WIDE ANGLE LENS FOR THE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Many of us who migrated from film to digital would have faced problems shooting at wide angles. A 28mm lens appears to stretch as long as 45mm. That is a little too long for taking photographs of landscapes. I took some time to search for a good option that gives me a short effective focal length when mounted on my digital SLR. After some research and recommendations from a friend, I have zeroed in on Canon 17-40 f/4L USM. It has many good things going with it.



1. The effective focal length is a little less than 28mm when you account for crop factor and hence makes an ideal replacement for people with 28mm lenses.
2. The price - At $660(on Adorama), it costs less than half of its near equivalent lens - 16-35 f/2.8L. Its much slower alright, but definitely manageable.
3. The quality. It’s almost as good as 16-35 lens, and performs better than that in the short end

Of course there are downsides too. An effective 28mm is still not enough for many people. And image sharpness decreases to some extent at the longer end. Though f/4 is a little slow, it is not much of a hindrance.

See review of the lens at luminous-landscape. Read praises by Norman Koren and see the fantastic sharpness in a sample image uploaded by him.

I am placing an order for one very soon!