Nikon_Josh
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- May 30, 2011
- Messages
- 936
- Reaction score
- 95
- Location
- Surrey, UK
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
This post has been inspired by some of the very bad one track advice I see being offered on alot of forums online.
The minute anyone says they want a lens for landscape shots, the immediate advice is that the person should immediately buy a ultra wide angle lens. When I was starting out in photography a few years back, I had the same advice handed to me. Making me think the only lens to use for landscape work was a wide angle lens. I was naive when I first purchased a Sigma 10-20, I thought it would allow me simply take in vast scenes. Instead the effect of ultra wide made the foreground look huge and the background look tiny as we all know which is challenging to master.
Now I know better... I know that some great wide angle shots can be made in the mid range to telephoto range and I actually find it easier to make decent landscape shots using these ranges as they simply do not always require such an interesting foreground interest.
I think ultra wide lenses are specialist lenses and you have to use skill and talent to make them work well! I think in some cases if there is no foreground interest, then a ultra wide angle lens becomes a no no.
Yes a wide angle lens allows you to take in vast landscapes and I love using mine for the perspective it offers, it is probably my most used lens. But at the same time I wish some of these of so called experts would stop claiming that you can only use an ultra wide angle lens for landscape shots and anything longer is too tight.. it is complete BS and completely ignorant. A new photographer should be encouraged to make use of all different kinds of focal lengths if they wish to take landscape/cityscape/seascape photographs.
Anyway.. rant over..
The minute anyone says they want a lens for landscape shots, the immediate advice is that the person should immediately buy a ultra wide angle lens. When I was starting out in photography a few years back, I had the same advice handed to me. Making me think the only lens to use for landscape work was a wide angle lens. I was naive when I first purchased a Sigma 10-20, I thought it would allow me simply take in vast scenes. Instead the effect of ultra wide made the foreground look huge and the background look tiny as we all know which is challenging to master.
Now I know better... I know that some great wide angle shots can be made in the mid range to telephoto range and I actually find it easier to make decent landscape shots using these ranges as they simply do not always require such an interesting foreground interest.
I think ultra wide lenses are specialist lenses and you have to use skill and talent to make them work well! I think in some cases if there is no foreground interest, then a ultra wide angle lens becomes a no no.
Yes a wide angle lens allows you to take in vast landscapes and I love using mine for the perspective it offers, it is probably my most used lens. But at the same time I wish some of these of so called experts would stop claiming that you can only use an ultra wide angle lens for landscape shots and anything longer is too tight.. it is complete BS and completely ignorant. A new photographer should be encouraged to make use of all different kinds of focal lengths if they wish to take landscape/cityscape/seascape photographs.
Anyway.. rant over..