Ultra wide angle lenses

[Hans Deventer]

Does anybody have any experience with wide angle lenses? Real wide angle I mean, digital that would be around 10-20mm, in 35mm format, 15-30mm. I'm not talking about a fish-eye lens!

I saw some landscape pictures the other day, taken with such a lens, that I thought were pretty awesome. But it seems to me you have to develop an "eye" for shooting with that kind of lens, and I wonder if I'll use it all that often.

Any experiences, comments?

[Jonathan Long]

Hans,

I've got a 12-24mm Nikon lens. It's a wonderful lens when you really need depth of field or are in tight quarters. You do need to get used to shooting a lens that wide, it requires you to think more about your shot.

I just shot my daughters first track meet and I used my Sigma 22-60mm for some of the shots- I setup right next to the track, low to the ground and shot the runners as they went by. I also used it at the long jump pit- I had the jumpers coming towards me with me laying on the ground at the far end of the pit. Then I move to the launching board and shot them as they were jumping away from me (again a very low angle).

I'll post them later for you to see.

An ultrawide lens takes the ability to see your picture from a unique perspective and that is something most people need to develop. If you decide to purchase... it will take a while for you to get used to the lens, so don't give up too early!

Jon

[Jonathan Long]

Hans,

I forgot to mention I was using my Kodak 14N.... that's a full frame sensor, so the Sigma would be considered an ultra wide angle...

Jon

[Hans Deventer]

Jon,

I found one 2nd hand and bought the Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM today. The guy who sold it lived pretty close and in a nice area too, so we went out and took a walk and some pictures. I'll need to experiment with it some more, that much seems obvious :rolleyes:

[Jonathan Long]

Hans,

The one thing that will become apparent quickly is that if you want one item in your photo to stand out - you really need to get close to it.

I'm sure that you'll have fun with this lens!

Were the reviews good? I never looked.

Jon

[Hans Deventer]

Hans,

The one thing that will become apparent quickly is that if you want one item in your photo to stand out - you really need to get close to it.

Yes, I did notice :laughing

Were the reviews good? I never looked.

I've read quite some. Most reviews were good, though it seems that initially, there have examples that had mechanical problems.