenomenal lens you´ll never regret to have in your portfolio!

I also agree on your 24mm comment. When you go wider than that with people, you get too much distortion and people look Baaad. Yes, you can fix part of it in post, but still ... 

The attached is a Horrible image, but it kind of proves the point. The guy on the right and lady on the left will not pay money for this. They would probably paid for making sure it was deleted for ever ... You can get loads of interesting images with people in though, but then you need to have the people close to center and use the wide angle to show environment.

This the 16-35 f2.8L II @16mm


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## privatebydesign (Sep 19, 2014)

You can use the T/S lenses to put people on the edge of the frame with no distortion in wide and ultrawide images. Just shift away from the person and reframe, that way they are at the center of the image circle but the edge of the frame.


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## Harv (Sep 19, 2014)

I shoot a lot of motocross and sometimes like to get right on the edge of the track on an inside or outside corner and use 'WA' to give a little distortion to add impact. However, I'm usually shooting around 32 - 35 mm.

















I don't know if this is of any help, but it's how I normally use it.


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## Marsu42 (Sep 19, 2014)

Ripley said:


> I've been wanting to try a wide angle lens for some time now. Obviously the new 16-35mm f4 IS is regarded as a great lens with great IQ so that's the one I'm currently considering buying.



Though there is little bokeh on uwa, this is the very reason why you should at least consider buying a f2.8 uwa (or waiting for the 16-35L replacement) because it can make the difference between no noticeable background blur to visible object-background separation... unless you're only doing landscape with infinite dof.



Ripley said:


> often find that 24mm isn't wide enough for capturing groups of people, especially in confined spaces. Would having an UWA zoom in my kit be a good thing?



That's correct and it was the primary reason for buying the 17-40L: 24mm is not wide enough for exactly what you described, and when you're on a paid job you simply have to get the shot no matter what (distortion).



Ripley said:


> What do you use your wide angle lens for other than landscapes?



I'm using it for wildlife, 24mm on ff is already wide and 17mm is not *that* much of a difference, but it can be the difference between simple, boring wide angle and a more interesting effect shot.


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## Eldar (Sep 19, 2014)

privatebydesign said:


> You can use the T/S lenses to put people on the edge of the frame with no distortion in wide and ultrawide images. Just shift away from the person and reframe, that way they are at the center of the image circle but the edge of the frame.


Agree, but that takes more than one afternoon´s worth of practice


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## c.d.embrey (Sep 19, 2014)

*Wide-angle lenses are not for the timid!* If you want to shoot the same-old boring photos as everyone else, stay away from wide-angle lenses 

If you are adventurous here are some wide-angle portrait sites 

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/wideangle-portraits-1415

http://improvephotography.com/250/wide-angle-portraits/

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/03/21/wide-angle-portraits-how-to-use-your-wide-angle-lens-to-caricature-your-friends/

http://www.studioonashoestring.com/410/wide-angle-lenses-are-for-portraits-too-tutorial/

Here's Bing's Image Page for wideiangle group portraits http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=wide-angle+group+portraits&id=9C10E9DF8DBFAA132A5BE2CD1D0064357C3A77F2&FORM=IQFRBA#a

Hope this helps. Have fun with distortion


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## Jesse (Sep 19, 2014)

I was serious about cats. I'm buying the 24mm 1.4 L II next month basically just for cat photos. Great background blur and distorted perspective makes them look cuter. 

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jesseherzog/11111152564" title="Come Closer by Jesse Herzog, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3708/11111152564_e1afe6efe9_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="Come Closer"></a>


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## Don Haines (Sep 19, 2014)

I use mine for bird photography....

The red arrows point to Great Egrets, the blue arrow points to a Great Blue Heron, the green arrow points to a cormorant, and the purple arrows point to some mallard ducks.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 19, 2014)

My 15mm FE, 17mm Tokina Prime and Canon 16-35mm L generally are used to add weight to my camera bag, so I can hang it under my tripod for extra stability.


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## Eldar (Sep 19, 2014)

Don Haines said:


> I use mine for bird photography....
> 
> The red arrows point to Great Egrets, the blue arrow points to a Great Blue Heron, the green arrow points to a cormorant, and the purple arrows point to some mallard ducks.


@
;D


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## jrista (Sep 19, 2014)

I like to get really close up detail while at the same capturing far expansive views in my landscapes. I use the 16-35mm f/2.8 L II (which actually isn't all that sharp in the corners, and I usually stop it down pretty far for landscapes, so the 16-35 f/4 L should really be better):


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## Don Haines (Sep 19, 2014)

and a bit more seriously.... I use it for panoramas too. Put the camera in portrait mode and snap off a dozen shots and stitch them together for a really wide view without horrendous distortion....


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## Jules (Sep 19, 2014)

Hi,
Hope not too much off topic as mine is 10-22 on APS-C, but still UWA 
Of course i use mine for landscapes, but also i love it for architecture (and not having FF yet, i unfortunately can't get the lovely TS ones ...), but i love it for inside buildings ... as well as startrails 
Here couple of shots ("quick and dirty" SOOC JPG i dig from my pool, too lazy for getting the RAW sources ...), i would suggest you have a look at the forum topics on 10-22 (APC UWA) and 16-35, which can show you a lot of amazing pictures ...


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## DominoDude (Sep 19, 2014)

Don Haines said:


> I use mine for bird photography....
> 
> The red arrows point to Great Egrets, the blue arrow points to a Great Blue Heron, the green arrow points to a cormorant, and the purple arrows point to some mallard ducks.



Haha So that's how to prolong the life of the shutter. Press once, and still get 8 birds.

Actually, WA can be used for birding. Look at what Brutus Östling has done here with a UWA -> http://polarfokus.no/?page_id=1056 (Just scroll down a little bit to see an Albatross that is rather close.)


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## Omni Images (Sep 20, 2014)

Sport shots.
I also shoot a lot of landscape with my 35 1.4L in portrait and stitch with my 1D4.
Wide also for say night star pics or dramatic cloud formations perhaps.
Most of these taken with the 14 F2.8LII, I also have a 17-40 F4
I usually use the 14mm on my 1D4 in the housing, or for skate shots, as you sometimes need the 10fps, other wise I use the 17-40 on my 5DII


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## jdramirez (Sep 20, 2014)

For profit... I buy cheap used and sell for some fat cash... 

I tried wide... a few times and it just isn't for me, though I can appreciate others liking it.


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## candc (Sep 20, 2014)

Jesse said:


> I was serious about cats. I'm buying the 24mm 1.4 L II next month basically just for cat photos. Great background blur and distorted perspective makes them look cuter.
> 
> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jesseherzog/11111152564" title="Come Closer by Jesse Herzog, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3708/11111152564_e1afe6efe9_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="Come Closer"></a>



You are right. The best cat pictures I have seen were taken with the 24ii. I have been pondering that lens. Your shots might just push me into ordering one. I really like the 24mm fl lot.


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## Hjalmarg1 (Sep 21, 2014)

Ripley said:


> Thank you for the replies! I suspect that going wider than 24mm might not be that beneficial for me...



I have both the 16-35 f/4L IS and 24-70 f/2.8L(I) and I find myself using a lot the 16-35 rather than the 24-70 because 24mm distortion is higher on 24-70 than on 16-35 and 16-35 is sharper. I avoid shooting group of people in the 16-20mm range though.


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## dash2k8 (Sep 23, 2014)

Me has two Tokina 11-16mm's for my APS-C bodies. They are great for interior shots. Also great for outdoors when you want to make something look huge (excellent for architectural ads, outdoor sports). As mentioned, the ultra wides are not useful for group pictures because those on the edges will be deformed.


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## mrsfotografie (Sep 23, 2014)

Tight spaces! ;D

5D3 + Samyang 14mm:


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## NWPhil (Sep 23, 2014)

mackguyver said:


> Don't buy one "to get it all in" the frame as they saying goes. Wide angles are tricky to use (esp. below 20mm), but once you get them, they result in really dramatic shots. A quick Google search pulled up a lot of links - I took a look through them and here are the better ones that you might find helpful:
> 
> http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0403/dw0403-1.html
> 
> ...


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## Helios68 (Sep 24, 2014)

I own the duo 700D and EF-S 10-22mm.
If find that it is quite a good lens and I use it for a lot of different situations:
-Architecture (of course)
-Landscape (of course), usually with a pol filter
-Street photography. It induces quite an interesting tension/distortion in my pictures, especially at 10mm. I love the dynamic it produces.
-Portrait with environment around subject. But 22mm is quite a "must".
-Inside museum. For example I've visited the Pergamon in Berlin. I found really funny all the people with narrower angles trying to photograph the temples inside the building. It was barely possible at 10mm but I did it ;D

Regards


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## mwh1964 (Sep 25, 2014)

Use to get really close and wide or for landscape. The 16-35 f4 is indeed a very fine lens.


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