| |
|
|
Wide-Angle Lenses
Did you know that you could dramatically widen your
photographic horizons by using wide-angle lenses? Wide-angle lenses are
truly exciting to use and are my favorite of all I lenses.
A wide-angle lens will alter depth-of-field and perspective and give you
a picture quite unlike what a normal or telephoto lens will produce. In
short, it's a lens that "sees" more, taking in a wider expanse
than other lenses.
There are several advantages to the wide-angle lens. First is the increase
in depth-of-field ---the zone of sharpness realized in the final picture.
A 28 mm lens [moderate wide-angle] at an aperture of f/Q will produce
a depth-of-field from five feet to infinity. In contrast, a normal 50
mm lens, properly focused, will give you a depth-of-field of about 20
feet to infinity. This means that with the wide-angle lens more of what
you see in the viewfinder will be sharp and in focus.
Going even wider, a l7mm lens (super wide-angle] at f/16 will produce
an astounding depth-of-field of l0 inches to infinity. This means that
if light conditions enable you to shoot at f/16, you never have to focus
the camera as long as you are at least l0 inches from the subject!
Second, you can get by with much slower shutter speeds with a wide-angle
lens, a nice advantage when light is limited. The "rule" is
that a lens can be handheld at the shutter speed closest to its focal
length. Therefore a 28mm lens can be safely hand-held at l/30 second and
a 17mm lens can be held at 1/15 second. With slow speed film, low-level
light, and a desire to maximize depth-of-field, this can be quite an advantage.
Try shooting a normal or telephoto lens at these shutter speeds and see
your shaky results!
Many photographers ask about distortion, the bending of light rays characteristic
of wide-angle lenses. Buildings will curve upwards and some subjects may
begin to look unreal. It happens, and there may be situations when distortion
is undesirable.
But the inherent distortion of wide-angle lenses can be turned into one
of your biggest advantages. Selective distortion can be a plus. Strength,
drama, and excitement can be added to your photographs through proper
use of distortion.
Creatively used, distortion can emphasize certain parts of a picture and
can give a photograph an artistic quality no other lens can produce. Sweeping
foregrounds and bold subject framing are easily attainable. And you can
deliberately exploit the wide-angle lens' tendency to exaggerate the size
of close objects at the expense of distant ones.
Wide-angle lenses will produce photographs for you that are truly unique.
|
|
