wide angle photos

[Azylum]

those of you what have spent good money on wide angle lenses, what do you think? how often do you actually use it? the reason i ask is because i cant really afford to spend five hundred dollars on something im rarely gonna use, but they look oh so sweet. could you post some of your own pics for me to see? also, what other lenses would you guys recommend getting? i already have a 75-300. :mrgreen: and how do you guys get those awesome close ups of flowers, bugs, etc. i tried with my factory lens but if i got too close i couldnt focus it.

[dukey33]

Get a shorter zoom. Like a 28-105. The 28 is as much wide as you'll likely ever use. Any more and you're bordering on a fisheye lens.

That range of focal length you will also find is all you use for 90-95% of your pictures. So it's advisable to get a good one.

For close ups, you need to go to macro mode. Some zoom lenses have this feature. Some shutterbugs will say get a separate macro lens for best results.

[Azylum]

ya i had it on macro but just couldnt get it to focus.

[M38A1]

Start building a relationship with your local camera store and rent one to see how you like it. I'd much rather spend $25 to see if I enjoyed it, or use for a special purpose before I spent the coin on purchase. But that's just me....

[gixxerjasen]

ya i had it on macro but just couldnt get it to focus.Depends on the macro. I have macro on my Tamron 75-300 and I can get up close shots, but have to still be far away while doing it. Also switching to manual focus seems to help as my D70 doesn't seem to do too well with the auto focus and the macro function.

A dedicated macro lens will work soooooo much better, but those aren't cheap either.

Here's one I did of a rusty worm gear on a wrench I did with my old Canon G2 that had built in macro.

http://www.leanangle.com/pictures/tlzone/wrench.jpg

[dukey33]

I took a macro class with LLU and was taught to shoot from a tripod as much as possible. When in macro, the depth of field is very shallow and the smallest movements will cause blur due to the magnification. Always manual focus and you may have to move your camera closer or further to get at the right distance for the macro.

I've yet to figure out exactly what a macro filter does. :scratch:

[Tim Kreitz]

Wide-angle lenses, like any other lens system, can be used for both practical and artistic applications. You need to assess your style and subject interests, then ask yourself how you would use one.

That said, a good wide-angle lens and a good macro should be part of any serious photog's camera bag. But I do understand that price and practicality are always an issue for the casual hobbyist.

As for macro shooting, another option is to have a smaller, inexpensive camera that's geared toward specific macro applications.

These are stills I took with my little Insignia HD camera. It has three preset macros that can be customized. These are medium shots:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/TimKreitz/nature/Jan09Ice26.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/TimKreitz/nature/Jan09Ice27.jpg

[gixxerjasen]

Tim, that first shot I was thinking "Dang that's some serious orange peel, hope they didn't pay much for that paint job" and then I realized what I was looking at! :mrgreen:

[Skillet]

Get a shorter zoom. Like a 28-105. The 28 is as much wide as you'll likely ever use. Any more and you're bordering on a fisheye lens.


You talking 35mm film here? Even so, 28mm is not very wide. My favorite film wide angle was a 21mm.

If you are talking typical DSLR, then a 28mm isn't even a wide angle at all.

Unfortunately, the superwide zooms for the DSLRs are expensive, but my 12-24 is one of my most-used lenses.

Here is a shot at 13mm (which is equivalent to a 19mm in film):

http://billit.smugmug.com/photos/470089719_T3pnM-M.jpg

Cheers,

Ben

[gixxerjasen]

You also have to remember that on most cameras, the size of the sensor isn't the same size as a piece of 35mm film. Many lenses are interchangeable and aren't digital specific. This will change your effective zoom.

*from the interweb*

On a Nikon DSLR, a 28 mm lens is the "35 mm equivalent" of a 42 mm lens. On most Canon DSLR's, the same 28 mm lens is the equivalent of a 45 mm lens.

[dukey33]

You talking 35mm film here? Even so, 28mm is not very wide. My favorite film wide angle was a 21mm.

If you are talking typical DSLR, then a 28mm isn't even a wide angle at all.

Ben

Ooops! Thanks for the correction! :thumb:

[Tim Kreitz]

Tim, that first shot I was thinking "Dang that's some serious orange peel, hope they didn't pay much for that paint job" and then I realized what I was looking at! :mrgreen:

LOL. :lol2:

[Azylum]

You talking 35mm film here? Even so, 28mm is not very wide. My favorite film wide angle was a 21mm.

If you are talking typical DSLR, then a 28mm isn't even a wide angle at all.

Unfortunately, the superwide zooms for the DSLRs are expensive, but my 12-24 is one of my most-used lenses.

Here is a shot at 13mm (which is equivalent to a 19mm in film):

http://billit.smugmug.com/photos/470089719_T3pnM-M.jpg

Cheers,

Ben

that is a very nice pic.:clap:

ya im gonna be using this more for artistic purposes than anything else. and i didnt even realize you could rent lenses, thanks for the heads up on that! lots of good info here guys i really appreciate it!!:mrgreen:

[bung]

I bought the Sigma 10-20 while I was in NYC and it has replaced my Tamron 17-50 as my walk around lens. I have a Sony A700 which has a cropped sensor. Here are some shots from NYC. These were all shot at 10mm.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/3204754435_8d3612e67d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bungtriple/3204754435/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3493/3204756191_5bf9599985.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bungtriple/3204756191/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3473/3205603230_aa72eb79d0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bungtriple/3205603230/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3118/3204754821_3e7ac9365d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bungtriple/3204754821/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3201371971_9a080ffbae.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bungtriple/3201371971/)

[Azylum]

very nice indeed. how much did that lens run you?