Do Ultra Wide Angle Lens (10-20mm) Go Unused?

PhotoHobbyist · Feb 9, 2026

Recently, I've toyed with the idea of getting an ultrawide lens such as a Canon 10-18mm STM. I have a 15-85mm Canon lens already. After watching a number of youtube videos it seems ultrawide lens don't get much use and are not recommended as a general use lens. I am hesitant to buy something I won't use.

Do you use your ultrawide lens often? Or did it become just another paper weight?

petrochemist · Feb 9, 2026

I find I use my fisheye lenses quite a bit more than my ultra wides, but don't make a great deal of use from either.

Ysarex · Feb 10, 2026

PhotoHobbyist said:
Recently, I've toyed with the idea of getting an ultrawide lens such as a Canon 10-18mm STM. I have a 15-85mm Canon lens already. After watching a number of youtube videos it seems ultrawide lens don't get much use and are not recommended as a general use lens. I am hesitant to buy something I won't use.

Do you use your ultrawide lens often? Or did it become just another paper weight?

I use mine, used it today in fact, but I wouldn't say often. I wouldn't buy an ultrawide zoom. What I've done is add prime lenses that extend wider than the wide end of my normal zoom. Whether you'll use them or not is something you need to know about yourself and how you see the world and what you want to photograph. For me the lens that's a paper weight is any long lens. I have a very nice 180mm f/2.8 EDIF Nikkor. I know enough never to buy such a lens -- this one was given to me. I think I used it about three years ago. Over the course of 50 years taking photos I've tried 1/2 a dozen times to make myself use a long lens. In those efforts I've taken a few decent photos, but I had to make myself do it. 50 years in now and I know I'm not going to change. I don't see the world that way and unless you make me do it I'm not going to pickup a long lens and head out the door.

Let me photograph what I want and I'm going to grab a standard wide to normal zoom lens and be 80% happy. The missing 20% there is wider than the standard 28mm to 24mm (FX) wide end of a standard zoom. Right now I'm mostly working with a M4/3 sensor camera and the 14-42mm standard zoom serves me very well. What I added to that was 12mm and 10mm primes and when I head out the door with my camera I typically pop one of those in my pocket with the 14-42mm on the camera. This morning I took the 10mm and found occasion to use it. I see these other photographers with the big white teles and giant zooms and that's fine if they're doing the photography they want to do. We're not all the same and we don't all see the world the same way -- that's a good thing. Be content to be who you are and you'll know if you'd use a wider lens. That 180mm Nikkor was given to me in 2020 so six years now, I think I've used it twice. Once a long enough period of time has passed so it doesn't look like I'm ungrateful and I'll probably trade it in on something I'm more likely to use.

Here's the photo that coaxed me to pull that 10mm lens out of my pocket this morning.

petrochemist · Feb 11, 2026

Ysarex said:
For me the lens that's a paper weight is any long lens. I have a very nice 180mm f/2.8 EDIF Nikkor. I know enough never to buy such a lens -- this one was given to me. I think I used it about three years ago. Over the course of 50 years taking photos I've tried 1/2 a dozen times to make myself use a long lens. In those efforts I've taken a few decent photos, but I had to make myself do it.

I have to say I find long lenses MUCH easier to use than ultra wides. For me 180mm would only be considered a long lens on a heavily cropped system, 500mm & longer are used extensively every year.

Ysarex · Feb 11, 2026

petrochemist said:
I have to say I find long lenses MUCH easier to use than ultra wides. For me 180mm would only be considered a long lens on a heavily cropped system, 500mm & longer are used extensively every year.

Like I said, it's a good thing that we're different. I'm glad there's folks out there that want to use those long lenses and take those photos and see the world that way. While they do that I'll be taking different photos.

greybeard · Feb 11, 2026

I have a 16-35 FF that gets used once in a while. If I had to sell one of my lenses, it would be the one but I'll keep it for now. My 24-120 takes care of 95% of my wide angle needs.

Light Fandango · Mar 11, 2026

For me, it's not about what 'I' need, more about what the shot or subject asks for.

Deep wides give a wonderful tension and air in the compositions. I suspect some people don't bother controlling their perspectives well with, say, a 14-24 (which is what I use), they don't like the outcome, and give up.

A 14mm can be about as "normal"-looking as a 50mm as long as you obey the laws of perspective and control your compositions, but with the added 'depth' of its design you get the unique feel such a lens can bring.

TJMcG · Mar 11, 2026

I had a Tamron SP 14mm that I used a lot, but it was manual focus only on my mirrorless cameras, so I sold it. I have a Nikkor Z 14-30 that I use frequently, when not shooting birds.

zombiesniper · Mar 12, 2026

I'll add a different response here.
Every lens will be unused in someone's style of shooting. Close up action such as skate boarding or BMX riders will often use ultra wide lenses but will almost never use a telephoto lens. Where I shoot astro and wildlife. I have almost every focal length from 7.5 to 500mm covered ( I also have a bit of G.A.S.). I use long focal length for both wildlife and astro and have the 7.5mm for wide field of view astro.

Look at the types of images taken with the field of view of the lens you're contemplating and seriously ask yourself. Will I really take these types of images. Be honest with yourself. If the answer is no, that should also guide your purchase decision.