What to use a 28mm lens for?

[aerao1]

Now I am acquiring Canon EF 28 mm f/1.8 USM wide angle lens for my Canon 6D. Can anybody suggest how effectively this lens could be utilized?

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Eswara, welcome back!

I have moved this new question to a new thread since it bore little in common with the subject of the old one discussing flash.

Is the lens a gift, hence not knowing what subjects to shoot with it?
Or are you buying for a definite purpose, but are unsure how to get best results from it?


The best bit of advice in use of WA lens I can give is to be sure you shoot with the camera level* - unless you are making an artistic choice not to.

* and I mean both level for horizons and not tilting up or down if it can be avoided.

Cheers, Dave

[Tronhard]

This is an interesting question but I have one in response. If you don't have a specific purpose in mind for doing so, how did you end up getting this lens specifically?

[Saorsa]

Hi Eswara, welcome back!

The best bit of advice in use of WA lens I can give is to be sure you shoot with the camera level* - unless you are making an artistic choice not to.

* and I mean both level for horizons and not tilting up or down if it can be avoided.

Cheers, Dave

I absolutely agree.

Most folks buy a tripod to hold large lenses steady due to their weightand then get a gimbal head to allow for maneuverability. I find I can do that quite well with a monopod. The times I REALLY wish I had brought the tripod along is when shooting Wide Angles to keep the camera in a particular position.

[Manfred M]

I tend to use a wide angle lens, like the one you are considering, for landscape work and for interior images of buildings and even for shooting people doing things in (i.e. along the lines of street photography). As this is a f/1.8 lens, it is quite fast and that tells me that the lens designers had low light photography in mind when they designed this lens. While one of my wide angle lenses is a specialty fixed focal length lens (perspective correcting), the other two are zooms (f/2.8 14-24mm and f/2.8 24 - 70mm) as I find fixed focal length wide angle lenses a bit restrictive.

With wide angle lenses, a millimeter change in focal length, especially as one gets wider tends to make a lot of difference in the image as the coverage angle changes drastically. I personally find I do a lot of shooting full-frame shooting at 24mm and I have three lenses that cover that focal length.

I agree with the others about keeping the camera level while shooting and a tripod is definitely a good way of doing this. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. Even though my camera has an electronic level, I find that it can be a bit of a pain to use, so I use an inexpensive hot shoe level and find that it helps a lot.




As others have posted examples of wide angle shots, here are some full frame shots at 24mm.

[Saorsa]

These were taken with a 10.5mm Fisheye Nikkor. A real UWA lens. They were taken when I first acquired the lens and was trying to learn how to use it.

This one shows a shot with the camera held as level on the horizon as I could make it without a tripod and level. There are a few clues that it was a fisheye but it isn't obvious.




This one shows the impact of a slight downward tilt and a slight clockwise rotation


And this one a slight upward rotation and left tilt


That third shot shows another affect of a UWA and that is the polarization effect at very wide angles

[rpcrowe]

For many-many years shooting full frame 35mm film, the widest lens that I owned was 28mm. Although it is a wide angle lens and care must be used to prevent distortion and weird perspectives, this focal length is very useful in shooting some landscapes (I like to include a prominent feature in the foreground) and architecture (ensuring that the camera is held level - unless you want distortion for an artistic effect). However, my favorite use for that focal length on a full frame camera is environmental portraiture (showing the subject in the context of his or her environment). I just insure that I do not try to get too close to the subject, thereby avoiding exaggerated features...

While this question was not asked, the 28mm focal length is great on a crop camera for all around shooting since it gives close to, but a bit wider. than a normal angle lens (44.8mm equivalent). Here is a landscape done at 28mm...

[DanK]

I use focal lengths in that range (I have only zooms in that range) for landscapes and urban shots. However, I agree with Trev--it usually works out better to reverse the process and decide what you want to do that your current equipment won't do well and then try to figure out what lens will serve those purposes best. E.g., for my uses, an obvious question is whether I am better off with a faster prime or a slower zoom. For me, the answer was slower zooms. Your answer may be different from mine, but it often works best to sort that out first beforehand.

[rpcrowe]

The lenses that I use, almost to the exclusion of others, are zooms.

For many years, my long telephoto work was done with a 300mm f/4L IS and a 400mm f/5.6L. These two lenses are both great and can produce wonderful imagery. However, I have replaced these primes with a 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II zoom and this lens does the job of both of my primes. Although it is heavier than either prime, it is certainly quantum lighter in weight than carrying both primes I was able to sell both lenses and almost pay for the new Mark II zoom.

My 28mm focal length is mainly covered by my 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens. Although it is a bit over a stop slower than an f/1.8 lens; the IS helps make up for that.

[Hans]

It is versatile, light and small (unless it is really fast). You can use it for a variety of situations if you are limited to one focal length. Learning to use it according to its strengths and adjusting for weaknesses is important though. It is my most used focal length these days. I use for family photojournalism (especially inside), I take it on mountain bike club rides, use it for landscape, travel shots, close ups (I think close focus is important if you are using one prime lens), group portraits, parties, and environmental portraits.
Check out these links:
http://www.theinspiredeye.net/28mm-focal-length/
http://www.prime-junta.net/pont/Photography_lessons/i_Lesson_8/a_Fun_at_28_mm.html

Regards,
Pete

[aerao1]

Hi
Thanks for the response. I am not a professional photographer but have lots of enthusiasm on photography. The reason foe acquiring the wide angle lens is:
Mostly I take portraits of my family and also I am interested in low light photography and landscapes. In portraits I want to have shallow depth of field.

[aerao1]

Thanks Dave. I acquired this WA lens for portrait photography with shallow depth of field, low light & landscape photography. Further addition to this is highly appreciated.

[billtils]

Mostly I take portraits of my family ... In portraits I want to have shallow depth of field.

The lens will be of use if you are taking group shots but be very careful if you are taking individual portrait shots as you can/will probably get noticeable distortion in the facial features.

As far as the other uses that you mention are concerned, there are some very helpful examples earlier in this thread.

[Moritat]

28mm is one of my favorite focal lengths. On a full frame like the 6D, it makes a great versatile wide angle lens. I find this combo great for architecture. For this purpose, I usually stop down to f8. On a crop camera, the 28mm makes for a good walk around lens with a slightly wider than normal view. Great for everyday generic shooting like family gatherings.

[rpcrowe]

Hi
Thanks for the response. I am not a professional photographer but have lots of enthusiasm on photography. The reason foe acquiring the wide angle lens is:
Mostly I take portraits of my family and also I am interested in low light photography and landscapes. In portraits I want to have shallow depth of field.

As has been mentioned the 28mm (or any other wide angle lens) needs to be used carefully to achieve good portraits when shooting with a full frame camera. Photographers often get too close (filling the frame with head and shoulders for example) with a wide lens and that will cause distortion. My choice for head and shoulders portraiture is a minimum of 50mm on a crop camera and a minimum of 85mm on full frame. However, I tend to go over that minimum most often. Around 100-135mm is my favorite on a crop camera for head and shoulders photography and I will most often use 135-150mm or so with a full frame format.

However, the 28mm is handy on both full frame and crop cameras for environmental portraiture, showing the subject in his/her environment. In this case the wider DOF is quite handy and the ability to include the surroundings is a great plus!

Additionally, I noticed that shallow depth of field is one of the parameters you are seeking. Wide angle lenses are not normally my choice when I want a shallow DOF. Instead, I will use a longer than normal focal length to achieve the narrow DOF.