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7-14 - your "go to" wide?

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Joseph E Ellis

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I'd like some opinions on this lens use as a documentary general purpose wide angle.

Does anyone use this lens for weddings?

I generally carry two cameras one with a tele and the other with a wide, I'd like to go wider than 14mm and the 11-22 is nice but I'd like to get away from variable aperture lenses.

Let me have the good, bad and ugly.

Best,

Joe

--
Joseph Ellis
Joseph Mark Photography
Dallas, TX
http://www.josephmark.com
 
Hi Joseph,

First of all....your wedding photos are.....GREAT! There are many good wedding photographers in my country but yours approach are more candid that I feel truly capture the moment.

My take on your "question", The 11-22 while a variable aperture lens is still faster than the constant f4.0 of the 7-14. I own the 7-14 which is a specialized lens. It's great for architecture and unsual/dramatic angle view but frankly I do not think these qualities of the 7-14 is suited as a wedding lens and feel you will be better off with the 11-22.
Just my 2 cents.
Regards,
Alfred
 
I have the 7-14 also, and i have to agree as its never a flattering lens when it comes to photographing people. and its not a lens you want to be carrying around idley all day. but apart from that its a fantastic lens
 
Can either of you elaborate a little more? I've shot with a 14mm rect. with film and found it quite useful, is there something inherent to this lens you find frustrating? I

t would seem to me that a 7-14 would be really useful, although I would tend to shoot in the 10-14 range more often than at 7 with the exception of scene setters etc.

How is the focus speed in comparison to the 11-22? Does the camera struggle with f4 with regard to focus?

Thanks,

Joe
--
Joseph Ellis
Joseph Mark Photography
Dallas, TX
http://www.josephmark.com
 
Hi Joe
It's only downfall really is the size (it's big).
Answers below.
Joseph E Ellis said:
Can either of you elaborate a little more? I've shot with a 14mm
rect. with film and found it quite useful, is there something
inherent to this lens you find frustrating?
Click to expand...
No - if you know what 14mm 'means' then it's a fine lens, with little distortion and vignetting and good sharpness.
Joseph E Ellis said:
t would seem to me that a 7-14 would be really useful, although I
would tend to shoot in the 10-14 range more often than at 7 with
the exception of scene setters etc.
Click to expand...
Well then - you'll get the best from it, it improves a lot between 7 and 8 mm and then stays pretty much the same.
Joseph E Ellis said:
How is the focus speed in comparison to the 11-22? Does the camera
struggle with f4 with regard to focus?
Click to expand...
I never give it a thought - which means it must be good I suppose!

Certainly, if you understand the focal length, and you have a need for it, then it's a splendid lens.

kindregards
--
Jono Slack
http://www.slack.co.uk
 
Actually, I beg to differ... I use it for weddings, not for portraits as such but to capture the flavour of the wedding with very interesting angles. I use it with my 14-54 and then shelf my 11-22.

Yes, I first borrowed a rectilinear fisheye on the EOS 1DSMk II for events shots and found that I can create many interesting shots, which later convinced me that the 7-14 is an even more interesting lens to have, as it is more versatile than a fish eye fixed focus. So far, there is no other lens like this one when compared with Nikon and Canon.

However, you have to be careful about flare, as the aspherical front element is vulnerable to it, esp when shooting into light.

I love the lens (other than the vulnerbility to flare) and only keep my 11-22 cos I can do landscape and use filters on it, which I can't do so for the 7-14mm.

Cheers!
 
I can see how this would be a very good lens to have on a second body for that type work. I've not had a chance to use it extensively in that fashion yet, but I've used it at most all the focal lengths on a recent trip to Paris and it made for a large percentage of images. Once you get below that 10mm or so setting, the edges tend to not be forgiving on the human form due to the super-wide effect, like here- note the guy in the t-shirt on the far right. This was at 7mm:



I did get a chance to use the lens at a wedding receiption for a shot or two, the best of which was this one:



I'm sure with your imagination this lens will do things no one has every tried. It's not like there's tons of these things out there in use...it's a pretty unique tool.

--
'I am the world's second worst typist'
 
but if you center them properly distortions are tolerable.

to catch the wider ongoings around a wedding the 7-14mm will make sense, but only in conjunction with buildings/landscape/interiors.

definitively not a people-lens and people are what weddings are most about.

but then again, there are lots of other subjects that come along with a wedding.

I'd get the 7-14mm anyway. its a beauty, you'll love it for a range of other new possibilities it offers.

--
http://cyberholz.blog.com

or photos only @

http://www.pbase.com/cyberholz
 
Big Ga said:
Hmmm.... in the Oxford DPR get together. There were 7 oly shooters
... and 3 of those owned the 7-14.
Common as muck if you ask me !!
Click to expand...
You're just jealous Gareth! It's certainly not a portrait lens, but I find it's great for really capturing the atmosphere of what it was like in a place, as it simulates your peripheral vision.

Bruce
 
Hi Gareth
You're as common as muck . . . . . or was that what you said?

I think I'm getting confused.

Good lens though!

kind regards
--
Jono Slack
http://www.slack.co.uk
 
Hi Jono,

Yes, I find I'm starting to see the world in a 7-14 way or a 50-200 way. Not using the 14-54 as much as I thought at the moment. Had great fun at a Welsh falconery near Abergavenny yesterday with the 50-200, but the peregrine falcons were like F16s - impossible to follow let alone lock focus!

Bruce
 
Bruce Clarke said:
You're just jealous Gareth!
Click to expand...
You bet!

I use the fisheye so much now I can really see the advantages of having the 7-14. Its on my shopping list, don't you worry :-)

I'm not taking offence you didn't pop in for a cup of tea after your 'up the road from me' birding experience.

(goes off in the corner to pout.....)
 
Pros:

it's a magnificent lens; it's spoiled me from all other wide angles. Image quailty, distortion and edge to edge sharpness I believe to be the best currently available.

Cons:
Heavy

Exposed front element; it constantly makes you worry about destroying $1500 worth of optic and this becomes tiresome.

Distortion in the corners - not an optical flaw, but people become horizontally stretched as you move to the corners, perhaps an issue for wedding photography. Still better than most (all in my experience)

Conclusion: It will give you superlative image quailty and a unique perspective for alot of shots. I simply love the photos I've taken with it.
 
Actually, that's a perfect description of what the 7-14 does if you get it wrong ;-)

--
Jono Slack
http://www.slack.co.uk
 
Big Ga said:
I use the fisheye so much now I can really see the advantages of
having the 7-14. Its on my shopping list, don't you worry :-)
Click to expand...
Go for it Gareth! I think I was already partly responsible for nudging Jono and Gareth over the edge. Next time we meet, maybe we'll have a full house...
Big Ga said:
I'm not taking offence you didn't pop in for a cup of tea after
your 'up the road from me' birding experience.

(goes off in the corner to pout.....)
Click to expand...
I did think of you, but didn't have your number. There was a big paragliding party in the fields by the river (entrance opposite the Bridge Inn). Great fun, but not much flying as the wind was howling, and rain it raineth regularly. I'll drop you an email with my number for next time.

Bruce
 
Hi Joseph,

You said it yourself...7 is for scene setter, 10-14 for the rest.While I am sure the 7-14 will be great in your hands, I also feel that the 11-22 is the more practical lens to use for weddings. It is also a full stop faster at the short end which is good for interiors.

I do not worry much about focusing with ultra wides as they got tremendous DOF anyways.
Regards,
Alfred
 
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