Lenses are like tools in your toolbox. Use the right one for the job. I use my wide angle lens for waterfalls and milky way photos. You can use the distortion when shooting vertical to exaggerate certain features in the scene.
That is true Carl. I'm just trying to motivate people who might have gone through the same process I did when first buying a wide angle lens. Thanks for watching 👍
@@mikesphotography my first few outings as a beginner photographer with a 16-35 were awful, a totally depressing experience. The shots were simply high resolution phone shots as it was all pretty much point and shoot without getting close to a strong foreground and having a focal point in the mid/background. The photos felt really empty. The key is to get to a strong focal point and then exhaust the foreground and make the two connect.
I think a lot of beginners struggle with using a wide angle because they assume the best way to use it is to try to get as much of the scene in their frame width wise as they can. It does seem intuitive to think this way, it's "wide angle" so I should shoot as wide as possible. The better way to use a wide angle is to get lower or closer to a prominent foreground element and to compose "near-far" sweeping shots that show case depth more than trying to get as much width as you can. This requires being able to identify when you have a prominent foreground element that is close to you and having compositional lines or elements that can guide the viewer's eye to travel from the foreground into the shot to the background.
Exactly Rama. Wide angles are good for landscape photography, but it takes a certain level of knowledge and persistence to get a great wife angle photograph. Thanks for watching 😁👍
I just love the giggling nd woddling off moments it reminds me to actually have fun with photography "go back to being an excited kid" moment just love it.
Thanks for the video. For landscapes, I have used the following lenses: Primes Zooms Wide-angle Normal Telephoto Macro Perspective Control Fisheye Pinhole (not really a lens) The lenses I have not used for landscapes are telescopic and microscopic.
I have a 10-20mm lens, which I treat as my "close quarters" lens, rather than as my "wide angle" lens (even though I still call it that!). For example, the other day I was in a cave system. It was a commercial cave system that had some lighting in it. With the 10-20 lens I was able to get some nice shots of the cave rooms and capture an interesting amount of the surroundings. I obviously couldn't just use a bigger lens and just step back.
Hi Mike what would you recommend for an upgrade to the Sony kit lens, the 24-104 F4 Sony G or Tamron 28-200. I'm relatively new hobbyist and keen to try some landscape, some family, and maybe even astro
The Tamron 28-200mm is a great all rounder, but it is a little soft... although not as bad as the Sony 24-240mm (stay away from that one). The 24-105 is a great lens but I find the range a little limiting. What I do nowadays is order one off Amazon and check it out... as their returns policy is so good, if you don't like it, you can return it... Alternatively, find a camera shop nearby that has it is stock and go and try it out ... and of course you could hire a few different ones and see which one you like the best... I have done all of the above and they all give you a good idea of what the kit is actually like. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching 😁👍
I agree with the tip about superzoom/bridge cameras! They're sensational for dayhikes or carrying regularly. Thanks for waving that banner! It always strikes me as odd when some landscape photographers say, "composition is about cutting things out of the image to focus on what's interesting," and at the same time, "Buy a wide angle lens". Seems a bit divergent. I get it though, just got a wide angle and I find it very useful, but I still use telephoto more. I'm more often surprised by telephoto shots, scanning around and finding things I hadn't noticed before, than by wide angle shots.
No worries Norman, I am indeed a huge fan of superzooms ... When there is enough light, they can take some amazing photos! A wide angle does have its place, but like you said, a telephoto lens is fantastic for picking out the details in a busy landscape! Thanks for watching 😁👍
You're the first professional I've heard mention the Sony RX10. I bought the RX10 mark II before I bought my first DSLR. I loved how many great high tech, DSLR-like features were crammed into it, and the image quality is great considering the 1.0-type sensor. I still have it, even after moving on to Nikon D500 and D850. The mark IV is greatly improved, and I'm gonna get one as soon as I can afford the US 1600 price tag.
Thanks so much, it is a great little camera. I just wish they would give us a mkV with the bigger battery and an updated focussing system. I sold my mkiii but I am kind of regretting it now and might have to get myself a mkiv when I can afford it. Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography Yeah, a mkV would be nice. I guess bridge cameras just aren't "in" anymore. This mirrorless battle has consumed all the R&D and resources. Of course, I'm convinced the mkV will be released just after I purchase my mkIV 😅
I might add that panoramas are much better with telephoto lenses and the compressed distances. So with stitching telephoto panaramas is tremendous satisfying.
Hi Mike. Great video. Im still new to the world of photography and still learning my camera. I have a Canon 70D, which i bought 2nd hand last summer, but I've not had a chance to get out with it as much as I'd have liked. Lens wise, I've got an 18-200MM which i got with the camera. I seem to use this one the most. I've added a 50mm nifty fifty and recently bought a 75-300. Which would you recommend as the best option for landscape photography? Cheers. Ben.
Hello. Yes, you are right. Wide lens brings with it limitations in terms of time. Place and dimension of disappointment. Since I got the Sony 100-400mm lens, a new world has opened before my eyes. Not limited to my time or place. Even in the worst lighting and location conditions, you can have the best hunting. Of course, the Tamron 28-200 lens helped a lot.
Wide-angle lenses are great when traveling. I use my 17-28mm to capture details of the places I visited during my trip, where some are too wide or big that I could only capture a part of them, or some are too narrow for me to step back any further to capture all the things I wanted in my frame. For example, The Reclining Buddha in Japan and Thailand. Still, I agree that they are indeed challenging to be used to create stunning photos. If the place I'm visiting is not too wide or narrow, I usually equip my 28-75mm, so that I can also capture some more close-up shots of animals or flowers without needing to swap the lenses.
One of my favourite lenses was an old Tamron hyperzoom, 28-300mm. It was so versatile that you could find nice compostions nearly anywhere. The downside is that these things are rather optically compromised. I have primes, wide, medium and long zooms of better quality, but nothing really beats the spontinaity of that hyperzoom when out looking for shots.
I know what you mean. I love my tamron 28-200mm for that very reason, but it isn't the best optically either. It would be so good to have something like one of these two lenses with the quality of a prime. Like you said, it's a great scouting lens though. 😁👍
@@mikesphotography only if sony make sense to put for Apsc something cheaper like Tamron.I would consider it, I'm about to sell my pancake 16-50mm kit lense and 55-200mm kit lense also and buy a Tamron 18-300mm, I don't know, I'm tired of changing lenses frequently..., Already have a 35mm f1.8, need something handy
My favourite lens is still the 24-70 GM II, but I always forget about my 70-300 which makes incredible photos. So I totally agree. It helps framing and is a great lens for Landscapes.
That 24-70GMii is sweet. Super sharp and lovely bokeh. And not too big or heavy. For landscapes I like to go either wider or longer, typically 20-35mm or 100-200mm
I bought some affordable wide angle/macro adapters for my existing nikon lenses. The results are very pleasing. I also have a 70-200 zoom which is my workhorse lens for the reason given in this video 😂
I started with Sony 20mm 1.8. It is an awesome lens for astrophotography and some landscape but it is very limiting. A 24-70 made my photographic dreams come true and can't wait for the day that I could buy the 70-200. Wide angle shots are too much about the ground and sky and very little about subjects on the middle of the the frame. Where I could make 1-4 shots now I can make dozens.
Exactly!! I used to shoot with primes as well ... even though they have great IQ and are relatively small, they do make the getting the shot a lot more arduous ... especially when the weather is bad! Zooms are definitely where it is at ... whereas wide primes are more suited for astro!! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Enjoying your point of view and advice, makes me feel that I have made some of these choices intuitively since beginning with a SLR camera years ago. I always found with a telephoto lens that I got an image that I liked because it matched what caught my interest when taking the photo. I prefer the Tamron 70-300 lens which works well in low light levels conditions such as dusk and dawn. I also use a Nikon 18 - 70 if going for a wider view. Buy second hand, there are a lot of good used items at more affordable prices for those of us on a budget. Experiment and enjoy the process that's the great thing about DSLR cameras
Thanks for sharing your experiences Steven! That is a good point with telephoto lenses. They very much let you pick out interesting things within the landscape. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Good question. I have my filming kit with me a lot of the time, so my bag is heavier than it would be for photography. With filming kit, it is about 12kgs ... without if I'm just going for a short hike, I can have it at about 4-5kgs ... But then adding water and snacks, about 8-9kgs. I have the lowepro 450aw ii
Counter culture tip, Mike - something contrarian, at any rate. Agree, wide angle for landscape starters not ideal, but could build confidence in getting sharp images and vistas, before we get better at narrowing compositions. Learn pano technique and get more out of one’s primes, for vistas. Best f/l, IMO, matches one’s natural field of view preferences - differs for different folks. Then there’s in-post crop of wide shot to help isolate good composition and degree of crop can be a good tool to determine best focal length, if that makes sense. Static TV screen as divider works well, IMO. Had to replay the vid to double check I heard you say “If you’re a billionaire” thinking about buying a new lens😂. Cheers!
Haha!! Only billionaires can afford them these days!! 😆 WIde angle lenses are useful and like you said, if the scene dictates it, it is very muhc the right lens to use ... just if people are limited in time and just getting in to landscape photography, a telephoto will yield a higher return for the time invested. As always thanks for watching dude 😁👍
Currently looking to get myself a reasonable entry stage camera, to replace my phone for easy hiking and cycling photography. I have thus far primarily enjoyed taking pictures of landscapes and architecture and figure this is what I will continue doing. As such I was looking to find a kit with as wide a lens as I could. Just settled yesterday on a fujifilm s-x10 with a 15-45mm and now I see this video and start second guessing myself all over again.
Sorry to get you second guessing yourself. You can definitely get some great photos with the wide angle lens, it just takes time to find and compose unique photos ... With the 15-45mm this is very much not super wide, so you will still be able to get some good shot with it. This would give a similar field of view as my 24-70mm, and this is a great lens. I hope that helps. 👍
@@mikesphotography Thank you for the response. Having doubts is usually useful and this time it just lead me to think a little harder on the decisions and reasons behind them. I came out of it even more sure of my choice. Although you've got me to now also want one of those much larger telephoto lenses, but that'll have to be a much later purchase.
My 70-200 is always my kit bag go-to. I felt like I'd gotten pretty good with it, too. Shot a lot of big clients and gorgeous scenes, y'know? Then I got a 12mm wide angle lens and thought I could translate those skills to landscapes and BOY HOWDY was I wrong. It took a ton of practice to even come up with useable 12mm shots. It's a fun skill to have, but it's so hard to hone at first.
Exactly!! You've summed up the whole reason for this video perfectly there Salina!! Wide angles are very much an advanced lens ... when you get a good wide angle shot for yourself, without copying other popular shots, it is very rewarding!! Thanks for watching 😁👍
When I bought my D90 many years ago, I also got a 70-300 mm zoom. This zoom is my go to lens unless I need to photograph people at events. I do have a Go Pro 9 but it seems so boring unless I want to take underwater photos.
Thanks so much Mohamed! Great to hear you like my videos! I am having a lot of fun filming and editing them! As always thanks for watching my friend 😁👍
Totally my experience. I started photography like months ago, and while choosing my first lens I decided to go for a 16mm based on reviews... I love it sometimes, but I didn't know at the time that I would have enjoyed portrait photography as much as I do know, so most of the time I'm fighting against the lens trying to get good pictures, I do hikes and I didn't understand why people say it's good for landscapes since all my photos are just plain ugly. I know, Skill issue, but going for it at the beginning almost made me stop photography... Now I enjoy using it for situations where I know i can take adventage of it, but I'm still having a dificult time taking adventage of it's strengths.
If you stick with it, you will get it, it's just a hard lens to conquer. I'd say get a longer lens when you can. You won't regret it. Thanks for watching 👍
This just in: Photographer Mike Smith was seen flying over Snowdonia National Park holding on to his camera for dear life this afternoon ... More when we find out where Mr Smith landed. Gorgeous photos!
other then my 18 x 55, i have a 50 mm prime in my bag and a 55 x200 i got used the 550 x 200 is my workhorse , the prime and the 18x 55 i use generally for spot shooting
I do agree with that tip, i love those tele shots myself. I recently came back from a vacation in the alps and just checked my favourite pictures. 45% were done with the 200-600 and more that half of those were at 600 (some on the apsc camera and/or with additional crop) There is something magic about those distant peaks in the last daylight, little spots of light on the landscape and holes in the clouds. But i think it depends also on the area you are in. You were shooting in a very open landscape, for someone in a wooden area with rivers and waterfalls a wide angle could be much more appealing, since you can't look far anyway ;)
Thanks very much!! You are completely right there ... it all depends on the location you are at ... although I just came back from a woodland shoot today and shot most of the images with 50mm or longer ... but in saying that, I was out about two weeks ago and shot a lot of super wide shots ... location, location, location!! 😆 Thanks for watching 😁👍
I travel around Melbourne and photograph trams and railway stations and a multitude of things. I don’t photograph people. I don’t regard myself as a street photographer. I use a RF 28-105mm f/4L and I find myself shooting at 50mm. The last time I went, I left the zoom lens at home and just used the RF 50mm f/1.8 and I didn’t regret it.
I started photography with a practika film camera and a 50mm, also had a zoom lens for it, I used that camera on kilimanjaro when I went in 2003. Got some nice shots, wish I had known a little more about shooting into the sun back then, because the summit shot was into the sun, and quite dark. When I climbed snowdon for my 40th in 2015, I had a zoom lens on my dslr and a little oint and shoot which I actually got better compositions from. Was going to climb snowdon this year and hopefully get some decent shots, but the weather was too bad to take kids up, so that got abandoned. However I do appreciate a zoom more for landscapes now as it gets the drama. Also been experimenting with zoom for astro, it didn't work well this year, but am going to keep trying. Thanks for all your input and tips, really look forward to your videos on a Thursday, seeing your adventures in wild England and Wales, lol
Thanks very much!! I think we all go through a similar experience from time to time. In using a telephoto for astro, it's best to pick up a tracker ... this will really open up your exposure times! It's all about building up that experience so the next time you are out and it is good, you know what to do. As always thanks for watching 😁👍
I am hoping that the RX V is released in the near future. Hoping it has a larger sensor etc. What telephoto lens did you have on your Sony A74 in this video?
Yes, I hope they do release the MkV soon!! In this one, I had the 28-200mm from Tamron on ... it's a great all rounder and 90% of shots were at 70mm or longer. Thanks for watching David 😁👍
I totally agree with this one!. I have moved (by accident) to a telephoto lens. 90% of my shots these days are with my 40-150 f2.8. With the crop factor that's a 80-300 lens. I love the compression and Depth of field I get with it.
It is a great focal length, and if you are limited with time, having a lens like you have is such a great way to be able to get more shots per trip out!! ... and like you said, the compression is fantastic!! As always thanks for watching 😁👍
Good question ... and it is definitely on topic as it was windy as for the whole time I was out on this trip! 😆 I find that I sometimes have to hunker down and just keep as low as possible ... sometimes a tripod will produce better results, but when on the lowest position. Other times, when the light is good, I just lay down or sit down and try to get the shot ... nowadays I always check as well to see if I got a good one, and then change the settings until the shutter speed is fast enough for the weather conditions at hand. Thanks for watching and thanks for the great question ... I might even turn it into a video ... when we get a really really windy day ... could be mildly entertaining 😁👍
Thanks very much Des. It is so disheartening when I hear of people buying a wide angle lens as a "landscape lens" and then losing interest. It's great fun perching up on a mountain top picking out things in the landscape. Thanks for watching 😁👍
I've got a C850D ~ I find my go to lens for wide sunset shots is the 10 - 18mm & my telephoto 55 - 250 makes an appearance aswell. I had a Tamron 18 - 400 for a month. Great shots but heavy & I love freehand shooting. I seldom use the kit lens nowadays! But recently I got rid of my 50mm & Tamron. Looking for my first L lens !!
I absolutely love this tip, Im still learning and was absolutely enamored by what the 70-200mm lens shots looked like. I had no idea what type of lens it was and I had the hardest time looking for what was being used for those shots. Thank you! This was just the info i needed!
Great to hear!! I just love doing this type of photography. Perching on top of a mountain and picking off things in the distance ... and the 70-200mm is great for it ... Thanks for watching 😁👍
I was quite surprised to see that you were using F-stops like 4.5 in the early part of the video. Was that because it was so windy and you needed to get the shot before the camera got a chance to move in the blustery conditions? I would never consider to use F-stops that low(in number) for a landscape shot because I was mostly lead to believe the depth of field would be too narrow for a landscape shot such as the one you took. I'm no expert by the way. Great videos, I enjoy them very much. Thank you.
Yep, that wind was playing havoc with my settings!! If everything is really far away, you should be able to get away with wider apertures. So when there isn't much light about or when the conditions dictate using faster shutter speeds to get sharp images, this is when I will shoot with wider apertures. When I am not shooting videos, I would take my time, and check the photos with the wider apertures, but if there is a fleeting bit of light and I don't have a foreground element, I am quite happy using these apertures. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography Thanks for the reply. But I'm still a little puzzled. If a landscape photo is shot with an F-stop such as F4.5 would most of the scene be too soft to be considered a good photograph? In other words, were you happy with the final sharpness ?
@@Ardspans If you get it in focus, it shouldn't be too bad. I have a few shots taken at f4.5 hanging on my walls at home and they are fine. If you were trying to sell them, they might not make the grade, but sometimes in getting a shot of a moment, this is what it is all about... more so than getting it tack sharp from front to back. I have some shots that aren't that sharp but I love, and they look great as photographs, and I have others that are amazingly sharp, but don't look that good. Sharpness is good to get right, but it isn't the be all and end all of getting a good photograph.
Great tip. I also stuck with wide angles for a while. I still love a good wide angle shot to emphasize grand views, but I tend to be more selective now because as you say it’s hard to get right! I use it more for astro nowadays. Telephoto lenses are amazing tools to have, totally changed my photography after i got the sony 100-400
Great to hear!! Like you said, the telephoto is such a fantastic tool!! p.s. love your youtube channel name!! 😆😆 I'm looking at getting the new tamron 50-400mm ... should be an interesting lens to try out!! Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography haha thanks a lot! The name just stuck from my IG handle using the clueless tag 🤣 might as well make it consistent across. Love your videos man! Look forward to when u get that new lens ;) should be fun to play around. Cheers
I don't think of these as wide angle but as short lenses, correspondingly useful for short distance subjects. The exaggerated perspective of foreground to background along with extended DoF can afford unique visualizations. I never travel without a 17mm. That said I concur completely with your observations of the utility of long lenses for landscape. I run a 135 and 300, plus 1.4x. And the 17. Maybe an 85. That's it for landscape. [Canon 5D Mark None with primes]
First, i hope you're ok... and did'nt hurt by wind.....😉😉😉😉, second... why did you take out the color to the M&M's...???🤣🤣🤣🤣, and finally, i bought my amazing, beautiful, loyal, A7III, do you remenber your's???😛😛😛😛😛, on a kit with the 24-105 f4 lens, and 90% of time it's all i need, may be f4 it's not so bright but It has been very useful to me. Best wishes for you, and be careful with that wind....
Do you think a Sigma 17-50mm F/2.8 and AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm DX VR would be good for a trip to either Brecon Beacons or Snowdonia in North Wales? Planning to go on a trip to either in the next year or two, haven't actually done landscape shots before lol
Good advice, Mike. One question, though -- why are you fighting with a tripod for shots with fast exposures & relatively short focal length (as at 1:35)? You could have planted your back against a rock face and made life easier for yourself with the camera in hand(s).
Thanks Eric!! Yep, you're right ... I cut out the bit where I was struggling to get a good handheld shot, then my brain went to "get the tripod out" when I should have just done what you had said or just sat or lay down to get lower and out of the wind ... It does make me think it would be good fun to do a video on shooting in high winds ... could be mildly entertaining!! Thanks for watching 😁👍
For around seven years i've used a fuji bridge camera and had some absolutely awesome shots from it. Recently i bought a canon 80d with a 55 and 300 lense and yes it's a good camera and i've had some cracking shots so far but i'm actually tempted to carry both cameras. Maybe it's early day's in the transition from bridge to dslr i don't know but i still feel luck plays a major part in photo's considering the shots i've had in previous years.
It might be worth taking both, but make sure it doesn't stop you from taking photographs. I have been out in the past with lots of kit and ended up getting nothing as I didn't know what to use and I was so tired from carrying way too much kit. Luck does have a part to play, but the more you go out, the more that luck will play in your favour. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Good question Alain. I've got a video coming out on filters soon. It depends on the lens I'm using and the scene in front of me as to what filter I use. I use a cpl in woodland, an Nd when I need slower shutter speeds and then I just bracket my shots if the dynamic range of the scene exceeds the dynamic range of the camera. Thanks for watching 😁👍
If only I had this advice 6 months ago. I have recently tried landscape photography and love it so far. I did buy a wide angle 10-20mm and am using it on an APS-C sensor. I have enjoyed what it can do, but the pictures I like the best are with my 18-200mm. Very much enjoy your channel. Keep up the great work. Cheers.
Keep going with your wide angle lens, you will start to get shots with it ... I get a lot of shot with the telephoto and probably about 10% with my wide angle lens. I'm working on getting more, but I know they are hard to find. Thanks for watching Michael 😁👍
I've strongly recommended all landscape photographers try Laowa 12 2.8. It's amazing lens! Wide, bright, with near perfect color rendention (pretty close to another good lens Nikor 20 1.8), all-metall built
I really enjoy your vids, lovely scenery, excellent tips and just a good length, some other bloggers are regularly putting out vids of 25-35 mins and it’s often too much, lots of unnecessary footage of car parks and coffee drinking! As with photos sometimes a hard crop makes all the difference, same with vlogs 😉
Thanks so much Sue! I do wonder why some videos are 20-30 minutes ... my first drafts are often that long, but then I do a big cull of all the boring bits that really don't need to be there. There will be no coffee montages on this channel ... unless they are satirical that is!! 😆😆 ... great to hear you are liking what I am producing, thanks for watching 😁👍
Hey Mike, I acquired a Canon aps-c camera, with the standard 18 - 55mm kit lens. My first lens purchase was a 55 - 250mm, which I was very enthusiastic about (and not disappointed). I then went to a "nifty fifty", well why not. Then I purchased a wide angle 10 - 18mm lens. I've had so much creative fun with these 4 lenses, but I agree with you, the telephoto as my first lens purchase, was the best decision I made. Appreciate you sharing your experience! Cheers mate, from central Ontario, Canada
That's great to hear about which lenses you got and in which order. The wide angle les is a great lens to use, just not a beginner lens as it is hard to get right ... but when you do get one, it is very addictive! Thanks for watching 😁👍
Some remarks: 1. Use a lens hood, to improve the contrast of your photograph. 2. Use a tripod, certainly if you bring it up the mountain. Together then your camera bag as weight it is a more better platform, then handheld. 3. Don’t use fuzzy video title, make concrete what you want to tell the audience. 4. Maybe tell the audience what the subject elements are for a wide angle photograph (example: for/middle/back ground elements). 5. With all lenses from 10-2000mm you can get great landscape (or wildlife) photographs, it is depending on the user technique then the focal length itself. 6. …
Thanks for your thoughts Albert. With the fuzzy title, unfortunately since youtube changed from a subscriber based model to a clicks and likes model, the "fuzzy" titles seem to do better. When I first released this video I called it something like "Why a wide angle lens is not the best choice for you" and it didn't do well at all. But then I changed it to be a little more intriguing and more people started to click on it. In an ideal world, I would release a video and all the people who would benefit from it would be served it; in reality each and every video is competing with all of the other videos that pop up on the home feed, suggested feed or search enquiry within milliseconds of opening the app or web browser. As for focal lengths, this is more aimed at the beginner than maybe the more advanced photographer. You are right in saying that every focal length can get a great landscape. However, if a novice picks up a camera, the first thing they want to do is get some good photos and this will increase their enjoyment of photographer willing them to keep at it, whereas if they go and get a shot of a majestic landscape and come back with a really bad photo where those amazing mountains disappear into insignificance ... this will take away from that enjoyment. A wide angle shot takes planning, thought and a lot of knowledge and in my opinion is a bit of kit for an intermediate/advanced landscape photographer (to get unique not copied photographs). On the other hand, a longer focal length will give you the ability to cut out all of the rubbish and just photograph what you like the look of, in a relatively short space of time. This is another thing that amateurs might be short of ... time ... to go to the place they want to photograph. Ultimately, getting some good photographs will encourage people to keep at it and build up a solid base of techniques to then be able to take great photographs with a wide angle lens, or any lens for that matter. Thanks for watching
@@mikesphotography Thanks for the big follow up reply. I think you as a content creator/photographer has the choice to: 1. Keep making general video’s like this one or 2. Create content for a specific audience, which you can take within you during their learning curve in photography. Create a base audience which goes further then UA-cam video’s, but also other photography related products, such as Books, workshops, merchandise, …! I am looking for no.2 content and find them already in the UK area. I follow them even if they are modifying a Japanese VAN into a mobile landscape vehicle. I buy books of them which compile a body of work which creation I saw on UA-cam. success with you channel, video production is very good. Now to focus on the right photography content …! Kind regards, Dutch Nikonian …
Have been thinking about a wide angle lens, but I just realized that I don't have the pack, shoes, or desire to hike off the trail that a close up wide angle shot might need.
... and that is the perfect reason to get a telephoto. When you are limited with time, a telephoto is such a good investment. If I am not feeling it or I've done a big hike the day before, I look for some good lookouts on the map that I can drive to and then sit and get some great shots from those lookouts. Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography great teachers and artist make you think, and this was the right timing to boot because usually the gear itch is not so easy to sooth.
Haha! Indeed ... if you're perched on a cliff edge, zooming with your feet is not advisable!! Ah man, NZ is such an amazing place!! Can't wait to get back there ... I visited once and loved it ... 👍 As always thanks for watching 😁👍
You lost me at 'RX10'! 😂. I have the three Fuji zoom lenses (10-24, 16-80, 70-300) and I have to agree that the wider lens, 10 to 24, rarely makes an appearance. I have taken more close up shots with it, where I want to maybe get a whole tree in frame or something of particular interest. I went out early for a sunrise one time (yes, just the once!) with all three lenses and almost all the better results were at the longer end of the reach. Your first photo, where you had the sun on the mountain and you were rushing to get your tripod set up, any reason why you couldn't have taken it handheld to at least get something before setting the tripod up? Or did you do that but cut it from the final edit? Anyhow, great video as always and some sage advice 👌🏼😉
Haha! I had to squeeze in the rx10 just for you!! 😆😆😆 So I tried getting it handheld but the wind was so strong I couldn't get it ... But like you said, that bit didn't make the cut 😆 As always, thanks for watching dude 😁👍
I agree, Mike. I absolutely love my 70-200 and am really wanting to get an even longer lens in the near future. Once again, beautiful scenery and fantastic photos. Looks like you had some really gusty winds to contend with. I came very close to losing my setup on a cliff in Portugal while trying to move my shadow out of the shot. Everything starting tipping towards the sea and I caught it just in time. It would have been so easy to just clone out my shadow. I got really lucky. Take care, brother.
Haha! It really does get the heart going when the tripod starts to lean off on its own!! 😆 I'm looking to get the 50-400mm from tamron ... that looks an interesting lens, and apparently it is pretty sharp by all accounts! As always thanks for watching dude 😁👍
After a few disheartening trips with a 35mm prime, I finally have a 28-200 on the way. This was the perfect thing I needed to hear for when it arrives!
Hey Alan, The 35mm prime is fantastic but takes a while to get used to and to get good photos with ... mine stays in the bag most of the time. The 28-200mm on the other hand, that stays on my camera 90% of the time!! I love it and really enjoy getting lots of different shots with it. Thanks for watching 😁👍
absolutely! Get a nice 100-400 and you'll get amazing shots! also when it's stopped down to f/8 there'll be very little difference between a Nikkor lens and a Zeiss Otus (I've tested them personally at that aperture - it's hard to tell except for micro contrast).
I got a Nikon D3400 and a friend gave me a 70-300 as a gift from KEH. I have to manually focus it because the lens focus technology is not compatible with my camera, but I can say that the crafting procedure is so fun, trying to nail the focus manually via the VF is just crazy!... but I just love it... and playing around with the focal length, taking portraits of my kids, doing some bird photography adds to the fun of using it. 😁
Good advice Mike. After getting the new Sony I got the 24-105, then the 70 - 200. Finally the 16-35 which I very rarely use but good to have. As you know now have the Tamron 50-400 and traded in the 200, up until recently the 24-105 was my most used lens and I would recommend over a kit lens or wide angle. Can’t believe how much money I have wasted over the years on lens😢😢 Great video😊😊
Haha! I know what you mean!! I probably could have bought a second house by now with all of the money I have spent on lenses over the years!! 😆😆 You keep teasing me with that 50-400mm ... I definitely need to get one!! 😀👍 As always thanks for watching 😁👍
Appreciate the "tip" but personally I don't agree. Looking back at my own favourite photos, many are wideangle shots. I took a break from photography for many years and a few weeks ago bought a setup for landscape shots. It's a Sony A6400 with the 10-20 powerzoom lens. It's extremely lightweight. Also bought a
Great to hear your thoughts and the setup you use Peter. This is the great thing with photography, there are so many different ways to get great photographs and many different ways we can express ourselves in this wonderful art-form. I love getting wide angle shots, but I know I personally can get more shots for each trip that I go on ... I do also use the wide angle a fair bit, but I find I am taking longer searching for those shots ... but they are really rewarding when you do find them. Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography Thanks for your thoughts as well. Really like your channel and just as important your presentation style, which I think is much more down to earth and relaxed compared to many other flashy UA-camrs. I do agree that a wide angle can make it more difficult, but I also like to limit myself this way so I look for certain shots and I don't have to focus on too many possibilities. Just started again, so who knows in a few years I'm perhaps packed with a multitude of lenses again...
Thank you for the video & advice, I am a novice/hobbyist photographer & only poses 2 lenses at the minute Sony 18-55 Kit lens & Sony 18-200 Zoom both f3.5. so I am hoping this will serve me well until my photography improves. At the moment the 18-200 is the only one of the 2 i seem to be using . I don't see any value in using the 18-55 unless trying to learn street photography. but was thinking on getting a Prime lens for that ??
Hi Shaun, With those two lenses, I know what you mean. When you have a complete overlap it makes sense just to use the one with the bigger range. A prime les would definitely give you another angle of creativity. I'd go for something like the 35mm (something like this one: amzn.to/3EF8o1Z ). On a crop sensor camera, this gives a really nice field of view, whereas the 50mm is just a little too tight. (I am guessing that you shoot with a crop sensor camera like the A6000 series from the lenses you described.) I hope that helps.
@@mikesphotography Hi Mike, Thank you for the reply & advice.I am using a Sony a6600 Crop sensor & still getting my head round the Sony menu system. i will take a look at the 35mm Prime as an additional option & get rid of the 16-55 kit. once my photography improves i may then upgrade the 18-200 to something with even more range. Thanks again for the reply.
Thanks Colin. It is a great way to get some great shots all from one location. I'd say at least 80% of my photos have been taken with 70mm or longer. Thanks for watching 😁👍
I've got the Tamron 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 almost permanently attached to my DSLR, which pretty much covers all my bases. If I want to do the wider angle shots I can, but if I want to zoom in a bit I can do that too. Granted it's not the 'sharpest tool in the box' or the fastest, but it's not a bad lens. The RX10 is a lovely camera by the way, but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that! Is it the Mark iv?
Thanks so much Ash! I bet that is a great allrounder ... and when the light is good, I bet it produces an image almost as good as some of the top lenses out there! I have the RX10iii. Such a versatile camera. Thanks for watching 😁👍
I have 4 WAL Canon 10-18 , Samyang 10mm fish F2.8 , 12mm F2.8 , 8mm F3.5 fisheye .. It's not disheartening ... It's all about being observant and take what you like , you don't take to please others , I also have 150-600c ...I also use a macro lense for LS .. But you never clarified what WAL you were on about ...
Thanks for your thoughts Colin. You are obviously an experience photographer who has built up a nice set of wide angle lenses. When I said it could be disheartening, I was talking to the beginners that might want to get that perfect photo the first time out with a new lens. With your experience you will understand that this is often not the case and only comes with being observant and taking your time to get the shot you want. I have met a lot of people who do want that innital fix which is really important when first starting a new hobby, and the easiest way to get this is with a longer focal length. Thanks for watching 👍
Hi Mike: You conveyed some great advice. I do have a wide angle lens (17-28mm) and while I do enjoy using it I don't use it that often. If I had to select only one lens as a starting photographer, I would absolutely select a telephoto lens. Much more versatile lens for a beginner. Cheers, Keith
Thanks very much Keith!! I have so much fun with the telephoto lens and take a lot of shots with that lens. I do keep trying to get wide angle shots, but only get good ones every now and then. As always thanks for watching 😁👍
24 is the widest I have and I rarely shoot wider than 28mm, once you go into the ultra wide territory things start to look weirdly stretched and distorted in the corners. I can't think of many situations that I'd really want an ultra wide.. maybe cave interiors. If I was starting out again I'd probably go with a superzoom like a 24-200 - it may well be the only lens you ever need.
Exactly. It is really hard to get good photographs with a wide angle lens and it is really easy to get that really horrible looking distortion. I watched a video just recently from a prominent landscape photographer here on youtube, where he recommended a wide angle as a good beginner lens ... such bad advice which will put a lot of people off. It's all about having fun as well as learning the process of photography, and a longer lens will do just that. Thanks for watching 😁👍
The 70-200mm is a great lens ... the other one I am looking at at the moment is the new Tamron 50-400mm ... it is an extreme lens but I think it could give some great results!!
Not really. When I take a shot, I'll sometimes hold my hand up to shadow the end of the lens, to see if it makes a difference, but most of the time, I'll either have the sun in the shot, or I'll be shooting perpendicular to the direction of the suns rays. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thanks for the tip Mike, would be nice to have hills and mountains for me to shoot but living in Lincolnshire there ain't to many hills. Look forward to your vids always very honest, must admit they are better now you are in the UK we don't have to see those T's 🤣🤣
Haha!! Well I am still wearing them, it's just a lot colder here so they are covered with jumpers and jackets!! 😆😆 I'm about 3 hours away from North Wales, but I try to plan a trip there as much as I can ... fuel prices aren't helping though!! 🙈 As always thanks for watching 😁👍
I was out on the Long Mynd last week and got fed up of changing my kit lens with a 45-200 lens. So I have just ordered the Olympus 12-200 lens for my Lumix G9 (yes it's MFT). The more I learn about cameras, the more I realize that everything is a trade off. Unfortunately, as I only took up photography when I retired I cannot hop around the hillsides as much as I would like!
The superzooms are great for a one lens solution ... and the MFT system is fantastic when you need to minimise the weight you are carrying ... even though I shoot with full frame at the moment, I'm sure as I get older, I'll switch to lighter formats. Thanks for watching 😁👍
It took a while to find it in my library, but here's the link to it. artlist.io/song/74408/middle From some reason artlist songs are not recognised by Shazam. Thanks for watching Sean 😁👍
Very good advice Mike! I tend to have more interesting photos using my sigma 100-400 due to the compression and picking out subjects. I get more creative using my telephoto compared to sigma 24-70
Thanks very much!! Interestingly I was looking at one of the landscape photography competitions recently and the majority were taken with long lenses! Thanks for watching 😁👍
When it comes down to a telephoto lens and landscapes, what would you recommend? I currently have my eyes on a 70-200, 100-400 and 200-600. Would love to hear anyone's thoughts and tha ks in advance for your replies!
Just for landscapes, the 70-200mm is great. I bought the 50-400mm from Tamron recently and most of my shots are within the 50-250 range, so the 70-200mm would cover 90% of those shots. Thanks for watching 😁👍
Lenses you do not use for Landscape Photography are zoom lenses ! And use a high megapixels Camera if you want the best details ! I use only prime Lenses 14, 24, 35, 55, 65 and 135mm and two 61 megapixels Cameras.
I’d say one of the best lenses a beginner could get would be the 35-150. Basically a one and done. Maybe get a 20 1.8 or a 24mm (speaking for Sony ecosystem).
I get what you are saying, but most beginning photographers are not going to buy a 70-200mm telephoto zoom as their first lens purchase. There are going to get a 24-70mm or similar lens in that range. It may even come as a kit lens with their camera. And they'll use that lens to photograph their friends, their children, their pets, and many other things in or close to their house that strikes their fancy, because being a photographer is not exclusively about taking pictures of pretty but remote locations that take time and a good physique to hike to. So telling photographers not to buy a lens that they almost assuredly already have just does not make a lot of sense.
I think you might have missed the point I was trying to make. I was not saying not to get a 24-70mm, I was actually saying not to get a super wide angle lens as it is really hard to get good shots with the 12-24mm range, but thanks for your feedback.
Follows a comment I made in a different video! With a 70-350mm on APS-C I can take pretty much anything, because in woodland I stitch 5 or 6 portrait panoramas together and hey presto, wide lens simulation as well! My 17-70mm goes on for close up work, with foreground just inches away but a subject 30ft or more back.
After so many years of solely using fixed focal length lenses I have now for around two years the Leica 24-90. In my humble opinion one of the absolute best all around and especially landscape lenses out there. Some magnetic filters on top and there is nothing more you need for the majority of the shots.
Lenses are like tools in your toolbox. Use the right one for the job. I use my wide angle lens for waterfalls and milky way photos. You can use the distortion when shooting vertical to exaggerate certain features in the scene.
That is true Carl. I'm just trying to motivate people who might have gone through the same process I did when first buying a wide angle lens.
Thanks for watching 👍
@@mikesphotography my first few outings
as a beginner photographer with a 16-35 were awful, a totally depressing experience. The shots were simply high resolution phone shots as it was all pretty much point and shoot without getting close to a strong foreground and having a focal point in the mid/background. The photos felt really empty. The key is to get to a strong focal point and then exhaust the foreground and make the two connect.
I think a lot of beginners struggle with using a wide angle because they assume the best way to use it is to try to get as much of the scene in their frame width wise as they can. It does seem intuitive to think this way, it's "wide angle" so I should shoot as wide as possible. The better way to use a wide angle is to get lower or closer to a prominent foreground element and to compose "near-far" sweeping shots that show case depth more than trying to get as much width as you can. This requires being able to identify when you have a prominent foreground element that is close to you and having compositional lines or elements that can guide the viewer's eye to travel from the foreground into the shot to the background.
Exactly Rama. Wide angles are good for landscape photography, but it takes a certain level of knowledge and persistence to get a great wife angle photograph.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I just love the giggling nd woddling off moments it reminds me to actually have fun with photography "go back to being an excited kid" moment just love it.
Haha! Exactly!! That's what it's all about!!!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thanks for the video.
For landscapes, I have used the following lenses:
Primes
Zooms
Wide-angle
Normal
Telephoto
Macro
Perspective Control
Fisheye
Pinhole (not really a lens)
The lenses I have not used for landscapes are telescopic and microscopic.
I love the LOL when you tripped. We're all fallible and makes the video much more relatable.
Haha! Thanks very much. It did make me chuckle when I was watching it back when editing 😆. Thanks for watching 😁👍
I agree! I'm glad I got a wide angle, but it gets used in may 5/10% of my shots, when you need it its great but would never rely on it only
It is one of those lenses that you just break out every now and then... more of a speciality lens.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great video Mike. Liked the music choices too. Photos were class.
Thanks so much Kevin!! I had a lot of fun shooting this one ... although that wind on the top was pretty relentless! 😆
I have a 10-20mm lens, which I treat as my "close quarters" lens, rather than as my "wide angle" lens (even though I still call it that!). For example, the other day I was in a cave system. It was a commercial cave system that had some lighting in it. With the 10-20 lens I was able to get some nice shots of the cave rooms and capture an interesting amount of the surroundings. I obviously couldn't just use a bigger lens and just step back.
Hi Mike what would you recommend for an upgrade to the Sony kit lens, the 24-104 F4 Sony G or Tamron 28-200. I'm relatively new hobbyist and keen to try some landscape, some family, and maybe even astro
The Tamron 28-200mm is a great all rounder, but it is a little soft... although not as bad as the Sony 24-240mm (stay away from that one).
The 24-105 is a great lens but I find the range a little limiting.
What I do nowadays is order one off Amazon and check it out... as their returns policy is so good, if you don't like it, you can return it...
Alternatively, find a camera shop nearby that has it is stock and go and try it out ... and of course you could hire a few different ones and see which one you like the best...
I have done all of the above and they all give you a good idea of what the kit is actually like.
I hope that helps.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Totally agree, been there done that, I have a wide angle because I love architecture but for landscape it hasn’t been what I expected.
Thanks Camila. It is a tricky one to get right!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I have a Sigma 14-24mm lens and I use it a lot for waterfalls where I live because space is so tight within those ravines and gorges.
Hey Greg,
For waterfall photography, when there is not much room, the wider ranges are great!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I agree with the tip about superzoom/bridge cameras! They're sensational for dayhikes or carrying regularly. Thanks for waving that banner!
It always strikes me as odd when some landscape photographers say, "composition is about cutting things out of the image to focus on what's interesting," and at the same time, "Buy a wide angle lens". Seems a bit divergent.
I get it though, just got a wide angle and I find it very useful, but I still use telephoto more. I'm more often surprised by telephoto shots, scanning around and finding things I hadn't noticed before, than by wide angle shots.
No worries Norman, I am indeed a huge fan of superzooms ... When there is enough light, they can take some amazing photos!
A wide angle does have its place, but like you said, a telephoto lens is fantastic for picking out the details in a busy landscape!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
You're the first professional I've heard mention the Sony RX10. I bought the RX10 mark II before I bought my first DSLR. I loved how many great high tech, DSLR-like features were crammed into it, and the image quality is great considering the 1.0-type sensor. I still have it, even after moving on to Nikon D500 and D850. The mark IV is greatly improved, and I'm gonna get one as soon as I can afford the US 1600 price tag.
Thanks so much, it is a great little camera. I just wish they would give us a mkV with the bigger battery and an updated focussing system.
I sold my mkiii but I am kind of regretting it now and might have to get myself a mkiv when I can afford it.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography Yeah, a mkV would be nice. I guess bridge cameras just aren't "in" anymore. This mirrorless battle has consumed all the R&D and resources. Of course, I'm convinced the mkV will be released just after I purchase my mkIV 😅
I might add that panoramas are much better with telephoto lenses and the compressed distances. So with stitching telephoto panaramas is tremendous satisfying.
Most definitely!
When you get a telephoto Pano that comes together well, very satisfying indeed. 👍
Hi Mike. Great video. Im still new to the world of photography and still learning my camera.
I have a Canon 70D, which i bought 2nd hand last summer, but I've not had a chance to get out with it as much as I'd have liked. Lens wise, I've got an 18-200MM which i got with the camera. I seem to use this one the most.
I've added a 50mm nifty fifty and recently bought a 75-300. Which would you recommend as the best option for landscape photography?
Cheers.
Ben.
one of my favourite places (day 1), went here for my uni geology field trip! Amazing photos and a great vid :D
Haha! I think everyone of us who did Geology has visited this location at some point!! 😆
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Hello. Yes, you are right. Wide lens brings with it limitations in terms of time. Place and dimension of disappointment. Since I got the Sony 100-400mm lens, a new world has opened before my eyes. Not limited to my time or place. Even in the worst lighting and location conditions, you can have the best hunting. Of course, the Tamron 28-200 lens helped a lot.
Wide-angle lenses are great when traveling. I use my 17-28mm to capture details of the places I visited during my trip, where some are too wide or big that I could only capture a part of them, or some are too narrow for me to step back any further to capture all the things I wanted in my frame. For example, The Reclining Buddha in Japan and Thailand.
Still, I agree that they are indeed challenging to be used to create stunning photos. If the place I'm visiting is not too wide or narrow, I usually equip my 28-75mm, so that I can also capture some more close-up shots of animals or flowers without needing to swap the lenses.
One of my favourite lenses was an old Tamron hyperzoom, 28-300mm. It was so versatile that you could find nice compostions nearly anywhere. The downside is that these things are rather optically compromised. I have primes, wide, medium and long zooms of better quality, but nothing really beats the spontinaity of that hyperzoom when out looking for shots.
I know what you mean. I love my tamron 28-200mm for that very reason, but it isn't the best optically either.
It would be so good to have something like one of these two lenses with the quality of a prime.
Like you said, it's a great scouting lens though. 😁👍
@@mikesphotography only if sony make sense to put for Apsc something cheaper like Tamron.I would consider it, I'm about to sell my pancake 16-50mm kit lense and 55-200mm kit lense also and buy a Tamron 18-300mm, I don't know, I'm tired of changing lenses frequently..., Already have a 35mm f1.8, need something handy
My favourite lens is still the 24-70 GM II, but I always forget about my 70-300 which makes incredible photos. So I totally agree. It helps framing and is a great lens for Landscapes.
That 24-70GMii is sweet. Super sharp and lovely bokeh. And not too big or heavy. For landscapes I like to go either wider or longer, typically 20-35mm or 100-200mm
Thanks for sharing another wonderful video like always and very nice tips 👍
Thanks so much Miguel, I had a lot of fun filming this one!!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I bought some affordable wide angle/macro adapters for my existing nikon lenses. The results are very pleasing. I also have a 70-200 zoom which is my workhorse lens for the reason given in this video 😂
Great to hear what you use Colin!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I started with Sony 20mm 1.8. It is an awesome lens for astrophotography and some landscape but it is very limiting. A 24-70 made my photographic dreams come true and can't wait for the day that I could buy the 70-200.
Wide angle shots are too much about the ground and sky and very little about subjects on the middle of the the frame. Where I could make 1-4 shots now I can make dozens.
Exactly!! I used to shoot with primes as well ... even though they have great IQ and are relatively small, they do make the getting the shot a lot more arduous ... especially when the weather is bad!
Zooms are definitely where it is at ... whereas wide primes are more suited for astro!!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
That is why you bought a interchangeable lens system because no one lens is good for everything
Enjoying your point of view and advice, makes me feel that I have made some of these choices intuitively since beginning with a SLR camera years ago. I always found with a telephoto lens that I got an image that I liked because it matched what caught my interest when taking the photo.
I prefer the Tamron 70-300 lens which works well in low light levels conditions such as dusk and dawn. I also use a Nikon 18 - 70 if going for a wider view.
Buy second hand, there are a lot of good used items at more affordable prices for those of us on a budget.
Experiment and enjoy the process that's the great thing about DSLR cameras
Thanks for sharing your experiences Steven!
That is a good point with telephoto lenses. They very much let you pick out interesting things within the landscape.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
how much weight are you usually carrying when hiking? and what backpack would you recommend?
Good question.
I have my filming kit with me a lot of the time, so my bag is heavier than it would be for photography.
With filming kit, it is about 12kgs ... without if I'm just going for a short hike, I can have it at about 4-5kgs ... But then adding water and snacks, about 8-9kgs.
I have the lowepro 450aw ii
Counter culture tip, Mike - something contrarian, at any rate. Agree, wide angle for landscape starters not ideal, but could build confidence in getting sharp images and vistas, before we get better at narrowing compositions. Learn pano technique and get more out of one’s primes, for vistas. Best f/l, IMO, matches one’s natural field of view preferences - differs for different folks. Then there’s in-post crop of wide shot to help isolate good composition and degree of crop can be a good tool to determine best focal length, if that makes sense.
Static TV screen as divider works well, IMO. Had to replay the vid to double check I heard you say “If you’re a billionaire” thinking about buying a new lens😂. Cheers!
Haha!! Only billionaires can afford them these days!! 😆
WIde angle lenses are useful and like you said, if the scene dictates it, it is very muhc the right lens to use ... just if people are limited in time and just getting in to landscape photography, a telephoto will yield a higher return for the time invested.
As always thanks for watching dude 😁👍
Currently looking to get myself a reasonable entry stage camera, to replace my phone for easy hiking and cycling photography. I have thus far primarily enjoyed taking pictures of landscapes and architecture and figure this is what I will continue doing. As such I was looking to find a kit with as wide a lens as I could. Just settled yesterday on a fujifilm s-x10 with a 15-45mm and now I see this video and start second guessing myself all over again.
Sorry to get you second guessing yourself.
You can definitely get some great photos with the wide angle lens, it just takes time to find and compose unique photos ...
With the 15-45mm this is very much not super wide, so you will still be able to get some good shot with it. This would give a similar field of view as my 24-70mm, and this is a great lens.
I hope that helps. 👍
@@mikesphotography Thank you for the response. Having doubts is usually useful and this time it just lead me to think a little harder on the decisions and reasons behind them. I came out of it even more sure of my choice. Although you've got me to now also want one of those much larger telephoto lenses, but that'll have to be a much later purchase.
My 70-200 is always my kit bag go-to.
I felt like I'd gotten pretty good with it, too. Shot a lot of big clients and gorgeous scenes, y'know?
Then I got a 12mm wide angle lens and thought I could translate those skills to landscapes and BOY HOWDY was I wrong. It took a ton of practice to even come up with useable 12mm shots.
It's a fun skill to have, but it's so hard to hone at first.
Exactly!! You've summed up the whole reason for this video perfectly there Salina!!
Wide angles are very much an advanced lens ... when you get a good wide angle shot for yourself, without copying other popular shots, it is very rewarding!!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
When I bought my D90 many years ago, I also got a 70-300 mm zoom. This zoom is my go to lens unless I need to photograph people at events. I do have a Go Pro 9 but it seems so boring unless I want to take underwater photos.
thanks for sharing what you use John and thanks for watching 😁👍
by faaaare ... my favorite youtube channel ...thanks Mike
Thanks so much Mohamed! Great to hear you like my videos! I am having a lot of fun filming and editing them!
As always thanks for watching my friend 😁👍
Totally my experience. I started photography like months ago, and while choosing my first lens I decided to go for a 16mm based on reviews... I love it sometimes, but I didn't know at the time that I would have enjoyed portrait photography as much as I do know, so most of the time I'm fighting against the lens trying to get good pictures, I do hikes and I didn't understand why people say it's good for landscapes since all my photos are just plain ugly. I know, Skill issue, but going for it at the beginning almost made me stop photography... Now I enjoy using it for situations where I know i can take adventage of it, but I'm still having a dificult time taking adventage of it's strengths.
If you stick with it, you will get it, it's just a hard lens to conquer.
I'd say get a longer lens when you can. You won't regret it.
Thanks for watching 👍
This just in: Photographer Mike Smith was seen flying over Snowdonia National Park holding on to his camera for dear life this afternoon ... More when we find out where Mr Smith landed.
Gorgeous photos!
Hahaha! Best comment yet!! ... It was pretty windy up there, but a lot of fun!!
Thanks very much!! 😁👍
other then my 18 x 55, i have a 50 mm prime in my bag and a 55 x200 i got used the 550 x 200 is my workhorse , the prime and the 18x 55 i use generally for spot shooting
Thanks for sharing your setup Richard!
And thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography not a problem thanks for your videos
I do agree with that tip, i love those tele shots myself.
I recently came back from a vacation in the alps and just checked my favourite pictures.
45% were done with the 200-600 and more that half of those were at 600 (some on the apsc camera and/or with additional crop)
There is something magic about those distant peaks in the last daylight, little spots of light on the landscape and holes in the clouds.
But i think it depends also on the area you are in. You were shooting in a very open landscape, for someone in a wooden area with rivers and waterfalls a wide angle could be much more appealing, since you can't look far anyway ;)
Thanks very much!! You are completely right there ... it all depends on the location you are at ... although I just came back from a woodland shoot today and shot most of the images with 50mm or longer ... but in saying that, I was out about two weeks ago and shot a lot of super wide shots ... location, location, location!! 😆
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I travel around Melbourne and photograph trams and railway stations and a multitude of things. I don’t photograph people. I don’t regard myself as a street photographer. I use a RF 28-105mm f/4L and I find myself shooting at 50mm. The last time I went, I left the zoom lens at home and just used the RF 50mm f/1.8 and I didn’t regret it.
That's cool! I bet the 50mm f1.8 is fantastic for photography around Melbourne!!
Thanks for watching Daryl 😁👍
I started photography with a practika film camera and a 50mm, also had a zoom lens for it, I used that camera on kilimanjaro when I went in 2003. Got some nice shots, wish I had known a little more about shooting into the sun back then, because the summit shot was into the sun, and quite dark. When I climbed snowdon for my 40th in 2015, I had a zoom lens on my dslr and a little oint and shoot which I actually got better compositions from. Was going to climb snowdon this year and hopefully get some decent shots, but the weather was too bad to take kids up, so that got abandoned. However I do appreciate a zoom more for landscapes now as it gets the drama. Also been experimenting with zoom for astro, it didn't work well this year, but am going to keep trying. Thanks for all your input and tips, really look forward to your videos on a Thursday, seeing your adventures in wild England and Wales, lol
Thanks very much!! I think we all go through a similar experience from time to time.
In using a telephoto for astro, it's best to pick up a tracker ... this will really open up your exposure times!
It's all about building up that experience so the next time you are out and it is good, you know what to do.
As always thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography I have a tracker. I tried 135mm in summer for a nightscape, but it didn't work well
@@andysuzierawlins5462 They are quite tricky to get right ... especially at 135mm. Which one do you have?
@@mikesphotography star adventurer
I am hoping that the RX V is released in the near future. Hoping it has a larger sensor etc.
What telephoto lens did you have on your Sony A74 in this video?
Yes, I hope they do release the MkV soon!!
In this one, I had the 28-200mm from Tamron on ... it's a great all rounder and 90% of shots were at 70mm or longer.
Thanks for watching David 😁👍
Thanks for the wonderful advice
No worries William, thanks for watching 😁👍
I totally agree with this one!. I have moved (by accident) to a telephoto lens. 90% of my shots these days are with my 40-150 f2.8. With the crop factor that's a 80-300 lens. I love the compression and Depth of field I get with it.
It is a great focal length, and if you are limited with time, having a lens like you have is such a great way to be able to get more shots per trip out!! ... and like you said, the compression is fantastic!!
As always thanks for watching 😁👍
kinda off topic but , during high winds . shooting handheld works better or tripod ?
Good question ... and it is definitely on topic as it was windy as for the whole time I was out on this trip! 😆
I find that I sometimes have to hunker down and just keep as low as possible ... sometimes a tripod will produce better results, but when on the lowest position. Other times, when the light is good, I just lay down or sit down and try to get the shot ... nowadays I always check as well to see if I got a good one, and then change the settings until the shutter speed is fast enough for the weather conditions at hand.
Thanks for watching and thanks for the great question ... I might even turn it into a video ... when we get a really really windy day ... could be mildly entertaining 😁👍
Its nice to hear some common sense on here! Thank you.....
Thanks very much Des. It is so disheartening when I hear of people buying a wide angle lens as a "landscape lens" and then losing interest. It's great fun perching up on a mountain top picking out things in the landscape.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I've got a C850D ~ I find my go to lens for wide sunset shots is the 10 - 18mm & my telephoto 55 - 250 makes an appearance aswell. I had a Tamron 18 - 400 for a month. Great shots but heavy & I love freehand shooting. I seldom use the kit lens nowadays! But recently I got rid of my 50mm & Tamron. Looking for my first L lens !!
Thanks for sharing your lens journey! And thanks for watching 😁👍
I have a 16-300 and a 150-600, 95% use smaller tele. Love it and covers most of my photography. Thank you and keep up the great work..
Great to hear!! Telephotos are a fantastic tool to have!!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Im curious what tripod do you use?
I have the Sirui ST-124. A medium sized carbon tripod.
I absolutely love this tip, Im still learning and was absolutely enamored by what the 70-200mm lens shots looked like. I had no idea what type of lens it was and I had the hardest time looking for what was being used for those shots. Thank you! This was just the info i needed!
Great to hear!! I just love doing this type of photography. Perching on top of a mountain and picking off things in the distance ... and the 70-200mm is great for it ...
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I was quite surprised to see that you were using F-stops like 4.5 in the early part of the video. Was that because it was so windy and you needed to get the shot before the camera got a chance to move in the blustery conditions? I would never consider to use F-stops that low(in number) for a landscape shot because I was mostly lead to believe the depth of field would be too narrow for a landscape shot such as the one you took. I'm no expert by the way. Great videos, I enjoy them very much. Thank you.
Yep, that wind was playing havoc with my settings!! If everything is really far away, you should be able to get away with wider apertures.
So when there isn't much light about or when the conditions dictate using faster shutter speeds to get sharp images, this is when I will shoot with wider apertures.
When I am not shooting videos, I would take my time, and check the photos with the wider apertures, but if there is a fleeting bit of light and I don't have a foreground element, I am quite happy using these apertures.
I hope that helps.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography Thanks for the reply. But I'm still a little puzzled. If a landscape photo is shot with an F-stop such as F4.5 would most of the scene be too soft to be considered a good photograph? In other words, were you happy with the final sharpness ?
@@Ardspans If you get it in focus, it shouldn't be too bad. I have a few shots taken at f4.5 hanging on my walls at home and they are fine.
If you were trying to sell them, they might not make the grade, but sometimes in getting a shot of a moment, this is what it is all about... more so than getting it tack sharp from front to back.
I have some shots that aren't that sharp but I love, and they look great as photographs, and I have others that are amazingly sharp, but don't look that good.
Sharpness is good to get right, but it isn't the be all and end all of getting a good photograph.
@@mikesphotography Ok, fair enough. I can't argue with that. Thanks for taking the time to reply, much appreciated. Keep up the great work.
lovely view of cwm idwal!
It's a fantastic valley to hike isn't it!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great tip. I also stuck with wide angles for a while. I still love a good wide angle shot to emphasize grand views, but I tend to be more selective now because as you say it’s hard to get right! I use it more for astro nowadays. Telephoto lenses are amazing tools to have, totally changed my photography after i got the sony 100-400
Great to hear!! Like you said, the telephoto is such a fantastic tool!!
p.s. love your youtube channel name!! 😆😆
I'm looking at getting the new tamron 50-400mm ... should be an interesting lens to try out!!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography haha thanks a lot! The name just stuck from my IG handle using the clueless tag 🤣 might as well make it consistent across. Love your videos man! Look forward to when u get that new lens ;) should be fun to play around. Cheers
I don't think of these as wide angle but as short lenses, correspondingly useful for short distance subjects. The exaggerated perspective of foreground to background along with extended DoF can afford unique visualizations. I never travel without a 17mm. That said I concur completely with your observations of the utility of long lenses for landscape. I run a 135 and 300, plus 1.4x. And the 17. Maybe an 85. That's it for landscape. [Canon 5D Mark None with primes]
First, i hope you're ok... and did'nt hurt by wind.....😉😉😉😉, second... why did you take out the color to the M&M's...???🤣🤣🤣🤣, and finally, i bought my amazing, beautiful, loyal, A7III, do you remenber your's???😛😛😛😛😛, on a kit with the 24-105 f4 lens, and 90% of time it's all i need, may be f4 it's not so bright but It has been very useful to me. Best wishes for you, and be careful with that wind....
Do you think a Sigma 17-50mm F/2.8 and AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm DX VR would be good for a trip to either Brecon Beacons or Snowdonia in North Wales?
Planning to go on a trip to either in the next year or two, haven't actually done landscape shots before lol
What camera body do you have?
@@mikesphotography Nikon D3400.
Good advice, Mike. One question, though -- why are you fighting with a tripod for shots with fast exposures & relatively short focal length (as at 1:35)? You could have planted your back against a rock face and made life easier for yourself with the camera in hand(s).
Thanks Eric!! Yep, you're right ... I cut out the bit where I was struggling to get a good handheld shot, then my brain went to "get the tripod out" when I should have just done what you had said or just sat or lay down to get lower and out of the wind ... It does make me think it would be good fun to do a video on shooting in high winds ... could be mildly entertaining!!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
That transition in 7:47 - Smooth 😄 Thank you for another great video with good advice 🙂
Thanks very much Terje! I'm trying to do more of those transitions these days, it's a lot of fun filming with the edit in mind.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography You're nailing it, mate. Looking forward to your next post. Have a nice weekend 😊
For around seven years i've used a fuji bridge camera and had some absolutely awesome shots from it.
Recently i bought a canon 80d with a 55 and 300 lense and yes it's a good camera and i've had some cracking shots so far but i'm actually tempted to carry both cameras.
Maybe it's early day's in the transition from bridge to dslr i don't know but i still feel luck plays a major part in photo's considering the shots i've had in previous years.
It might be worth taking both, but make sure it doesn't stop you from taking photographs. I have been out in the past with lots of kit and ended up getting nothing as I didn't know what to use and I was so tired from carrying way too much kit.
Luck does have a part to play, but the more you go out, the more that luck will play in your favour.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
What about filters in landscape photography? Do you use & recommand (or not!) cpl or graduated Nd filters?
Good question Alain.
I've got a video coming out on filters soon.
It depends on the lens I'm using and the scene in front of me as to what filter I use.
I use a cpl in woodland, an Nd when I need slower shutter speeds and then I just bracket my shots if the dynamic range of the scene exceeds the dynamic range of the camera.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography thanks for your answer! I stay connected to watch your video about the filters! Thanks for your work!
If only I had this advice 6 months ago. I have recently tried landscape photography and love it so far. I did buy a wide angle 10-20mm and am using it on an APS-C sensor. I have enjoyed what it can do, but the pictures I like the best are with my 18-200mm. Very much enjoy your channel. Keep up the great work. Cheers.
Keep going with your wide angle lens, you will start to get shots with it ... I get a lot of shot with the telephoto and probably about 10% with my wide angle lens. I'm working on getting more, but I know they are hard to find.
Thanks for watching Michael 😁👍
I've strongly recommended all landscape photographers try Laowa 12 2.8. It's amazing lens! Wide, bright, with near perfect color rendention (pretty close to another good lens Nikor 20 1.8), all-metall built
Thanks for the recommendation Aleksandr. 👍
I really enjoy your vids, lovely scenery, excellent tips and just a good length, some other bloggers are regularly putting out vids of 25-35 mins and it’s often too much, lots of unnecessary footage of car parks and coffee drinking! As with photos sometimes a hard crop makes all the difference, same with vlogs 😉
Thanks so much Sue! I do wonder why some videos are 20-30 minutes ... my first drafts are often that long, but then I do a big cull of all the boring bits that really don't need to be there.
There will be no coffee montages on this channel ... unless they are satirical that is!! 😆😆
... great to hear you are liking what I am producing, thanks for watching 😁👍
Hey Mike, I acquired a Canon aps-c camera, with the standard 18 - 55mm kit lens. My first lens purchase was a 55 - 250mm, which I was very enthusiastic about (and not disappointed). I then went to a "nifty fifty", well why not. Then I purchased a wide angle 10 - 18mm lens. I've had so much creative fun with these 4 lenses, but I agree with you, the telephoto as my first lens purchase, was the best decision I made. Appreciate you sharing your experience! Cheers mate, from central Ontario, Canada
That's great to hear about which lenses you got and in which order.
The wide angle les is a great lens to use, just not a beginner lens as it is hard to get right ... but when you do get one, it is very addictive!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Some remarks:
1. Use a lens hood, to improve the contrast of your photograph.
2. Use a tripod, certainly if you bring it up the mountain. Together then your camera bag as weight it is a more better platform, then handheld.
3. Don’t use fuzzy video title, make concrete what you want to tell the audience.
4. Maybe tell the audience what the subject elements are for a wide angle photograph (example: for/middle/back ground elements).
5. With all lenses from 10-2000mm you can get great landscape (or wildlife) photographs, it is depending on the user technique then the focal length itself.
6. …
Thanks for your thoughts Albert.
With the fuzzy title, unfortunately since youtube changed from a subscriber based model to a clicks and likes model, the "fuzzy" titles seem to do better.
When I first released this video I called it something like "Why a wide angle lens is not the best choice for you" and it didn't do well at all. But then I changed it to be a little more intriguing and more people started to click on it.
In an ideal world, I would release a video and all the people who would benefit from it would be served it; in reality each and every video is competing with all of the other videos that pop up on the home feed, suggested feed or search enquiry within milliseconds of opening the app or web browser.
As for focal lengths, this is more aimed at the beginner than maybe the more advanced photographer. You are right in saying that every focal length can get a great landscape. However, if a novice picks up a camera, the first thing they want to do is get some good photos and this will increase their enjoyment of photographer willing them to keep at it, whereas if they go and get a shot of a majestic landscape and come back with a really bad photo where those amazing mountains disappear into insignificance ... this will take away from that enjoyment.
A wide angle shot takes planning, thought and a lot of knowledge and in my opinion is a bit of kit for an intermediate/advanced landscape photographer (to get unique not copied photographs).
On the other hand, a longer focal length will give you the ability to cut out all of the rubbish and just photograph what you like the look of, in a relatively short space of time. This is another thing that amateurs might be short of ... time ... to go to the place they want to photograph.
Ultimately, getting some good photographs will encourage people to keep at it and build up a solid base of techniques to then be able to take great photographs with a wide angle lens, or any lens for that matter.
Thanks for watching
@@mikesphotography Thanks for the big follow up reply.
I think you as a content creator/photographer has the choice to:
1. Keep making general video’s like this one or
2. Create content for a specific audience, which you can take within you during their learning curve in photography. Create a base audience which goes further then UA-cam video’s, but also other photography related products, such as Books, workshops, merchandise, …!
I am looking for no.2 content and find them already in the UK area. I follow them even if they are modifying a Japanese VAN into a mobile landscape vehicle. I buy books of them which compile a body of work which creation I saw on UA-cam.
success with you channel, video production is very good. Now to focus on the right photography content …!
Kind regards,
Dutch Nikonian …
You're like the DayZ photographer, i love it lol.
Haha! Thanks very much 😁👍
Have been thinking about a wide angle lens, but I just realized that I don't have the pack, shoes, or desire to hike off the trail that a close up wide angle shot might need.
... and that is the perfect reason to get a telephoto. When you are limited with time, a telephoto is such a good investment.
If I am not feeling it or I've done a big hike the day before, I look for some good lookouts on the map that I can drive to and then sit and get some great shots from those lookouts.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography great teachers and artist make you think, and this was the right timing to boot because usually the gear itch is not so easy to sooth.
🤔I keep hearing zoom with your feet
🧐 be But as you know it’s not always possible
👀For a few weeks you’ll have to visit NZed sometime
Haha! Indeed ... if you're perched on a cliff edge, zooming with your feet is not advisable!!
Ah man, NZ is such an amazing place!! Can't wait to get back there ... I visited once and loved it ... 👍
As always thanks for watching 😁👍
Привет из Сибири! Мужик, ты делаешь отличные видео! С уважением к твоему полезному творчеству
Спасибо!
Мне нравится снимать и редактировать, и приятно слышать, что они помогают.
Since you addressing beginners, might have been nice if you defined the parameters of "Wide Angle"?
Thanks for your feedback tim
Im anxious to see awesome content especially the drone shots 😂
Haha! Maybe a few crash compilation drone videos!! 😆😆😆
You lost me at 'RX10'! 😂. I have the three Fuji zoom lenses (10-24, 16-80, 70-300) and I have to agree that the wider lens, 10 to 24, rarely makes an appearance. I have taken more close up shots with it, where I want to maybe get a whole tree in frame or something of particular interest. I went out early for a sunrise one time (yes, just the once!) with all three lenses and almost all the better results were at the longer end of the reach. Your first photo, where you had the sun on the mountain and you were rushing to get your tripod set up, any reason why you couldn't have taken it handheld to at least get something before setting the tripod up? Or did you do that but cut it from the final edit? Anyhow, great video as always and some sage advice 👌🏼😉
Haha! I had to squeeze in the rx10 just for you!! 😆😆😆
So I tried getting it handheld but the wind was so strong I couldn't get it ... But like you said, that bit didn't make the cut 😆
As always, thanks for watching dude 😁👍
I agree, Mike. I absolutely love my 70-200 and am really wanting to get an even longer lens in the near future. Once again, beautiful scenery and fantastic photos. Looks like you had some really gusty winds to contend with. I came very close to losing my setup on a cliff in Portugal while trying to move my shadow out of the shot. Everything starting tipping towards the sea and I caught it just in time. It would have been so easy to just clone out my shadow. I got really lucky. Take care, brother.
Haha! It really does get the heart going when the tripod starts to lean off on its own!! 😆
I'm looking to get the 50-400mm from tamron ... that looks an interesting lens, and apparently it is pretty sharp by all accounts!
As always thanks for watching dude 😁👍
3:42 and 3:54 😆 a good video again! 🙂and the nature looks nice, and i saw some lakes too 😃
Thanks very much!! I couldn't help putting those two in ... I properly slipped over ... and then the poo shot ... 😆😆😆
@@mikesphotography its like you make the videos more comical 🙂 which is fun! 😂
After a few disheartening trips with a 35mm prime, I finally have a 28-200 on the way. This was the perfect thing I needed to hear for when it arrives!
Hey Alan,
The 35mm prime is fantastic but takes a while to get used to and to get good photos with ... mine stays in the bag most of the time.
The 28-200mm on the other hand, that stays on my camera 90% of the time!! I love it and really enjoy getting lots of different shots with it.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
absolutely! Get a nice 100-400 and you'll get amazing shots! also when it's stopped down to f/8 there'll be very little difference between a Nikkor lens and a Zeiss Otus (I've tested them personally at that aperture - it's hard to tell except for micro contrast).
Thanks for sharing your findings Enrico!
and thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography My pleasure and great videos btw!
I got a Nikon D3400 and a friend gave me a 70-300 as a gift from KEH. I have to manually focus it because the lens focus technology is not compatible with my camera, but I can say that the crafting procedure is so fun, trying to nail the focus manually via the VF is just crazy!... but I just love it... and playing around with the focal length, taking portraits of my kids, doing some bird photography adds to the fun of using it. 😁
That's great to hear and a great skill to learn!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Very well explained, and whilst I love my Canon 10-22 for inside shots, my 18-200 is the default for 80% of my stuff.
Thanks very much Simon!
Good advice Mike. After getting the new Sony I got the 24-105, then the 70 - 200. Finally the 16-35 which I very rarely use but good to have. As you know now have the Tamron 50-400 and traded in the 200, up until recently the 24-105 was my most used lens and I would recommend over a kit lens or wide angle. Can’t believe how much money I have wasted over the years on lens😢😢 Great video😊😊
Haha! I know what you mean!! I probably could have bought a second house by now with all of the money I have spent on lenses over the years!! 😆😆
You keep teasing me with that 50-400mm ... I definitely need to get one!! 😀👍
As always thanks for watching 😁👍
Appreciate the "tip" but personally I don't agree. Looking back at my own favourite photos, many are wideangle shots.
I took a break from photography for many years and a few weeks ago bought a setup for landscape shots. It's a Sony A6400 with the 10-20 powerzoom lens. It's extremely lightweight. Also bought a
Great to hear your thoughts and the setup you use Peter.
This is the great thing with photography, there are so many different ways to get great photographs and many different ways we can express ourselves in this wonderful art-form.
I love getting wide angle shots, but I know I personally can get more shots for each trip that I go on ... I do also use the wide angle a fair bit, but I find I am taking longer searching for those shots ... but they are really rewarding when you do find them.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography Thanks for your thoughts as well. Really like your channel and just as important your presentation style, which I think is much more down to earth and relaxed compared to many other flashy UA-camrs.
I do agree that a wide angle can make it more difficult, but I also like to limit myself this way so I look for certain shots and I don't have to focus on too many possibilities.
Just started again, so who knows in a few years I'm perhaps packed with a multitude of lenses again...
If you can afford it by the Tamron 35 to 150mm and it solves many problems with landscape and travel
The 35-150mm is a fantastic lens isn't it.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thank you for the video & advice, I am a novice/hobbyist photographer & only poses 2 lenses at the minute Sony 18-55 Kit lens & Sony 18-200 Zoom both f3.5. so I am hoping this will serve me well until my photography improves. At the moment the 18-200 is the only one of the 2 i seem to be using . I don't see any value in using the 18-55 unless trying to learn street photography. but was thinking on getting a Prime lens for that ??
Hi Shaun,
With those two lenses, I know what you mean. When you have a complete overlap it makes sense just to use the one with the bigger range.
A prime les would definitely give you another angle of creativity. I'd go for something like the 35mm (something like this one: amzn.to/3EF8o1Z ). On a crop sensor camera, this gives a really nice field of view, whereas the 50mm is just a little too tight.
(I am guessing that you shoot with a crop sensor camera like the A6000 series from the lenses you described.)
I hope that helps.
@@mikesphotography Hi Mike,
Thank you for the reply & advice.I am using a Sony a6600 Crop sensor & still getting my head round the Sony menu system. i will take a look at the 35mm Prime as an additional option & get rid of the 16-55 kit. once my photography improves i may then upgrade the 18-200 to something with even more range. Thanks again for the reply.
Great advise Mike will look into a 70\200 Thanks
Thanks Colin. It is a great way to get some great shots all from one location. I'd say at least 80% of my photos have been taken with 70mm or longer.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
My wife and I went on a 4-day trip last week. I brought several lenses and I only used the 18-140mm. My favorite one.
The super zooms are so versatile aren't they!! The 28-200mm practically lives on my A7iv nowadays!!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I've got the Tamron 18-200mm f3.5-f6.3 almost permanently attached to my DSLR, which pretty much covers all my bases. If I want to do the wider angle shots I can, but if I want to zoom in a bit I can do that too. Granted it's not the 'sharpest tool in the box' or the fastest, but it's not a bad lens. The RX10 is a lovely camera by the way, but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that! Is it the Mark iv?
Thanks so much Ash! I bet that is a great allrounder ... and when the light is good, I bet it produces an image almost as good as some of the top lenses out there!
I have the RX10iii. Such a versatile camera.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
I have 4 WAL Canon 10-18 , Samyang 10mm fish F2.8 , 12mm F2.8 , 8mm F3.5 fisheye ..
It's not disheartening ... It's all about being observant and take what you like , you don't take to please others , I also have 150-600c ...I also use a macro lense for LS ..
But you never clarified what WAL you were on about ...
Thanks for your thoughts Colin. You are obviously an experience photographer who has built up a nice set of wide angle lenses.
When I said it could be disheartening, I was talking to the beginners that might want to get that perfect photo the first time out with a new lens. With your experience you will understand that this is often not the case and only comes with being observant and taking your time to get the shot you want.
I have met a lot of people who do want that innital fix which is really important when first starting a new hobby, and the easiest way to get this is with a longer focal length.
Thanks for watching 👍
Hi Mike: You conveyed some great advice. I do have a wide angle lens (17-28mm) and while I do enjoy using it I don't use it that often. If I had to select only one lens as a starting photographer, I would absolutely select a telephoto lens. Much more versatile lens for a beginner. Cheers, Keith
Thanks very much Keith!! I have so much fun with the telephoto lens and take a lot of shots with that lens.
I do keep trying to get wide angle shots, but only get good ones every now and then.
As always thanks for watching 😁👍
unless you're into astrophotophy a wide angle is a go to lens
Absolutely true. It’s taken me some time to develop an “eye” to use my 14mm or the wide end of my 16-35.
It does take a while to get tuned into the wide angle ideas doesn't it.
As always thanks for watching 😁👍
you've got that documentary voice quality. you could easily make money with that.
Haha! That's what I'm working on. 😆😁👍
24 is the widest I have and I rarely shoot wider than 28mm, once you go into the ultra wide territory things start to look weirdly stretched and distorted in the corners. I can't think of many situations that I'd really want an ultra wide.. maybe cave interiors. If I was starting out again I'd probably go with a superzoom like a 24-200 - it may well be the only lens you ever need.
Exactly. It is really hard to get good photographs with a wide angle lens and it is really easy to get that really horrible looking distortion.
I watched a video just recently from a prominent landscape photographer here on youtube, where he recommended a wide angle as a good beginner lens ... such bad advice which will put a lot of people off.
It's all about having fun as well as learning the process of photography, and a longer lens will do just that.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Great advice Mike. It makes clear sense to me now to make the 70-200 my next lens.
The 70-200mm is a great lens ... the other one I am looking at at the moment is the new Tamron 50-400mm ... it is an extreme lens but I think it could give some great results!!
Are you not afraid having light flares in your pictures due to not using a lens hood?
Not really. When I take a shot, I'll sometimes hold my hand up to shadow the end of the lens, to see if it makes a difference, but most of the time, I'll either have the sun in the shot, or I'll be shooting perpendicular to the direction of the suns rays.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Thanks for the tip Mike, would be nice to have hills and mountains for me to shoot but living in Lincolnshire there ain't to many hills.
Look forward to your vids always very honest, must admit they are better now you are in the UK we don't have to see those T's 🤣🤣
Haha!! Well I am still wearing them, it's just a lot colder here so they are covered with jumpers and jackets!! 😆😆
I'm about 3 hours away from North Wales, but I try to plan a trip there as much as I can ... fuel prices aren't helping though!! 🙈
As always thanks for watching 😁👍
I was out on the Long Mynd last week and got fed up of changing my kit lens with a 45-200 lens. So I have just ordered the Olympus 12-200 lens for my Lumix G9 (yes it's MFT). The more I learn about cameras, the more I realize that everything is a trade off. Unfortunately, as I only took up photography when I retired I cannot hop around the hillsides as much as I would like!
The superzooms are great for a one lens solution ... and the MFT system is fantastic when you need to minimise the weight you are carrying ... even though I shoot with full frame at the moment, I'm sure as I get older, I'll switch to lighter formats.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
1:32 what music is that? I want it.
It took a while to find it in my library, but here's the link to it.
artlist.io/song/74408/middle
From some reason artlist songs are not recognised by Shazam.
Thanks for watching Sean 😁👍
@@mikesphotography thank you!
Very good advice Mike! I tend to have more interesting photos using my sigma 100-400 due to the compression and picking out subjects. I get more creative using my telephoto compared to sigma 24-70
Thanks very much!! Interestingly I was looking at one of the landscape photography competitions recently and the majority were taken with long lenses!
Thanks for watching 😁👍
When it comes down to a telephoto lens and landscapes, what would you recommend? I currently have my eyes on a 70-200, 100-400 and 200-600.
Would love to hear anyone's thoughts and tha ks in advance for your replies!
Just for landscapes, the 70-200mm is great. I bought the 50-400mm from Tamron recently and most of my shots are within the 50-250 range, so the 70-200mm would cover 90% of those shots.
Thanks for watching 😁👍
@@mikesphotography thanks for your recommendation. I might aswell checkout the 50-400 from Tamron.
Yes definitely! The tamron 50-400mm is a great lens with a lot of reach!!
Watching your videos wears me out! Lol. You’re like a mountain goat or an Olympic athlete!
Haha! Thanks very much Jane!! Although what you don't see is the time it takes for me to recover between shots 😆
Thanks for watching 😁👍
Can't argue with that advice. I use MFT and most of my images are with 25-200.
That's great to hear Brian. The longer lenses are great aren't they!
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Lenses you do not use for Landscape Photography are zoom lenses ! And use a high megapixels Camera if you want the best details ! I use only prime Lenses 14, 24, 35, 55, 65 and 135mm and two 61 megapixels Cameras.
Thanks for your feedback
I’d say one of the best lenses a beginner could get would be the 35-150. Basically a one and done. Maybe get a 20 1.8 or a 24mm (speaking for Sony ecosystem).
I get what you are saying, but most beginning photographers are not going to buy a 70-200mm telephoto zoom as their first lens purchase. There are going to get a 24-70mm or similar lens in that range. It may even come as a kit lens with their camera. And they'll use that lens to photograph their friends, their children, their pets, and many other things in or close to their house that strikes their fancy, because being a photographer is not exclusively about taking pictures of pretty but remote locations that take time and a good physique to hike to. So telling photographers not to buy a lens that they almost assuredly already have just does not make a lot of sense.
I think you might have missed the point I was trying to make. I was not saying not to get a 24-70mm, I was actually saying not to get a super wide angle lens as it is really hard to get good shots with the 12-24mm range, but thanks for your feedback.
The advantage with a telephoto is you can always make it wider by doing a panorama.
Exactly David!! I do so many pano stitches with my longer lenses and I rarely have a problem with any of them!!
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Follows a comment I made in a different video! With a 70-350mm on APS-C I can take pretty much anything, because in woodland I stitch 5 or 6 portrait panoramas together and hey presto, wide lens simulation as well! My 17-70mm goes on for close up work, with foreground just inches away but a subject 30ft or more back.
After so many years of solely using fixed focal length lenses I have now for around two years the Leica 24-90. In my humble opinion one of the absolute best all around and especially landscape lenses out there. Some magnetic filters on top and there is nothing more you need for the majority of the shots.
Thanks for sharing Daniel!