recommendation for wide angle

[wasedr]

Hi peeps,

Im growing interest in wide angle after seeing so many awesome photos posted here.. however, im not sure how deep my liking would be for wide angle, so before i decide to invest $1k on a 10mm, i would like to try out a wide angle converter. currently, i do own a 16mm lens. I would like to push in down further by using a wide angle converter. I searched online, im looking at ard 0.43x or 0.45x. Any advise whether which brand and model is good?
Thanks bro!

 

[SkyStrike]

Maybe you have missed out the sticky thread: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=477934

In short, don't bother with the wide angle converters.

 

[alwaysjerricky]

16mm is really good enough! Just go out and shoot! It'll do the job!

 

[rh89]

As mentioned, a wide angle converter really probably isn't worth it. Perhaps you can try shooting a panorama to achieve a wider angle of view, or maybe rent or borrow an ultra wide angle lens to try out first.

 

[Octarine]

These wide angle converters are for kit lenses with 18mm. Putting them on a lens with 16mm focal length will likely cause mechanical vignetting, beside the obvious damage to image quality.
If you want to try out then just rent the lenses, check the services section and marketplace for local rental stores.

 

[UncleFai]

As everyone suggested: don't try them. Not worth... been there, done that.

Instead, learn to do panorama stitching.

 

[wasedr]

Maybe you have missed out the sticky thread: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=477934

In short, don't bother with the wide angle converters.

Actually i did check that out. Just that the reviews are limited, and i feel ok about the oly 0.7x results. However 0.7x is a bit little. I tried to search for review online but not much useful hits either..

I can see many ppl are quite against this wide angle converter.. they do not even worth $50 (based on 2nd hand pricing)?

 

[rh89]

Actually i did check that out. Just that the reviews are limited, and i feel ok about the oly 0.7x results. However 0.7x is a bit little. I tried to search for review online but not much useful hits either..

I can see many ppl are quite against this wide angle converter.. they do not even worth $50 (based on 2nd hand pricing)?

No, I don't think it's worth even $50. For $50, you can rent a decent ultra wide angle lens for a couple of days, which will be a much better way to spend the money.

 

[Octarine]

Actually i did check that out. Just that the reviews are limited, and i feel ok about the oly 0.7x results. However 0.7x is a bit little. I tried to search for review online but not much useful hits either..

Well, the results for anything wider won't get any better, rather the opposite. So what's the point then?

I can see many ppl are quite against this wide angle converter.. they do not even worth $50 (based on 2nd hand pricing)?

Which value would you attribute to something that gives this 'quality'? Use the money to rent a real UWA lens. Any of the current models (including third party brands) from 10 to 22 mm gives a much better image quality. Pointless to waste money on these adapters.

 

[wasedr]

As everyone suggested: don't try them. Not worth... been there, done that.

Nice one - "been there, done that." Alright, i shall drop this idea of getting a wide angle converter.. choose to believe in u guys, since i choose to ask in here..

Maybe i will check out alternatives 3rd party wide angle lens (maybe old minolta wide angle) else just stay with 16mm for some mild wide angle feel until i brush up my photography skills..

 

[alwaysjerricky]

Yup I agree that you can try stitching panoramic pictures together too. Solves the "not wide enough" issue. Even now that I have a 10mm lens, I find it not wide enough sometimes.

 

[Kit]

At times when you feel the lens is not adequate, the simple solution is of course to reach out for another one. That's probably the easy way out but not necessarily the best solution. I don't know the condition you have to work with but many times, a bit of thinking on the feet will solve the problem. It could be a few steps to the left/right/back/front, a change of camera angle, etc. I work with a range of wide angles, 15mm, 18mm, 21mm, 24mm, etc. Most of the time, I find that the 15mm is not the answer even though the scene calls for a wide angle lens. There are considerations I have to make before pulling out the 15mm. Perspective distortion is one of them. They might not work well in all instances.

 

[Blur Shadow]

1. Do not bother with a wide angle converter.

2. Save some money and get a simple 2nd hand wide angle lens, if you are truly keen in this.

3. Learn how to stitch images together.

4. Using 2, 3 and 2 & 3 (stitch ultra-wide angle images together) requires different skills and attention into different areas, and may yield slightly different results. However, that's the fun part. At least, it is for me.

5. Check my link if you need to see some of the results.

 

[wasedr]

2. Save some money and get a simple 2nd hand wide angle lens, if you are truly keen in this.

3. Learn how to stitch images together.

Im a bit puzzled how stitch the images together will have wide angle feel? Aren't you just making the photo bigger and longer? But nonetheless, will try it out...

 

[Blur Shadow]

Im a bit puzzled how stitch the images together will have wide angle feel? Aren't you just making the photo bigger and longer? But nonetheless, will try it out...

You can go search up images that have been stitched to determine if you like the results.

You can also view my work as well, although they aren't the best.

 

[SkyStrike]

Im a bit puzzled how stitch the images together will have wide angle feel? Aren't you just making the photo bigger and longer? But nonetheless, will try it out...

Pano/Stitching is something what some people do when they don't have a wide enough lens to capture the scene. There are other reasons as to why people do pano as well. To capture a wider FOV is just one of it.

Pano and Wide Angle lens will have it's differences. E.g. Using a 35mm to do a series of 18 shots vs one shot from a Ultra Wide Angle. The compression will be different.

As to the bigger and longer, Pano will result in a bigger image file size (longer in terms of pixel wise? yes). Longer framing? Not necessary so if you crop it down to 2:3 or those standard ratios.

One can also crop a standard 2:3 to 16:9 to make it seem longer too.

 

[Lawrence Quek]

As everyone suggested: don't try them. Not worth... been there, done that.

Instead, learn to do panorama stitching.

I like what you say here. Sometime the effects are so much better.

 

[pettypoh]

rent one to try first? happy then buy new or 2nd hand from online

i meant rent a UWA lens, not a convertor, not sure if convertors are available for rent even

 

[wasedr]

I noticed a few olympus 12mm selling in personal classified.. then get an adapter to my fuji aps-c, wonder if you guys would recommend that?

 

[xjosephtbr]

Just one question.. How does one go about merging hdris and stitching panos at the same time