Do You Need an Ultra Wide-Angle Lens for Landscape Photography

Deciding to purchase a new lens can be daunting, especially for a specialty lens like an ultra wide-angle. Join me as I define the difference between wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses. Moreover, I'll discuss the basics of using a wide-angle lens and show examples captured at various focal lengths. Lastly, I'll cover a few of the main pros and cons of the ultra wide-angle lens.
Links to mentioned videos:

Photographer/Videographer - Michael Scott
Music - Black Water by Loving Caliber

[peterfritzphoto]

Excellent video, mate. I agree with the sentiment: let the landscape determine the lens.

[brucetaylor]

Great video and excellent presentation on ultra wide angle lenses. I just recently purchased a Nikon 10-20mm f4.5-5.6G for my Nikon D3500. It takes great pictures and the distortion isn't bad at all. I like doing waterfalls and architecture. I was able to get a 72mm Tiffen UV and Polarizer filter to complete my setup. Couldn't be happier.

[buffalbilious]

I'm just a hobbyist on a budget with an old Canon 70D. For years, I only had a couple general purpose lenses, but with EF-S glass going for peanuts on the used market these days, I've begun building a small collection of more specialized lenses, including an EF-S 10-22mm. I'm mostly in the city, and it's opened up all kinds of compositional possibilities.

[brianbeattyphotography]

Great video, Michael. UWA lenses definitely are great tools for really exaggerated scenes. BTW that rock at 2:32 could be a super interesting subject on a UWA at sunset! I must say though that my uber-UWA lens (the Canon 11-24) is my least used lens. Not because of the huge size, but because it is such a rare instance where stretching perspective to 11 - 13mm is the right choice.

[SniperPhotography]

Nice presentation Michael
I use a few wide angle lenses.14mm, 20mm,16 35mm, 17 40mm.
I only use these lenses after researching the area before heading to the
chosen location.Most of my images are taken in the 24mm focal range.
The wide lenses are used to, what I call ‘’match the hatch’’.
The area I wish to photograph dictates if I need to use a wide angle lens.
Take care

[RichardLarssen]

Loving my Sony FE 12-24mm F/2.8 GM and my 16-35mm F/2.8 GM II, all I need

[Feemy]

I just purchased the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 for my X-T5 and I love the unique images that these UW lenses can produce. One can really get creative with the environment, not to mention the usefulness of these lenses indoors in building. They make for great architectural shots both indoors in confined spaces, and outdoors where you want to capture the entire building/skyline etc.
Yes, they have their challenges such as barrel distortion, but this can be correct in post.

The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 and Fuji 18-55mm F2.8-4 are all I need for my landscape and portrait needs.

[moozarksphotos]

I got rid of mine 14 to 24 because of the filter instead now use a 17 to 35 that has a 77 mm filter screwing and is a lot lighter. There are times I wish I've still had the old lens but couldn't justify carrying the filter, the only filter I use these days is a polarizer on water with no sky. It's so easy the dark in the sky and post production.

[rexgigout]

Well-presented! Useful! Thanks! 

I noticed, during a 2015 road trip across the US South, from SE Texas to the DC/Chesapeake and southern PA areas, I tended to use my 24-70/2.8G ED, on a D700, for almost everything, usually setting the zoom about somewhere between 28mm and 35mm, or, about 40mm. These two areas, along the zoom range, just looked right. I used my 14-24/2.8G, on a second D700, mostly at night, among the monuments in DC. So, my ultra-wide-angle zoom was good to have with me, but, I wondered whether the weight and bulk was worth the effort of hauling it about. I did, thankfully, keep my bag small, just large enough for one camera, with its lens, at a time. I kept the “primary” camera on a supple, wide strap, worn cross-body.

Our next road trip, in 2016, also across the south, from SE Texas to GA, had a reason to shoot macro at one location. My macro system being Canon, I brought a 35mm f/2 lens, and the 100mm Macro L. Bad weather did limit stopping for landscape vistas, but, 35mm sufficed for everything landscape-ish, plus general shooting, and I do not feel that I missed anything. During multiple subsequent day trips, within Texas, I have used a 40mm Voigtlander or 45mm Nikon lens, both “pancakes, ” without feeling that I was missing any shots.

By 2019, I had added the Leica M system. For a multi-thousand-mile trip, taking largely scenic routes, to the NJ/NYC area, then into Upstate NY, and a more-direct return route along a scenic areas, I used a 35mm f/1.4 Zeiss Distagon ZM lens for the vast majority of the images, including landscapes, and an amazingly competent yet compact film-era Zeiss 21mm f/4.5 ZM lens for a few quick landscapes at one location. My much-loved 50mm Leica M lens stayed in the bag. (50mm lens was a “people” lens, for me, at that time, and this was a solo road trip, with time constraints.)

Since my 2019 road trip, I have been experimenting locally, with short telephoto lenses for landscapes, and only recently have been looking into how to stitch panoramas, using series of images captured with the optically very-well-corrected Voigtlander 50mm APO Lanthar, a recent addition. I hope to get away from this flat coastal plain, starting in April, and get into some rolling, hilly, and perhaps mountainous terrain. I would especially like to return to a TN portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway, in weather likely to produce misty conditions, in the steep terrain, if I can time it right.

[joerg_koeln]

Thanks for the interesting video.
What is greatly under-estimated is that an UW lens requires excellent composition skills.
Too often I have seen large and boring stones/rocks in the foreground, dominating the complete picture, whereas the spectacular landscape (mountains, waterfalls) are tiny in the background. In ealier years the UW lenses cost a fortune, and some focal lenghts of today were simply not available. Nikon‘s legendary 13mm f/5.6 was built to order and coat as much as a decent new car, today every amateur can afford UW lenses.
My advice: spend the money first for classes in books and classes about composition. The lenses can wait.

[TweakMDS]

I love ultra wides, but you need foreground or symmetry to make it work well. To me either of these two makes it key to having good shots, versus just capturing everything you see in a boring way.

[KGi]

I have 16-35mm and always missing those few wide angle mm so I was crawling for 14mm but my 16-35mm did all I need. For big scenes I tried to cheat and do pano but it's not the same. Sobi got 14mm f4 from Loawa the size of nifty Fifty lens. Those both works like charm 🤙

[peterfritzphoto]

BTW, there are some spectacular images here, mate!

[buyaport]

As ultra wide lenses strongly emphasize the foreground it should better be interesting. This can often be the case in cityscapes, but rarely in landscapes. Ask yourself: Are these rocks, roots or flowers really so special that they should fill the frame -- or is my real motive the mountain chain in the background?

[StephenCadwallader-]

Hi great video on the 14-24 f2.8 lens . Even though i bought a really good second hand on about a year ago. I still enjoy watching youtube videos on this lens because i can always learn something new. I really love this lens even though ive had to spend money on another filter system but it was worth it. I bought the Nisi s6 holder. I like the idea you can use the Lee filter holder for other lenses great advantage. I would like to ask which remote shutter release do you use? .
Look forward to seeing more of your videos and yes i will like and subscribe 👍.

[TrilobitesRTasty]

Great Video! May I ask...what are your thoughts of using wide angle, versus 4x5 view cameras that offer tilt/shift movements...in comparison with simply a wide or ultra-wide lens. ...or some of the specialty tilt/shift lenses and or adapters. I agree with you about ensuring foreground elements are in an image. It's surprising to me how I see so many landscape images that do NOT include foreground elements. ...whereas foreground elements were the rule in the "heyday of the 4x5 field cameras". 🤔

[ginabarker]

i have a 20mm prime sigma with all the expensive filters but most of my best photos come from it

[nevvanclarke]

Yes..and I'll tell you why

I sell images and yes I take lots with my zoom lenses but guess what sells for prints and canvasses...wide angle shots

I'm a professional landscape photographer and wide angle shots sell and look better on prints

It's all about balance 😮

35mm is what human eye sees