As you become a more advanced photographer, you’ll have more exposure to various technical terms. At some point, you will probably also want to upgrade your lenses beyond the standard kit version you initially received with your camera.
You might have bumped into the term “wide-angle lens” before. Many photographers own lenses of this kind, and they’ve got several reasons to do so. Beyond taking excellent pictures, wider lenses can help you avoid unwanted attention and serve other purposes.
So, what exactly is a wide-angle lens? Why should you add one to your toolkit? We’ll answer both of these questions below.
What Is a Wide-Angle Lens?
As you might have guessed from its name, a wide-angle lens is any lens—whether that’s prime or zoom—where you can achieve a broader scope in what you see. Generally speaking, you can refer to any lens with a focal length of 35mm and below as wide-angle.
Wide-angle lenses usually drop to 24mm; after that, you’re using an ultra-wide-angle lens. Depending on whether you use a DSLR or mirrorless camera and the manufacturer you use, the number of wide-angle lenses available to you will vary.
What Are the Benefits of Owning a Wide-Angle Camera Lens?
Now that you have at least a basic understanding of a wide-angle lens, we can discuss the main reasons you should purchase one. Below, you’ll find six benefits you can enjoy once you’ve added a wide-angle camera lens to your kit.
1. Image Sharpness
Every photographer—regardless of their level—wants to achieve sharp images more than almost anything else. And when picking a lens, the picture quality is one of the fundamental areas you should consider before making a purchase.
Throughout the photography space, many people praise wide-angle lenses for their sharpness. You can get incredible results, and you have a little more room when dropping your shutter speed before the image becomes blurrier.
Textures in photography are essential to understand, and wide-angle lenses can help you bring these out of your subjects. You can capture beautiful shots of buildings, natural landscapes, and more.
2. Wide-Angle Lenses Bring More Into Your Image
Narrower lenses are excellent for reducing the number of things your viewer will look at in your photos. But sometimes, using lenses with a longer focal length can put you at a disadvantage when trying to capture the scene you want.
Since wider angle lenses have a broader scope, you often don’t need to worry about not being able to photograph the exact composition you’re looking for. As a result, these lenses are excellent for shooting busy streets and incorporating leading lines into your images.
Since you can get more into your images, wide-angle lenses are also excellent for capturing cityscapes and utilizing negative space in your shots.
3. Easier to Shoot for Cropping in Post-Production
How many times have you captured a picture that you love, only to curse Instagram’s cropping requirements when you try to fit the entire frame on your profile? If you’re like most photographers, you’ve probably run into this annoyance at least a dozen times.
As you become more experienced in photography, you’ll learn that capturing more than you desire can significantly help you in the post-production phase. Because wide-angle lenses fit more into the frame, shooting for cropping is much more straightforward than would otherwise be the case.
Your image might lose quality if you crop too much, so you should try to strike a happy medium. Try putting a variety of distances between you and your primary subject, and select whichever you think is the best.
4. Wide-Angle Lenses Allow You to Be More Discreet
Many forms of photography require you to be in the thick of the action; street photography is perhaps the best-known example. However, using a bulky camera and a bigger lens will naturally draw more attention to you—which could ruin the moment and stop you from capturing the shot you want.
Depending on where you travel, using a bigger lens can also attract unwanted attention from people who don’t have your best interests at heart. Larger camera equipment can signify more money, and since your gear is typically pricey to begin with, you could risk robbery or harassment.
Wide-angle lenses are often very small; you can even fit some, like FujiFilm’s 27mm lens, in your coat pocket without issues. As such, you can hide your camera better and enjoy more of a hassle-free photography experience.
5. Portability
When you buy a new piece of camera gear, the price doesn’t necessarily determine whether you’ve got a good deal or not. How much you end up using your equipment is a much better indicator; if you buy a bulky lens, you might find it less convenient to carry around. As such, you’ll probably use it less.
In addition to being small, wide-angle lenses are very light. You can take your gear with you almost anywhere, regardless of whether you plan to immerse yourself in travel photography or capture some intriguing shots of your local area after work.
Since wide-angle lenses are more portable, you’re more likely to use your equipment. As a result, you’ll build momentum and become a better photographer over time.
6. Shoot Better Photos in Cramped Spaces
50mm lenses have a vast range of benefits, and you should strongly consider buying one. However, taking the photos you want in cramped spaces is often challenging if you use that particular focal length.
Using a wide-angle lens to take photos in narrower areas will help you achieve the result you’re looking for. You won’t need to crouch or jostle through people down the street, nor will you have to stand further back.
Wide-angle lenses are also excellent for indoor photography. For example, you can capture your evening meal in a restaurant without standing up and making a scene. Also, you’ll often have better-quality photos than if you’d taken the same shot with your phone.
Wide-Angle Lenses Are an Excellent Addition to Your Camera Bag
Wide-angle lenses are versatile and an excellent addition to your camera toolkit. You can capture a huge range of shots in several scenarios, and the post-production phase is much more straightforward when you don’t have to remove parts of the picture you wanted to keep unwillingly.
Although wide-angle lenses can be expensive if you buy them first-hand, you can find some excellent deals if you don’t mind purchasing a used unit. The potential payoff is high, so why not get one?