Advice using wider lenses

[RVT1K]

I have the same lens and really like it.

Coincidentally I took this and some others with it last summer.

 

[photoflyer]

I have the same lens and really like it.

Looks like this is going to great for Cars and Airplanes - What car is that? Looks like a lot of fun.

Lens arrives tomorrow.

 

[SquarePeg]

I see that @mjcmt already mentioned the tilting thing and that is what I was going to advise. If you're using it for astro and you have any type of building in the shot, the distortion can be hard to correct for in post without ruining the milky way part of the photo. Try not to tilt the camera too much although sometimes you need to to get the sky in focus. A good tall tripod is essential and don't forget you can do a vertical pano or take a separate foreground shot and blend with a sky shot.

The other advise I have is that for general landscapes, the wider lenses make the horizon too far away and the objects in the back of the frame too small which can be a bit boring if you don't have some foreground interest to lead the eye to the back of the frame.

no foreground interest - 14mm on a crop sensor
Echo Lake by SharonCat..., on Flickr

other side of same lake so equal distance across the water but with foreground interest
Echo Lake by SharonCat..., on Flickr

 

[photoflyer]

other side of same lake so equal distance across the water but with foreground interest

The leading lines formed by the reflection on the water make a huge difference. Did you use a polorizer so that the water is transparent?

I created this thread because I can tell that this kind of lens requires practice and experimentation.

 

[RVT1K]

I have the same lens and really like it.

Looks like this is going to great for Cars and Airplanes - What car is that? Looks like a lot of fun.

Lens arrives tomorrow.

That is my neighbor's 63 Thunderbird Sports Roadster.

More shots here: Neighbor's T-Bird

 

[SquarePeg]

other side of same lake so equal distance across the water but with foreground interest

The leading lines formed by the reflection on the water make a huge difference. Did you use a polorizer so that the water is transparent?

I created this thread because I can tell that this kind of lens requires practice and experimentation.

Yes I did use a polarizer with these. Just don’t be an idiot like me and leave it on when you go out to shoot astro later that night!

 

[photoflyer]

Thank you all for the advice and tips.

The 14mm Samyang arrived. This evening was the first chance to take it out.

I've posted other shots from the Air Force Memorial, I know, but it is walking distance and a good subject for practice.

I think the biggest challenge will be planning/envisioning shots with the 115 degree angle of view.

This one is cropped quite a bit in both directions and that may be Saturn above the Airman's head:

 

[SquarePeg]

Nice. Kind of cheating using the Air Force Memorial since it’s already sort of wonky and distorted! Good choice of subject.

 

[photoflyer]

Nice. Kind of cheating using the Air Force Memorial since it’s already sort of wonky and distorted! Good choice of subject.

My thoughts exactly and why I can tell this lens more than any other in the bag will require the most practice.