Wide angle macro

Wizmatt · #1 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 09:10 AM

I have been admiring the work of Solvin Zankl. He has a Gallery of wide angle macro photos at Wide view macro - Images | Solvin Zankl | PHOTOGRAPHY

I was wondering if anyone knew how to do this technique. I have a kit lens 18-55mm which I use as a wide angle lens, would people recommend an extension tube, close up filter....or something more expensive such as a fish-eye lens.

Just curious if anyone has tried this technique and could give some advice, thanks. Matt.

Lancashire Lad · #2 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 12:57 PM

Looking at the linked Gallery, I suspect that he is using something like a semi-fisheye lens, or certainly a very "wide" wide angle - perhaps on a DSLR with full frame sensor.

The problem for this type of photography is that none full frame DSLR's have what is generally described as the "crop factor", meaning that the view which the sensor sees "multiplies" the focal length of the lens by about 1.5 times.

Thus if you have such a DSLR, your 18mm lens will, in effect, "see" the same view as would a 27mm (or thereabouts) lens on a full frame sensor DSLR, or on a 35mmSLR. -And 27mm isn't really wide enough.

There aren't that many very wide angle lenses yet available for crop sensor DSLR's. Sigma have just released an 8-16mm zoom, (which on such a camera will equate to 12-24mm).

You may be able to get a similar effect by adding a supplementary wide angle/fisheye adaptor onto the fromt of your kit lens, but I wouldn't think that the image quality would be anything special.

Regards,
Mike.

matt_xyz · #3 (**permalink**) 18-06-2010, 01:40 PM

I believe Solvin Zankl uses an 'adapted' Nikon 14mm wideangle lens but I've no idea what the adaptation actually is.

I've done a bit of wide angle photography and the best lens I've found for it is the Tokina 10-17 mm fisheye as that has a tiny minimum focus distance. But, to get the subject matter to be reasonably large in the frame you practically end up touching it (no exaggeration). Being a fisheye you obviously get a very wide field of view and it's therefore a challenge getting a photogenic setting. It really is quite a difficult technique to master in my experience.

Stu doesn't like external links but I can provide some examples of what the Tokina lens can do if anyone wishes to PM me.

Matt

Wizmatt · #4 (**permalink**) 19-06-2010, 05:13 PM

Thanks Mike and Matt,

After thinking about it more I think it would be possible to do with a compact camera with a good macro function, sometimes called 'super macro'. The wide angle and large depth of field would work in favour of compacts this time.

Lancashire Lad · #5 (**permalink**) 19-06-2010, 10:59 PM

Wizmatt,

I recently obtained a Finepix HS10, as a replacement for my much abused S9600, and today tried out a couple of wide angle macro shots with that.

I must admit, for a stand alone jack-of-all-trades type of camera, I was pleasantly surprised at the results.

Admittedly the shots were taken more in hopes of getting a positive ID on the fungus, but you can see the sort of depth of field that can be had from this type of camera. - Something I may play around with much more in future.

This shot is at the equivalent of what a 24mm lens on a 35mm SLR camera would give.

regards,
Mike.