Taking great selfies requires the right light, angle, setting, and editing. Getting a great shot is so much more than just clicking a button. It requires skill, practice, and good technique. Come along and learn how to master the art of the perfect selfie using photography tricks and tools described below. In general, a great selfie is shot using an Continue Reading
Photodoto
Posts Tagged ‘angle’
How to Take the Perfect Selfie: The Right Angle, Lighting and Photo Editor
19
Sep
How to Pose and Angle the Body for Better Portraits
24
Jan
The post How to Pose and Angle the Body for Better Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Alexis Arnold.
One of the best ways to make a living with photography is to photograph people. People need photographs of themselves for their businesses, conferences, publications, acting, and more.
Now, when a person comes to you to have their photo taken, they trust you to make them look good. That is really one of the biggest parts of your job as a photographer:
Make your subject look great.
When someone hires you to take their portraits or headshots, it’s important you understand how to pose them and how to angle their body toward the camera. With the right techniques, you will also be able to work more efficiently, which will benefit both you and your client.
After all, most people don’t like to have their photo taken, so you want the process to move along swiftly.
I have compiled clear examples of the slight changes you can make to create a more pleasing portrait. These photos are straight out of the camera; no post-processing or touch-ups have been done. The model in the photographs had professional makeup done before we shot.
(I recommend that you refer your female clients to a makeup artist so they can have their makeup done prior to the shoot. This will make a big difference in the final look.)
Okay, let’s get started.
Shift their weight
With the first set of images (below), the model on the left is standing straight on (i.e., square to the camera). Her body weight is on both of her feet equally.
But as you can see with the image on the right, a subtle shift in her weight makes a big difference. All the model did was put the majority of her weight on her right leg – and this immediately created a subtle s-curve with her body.
The model is still facing the camera straight on, but already looks slimmer.
Lean forward from the waist
The model is still facing you straight on, but you can now have her lean forward from the waist.
With the photo on the left, the model is leaning away from the camera or backward, and it’s very unflattering. This angle creates a double chin and makes her look heavier. Anytime a client does this, you should correct them right away.
To make the photo better, just have your subject lean slightly forward from their waist (toward you).
As you can see from the photo on the right, when the model leaned forward, she automatically angled her head and shifted her weight. The pose is much more flattering!
Weight on the back leg
Now have the model shift her weight to her back leg.
In the examples below, the model shifts her weight to her left leg and brings her right leg forward. With the image on the left, you can see how, when she leans backward or away from the camera, the pose looks awkward and unnatural.
So when your subject shifts their weight back, have them either stand up straighter or have them add a bit of lean toward you (as seen in the photo on the right).
Cross arms
A very popular pose for business headshots is to have your model cross their arms (shown below). This projects a feeling of confidence and strength.
It can go wrong, however.
In the image on the left, the model angled her head backward. This mistake is more common in women, since they often tilt their head in photos.
Instead, communicate clearly with your subject to bring their chin forward and down slightly. This easy adjustment makes a big difference and is the shot your client will want.
Lean forward again
You can get a very nice close-up headshot with the crossed-arms pose.
The image on the left was shot wider to show you how and where the model has angled her body.
Ask your subject to lean forward from the waist. Most people will think this feels weird, so just let them know that it’ll look great in the final image.
Remember that most people are insecure about how they look, so always take time to reassure them that they look amazing!
Then either zoom in tight with your lens or step in closer to get a beautiful portrait.
Photograph on both sides of your model’s face
The example below shows the model’s “good side.” We all have one side that is better than the other. However, it is not usually visible to the naked eye, so please be sure to always photograph your model from the left and the right sides.
This is clearly shown with the model below. Her good side is when she angles her face to the right so her left side is more visible (below right). You can see more of her face, her neck looks better, both eyes are visible, the hair falls naturally, and her nose has a more flattering angle.
When repositioning your model, remember to shoot every pose from each side. Until you get good at recognizing your client’s good side just from looking at the image preview on your camera, always shoot from the left and the right.
Sitting poses
Let’s move on to portraits where your client is sitting down. Having your subject in this sitting position places you above them – so you will be shooting at a downward angle, which is very flattering for most people.
Pose your subject on the seat edge
First, have your subject sit on the edge of the chair. You do not want them sitting comfortably where they lean all the way back.
In the left image below, the model is sitting on the edge of the seat, feet on the floor and shoulders square at the camera. Even though the angle isn’t the best, if you crop in tight, you can still create a nice portrait with the focus on the eyes, as seen in the image on the right.
Consider crossing the arms and angling the face
With your subject still sitting in the chair, have them place their elbows on their knees.
Arms can be crossed or not; I suggest you play around with both options. This forces the subject to look up at you, taking away any issues with their neck.
Make the image better by having your subject angle their face slightly to the left or the right, as shown in the right image (below). Remember that these are tight crops, focusing on the eyes and the smile.
How to pose and angle the body for better portraits: Conclusion
It’s easy to see how a simple posing adjustment can result in better portraits.
A good rule of thumb to remember:
Have your subject angle one shoulder toward you, and have them place their weight on the back leg. This will immediately make them look slimmer.
Of course, now that you know how to pose for great results, the best way to improve is to get out and practice, practice, practice!
And have fun shooting!
(All images were shot in a studio with a 50mm lens, on a white paper backdrop, with one strobe light.)
Now it’s your turn:
How do you come up with poses when doing portrait photography? Do you have any additional posing advice? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The post How to Pose and Angle the Body for Better Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Alexis Arnold.
How to Use Facial View and Camera Angle to take Flattering Portraits
10
Jan
The post How to Use Facial View and Camera Angle to take Flattering Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.
How do camera and face angles affect your portrait photography? And how can you use different angles to create gorgeous portraits?
It’s all in this article!
Because today, we’re going to examine facial views and camera angles. I’ll discuss how to use both these concepts to your advantage – and how you can use them to flatter your subject.
Let’s get started!
What is facial view? What is camera angle?
Simply put, facial view is the portion or angle of the face that is showing toward the camera. It’s how the subject’s face is turned or angled relative to the lens.
Your camera angle is where you place your camera in relation to the subject – that is, the height, distance, and angle relative to the subject’s face.
Sounds pretty straightforward, right? It is – but small differences in facial view or camera angle can produce undesirable results. We’ll dig a bit deeper into that in a bit, so stay with me!
Facial views
First, let’s look at the four main facial views used in portraiture. They are:
Full face, where your subject’s nose is pointing directly toward the lens. You’ll see equal amounts of both sides of their face:
3/4 view, where your subject turns their face just slightly in one direction until you cannot see their far ear anymore:
2/3 view, where the subject turns their head until the line of the nose is almost touching the outline of their cheek on the far side. Be careful not to turn them past that point, because you don’t want the nose to break the line of the cheek. This isn’t a rule, but it doesn’t look as flattering.
Note: Check out the subject’s earrings in the image above, and how her right earring is not showing below her jawline. When she turned her face just a little more, the earring looked like it was coming out of her face, so I had her remove it for the image. Watch for things like that as the facial angle changes.
Profile, where the subject’s face is turned almost exactly 90 degrees from front, so that their nose is basically pointing sideways. In a true profile, you should only be able to see one side of the subject’s face and not the eye on the far side.
Note: Once again, watch for things like earrings and hair hanging down under the chin, which can look a bit odd. I usually brush the hair back and have the subject remove an earring if it doesn’t look right or if it looks like it’s dangling under the chin or neck.
Camera angle
Where you place your camera makes a huge difference to how your subject appears in the final image.
However, keep in mind that I can’t offer hard and fast rules here. Instead, use my advice as guidelines and starting points, then use your best judgment – because each person is unique. Portray the subject how they wish to be portrayed. When you learn these tips and see how they work in practice, it becomes easier and easier to know how to approach each portrait.
Here are your camera angle tips:
- A high camera angle (above the subject’s eye level) will emphasize the face more than the body. This is good for a heavy-set person to help them appear slimmer if that’s desired. (Most women will not get upset if you make them look slimmer!)
- A low camera angle (below their eye level or even below their chin level) can make a person look taller or make them seem more powerful. But this is not very flattering for most people. You end up looking up their nostrils, and the body appears larger than the head and face, which is generally unflattering.
- For group portraits, the camera position should be about eye level or slightly lower. This cuts down on distortion of body parts and prevents the subjects from looking oddly proportioned.
- For a portrait of one or two people, having the camera at eye level or slightly higher is often the most flattering option.
Lenses
In addition to the camera height and angle, the lens you select will change the look of your portrait drastically.
Consider what you know about different lenses:
- Wide-angle lenses emphasize perspective, distort things, and make scenes seem more three-dimensional
- Telephoto or long lenses compress things, isolate subjects, and make them look less three-dimensional
That’s all I’m going to tell you about this; I want you to find out what I’m talking about by trying it yourself. Look at my examples below, then find yourself a person to photograph. Use different lenses and see how they change the image.
What do you notice about the examples here? What changes in each photo?
How long does it take to master this stuff?
One of the most common questions I get asked by my students is “How long did it take you to learn all this stuff?”
The answer is two-fold: 4 weeks and 25 years!
I say that tongue in cheek, but it’s true. I “learned” all the concepts and guidelines relatively quickly, because I was in a two-year program that immersed me completely in photography. It’s like learning a new language; if you move to a new country and you have to speak the language all the time, you will learn a lot faster than if you only speak it once a month. So the best advice I can give you on how to learn faster is to get out and photograph more often.
The second part of my answer, the “25 years” bit, means that I’m still learning. I’ve learned things from my students and from other photographers and do so continually. Don’t ever expect to suddenly “get” it so that you can stop learning. Photography education is a process and it’s always ongoing. As soon as you think you’ve learned it all, or that you know it all, then it’s time to quit – because you’ve probably lost the passion. That’s my opinion, anyway.
Camera and face angles: Practice at home
This is not an assignment, but rather a suggestion for improvement.
Whenever possible, notice the facial view of your subject and how you can adjust it. If you sit a person by a light source such as a window, you can see that turning their head toward the light will also change the lighting pattern that falls on their face. See how this information can then be used to your advantage.
Different facial views will be flattering for different people. Experiment and see what works best for each person you photograph. Have the person sit and just turn their face, then see how the shape of their face changes and how the light falls on them differently.
While you’ve got your subject for the last exercise, see if you can slip this in, too:
Take five images of your subject from different camera heights. Don’t change the focal length or distance to the subject – just the camera height.
Here are the photos I recommend you take:
- One slightly below the subject’s chin
- One slightly below the subject’s eye level
- One at eye level
- One slightly above the subject’s eye level
- One at quite a bit above the subject’s eye level
Then ask yourself:
Which is the most flattering angle for that person? From which angle would they most want to be photographed? Why?
Facial views and camera angles: Conclusion
Now that you’ve finished this article, you should be well on your way to using face angles and camera angles to create stunning portraits.
Just make sure you practice frequently. And before you know it, you’ll be an expert!
What’s your favorite face angle? What’s your favorite camera angle? Do you have any tips for working with these angles? Share your thoughts in the comments!
The post How to Use Facial View and Camera Angle to take Flattering Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.
Wide Angle Versus Telephoto Lenses for Beautiful Landscape Photography
28
Sep
The post Wide Angle Versus Telephoto Lenses for Beautiful Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Will Crites-Krumm.
An easy assumption to make, when shooting landscapes, is to use a wide-angle lens. After all, most landscape photographers favor wide-angle lenses for a reason: They naturally give you the widest view and allow you to get the full landscape into the frame, from the foreground to the horizon.
Wide-angle lenses also have the widest depth of field, so you get the whole landscape in focus. And their distortion enlarges objects in the foreground, letting you show off close-up details. The same distortion also emphasizes leading lines, enhancing your compositions and giving your image a more dynamic feel. But when you default to wide-angle glass, you miss many hidden opportunities offered by telephoto lenses.
Field of view: The whole and its parts
This is the most basic difference between the two lens types:
Wide lenses give you a wide view; telephoto lenses give you a narrow view.
And while landscapes look great in their entirety, it’s a good habit to take a moment and look for details. These details are beautiful elements of the landscape that might get shrunken or ignored in the expanse of a wide-angle image. This is where your telephoto lens comes in. Its narrow field of view is perfect for trimming the extra elements and for focusing on small, beautiful scenes like the curve of a mountain, a reflection in a far-off pond, or the silhouette of a tree.
In the two images above, you can see this in action. They were both taken from Olmstead point in Yosemite National Park, one with a wide-angle lens and the other with a telephoto.
In the first image, the wide-angle lens shows off the total landscape. It includes both sides of the valley, the up-close textures of the rocks, and the far-off peak of Half Dome. In the second image, the telephoto lens brings the eye right up to the mountains, showing off their shapes and the details of the geology.
Another pair of images (below) shows this effect even more dramatically. The first image is not just a wide-angle image, but an aerial shot as well, taken from a small airplane over the Okavango Delta in Botswana. From this vantage point, all of the individual elements of the landscape become incredibly small and your eyes pay more attention to their arrangement than their individual shapes. In the second image, also from the Okavango area but this time on the ground, a telephoto lens is used to draw attention to the beautiful curves of a single Acacia tree.
Depth of field: Focusing the eye
The second major difference between wide-angle and telephoto lenses is the innate size of their depth of field.
Put succinctly, the higher the focal length, the narrower the area of focus. In practice, this means that when shooting wide, it’s much easier for you to get everything in focus, from the grass at your feet to the ridge on the horizon. This is especially true when you’re trying to use your lens’s sharpest apertures (the so-called sweet spot).
However, a narrower depth of field is much better for isolating your subject from the background, and this is where your telephoto lens comes into play. Try shooting a close-up detail at a wide aperture, using the landscape as a nice, creamy bokeh backdrop.
The two images above are perfect examples of this effect. In the first image, the wide-angle lens brings the whole landscape into focus, from the close-up sunflowers to the far-off mountains.
In the second image, shooting with a telephoto blurs out the flowers and mountains in the background, turning them into a nice soft background for the main sunflower.
Depth compression: Playing with size
It’s no secret that wide-angle lenses expand the sense of depth in an image by enlarging elements in the foreground and shrinking those in the back. This is great for creating images that make you feel like you could step right into the frame.
On the flip side, you run the risk of making towering, awesome mountains in the distance look like puny hills. Telephoto lenses, on the other hand, compress depth, causing objects near and far to appear more similar in size. A compressed sense of depth is great for abstracting a scene and bringing out its graphical qualities. Colorful forest canopies, layered mountain ridges, and curving sand dunes are all great subjects for this kind of shooting.
In the left image above, notice how the wide-angle lens exaggerates the size of the flowers in the foreground at the expense of the mountains in the background. The mountains are so tall that they’re shrouded in clouds, but the lens keeps them from looking quite as grand.
Pull out a telephoto lens, and you can zoom straight in on the mountain, showing off the contrast between the rugged outline of the peak and the soft wispy form of the cloud (right).
Here are two more images, both taken at the same location in Big Bend National Park, that show off this effect. In the first image, you can see that the wide-angle lens increases the size of the plants and rocks in the foreground while shrinking the large desert mountains in the background. In the second image, a telephoto lens flattens out the depth of the many desert ridges, calling attention to their graphic patterns and outlines.
Summary: Space versus object
Have a hard time remembering all these details? Here’s an easy way to summarize it with a simple idea:
Wide-angle lenses show off space, telephotos show off objects.
The wide-angle lens’s big field of view, ease of uniform focus, and depth-distorting abilities are great at showing off big, expansive landscapes. However, they take focus away from individual elements within the landscape in favor of showing the whole. Telephoto lenses are naturally the opposite: they’re great at showing off the size, shape, and intricacy, of detail of individual elements within the landscape. But their narrow field of view, small depth of field, and depth-compressing qualities make it hard to capture the landscape as a whole.
You can analyze this pair of images to see exactly how all of these techniques work together. Starting with the photo above, you can see how the wide-angle lens fits the whole landscape into the frame, from close-up rocks to far off peaks and sky. Because of the lens’s large depth of field, the whole landscape is in acceptable focus as well. The lens’s depth distortion is readily apparent, as well: the foreground rocks look very large, creating a pleasing sense of depth, and emphasizing the leading lines that draw the eye from the edges of the frame to the center. Overall, you get a very good sense of the space and the expansiveness of the valley.
This image was taken in the same place, but the use of a telephoto lens captures it in a very different way. The photo brings out a single element of the landscape; look closely and you can see this peak in the previous image on the top right. It allows the viewer to appreciate its subtle details.
Because of the telephoto lens’s narrow depth of field, the sky is slightly out-of-focus while leaving the details of the peak itself perfectly sharp. And most of all, the compressed sense of depth flattens the image, showing off the rocky mass of the mountain, and calling attention to the beautiful curve of the ridgeline. Overall, you get a great sense of the mountain as a solid object, rather than a bounded space.
When to shoot what?
The best way to know which lens to use is to get out there, look, and think. What part of the landscape are you most drawn to? Does the landscape’s expansiveness give it its character? Are there stunning details surrounded by less photogenic elements? Are you shooting spaces or objects?
That said, my personal strategy is to just shoot both, because almost any landscape has enough beauty that just one type of lens isn’t enough to get to all of it.
The post Wide Angle Versus Telephoto Lenses for Beautiful Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Will Crites-Krumm.
Do Wide Angle Lens Converters Work?
14
Jan
The first thing any photographer wants to know about a piece of gear is how well it works. Camera equipment is expensive, which is why photographers spend so much time sifting through reviews before making purchasing decisions. For some of the more specialty lenses, photographers test the waters with accessories like wide-angle lens converters. These are much cheaper than buying Continue Reading
The post Do Wide Angle Lens Converters Work? appeared first on Photodoto.
Why Are Wide Angle Lenses so Expensive
07
Nov
If you could’ve taken one more step back, your shot would’ve been perfect. But one more step would’ve sent you plummeting to the bottom of the canyon. You decide it’s time to add a wide angle lens to your collection. But how do you justify the expense? And why are wide angle lenses so expensive anyway? Manufacturers encounter a few Continue Reading
The post Why Are Wide Angle Lenses so Expensive appeared first on Photodoto.
DPReview TV: What is shutter angle, and why is it better than shutter speed when shooting video?
27
Jun
Have you heard video pros talk about using shutter ‘angle’ instead of shutter speed? Chris explains what shutter angle is and why it’s often more useful than shutter speed for video work.
Get new episodes of DPReview TV every week by subscribing to our YouTube channel!
- Introduction
- A bit of history
- 360-degree shutter
- 180-degree shutter
- 90-degree shutter
- Downsides of using shutter speed
- Why shutter angle is more useful than shutter speed
- Wrap-up
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Lensbaby announces the Edge 35mm optic, a wide angle tilt lens for its Optic Swap system
15
Mar
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Lensbaby has released Edge 35mm Optic, a new wide angle tilt lens for its Optic Swap system.
The lens, which works in conjunction with the Lensbaby composer Pro or Composer Pro II, can be mounted to Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Fuji X and Micro Four-Third systems. It is the third selective focus lens in Lensbaby’s Optic Swap lineup, rounding out the existing 50mm and 80mm options.
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The lens features an aperture range of F3.5-F22 and a minimum focusing distance of 18cm / 7in. It has an eight blade aperture diaphragm and can tilt 15 degrees. Lensbaby doesn’t have specific dimensions or weight available at this time.
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‘The Composer Pro II swivels and tilts on a smooth metal ball and socket design, providing a fast and intuitive way to switch between traditional straight lens photos and tilt photography,’ says Lensbaby in the press release. ‘Tilting the lens up or down results in a horizontal slice of focus; left or right a vertical slice; diagonally for a diagonal slice. After setting the tilt, rotating the focus ring moves that slice of focus through the image, from one side of the frame to the other.’
Below is a sample gallery of photos provided by LensBaby:
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The Edge 35mm Optic is available for pre-order alone for $ 249.95 or as a kit with the Composer Pro II for $ 449.95. The first lenses and kits will start shipping in early April.
Lensbaby Launches a New, Wide Angle Tilt Lens for their One-of-A-Kind Optic Swap System
Portland, OR — Lensbaby – makers of award-winning lenses, optics and accessories announces today the availability of its new wide angle tilt lens. The Composer Pro II with Edge 35mm Optic is available for use on Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Fuji X, and Micro 4/3 interchangeable lens cameras. The Edge 35mm Optic is also available separately for anyone who already owns a Lensbaby Composer Pro or Composer Pro II lens body. Fans of this style of selective focus photography have been requesting a wider option beyond the company’s existing 50mm and 80mm lenses.
The Composer Pro II with Edge 35 Optic is a 35mm f/3.5 tilting lens designed for those looking for a wider focal length to create unique in-camera shots with a slice of tack-sharp focus and detail. By tilting this lens, users can place a slice of sharp focus through objects in both the foreground and background of an image at the same time, bordered by smooth blur. This in-camera effect helps artists tell their story in an uncommon way.
“Over the past 15 years, we’ve made optical tools to help you discover unique ways of seeing your world. A 35mm tilt lens, despite being our most requested new product offering since we introduced the Edge 80 in 2012, has been elusive and the results of our efforts have paid off in a lens that is far better than we thought possible when starting our design process. It was worth the wait.” said Craig Strong, Lensbaby Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder.
The Composer Pro II swivels and tilts on a smooth metal ball and socket design, providing a fast and intuitive way to switch between traditional straight lens photos and tilt photography. Tilting the lens up or down results in a horizontal slice of focus; left or right a vertical slice; diagonally for a diagonal slice. After setting the tilt, rotating the focus ring moves that slice of focus through the image, from one side of the frame to the other.
“The Edge 35 has changed my traveling & portrait sessions for the better. I’m able to get into tight spaces and buildings and still be able to show the whole aspect of the story I’m trying to create,” said renowned portrait, travel and lifestyle photographer Stephanie DeFranco. “I find the wider slice of focus makes it easier to find the area I want to draw the viewer’s eye toward. With its 35mm focal length, this optic lets me create the same dreamy feel as the Edge 50 and Edge 80, but because of the wider slice of focus, also allows me to include more of a scene in the story.”
The Composer series of lenses are lenses that tilt to move a spot or slice of focus anywhere in the frame. They feature Lensbaby’s Optic Swap System. Users can simply purchase one lens, made up of a lens body with an included optic, for their camera system, then, swap out the optic that it came with for a new optic to completely change the effect and focal length of their Lensbaby lens.
The Composer Pro II with Edge 35 Optic will be available in April for $ 449.95, and by itself as an Optic for those who already own a Composer series lens, for $ 249.95.
Composer Pro II with Edge 35 Optic Product Specifications
- 35mm focal length
- f/3.5 – f/22
- Focuses from 7” from the front element to infinity
- Compatible with Full Frame; APS-C; and 4/3rds Sensors
- Manual Focus
- Internal 8-blade aperture
- Up to 15 degrees of tilt
- Dimensions: to come
- Weight: to come
- Mounts: Nikon F, Canon EF, Sony E, Fuji X, Micro 4/3
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
10 of the Best Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photography
13
Dec
There’s a reason that wide-angles are the go-to lens of choice for most landscape photographers. With their ability to get the bigger picture –wide-angles are perfect for capturing sweeping landscapes, adding depth and dimension to an image, and drawing the viewer into the scene. Wide-angles certainly offer a number of benefits for landscape photographers –compositions that include plenty of interesting Continue Reading
The post 10 of the Best Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photography appeared first on Photodoto.
Review of the Venus Laowa 15mm F/4 Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photographers
07
Feb
The choice of camera lens always represents a crucial moment for every photographer. But it is not always easy to find the lens that fits our actual needs, as too often we get seduced by features that we don’t really need, and are therefore just useful in raising the price.
Have you chosen a stabilized lens and you always use the camera on a tripod? You exclusively take landscape photos in the daylight but have chosen to rely on a f/2.8 lens. Sound familiar?
Especially if you are at the beginning of your journey through the world of photography, your budget won’t likely be particularly high and you may want to maximize your investment by choosing something that can be really useful to you now.
This is why today I want to tell you about the Venus Laowa 15mm f/4 Lens (with macro), an entry-level lens that every landscape photographer should take into consideration.
Why? Let’s see it together.
Construction features
The Venus Laowa 15mm f/4 Macro is a lens that has been on the market since 2015. Although it certainly does not stand out for its cosmetic appearance, it comes with features that really make this a unique lens in the world. So much so that it can simultaneously seduce landscape photographers, lovers of macro photography, and architectural photographers.
Here are its main features, that I’m going to examine with you:
- Focal length: 15 mm
- Angle of view: 110.4°
- Maximum Magnification: 1:1
- Maximum Aperture: f/4
- Shift function: +/- 6 mm
- Minimum Focusing Distance: 12.2 cm
- Filter Thread: 77 mm
- Mounts: Canon, Nikon, Sony A, Pentax K, Sony E
Exactly, you’ve read it right. The Venus Laowa 15mm f/4 is a Macro 1:1 lens with an angle of view of 110° and a shift function that allows a translation equal to +/- 6mm.
The optical scheme is composed of 12 elements in 9 groups, including 3 high refractive index elements and one low dispersion element, and on paper that holds great promise for excellent performances in terms of sharpness.
And in case that wasn’t enough, add the fact that this lens is compatible with most of the mounts currently available on the market.
One last point, and it’s absolutely not a negative one, is the price. While I’m writing, the list price of the Venus Laowa 15mm f/4 Wide Angle 1:1 Macro is only $ 499.
Using this lens for landscape photography
When evaluating a lens, we’re always going to start from the analysis of its MTF charts, and then we carry out an almost infinite series of laboratory tests so as to bench-test it, from a perspective that is more theoretical than practical.
Of course, these tests are absolutely fundamental and I encourage you to look at them. But I also think that you are likely more interested in the real-world behavior of the lens. Knowing that certain optical limits of the lens will be then invisible in the real world, and what you are more concerned about is understanding whether the lens has the features that are really essential to you or not.
While there are many online reviews available regarding the use of this lens for macro and architectural photography, I haven’t found much regarding its use for landscape photography. So, my purpose here is to examine this lens from the point of view of the landscape photographer, omitting other features that are not fundamental for us hunters of sunrises and sunsets.
So let’s start to analyze the features seen in the previous chapter, now with a more critical eye.
Features
The fact that this is a prime lens and not a zoom gives us great hope with regard to quality, as the optical scheme will be optimized for a single focal length.
We are not afraid at all of the maximum aperture available, which is f/4. As good landscape photographers, we’ll be normally working around f/11, where sharpness will also be clearly higher.
The lens does not have stabilization or autofocus. While this may make you turn your nose up at first sight, surely you will soon realize that you really don’t care about those things. As you likely use the camera on a tripod you should turn off stabilization anyway, and you may choose to adjust the focus based on hyperfocal distance, making use of the hyperfocal marks available on the lens body.
So, those are two fewer functions that you don’t need, and their absence has certainly had a positive impact on the market price of the lens.
Using Filters with the Laowa 15mm Lens
With regard to the focal length, this clearly is not the first 15mm lens available on the market. But it is the only one with a feature that has convinced me to test this lens in action – the 77 mm filter thread.
The 77mm filter size is very handy!
Normally all wide-angle and ultra wide-angle lenses (usually 15mm is considered the boundary between those two worlds) have a front optical element that is particularly curved. They often come with a built-in lens hood that makes it impossible to mount filters, unless we resort to particular solutions. Ultra wide-angle lenses whose front lens is not so curved and without a built-in lens hood, usually come with a large diameter and it’s therefore impossible to find filter threads smaller than 95 mm.
Thanks to the absence of a built-in lens hood (it does have a bayonet one) and to the 77 mm filter thread, the Venus Laowa 15mm f/4 lens opens the door to using a tool that I deem absolutely essential for every landscape photographer – drop-in filters.
As I was saying above, with a lens that has a built-in lens hood or a 95 mm filter thread it is possible to use systems that can hold 150 mm filters. But with a 77 mm filter thread, you will be able to use the same system that you use on any other lens equipped with a filter thread up to 82 mm. In a word, it is priceless.
Shift Function
The last of the features coming with this multi-purpose lens is the shift function. Thanks to a lever mechanism positioned next to the lens mount, it is possible to shift the lens by +/- 6mm. Even if this function might not seem very interesting for landscape photography at first sight (after all a rock is always a rock), it turns out to be useful in case there are human artifacts, like buildings, within the frame.
Shift lever.
The lens in shifted position.
The lens in action
If this lens appears very promising on paper, despite a very moderate price, let’s see its actual real-world behavior.
I have tested the Venus Laowa 15mm f/4 lens with my trusty Nikon D810, a full-frame camera body.
Testing the filter mount
Since this is fundamentally the reason why I decided to try this lens, again thanks to the existing 77 mm filter thread, I quickly mounted my loyal Nisi V5 Filter Holder, which holds 100mm filters. Even if it is possible to mount the holder, the fear of vignetting is too high, considering that we’re talking about a 15mm lens after all.
Although the Nisi filter holder is guaranteed to be vignette-free up to a 16mm focal length, once mounted on the Venus Laowa 15mm the result was doubtlessly amazing. Vignetting was practically invisible, as you’re going to see below, and it’s possible to quickly remove it in post-production by activating the lens correction profile.
A little dream of mine was substantially coming true. The dream of using an ultra wide-angle lens, and adding up to three 100mm filters and a polarizer without vignetting!
The lens barrel
On the lens body (which is sturdy metal, not plastic) you find the focus and aperture rings, whose operations are smooth and precise.
On the aperture ring, I would have preferred a locking system or a snap selection so as to make sure that I never lose the desired aperture. But actually, I haven’t encountered any problems during real-world use of the lens.
The focusing ring is really precise, as well as the existing focusing marks, which allow you to focus using the hyperfocal distance in no time. Just for the sake of being fussy, I would have placed the metric indications of distance upside down, or a vertical line next to each distance, just to be really precise. But you simply have to check the photo you’ve just taken, so as to make sure you have got the desired focus.
Although the manufacturer does not formally advertise this lens as weather sealed, most of my tests have been carried out in the rain (just for a change!). I protected the lens using only an umbrella or makeshift means, and no problems were detected.
Results
When I examine the images, the results were really comforting.
Sharpness
Shooting at both f/8 and f/11, the image definition is really excellent in the center of the frame. Obviously, the image becomes softer the closer you get to the edges, but doubtlessly the result is much more than acceptable. If you try to use higher apertures, you can naturally start to see that optical phenomenon called diffraction. But, as good landscape photographers, we know that we can go past f/16 only for situations of extreme necessity.
Centre image sharpness.
Lower center of the image sharpness.
Corner of the image sharpness.
Aberration and vignetting
There are no particular problems with regards to chromatic aberration with this lens. I mean, some chromatic aberration is there, but nothing that can’t easily be solved using the automatic chromatic aberration removal included in any post-production software.
Chromatic aberration showing before correction.
After the chromatic aberration has been corrected in post-production.
As for vignetting, as I said above, the problem is almost non-existent when using the 100mm Nisi filter holder. For me personally, this fact alone is worth the purchase price of this lens.
Distortion
It is worthwhile to talk a little about distortion. It is predictable that a 15 mm lens will have barrel distortion. To landscape photographers, this is not a great concern. As I said before, a little distortion on a rock will not invalidate your image, as an irregular rock will always remain an irregular rock. Unfortunately, though, barrel distortion will invalidate the only real line included in your landscape – the horizon.
The distortion caused by this lens to the horizon is of the “mustache” type, which doubtlessly is the most annoying kind. If when we take a first look at the live view this problem may give us some concern,
If this problem gives you some concern when you first notice it in Live View, as soon as you import the image into any post-production software the correction becomes really easy and immediate.
Unfortunately, at the present time, there is no automatic correction profile for this lens included in Adobe software (Lightroom and Photoshop). But the Venus Laowa technical support is very efficient and within a few hours, they emailed the correction profile that I needed. Once installed, one click was enough to do the job and the image automatically recovered from both distortion (completely removing the mustache horizon) and peripheral shading.
Original
Corrected
Conclusion
The Venus Laowa 15mm f/4 lens has really turned out to be a surprise, exceeding my expectations. Although it comes with a very moderate price, this lens really provides remarkable results in terms of image quality.
Once the lens distortion is corrected, the only thing that still needs attention is edge softness which is absolutely within acceptable values for an entry-level lens.
Construction quality is really remarkable and you can notice that as soon as you take the lens into your hands. Lastly, the possibility of using a 100mm filter holder makes this lens really priceless.
If you are a landscape photographer who is looking for an ultra wide-angle lens with a very advantageous quality to price ratio, then the Venus Laowa 15mm f/4 lens is undoubtedly what you are seeking.
PROS
- Price
- Ability to use a 100mm filter holder
- Excellent sharpness in the center of the frame
- Low chromatic aberration when not used at macro distances
- Lens shift function
- Lightweight and small
CONS
- Manual focusing
- Slight edge softness
- Barrel distortion (but it can be solved in post-production without any problems)
- Cosmetic appearance
The post Review of the Venus Laowa 15mm F/4 Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photographers by Francesco Gola appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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