What is a wide angle lens used for? In dual chambers

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of working with wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses. Typical techniques when shooting with such lenses. Causes of distortions of perspective and proportions. methods of dealing with them.

Definitions

Angle of view- simply put, this is the angle that the lens "sees" along the diagonal of the frame. The value of this angle is directly proportional to the size of the matrix (film).

Classification of photographic lenses by angle of view

As can be seen from the table, the type of lens depends on the diagonal of the frame. For example, let's take a lens with a focal length of 50 mm: on a medium format camera it will turn out to be a wide-angle lens, on a full-frame camera it will be normal, and in a 4/3 system it will be a telephoto lens.

Features of the Wide Angle Lens

Consider a picture of a very popular Canon EF 17-40 / 4L lens.
At full frame, his field of view ranges from 104° to 57°30".
However, no one photographs a group diagonally, right? Therefore, consider the horizontal field of view angle - from 84 ° to 49 °

This example clearly shows that the lens at the 17mm position at full frame results in noticeable aspect ratio distortion.
To be precise, the image in this example at the edge of the frame is 26% wider than the image at the center of the frame. And this is already a very noticeable deformation to the eye.
The reason for this deformation is the length of the heads in depth. If we were photographing flat objects, such as an infinite brick wall, then all the bricks that are in the center of the frame, that at the edges of the frame would occupy the same number of pixels on the matrix. They are reduced due to the fact that they are visible under acute angle, however, this decrease is compensated by stretching the lens. This is the property of "flat" (not fish gas) lenses - they stretch the corners of the image.

However, human vision has such a property - distortions of linear dimensions of less than 10% are not noticeable to the eye. This 10% facial stretch occurs at a 55° field of view (34mm on full frame and 22mm on APS-C)
From here, by the way, the reason for the popularity of 35 mm lenses in the street-photo genre becomes clear. This is the minimum focal length at which geometric distortions are not yet striking.

However, in addition to the stretching of the faces, another problem arises - if the central people in the group look straight ahead (perpendicular to the wall), then the people located at the edges of the group are already forced to turn their heads almost 45 ° to look into the camera. This turn of the heads can no longer be compensated for either by changing the projection or by deformation in Photoshop.

Photo examples

Photographs taken with Canon EF 17-40/4L and Canon EF 24-105/4L IS lenses on a Canon EOS 1Ds Mk2 (full frame).

17 mm		The distortion at the edges of the frame is obvious. The customer will be completely dissatisfied.
20 mm		The distortion at the edges of the frame is obvious. The customer will be dissatisfied.
24 mm		Distortion at the edges of the frame is noticeable. Men will most likely not notice, and girls will complain that the photo makes them fat.
35 mm		If you place men along the edges of the frame, then the frame will completely roll.
50 mm		Everything is fine.
70 mm		Everything is fine.
105 mm		Everything is fine, but the photographer was forced to run away from the group and the contact is lost - the photographer is simply not heard over the group's conversations.

Consider, using the example of one frame, the permissible location of the model in the photograph:

Here the head of the model is located in a safe area and is not strongly deformed, and the legs flew out of the safe area and began to appear much longer. What girls like.

findings

Try not to photograph groups of people shorter than 35mm for full frame or 22mm for APS-C cameras.
If it becomes necessary to photograph a group for more wide angle lens– place people as close to the center of the frame as possible (so as not to fly out of the 63° angle)
Try not to place girls and particularly fastidious customers at the edges of the frame. Men are noticeably calmer towards horizontally elongated faces.
If you are photographing a group standing in several rows, try to hold down the aperture as much as possible on the lens - group photos are often printed in large sizes and the depth of field may not be enough.
If space allows, try to photograph the group at a focal length of 50 mm for a full frame (30…35 mm for APS-C) - in this case, even the most fastidious will not be able to see the stretching of faces at the edges of the frame. Longer lenses should not be used - you will have to run very far and the group simply will not hear you.
When photographing even a single person, try to position their head within the frame of a 35 mm (22 mm for APS-C) lens focal length. For example, when shooting with a 16-35 / 2.8 lens - build a frame, turn the zoom to 35 mm and see if the head flies out of the frame. If it does not crash, then the picture should turn out without noticeable distortion of the face.

current location:

Wide angle lenses are often misused or chosen for the wrong reasons. Many beginners buy a really good wide angle lens, a 50mm (because someone suggested) and a longer zoom lens. But the biggest mistake is not understanding how they work, why you need each one specifically, and for what situation.

In this article, we will look at wide-angle lenses. What they do, how to use them, and how to avoid the following five most common mistakes photographers make.

Everything in the image is at the same distance from the lens.
There is no clear subject.
The wide angle lens is only used to fit more objects into the frame.
Taking bad pictures of people.
Shooting with a wide-angle lens for no reason.

What is a wide angle lens?

Technically, this is any lens that has a wider field of view than the human eye. Back in the days of film, a 50mm lens was considered "normal" because it gives a picture that is closest to what a person sees. Now with "digital" it's a bit more complicated - 50mm is considered normal for full frame cameras, which corresponds to approximately 35mm for APS-C or crop sensors (for the same angle of view).

Therefore, focal lengths greater than 50mm (full frame) or 35mm (APS-C) are considered wide-angle lenses. The smaller the focal length, the wider the frame will be, for example; 15mm which is ultra wide (full frame) or 10mm (special lens made only for APS-C cameras). Even wider lenses are considered fisheye lenses, and the image becomes almost round when shooting.

What does a wide angle lens do?

Wide-angle lenses distort objects and improve perspective: objects closer to the camera appear larger than those farther away, even if they are the same size in reality.

Look at the photo of the subway sign above; notice how much larger the part closer to the camera is compared to the part farther away. This is the result of a wide-angle optical lens. The same can be seen in the photo with the Brooklyn Bridge from above and with the buildings below.

Let's compare the images below, taken with wide angle and telephoto lenses respectively.

17mm lens on full frame camera (you need to use 11mm on APS-C to get this angle of view)

A 75mm lens on a full frame camera (a 50mm lens on an APS-C camera will give you about the same angle of view)

Look at the size of the tractor in the two images. Notice how visually larger the tractor in the first photo is compared to the object in the background. See how the aspect ratio has changed in the second image? The tractor did not move between shots, the distance between objects did not change either. The only thing that has changed is the lens used by the photographer, as well as the distance between the subject and the camera.

5 Beginner Mistakes When Using a Wide Angle Lens

Everything in your image is the same distance from the lens

To use a wide angle lens properly, you need something close to the lens.

This was shot with a 24mm lens. There is no object here because all the elements are at the same distance from the camera. Compare with the tractor image above, especially with the wide-angle shot: the tractor literally comes to life on it

Now look at the two images of the bike below. There is nothing that stands out in the picture on the left. As he approaches, he switches to a bicycle. The photographer was only a few inches from the front tire when he took the second shot.

You can't be invisible when you're shooting wide-angle. To make your shots more interesting, to have more depth and perspective, you need to get closer to your subjects. Try to find an object at a very close distance to the lens, something else at an average distance, and leave the background even further away. This will give your photo depth.

The image above was taken from the hip (literally) as the photographer crossed the street in New York. The finished image was cropped and processed as follows.

The true New York is a bustling hub of activity. And the perspective obtained with the help of a wide-angle lens takes the viewer into the thick of it. Do you feel the chaos through the photo?

One more example.

A beautiful sunrise, but it may seem like something is missing

It is best to add a person to the frame, proximity to the camera brings depth

There is no clear object in the image

This error is closely related to the first. When everything is an equal distance from the lens, . As soon as you get close to make the object in the frame larger, it will begin to visually stand out.

In these examples, the photographer started with 17mm and a very low angle. He wanted to emphasize the perspective through the converging lines of the railroad tracks.

In the first shot (above) this was not achieved, it does not have a clear object on which the viewer could hold his eyes. Then the focus was on a nail that was sticking out of the board. It turned out better, but then it turned out sticking out of rotten boards yellow leaf. Backlit by the sun, it really stood out in the photo. The leaf has become the focal point of the image, not only because of its size in the frame, it is bright warm color, not centered, but also on it in a certain way.

What story do you want to tell in your photography?

Use all your senses to become aware of what is happening around you when you are photographing. How can you link this to your image?

The image above was taken at Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal.

A wide angle lens was used to focus more on the statues and pulpit and less on the main altar. The viewer's eye "goes" to them because of their size in the frame.

Finally, consider composition and lighting. If the subject is not placed in the center, the photo will be more interesting. Make sure it's well lit and the background doesn't distract the viewer.

Mistake #3 - Trying to fit too much into a frame

Street vendor in Havana, Cuba; 17mm lens (full frame)

Pick something interesting on the counter to focus on while the rest of it acts as a backdrop. It is necessary to choose one object, and not the whole room, market or other place. Your message will be diluted if you try to fit as many things into the frame as possible.

Simplify - simplify - simplify. Often in photography, less is more. Say more with less things in your images. See how simple, but at the same time graphic, the photos below?

Taking bad pictures of people

Wide-angle lenses distort objects in the frame. Thus, the nose of the person in the photo will lengthen, the jaw will stick out, and the head will look just huge!

17mm lens - not great Good photo models

This type of shooting is generally not suitable for most people. If you want to photograph a person successfully, just don't use a wide-angle lens. You need to understand what effect it will have on the photo and use it wisely.

35mm is a little better

70 mm is another matter. 85mm is a common focal length for portrait photography. The face looks pleasing, less background is shown, the viewer's attention is focused on the model's face

160mm - great for head shots

Experiment with all the lenses that you have, think if you were photographed, then you would like to end up with an image taken with which lens? Take pictures with him.

Use a wide angle lens to photograph people who show their surroundings (think of the shop owner in the example above), add some fun or even a bit of humor, tell a story. But be aware that this photo will probably not be flattering for the model.

If you're going for a model-flattering portrait, choose a lens slightly longer than normal at short telephoto (85-135mm full screen, 60-90mm APS-C).

The wide-angle view shows the whole picture. This is a travel guide and shaman in Peru playing Machu Picchu. The background in this case is very important - it tells part of the story.

Humor and wide-angle photography go hand in hand

Children are a very important subject that you can have some fun with. Let the spirit of explorers wake up in them, and they approach the wide-angle lens. This will add a sense of playfulness and fun to all photos.

Shooting with a wide-angle lens is good just "because it's good"

The final mistake is to use a wide-angle lens just because "it's cool". Often, when people buy a new lens, they only use it for a while, and where they need and don't need it.

Success with a wide lens

Choose your lens based on the effect you want in your shots.

converging lines long corridor lead the audience to the stage

Get close, find a well-defined and understandable subject, don't try to fit as many things into the frame as possible, photograph people correctly with a wide-angle lens, and make informed decisions about its use in general.

A wide angle lens can be a powerful tool for emphasizing depth and relative size in a shot. However, it is also one of the more difficult types to master. This article clears up some common misunderstandings and discusses ways to take full advantage of the unique characteristics of a wide-angle lens.

16mm ultra wide angle lens - sunset near Death Valley, California, USA

Review

A lens is usually referred to as "wide-angle" if its focal length is less than 35mm (for full frame; see "Lenses: Focal Length and Aperture"). This corresponds to an angle of view that exceeds 55° on the wide side of the frame. The definition of ultra-wide is somewhat more vague, but most agree that this part starts at focal lengths of 20-24mm or less. For compact cameras, wide angle often means the maximum zoom opening, but ultra-wide angle is usually not available for them without a special adapter.

In any case, the key concept is this: the shorter the focal length, the more the unique effects of a wide-angle lens show up.

This diagram shows the maximum angles at which light rays
can reach the camera sensor. Ray intersection point optional
equal to the focal length, but approximately proportional to it.
The angle of view, as a result, increases inversely proportionally.

What makes wide angle lenses unique? A common misunderstanding is that wide-angle lenses are mostly used when you can't get far enough away from your subject, but you still want to fit your subject into one frame. However, if this were the only application, it would be a big mistake. In fact, wide-angle lenses are often used for the exact opposite: to be able to get closer to the subject!

Well, let's take a closer look at what makes a wide-angle lens unique:

It covers a wide field of view.
It usually has a minimum focusing distance.

Although these characteristics may seem very basic, they mean a fair amount of possibilities. The rest of the article is devoted to how best to use these features to get maximum effect from wide angle photography.

wide angle perspective

Obviously a wide-angle lens is special because of its wide angle of view - but what does it really do? The wide angle of view means that relative size and distance are hypertrophied when comparing near and far objects. This causes nearby objects to appear gigantic, while objects farther away tend to appear small and very far away. The reason for this is the angle of view:

Despite the fact that the two control columns are at the same distance, their relative sizes differ significantly in the images taken with the wide-angle and telephoto lenses, made so that the nearest column completely fills the frame vertically. For a wide-angle lens, distant objects make up a much smaller part of the total angle of view.

It is a misunderstanding to say that a wide-angle lens affects perspective - strictly speaking, this is not the case. Perspective is only affected by your position relative to the subject at the time of shooting. In practice, however, wide-angle lenses often force you to get quite close to your subject - which, of course, affects for the future.

3 inch exaggerated flowers
in Cambridge, England. used
16mm ultra wide angle lens.

This exaggeration of relative size can be used to add emphasis and detail to foreground objects while covering a wide background. If you want to take full advantage of this effect, you will need to get as close as possible to the closest object in the scene.

In the ultra-wide example on the left, the closest flowers are practically touching the front lens of the lens, greatly exaggerating their size. In fact, these flowers are less than 10 centimeters wide!

body disproportion,
caused by a wide angle lens.

However, special care must be taken when filming people. Their noses, heads, and other body parts can be out of proportion if you get too close to take a picture. Proportionality, in particular, is the reason why in the traditional portrait photography narrower visual angles are common.

In the example on the right, the boy's head has become abnormally large relative to his body. This could become useful tool to add drama or character to a straight-line shot, but obviously this is not how most people would like to look in a portrait.

Finally, as distant objects become quite small, it's sometimes a good idea to include some foreground elements in the frame to lock in the composition. Otherwise, a landscape shot (taken from eye level) may look overwhelmed or lack something to grab the eye.

Anyway, don't be afraid to approach much closer! It is in this case that the wide angle is revealed in all its glory. Just take Special attention compositions; Extremely close objects can be greatly shifted in the image due to the slightest movement of the camera. As a result, it can be quite difficult to place objects in the frame exactly the way you want them.

vertical tilt

Whenever a wide-angle lens is pointed above or below the horizon, the initially parallel vertical lines begin to converge. In fact, this is true for any lens - even a telephoto lens - it's just that the wide angle makes this convergence more noticeable. Further, when using a wide-angle lens, even a slight change in composition will significantly change the position of the vanishing point - resulting in a noticeable difference in how crisp lines converge.

In this case, the vanishing point is the direction in which the camera is pointing. Hover over the captions for the following illustration to see a simulation of what happens when you point the camera above or below the horizon line:

AT this example the vanishing point has not moved too much in relation to overall size the picture - but it had a huge impact on the building. As a result, the buildings appear to fall towards or away from the viewer.

Although convergence of vertical lines is usually avoided in architectural photography, it can sometimes be used as an artistic effect:

Left: Wide-angle shot of trees on Vancouver Island, Canada.
right: King's College Chapel, Cambridge, England.

In the tree example, a wide-angle lens was used to capture the mast trees in a way that makes it look like they are closing in on the viewer. The reason for this is that they appear to be all around and converging in the center of the image - despite the fact that in reality they are all standing in parallel.

Likewise, an architectural photograph was taken close to the doors to exaggerate the apparent height of the chapel. On the other hand, this at the same time creates the undesirable impression that the building is about to fall back.

Ways to reduce vertical convergence few: either point the camera closer to the horizon (1), even if this means that in addition to the subject, a large area of \u200b\u200bthe surface will be captured (which you will frame later), or significantly further away from the subject (2) and use a lens with a large focal length ( which is not always possible), either use Photoshop or other programs and stretch the top of the image (3) so that the vertical converges less, or use the tilt/shift lens to control the perspective (4).

Unfortunately, each of these methods has its drawbacks, whether it is loss of resolution in the first or third cases, inconvenience or loss of perspective (2) or cost, technical knowledge and some loss in image quality (3).

Interiors and enclosed spaces

A wide-angle lens may be absolutely necessary for closed spaces, simply because it is impossible to get far enough away from the subject to fit it entirely into the frame (using a normal lens). A typical example is shooting the interiors of rooms or other premises. This type of shooting is also probably the easiest way to get the most out of a wide-angle lens, in part because it forces you to be close to the subject.

left: 16mm focal length - Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA.
right: spiral staircase in New Court, St. John, Cambridge, England

In both examples, you can move just a few steps in either direction - and yet the pictures do not show the slightest constraint.

Polarizing filters

national park
Coral reef, Utah, USA.

Using a polarizing filter with a wide-angle lens is almost always undesirable.. The key feature of the polarizer is the dependence of its influence on the angle relative to the sun. If you point the camera at a right angle to sunlight, its effect will be maximum; likewise, pointing the camera directly at or against the sun will virtually eliminate its influence.

For a wide-angle lens, one edge of the frame can be almost perpendicular to the sun, while the other is almost perpendicular to it. This means that a change in the influence of the polarizer will be reflected in the frame, which is usually undesirable.

In the example on the left, the blue sky undergoes clearly visible changes in saturation and brightness from left to right.

Light control and wide angle

Filter usage example -
lighthouse at Cape Nora, Sardinia.

A typical hindrance to using wide angle lenses is the strong variation in light intensity in the image. With a normal exposure, uneven lighting causes part of the image to be overexposed and another part to be underexposed - even though our eyes would adapt to the change in brightness when looking in different directions. As a result, you have to additionally take care of determining the desired exposure.

For example, in landscape photography, the foliage in the foreground is often significantly less intensely lit than the sky or distant mountain. This results in an overexposed sky and/or an underexposed ground. Most photographers use so-called graduated neutral density (GND) filters to deal with this uneven lighting.

In addition, a wide-angle lens is much more prone to flare, in part because the sun is much more likely to be in the frame. In addition, it can be difficult to shield the lens from side rays with a lens hood, since it should not block the light that forms the frame at a wide angle.

Wide angle lenses and depth of field

Note that nothing has been said about the wide-angle lens having a large depth of field. Unfortunately, this is another common misconception. If you magnify your subject by the same amount (i.e. fill the frame to the same proportion), a wide-angle lens will provide the same* depth of field as a telephoto lens.

The reason that wide-angle lenses have a reputation for increasing depth of field is not due to any feature of the lens itself. The reason is the most frequent way their applications. People rarely get close enough to their subjects to fill the frame as much as when using lenses with a narrower angle of view.

First, let's take a look at some of the surprises and downsides of this lens.

If you use this lens correctly, you can make the viewer feel like they are in the middle of the scene.
You, as a photographer, can get much closer to get fantastic pictures. If you can't get close enough, forget the wide angle.
This lens tends to exaggerate things, including objects, phenomena, and emotions. People, faces, or terrain - it all seems to overwhelm the frame, if it is correctly composed and processed.
Composition really matters when it comes to this lens, minimal movement with the camera and positioning yourself within the scene can make a drastic change in photography. Avoid grabbing your legs while framing.
Shooting portraits with wide-angle lenses, of course, requires a lot of practice and a certain amount of skill. Believe me, even professionals sometimes find it difficult to get a decent portrait shot. It must be taken into account that a person can lose proportionality and take measures to prevent such a phenomenon. Remember that this is not a portrait lens.

In this article, we will discuss with you the benefits wide angle photography, as well as some interesting methods for shooting and the negative aspects of wide-angle photos.

Distortion

Distortion in the lens causes a defective image. There is practically no optics that does not cause some amount of distortion in the image. But when we are talking about wide-angle lenses, this point should be taken especially carefully. As a rule, stretching occurs in the corners of the photograph, due to which the object or subject loses its real shape and looks deformed in the picture. It is quite difficult to avoid this, but you can still use such a disadvantage in favor of the image. In addition, this issue is easily solved if you resort to better equipment. There are many methods available to correct frame deformities.

Photo: Todd & Sarah Sisson

framing

Be clear about what your object is inside, that is, what frames it. Ideal accommodation subject is the center of the frame. Thus, you can avoid a huge amount of distortion, which is typical for the corners of the picture. In addition, there is a clearer idea of the nature of the image and an excellent wide-angle photograph is obtained.

Photo: Kevin McNeil

The position of the photographer and the composition of the frame

You can move a little or tilt the camera as little as possible and still get a significant change within the frame. This good opportunity improve the look of the scene. To do this, keep experimenting and take more test shots to get great results. The ability to introspection and patience will also come in handy.

Photo: Jared Ropilato