Today’s Photo of the Day is “Dance with Me” by Kenneth Wong. Location: Hayward, California.
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For this review of the Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8, I’ve tested the lens extensively both in the field and in the lab. This is one of the smallest, lightest full-frame lenses ever made, and not just by Nikon. But how does it perform?
The first thing most landscape photographers do upon arriving on location is reach in their bag and grab a favorite wide–angle lens. But what if the vista is so expansive that a 28mm or 35mm won’t include the entire scene?
Under these circumstances you have a couple choices. One is to shoot multiple images and stitch them together during the editing process. Our preference, on the other hand, is to pull out an ultra-wide lens, and capture the image in the camera.
Ultra-wide lenses tend to fall into the “exotic glass” category and are often quite expense, but they’re capable of making truly breathtaking images; that’s if you understand how to use them properly. If you’re new to the world of ultra-wide photography, or the images you shoot are disappointing, the following video tutorial from B&H Photo Video is exactly what you need.
Instructor Matt Zefi is an accomplished photographer/filmmaker, and in the quick tutorial below he shares his “best practices” and a few helpful tips for shooting incredible images with an ultra-wide lens. So if you’re new to the game or just need a bit of help, it’s all at your fingertips in barely four-minutes.
Zefi defines ultra-wide lenses as those with a focal length wider than 28mm on a full-frame system—say from 10mm to 25mm. For the purpose of this video he avoids the more specialized fisheye optics that we’ll save for a future discussion.
As you’ll see, ultra-wide lenses require special attention if you want to take advantage of their best characteristics. And there are a few pitfalls to avoid when they’re used incorrectly.
Zefi discusses how to deal with the distortion inherent to ultra-wide glass. Typically the goal is to shoot in a way that minimizes distortion, but other times accentuating distortion yields really eye-catching effects. You’ll also pick up some important advice on the best ways to compose outdoor scenes when using these unique lenses.
Other topics include how to use ultra-wide lenses for quirky portraits, complications when employing lens filters, and much more.
The B&H Photo Video YouTube channel is a great source of information, and you can view Zefi’s impressive imagery on his website.
