Wide Angle Lenses

By Richard M. Reyes

Wide Angle Lenses are very good at bringing your subject closer to you.  This is a bit different than shooting with macro lenses where you can fill the image with your subject.  For example, you can photograph a flower in a field.  This flower can be in the foreground and be your main subject.  The bonus is that because of the angle of view covered by the lens, you can see the fields, hills, farmhouse in the background.  In the same macro shot you may have just the flower fill the image.

Wide Angle Lens on DSLR
It is a different thought process when shooting with an ultra-wide lens.  The lens I have access to now is a Canon 10-22mm on a Canon crop-sensor camera body.  This is the lens that probably stays on the camera body the most.  It has an equivalent focal range of 16-35mm (for a 35mm camera or full-frame sensor).

Wide Angle Lens on Camera Phone
My favorite wide angle lens on a camera phone is still the Nokia Lumia 1020.  It has a 41MP (2/3") sensor with Carl Zeiss Optics with a constant aperture of f/2.2 and fixed 26mm lens.  It is a quirky device.  It was designed with such a high resolution  to avoid having to physically zoom-in.  The idea was you can crop the image and still have a usable image.  I never use the camera thinking that I would crop the image and "post-crop".

This camera reminds me of the Nikon 5000 ("pre-dslr" camera) which also had a 2/3" sensor and had crisp color and focus.  I think some people refer to them as bridge cameras.  

Why I love the Canon EF 40mm

By Richard M. Reyes

I love the Canon EF 40mm lens (http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_40mm_f_2_8_stm) for a number of reasons.  The order below most likely represents the order of importance:

1. Sharpness/Focus
2. Lightweight
3. Portable
4. Quiet
5. Good for photo and video
6. Price

Sharpness/Focus
This is a very sharp lens.  I have used this lens on a number of different camera bodies and the results are always sharp: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon EOS 60D, and Canon EOS SL1.

Lightweight
Canon website referenced above lists the weight at 130 grams.  When I pair this lens with the Canon EOS SL1, I can shoot all day without having to put the camera down because I am tired.  I can keep shooting from morning till night (or until the camera batteries are fully drained-whichever comes first).

Portable
This lens has been referred to as a pancake lens.  Like a pancake it does not extended much in front of the camera compared to other medium telephoto to zoom telephoto lenses.  While it is more noticeable on a camera body such as the Canon EOS SL1, it is hardly noticeable on professional bodies on the 5D and 1D series.

Quiet
It is quiet because it uses Canon STM technology.  This is Canon's Stepping Motor that is designed to make shooting video a quiet experience.  Non STM lenses typically tend to be noticeably noisy when shooting video.

Good for photo and video
Because it uses an STM lens motor it is quiet and fast enough that it is good for both photography and video.

Price
It is about $149.00.

I have long been a fan of Ken Rockwell's article reflecting his motto of "Don't Worry: Just Shoot".  Just as in the article, it probably took me about 5 years of worrying about what gear I have instead of just shooting.  This article reflects my departure into the journey of "just creating better pictures."  Ken, I have quoted you because although I have read your article a whole lot of times, it took a little while to live it.  For a more technical review with examples please check out Ken Rockwell's review of the Canon 40mm (http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/40mm-stm.htm)

I do encourage the photographer to be proficient with their equipment.  That is a smart way to make the most of what you have and know the limitations.   However, take the time you would have spent comparing even more specs and just shoot (photographs).