Having a good wide-angle lens is imperative if you’re a landscape photographer. But they can also work great for things like cityscapes, real estate … even portrait photography. Check out a few of our favorites below.
Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM — A flagship wide-angle
I called the Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM lens the best wide-angle lens I’ve ever used, and I still stand by that statement. This compact G-Master lens is a joy to use, featuring beautiful optics and sunning image quality. It’s incredibly quick to focus, even in darker conditions. Here’s what I had to say in my review:
“With so many wide-angle options on the market for Sony shooters, the Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM definitely sits at the top of my list. The f/1.8 aperture really let me push the lens in the dark, and it performed very well. If you’re looking at a prime wide-angle lens, I’d can’t recommend the Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM lens enough.”
Bryan Esler
Laowa GF 17mm f/4 — Wide medium format goodness
While Fujifilm offers some amazing medium format lenses, it suffers from not having an ultrawide option. That is, until the Laowa 17mm f/4 was brought to market. Offering a lens with a full-frame field of view of roughly 13mm, the Laowa definitely hits the mark.
Offering center sharpness and stellar out-of-focus bokeh rendering, the Laowa 17mm f/4 definitely features some premium optics. Here’s what Darren Miles had to say in his review:
“With its massive 113-degree field of view (13mm full-frame equivalent), I’m able to capture huge scenes with aplomb. Most importantly, I’m able to capture those scenes without a lot of distortion.”
Darren Miles
Panasonic Summilux 12mm f/1.4 — Fall in love with photography again
We couldn’t forget about Micro Four Thirds. While Olympus offers an amazing 7-14mm f/2.8 wide-angle zoom, Panasonic has championed the prime with its Summilux 12mm f/1.4. This lens makes photography fun again, and you get some amazing results with it.
Due to its f/1.4 aperture, this lens is perfect for low-light conditions, offering optics that are second to none. Flare issues aside, this lens will definitely provide you with absolutely remarkable results. Here’s what Darren Miles had to say in his review:
“Where the 12mm excels is when you take advantage of its f/1.4 aperture. Because of the small sensor and the wide-angle nature of the 12mm, you’ll need to get close to your subject to separate them or it from the background. When you do, the resulting images give a lovely 3D effect and are tack, tack sharp in the center of the frame with beautiful bokeh.”
Darren Miles
Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art — A fantastic beast of a lens
Sigma’s 14mm f/1.8 Art lens is a hard one to beat, offering stellar optics, with fast autofocus, sharpness and even some out-of-focus bokeh. Expect tack-sharp sharpness with this lens, even when it’s wide-open at f/1.8.
This is a perfect lens for no matter what you’re shooting — landscapes, cityscapes, real estate … even events. Here’s what Darren Miles had to say in his review:
“In spite of its high price, it’s difficult not to highly recommend the 14mm f/1.8 Art series lens from Sigma, it’s proven to be a versatile, useful and creative optic for my photography business.”
Darren Miles
Fujifilm XF 18mm f/1.4 — Fun and lightweight with a few flaws
For a lens with an f/1.4 maximum aperture, the XF 18mm f/1.4 is rather small. This makes it great for taking on photowalks and capturing some street photography. While the 27mm field of view isn’t super wide, it provides a view that’s wide enough for most purposes.
Optics are stellar, and the lens is approachable and fun to use. It’s not without a few flaws, namely some strong flaring, ghosting and vignetting. But if you can get past that … this lens is a joy to use in the field. Here’s what Brett Day had to say in his review:
“Where the 12mm excels is when you take advantage of its f/1.4 aperture. Because of the small sensor and the wide-angle nature of the 12mm, you’ll need to get close to your subject to separate them or it from the background. When you do, the resulting images give a lovely 3D effect and are tack, tack sharp in the center of the frame with beautiful bokeh.
Irix 15mm f/2.4 — The greatest budget ultrawide?
The Irix 15mm f/2.4 provides superb image quality and sharpness, even at wide apertures. This makes it perfect for night and landscape photographers. Here’s what Ken Lee had to say in his review:
“Even at its widest aperture at f/2.4, it’s surprisingly sharp. There are few ultrawide lenses, if any, that can approach the optical quality of the Irix for this price, or even several hundred dollars more, for that matter.”
Ken Lee
Voigtlander 10mm f/5.6 — Compact and crazy W-I-D-E
There aren’t many wide-angle lenses that go wider than 12mm. But the Voigtlander 10mm f/5.6 is one of them, offering an extraordinarily wide rectilinear view that’s not a fisheye!
This lightweight and compact lens features excellent image quality, especially in the center of the frame. It shines when photographing cityscapes and landscapes, but it could also be of value to real estate photographers photographing tight spaces. Here’s what Darren Miles had to say in his review:
“Given its unique superpower of being one of the few lenses out there that can shoot this wide, at this price, I think the 10mm is of good value. It’s not a cheap lens, but given its compact size and ability, it’s a difficult lens not to highly recommend!”
Darren Miles
