Using an Ultra-Wide Angle Lens - alex silva

You’re probably familiar with a Normal, as well as a Wide angle lens but, how about an Ultra-Wide angle lens? Here’s how to use it and why you should try it at least once.

What Are Those?

As you know, wide angle lenses are those with a focal length that’s shorter than the Normal, for a specific sensor size. You may even have a zoom kit lens, which covers a range from wide angle to telephoto. On the wide angle side, it’s helpful to shoot landscapes, but if you try to shoot interiors, you may find it limited.

That’s where ultra-wide angle lenses come in handy. They usually are shorter than 24mm equivalent (16mm in APS-C, 12mm in M43) and provide a viewing angle of 74 degres or more. We shouldn’t confuse them with Fish-eye lenses, which also have very wide viewing angles, but they also distort the image creating a circular form. Ultra-wide angle lenses don’t distort the image as much, keeping straight lines reasonably straight.

Why Should You Use Them?

One major example or situation for you to use an ultra-wide angle lems is, as mentioned before, shooting house interiors, whether your shooting architecture, interior design, real estate, etc.

If you want to shoot a car’s dashboard, stunning architecture or an impactful cityscape, ultra-wide angle lenses are for you. You can also use them to shoot environmental portraits.

Now that you have a better understanding of what an ultra-wide angle lens is and what to use it for, you probably want to get one. If that is the case, be prepared for some variations in price, but I compiled a list of lenses which are well reviewed and reasonably priced, both zoom and fixed focal length.