Why do Wide-Angle Lenses have smaller fStops, when Landscapes need like f11?

[tevo]

Big Mike meant to read the responses in this thread. Your class must not have gone that in-depth. Plus, a prime lens is not one that has a constant max aperture throughout the zoom range - a prime lens is one that is not a zoom lens but has a fixed focal length.

Edit: Another option you may want to consider as it is very well rated ATX1116PRODXN Tokina 11mm - 16mm F/2.8 ATX Pro DX Autofocus Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras.

Eh, I wouldn't expect a photo class to explain how a lens on the market is marked - by this I mean I doubt a teacher would come out and say "If you are going to buy a lens, and it says the f/number, that is the maximum aperture"

 

[Infinite_Day]

Eh, I wouldn't expect a photo class to explain how a lens on the market is marked - by this I mean I doubt a teacher would come out and say "If you are going to buy a lens, and it says the f/number, that is the maximum aperture"

I would certainly expect a beginner's photography class to explain the basics of a lens and what the markings on it mean.

 

[FlyingScot]

I am new and have taken a photography class last winter.

You should get your money back because they've clearly failed to teach you some very basic things.

I have to agree strongly with that comment - being only here for a while but into serious photography for almost 50 years now and only really joined seeking some specific technical help some of these posts well i find both amazing and somewhat disturbing. What is wrong with the kit lens for this task? Seems people have too much money to spend nowadays and try to buy 'results' I see the same thing sailing the rich buy yachts then get into real bother as they think sailing is easy peasy. Just because you go into a church does not make you a Christian any more than buying a boat makes you a sailor or buying a Nikon makes you a photographer!!!

 

[Compaq]

OP, have you ever felt a need for such a wide angle lens? 18mm is pretty wide. Don't buy stuff you don't really need just to have it. Have you outgrown your kit lens and 50mm prime?

 

[Snacko]

I am new and have taken a photography class last winter.

You should get your money back because they've clearly failed to teach you some very basic things.

They did teach me all these things, I just forgot. I got confused on one thing and came here to ask a question... Money was well spent...

I must say, 'some' of you are not very encouraging to new enthusiasts.. You seem to think you know all about me, my class, and experience from one question, and you are being condesending in your comments. In truth, you know very little about me.

But others of you are very helpful, and I thank you for your comments and help..

Snacko

 

[Snacko]

Also, you don't need to do small apertures (F11 or higher) for landscapes. Common misconception. DOF is also affected by your distance from your subject. Further you are away, the deeper your DOF. If you focus point is a mountain 80 miles away or whatever... well... figure it out.

Lots of the best landscape shots have close up foreground elements however, to create a sense of depth in the scene. One of my favorite ways to compose a deep looking scene (and also not an easy one to just "spot" somewhere) is to have points of attention at logarithmic distances from the camera. So, as an example, you're shooting a mountain scene.... 1ft from the lens you have a flower, 10ft from the lens you have a boulder, 100ft you have the near shore of a lake, 1000ft you have the the far shore, 10000ft you finally have the majestic mountain. A shot like this would be worth shooting f/11, or even f/16, depending on focal length.

Thanks Analog, that is a good tip.

 

[pgriz]

Before you start spending money on lenses, consider getting a good tripod with a solid, smooth head. It will allow you to be much more precise in your framing and composition, and will allow you to take adjacent photos which you can stitch with software into an ultra-wide. It will also allow you to use slower shutter speeds that go along with high f/stops that you want for deep depth-of-field. It will allow you to use live-view with magnification for precise focus placement, and it will help you use techniques such as hyperfocal focusing. Once you learn to use the tripod effectively (and yes, there is a learning curve with the tripod as well), then you can leverage your new expertise with better lenses.

 

[Compaq]

Wide angles are superb for more than landscapes. If you have old, majestic buildings you can get it all in by standing just 7 metres from the building. At least I can at 12mm. Depends on how big the building is, obviously, but wide angles are great. I've been meaning to distort some cows!

+1 on foreground interest. It's what really adds depth to the image. By lowering your camera from head height to knee height your whole perspective changes, and the area between foreground and midground (or subject) is really stretched out, and you get a feeling of great depth. Hyperfocal distance is something you should look into. Makes it easy to focus, though you might need a DOF calculator at hand. I've found it hard to focus the tokina 12-24mm/4 because everything seems to be in focus at infinity.

Consider this: you're seeing some nice flowers in front of lake with a peaking, snow capped mountain in the background. You want everything in focus. You lower your camera and get the flowers 2 feet from your sensor. Where should you focus? On the flowers? But then the mountain might not be sharp. Focus on the mountain? Then the flowers might be a tad soft. Focus at lake? Probably your best shot, but the lake might be placed in a bad spot. Hyperfocal distance will tell you how far from your sensor you should focus for the biggest possible depth of field on any given f/stop and focal length.
[video=youtube;T1cd3GZG5tE]http://youtu.be/T1cd3GZG5tE[/video]

 

[ann]

In my classes that is something we go over on the second class. I will bet many forget, just as the OP did. We remember what we need to know, and it takes a beginner some time and practice to get a handle on all this information.

Lighten up folks.

 

[Snacko]

Before you start spending money on lenses, consider getting a good tripod with a solid, smooth head. It will allow you to be much more precise in your framing and composition, and will allow you to take adjacent photos which you can stitch with software into an ultra-wide. It will also allow you to use slower shutter speeds that go along with high f/stops that you want for deep depth-of-field. It will allow you to use live-view with magnification for precise focus placement, and it will help you use techniques such as hyperfocal focusing. Once you learn to use the tripod effectively (and yes, there is a learning curve with the tripod as well), then you can leverage your new expertise with better lenses.

I do have a tripod and have taken long night shots both in my class last winter and also recently here in Cincinnati for a cityscape shot. And have been learning HDR with Photomatrix, which is very cool. But now I need to learn about Hyperfocal focusing. Have not heard that term before, but that is on my list now. So much to learn... I'm lov'in it..

Wide angles are superb for more than landscapes. If you have old, majestic buildings you can get it all in by standing just 7 metres from the building. At least I can at 12mm. Depends on how big the building is, obviously, but wide angles are great. I've been meaning to distort some cows!

+1 on foreground interest. It's what really adds depth to the image. By lowering your camera from head height to knee height your whole perspective changes, and the area between foreground and midground (or subject) is really stretched out, and you get a feeling of great depth. Hyperfocal distance is something you should look into. Makes it easy to focus, though you might need a DOF calculator at hand. I've found it hard to focus the tokina 12-24mm/4 because everything seems to be in focus at infinity.

Consider this: you're seeing some nice flowers in front of lake with a peaking, snow capped mountain in the background. You want everything in focus. You lower your camera and get the flowers 2 feet from your sensor. Where should you focus? On the flowers? But then the mountain might not be sharp. Focus on the mountain? Then the flowers might be a tad soft. Focus at lake? Probably your best shot, but the lake might be placed in a bad spot. Hyperfocal distance will tell you how far from your sensor you should focus for the biggest possible depth of field on any given f/stop and focal length.

Thanks Compaq, I have an android phone so I'll take a look at some apps. Also, that SnapFactory youtube site is now bookmarked. Looks like a good resource. I don't see a DoF Preview button on my Nikon 5100, but I'll have to look into that process and see how this camera handles Hyperfocal focusing and distance.

 

[manaheim]

Also, you don't need to do small apertures (F11 or higher) for landscapes. Common misconception. DOF is also affected by your distance from your subject. Further you are away, the deeper your DOF. If you focus point is a mountain 80 miles away or whatever... well... figure it out.

Lots of the best landscape shots have close up foreground elements however, to create a sense of depth in the scene. One of my favorite ways to compose a deep looking scene (and also not an easy one to just "spot" somewhere) is to have points of attention at logarithmic distances from the camera. So, as an example, you're shooting a mountain scene.... 1ft from the lens you have a flower, 10ft from the lens you have a boulder, 100ft you have the near shore of a lake, 1000ft you have the the far shore, 10000ft you finally have the majestic mountain. A shot like this would be worth shooting f/11, or even f/16, depending on focal length.

Yes, VERY good point. Thanks for mentioning that, I sorta skipped over it.

 

[FlyingScot]

I am new and have taken a photography class last winter.

You should get your money back because they've clearly failed to teach you some very basic things.

They did teach me all these things, I just forgot. I got confused on one thing and came here to ask a question... Money was well spent...

I must say, 'some' of you are not very encouraging to new enthusiasts.. You seem to think you know all about me, my class, and experience from one question, and you are being condesending in your comments. In truth, you know very little about me.

But others of you are very helpful, and I thank you for your comments and help..

Snacko

You do seem to be overly touchy and a bit insecure from the way you respond to some of the critical posts. OK so you were taught 'properly' and think the course was value for money but have difficulty recalling that info or you failed to absorb it - so where are your extensive course notes that you took so that when things like this came up you could read them and get value out of your course? Or were you too lazy to take notes and if that was not the case just too lazy to look them up. To get back to your basic question why would you need a wider lens that the kit one which goes to 18mm and i hope you are aware that you are going to get a lot of distortion on your wide(r) angle lens when you use it for landscape photography

 

[Snacko]

Hmm... so I am overly touchy... insecure... lazy... and I fail to absorb info..

Thanks

 

[analog.universe]

Hmm... so I am overly touchy... insecure... lazy... and I fail to absorb info..

Thanks

Just like the real world, some portion of TPF feel it's necessary to treat other people like ****, especially n00bs. It doesn't matter what's been said or how sensible a discussion is, these folks always come up with the same response. Don't take it personally!

 

[FlyingScot]

Hmm... so I am overly touchy... insecure... lazy... and I fail to absorb info..

Thanks

Just like the real world, some portion of TPF feel it's necessary to treat other people like ****, especially n00bs. It doesn't matter what's been said or how sensible a discussion is, these folks always come up with the same response. Don't take it personally!

REALLY!!!

Well a number of people have tried to help this OP taking their valuable time and effort and what does he write

Sheesh... read the thread before you post..

I never said wide angle lenses are only for landscapes!! Please quote me if you can find it..

And where was I complaining?? Again, read, then post... I was just trying to understand. :er:

and

You seem to think you know all about me, my class, and experience from one question, and you are being condesending in your comments. In truth, you know very little about me.

As my grannie used to say people in glass houses should not throw stones and if you cant take it dont dish it out.