Characteristics of wide-angle lenses

Take a 35mm single-lens reflex camera as an example. A wide-angle lens usually refers to a lens with a focal length of about 17 to 35mm.
The basic characteristics of a wide-angle lens are that the lens has a wide angle of view and a wide field of view. The range of scenery observed from a certain viewpoint is much larger than what the human eye sees at the same viewpoint; the depth of field is long, and a considerable range of clarity can be shown; it can emphasize the perspective effect of the picture, and is good at exaggerating the foreground and showing the sense of distance of the scenery, which is conducive to enhancing the appeal of the picture.
Basic characteristics of a wide-angle lens:
1. A wide angle of view range, which can cover a wide range of scenery. The so-called wide angle of view range means that at the same viewpoint (the distance from the subject remains unchanged), three different focal lengths of wide-angle, standard and telephoto lenses are used to frame the scene. As a result, the former can capture more scenery up, down, left and right than the latter. When the photographer has no way out, if the scenery is difficult to be fully photographed with a 50mm standard lens (such as group photos of people, etc.), the problem can be easily solved by using the wide-angle lens's wide angle of view range. Furthermore, when shooting a vast field or a tall building in a city, a standard lens may only capture part of the scene, and cannot show the width or height of the scene. However, shooting with a wide-angle lens can effectively show the grandeur of a large scene or the majesty of a building towering into the clouds.
2. Short focal length and long depth of field. When shooting a vast scene, photographers generally rely on the characteristics of a wide-angle lens with a short focal length and a long depth of field to bring the entire scene from near to far into the range of clear expression. In addition, when shooting with a wide-angle lens, if a smaller aperture is used at the same time, the depth of field of the scene will become longer. For example, if a photographer uses a 28mm wide-angle lens to shoot, focuses on a subject about 3 meters away, and adjusts the aperture to F8, then almost everything from 1 meter to infinity is within the depth of field range. It is precisely because of this long depth of field that wide-angle lenses are often used by photographers as a highly maneuverable quick-shot lens. In some cases, photographers can quickly capture the subject without focusing on the wide-angle lens.
3. It can emphasize the foreground and highlight the near-far contrast. This is another important performance of the wide-angle lens. The so-called emphasis on the foreground and highlighting the near-far contrast means that the wide-angle lens can emphasize the contrast of near big and far small more than other lenses. In other words, the photos taken with a wide-angle lens make things bigger near and things smaller far away, which makes people feel that the distance is pulled apart and produces a strong perspective effect in the depth direction. Especially when shooting with an ultra-wide-angle lens with a very short focal length, the effect of near big and far small is particularly significant.
4. It can be exaggerated and deformed. Generally speaking, it is a taboo to use wide-angle lenses to exaggerate and deform the subject. In fact, it is not necessarily undesirable for the subject to be appropriately exaggerated and deformed. Experienced photographers often use wide-angle lenses to appropriately deform the subject, making some very inconspicuous and unnoticed scenes look unusual. Of course, the use of wide-angle lenses to exaggerate and distort the expression techniques must be based on the needs of the subject matter and be concise. Regardless of whether the subject matter requires it, it is not advisable to abuse the wide-angle lens to exaggerate and distort the expression techniques and blindly pursue bizarre effects in form.