P#13 Q3: Is the Wide Angle Lens Truly the Best Lens for Landscape Photography?

The Wide Angle Difference

Jennifer Wu: As far as I am concerned the wide angle lens is definitely the most important lens in landscape photography. That being said, the lens you use is really a matter of personal preference.

There are people who prefer a telephoto lens, but I love the wide angle lens so I have a 17-40mm. That's probably the one I use the most now.

Before that, I had a 24-70mm that I used the most, but I use the 17mm more often than any other lens because I love getting that perspective from near to far. You can do that with the wide angle lens by getting in close to the subject.

Audri Lanford: Do you go all the way down to the 17mm sometimes?

Jennifer Wu: Absolutely, I love it. It's great.

Audri Lanford: So you can get in real close to your subject that way?

Jennifer Wu: If I use the hyperfocal distance I can. That allows me to get really close to a subject and it creates a nice sense of depth, having a subject in the foreground and then the distant mountains or trees in the background.

With this technique, we get a perception of depth from foreground to background. The view that we get doesn't look as flat. It gets you a much more interesting perspective by being able to do that.

You can't do that with a telephoto lens because it doesn't have the depth of field for it. The wide angle has more depth of field than the telephoto does. Using the wide angle lens gives you much more perception of depth.

In Closing

Jennifer Wu believes that the best lens for landscape photography is really a matter of personal preference. That being said, if you want a great depth of field and the ability to get perspective from near to far, a wide angle lens is what's best.