The ultra-wide angle lens is an essential part of a photographer’s kit, and for good reason. They’re fun to use, and if you’ve ever wanted to take pictures of a larger area without anyone in it, they’re great. They’re also great for showing scale in your photos, which can really add impact.
What is an ultra-wide lens?
An ultra-wide lens is a type of wide-angle lens with a focal length of 50mm or wider.
The focal length refers to the distance between the camera and the image plane. The focal length tells you the size of the subject.
You can’t see the actual physical focal length, but you can calculate it based on the width and height of the photo. For example, a photo of the Eiffel Tower in Paris is taken from a distance of around 100m. This gives you a focal length of around 80mm.
If you want to find the focal length of your camera, you can measure the width and height of the photo in the camera’s manual. Alternatively, you can use an app to measure the image and find the focal length.
Wide-angle lenses are often described as having a wide angle of view and a short focal length. As the focal length gets shorter, the angle of view widens and the amount of distortion increases. A lens with a shorter focal length creates a wide, shallow depth of field.
What are the benefits of ultra-wide lenses?
Wide lenses can take photos from a distance
Ultra-wide lenses are great for photographing people or scenery from a distance. With such a wide angle of view you can capture the full body of your subject and create a composition that shows your subject against the background.
Wider is better
Wider lenses can be used to create a greater depth of field – a situation where objects appear sharper as they get closer to the camera. This is great for portraits where you want to blur out the background and create the effect of a photograph taken from a few feet away.
Sharpness isn’t the only factor
A wider lens can allow you to use shallow focus, but not always. A lens with a narrower angle of view will still produce a shallower depth of field than a lens with a wider angle of view. It’s not just about the angle of view though, other factors also come into play when choosing the right lens, including aperture, focal length, and price.
It’s not all about the view
Wide lenses are often associated with landscapes, which means they are often used for taking photos of scenes that are far away. However, a wide-angle lens can be just as effective for capturing close-up subjects, especially when you zoom in. You can use this technique to create a picture of something that is relatively small, but look bigger. This is a useful technique for creating images of small items such as stamps, jewelry, coins, or postcards.
It’s a great creative tool
A wide angle lens can be used to show more of a scene than you would be able to achieve using a normal lens. For example, a wide angle lens can be used to create an abstract painting by leaving more of the white space around an object. This helps add more dimension to the picture and the viewer has to work harder to interpret what the photo is showing.
You can get creative
Ultra-wide lenses are very flexible and can be used to produce a wide range of creative effects. They allow you to get creative with composition and the final product is unique to you.
They Can Make You Look Like a Pro
The ultra-wide angle lens is one of the best ways to make yourself look like a pro photographer even if you aren’t one yet. With this type of lens, you can take pictures that have a huge amount of background in them without having to spend hours editing them out later on. This can make your photographs stand out from others in an online portfolio or photo gallery because they will look more professional than if they were shot with a standard zoom lens. This can attract clients who want high quality images but don’t want to pay high prices for them either!
They Take Great Landscape Photos
Landscape photos are one of my favorite things to shoot with my wide angle lenses because they allow me to get so much into the picture without having to take multiple shots or edit later on.
Ultra-wide lenses are great for landscapes, architecture, and even for portraits. They are also extremely versatile and can be used in a wide range of situations.
Ultra-wide lenses have a very wide angle of view, which means that they can capture more of the scene than other types of lenses. This is especially important when you’re shooting in tight spaces or where you don’t have much room to move around in. Ultra-wide lenses also help you get closer to your subject without having to crop your image later on.
Because ultra-wides allow you to capture so much of the scene in front of you, they can help you tell a story instead of just showing one moment in time. With them, you can show how things relate to each other or how they change over time.
Ultra-wides are great for indoor photography as well as outdoor photography because they allow you to see more of the room around your subject and make it seem bigger than it actually is (especially if there is no ceiling). You can also use them for portraits because they make people look thinner by making their faces take up less space on the frame (although this effect isn’t always desired).
Ultra Wide Lenses Have Low Distortion
Distortion is created when parts of an image appear stretched or bent out of shape due to the lens’ optical limitations (or distortions). An ultra wide angle lens will typically have less distortion than other types of lenses.