How to use a digital camera wide angle

Wide-angle lenses are typically defined as those with a focal distance lower than the standard human eye. This means less than 45 - 50 millimeters equivalent from 35mm film. In this article, we will see the main uses and characteristics of such lenses.

Target pictures: landscapes and groups

Useful for travel and capturing views As wide-angle lenses cover (as their name indicates) a wider view than eye vision, they are typically used to capture spectacular views of landscapes, and they are quite useful for travel and city imaging. Group photography The possibility of including many objects (or persons) separated form one another makes wide-angle lenses also suitable for group photography, specially in small spaces. Optical deformation One special topic in these lenses is the optical deformation introduced, if compared with the reference 50mm human vision. This can create a negative effect in the pictures, especially when capturing straight lines far from the center of the image: those will appear curved, being the effect stronger as we go farther from that center. Placing of lines To solve this issue, vertical and horizontal lines (specifically, the horizon!) should be placed in the central region of the image - or, maximum, following the "thirds" rule. Of course, this effect can be corrected later on with the appropriate digital edition.
Wide angle cameras Interestingly, this effect is more visible in cameras bought at a cheap price, which do not add correction to the lenses. But ,you can find wide-angle optics in all ranges of digital equipment - from the cheapest camera to the high-end Nikon and canon cameras.

Optics

From the technical side, the short focal distance introduces several advantages - or drawbacks, depending on what you intend: - Depth of field is quite high: this means that in most cases, all objects in the picture will appear focused - good for group pictures, bad if you look for blurred backgrounds. - Light transmission is usually good, and you may find apertures of 1.4 or 1.8. So, you will be able to work in poor illumination conditions. - Optical distortion may be too strong, producing deformation that may not be corrected with any software. This is even more clear in extreme wide-angle lenses (below 15mm equivalent) which can cover up to 180º of field vision - you may discover that your very feet are in the picture! - Finally, the curvature of some wide-angle lenses does not allow for the mounting of round filters directly onto the outer lens: you may need to attach a filter holder.