Learn aboutWide angle lenses

Short Description

Wide angle refers to the minimum focal length offered by the cameras lens. A short focal length provides wide angle shots allowing a wider field of view to be captured. The smaller the focal length the wider the shot. If you halve the focal length you double the width that can be captured. For example a 15mm photo will be twice as wide as a 30mm photo.

Wide Angle Photo Example

The following photo illustrates the differences in how much 15mm 18mm and 24mm focal lengths capture of a given scene relative to a neutral 50mm focal length. As you can see the wide angle focal lengths permit the photographer to capture a significant amount more.

wideangle Vancouver Cityscape at 15mm

The following photo of Vancouver taken on a 5d MkIIat 15mm illustrates the different levels of wide angle focal lengths vs a neutral 50mm focal length. Original photo by The Real Darren Stone

Why Use a Wide Angle

Abandoned church at 18mm

This photo demonstrates the perspective a wide-angle lens offers. While still fitting in the entire scene the short 18mm focal length emphasizes the church against the background. Photo by Kansas Poetry.

Cameras that are good at wide angle photos can be useful for capturing wide landscapes, taking group photos in tight spaces, architectural photos and much more. Wide angle lenses permit you to get very close to your subject while still capturing the background around them. Being able to get so close to your subject makes them very big and creates impact. Wide angle lenses provide artistic possibilities that are not possible with longer focal lengths. The longer the focal length the smaller the relative difference between foreground and background, this means if you really want to emphasize the subject a wide angle lens is the way to go.

Wide Angle Compact Digital Cameras

The following are great digicams with wide angle lenses.

	GoPro HERO3 Black Edition from $515	High resolution movies 4096 x 2160 @ 12fps Wide angle lens 5 mm 24p movies For that film look Learn more about the GoPro HERO3 Black Edition
	GoPro HD Hero 2 from $360	Wide angle lens 8 mm External mic jack Record higher quality audio with a microphone Weather sealed Shoot in extreme weather Learn more about the GoPro HD Hero 2
	Pentax X-5 from $227	Flip-out screen Great for movies Great zoom 26.4x Wide angle lens 22 mm Learn more about the Pentax X-5
	Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ iHS from $299	Great zoom 40.7x Wide angle lens 22 mm High speed movies 240 fps Learn more about the Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ iHS

See more of the top wide-angle digicams

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