Wide Angle 14mm, 20mm & 24mm Comparison

These images were taken at the Old St. Paul’s using Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8.

All numbers are referred to FF format (35mm).

Ultra wide angle @14mm, picture angle on FF is 114 degree. At 114 degree, this is actually wider than the angle of view of human eyes. Perspective distortion becomes an issue at such a wide angle. As I recalled, this image is wider than what my eyes saw at the time.

Ultra wide angle @20mm, picture angle on FF is 94 degree. This is pretty much the same angle of view as human eyes, except human eyes have a magnification that is equivalent to a focal length of about 43mm and aperture of f/2 - f/3.4 (max) to f/8 – f/11(min).

Wide angle @24mm, picture angle on FF is 84 degree. This is a typical focal length seen in many standard zoom lenses such as Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 and Canon 24-105mm f/4.

Remark

Ever happened to you that an image you captured looked so different to what you see? Try taking a panorama using a 35mm or 50mm (with AE lock) to cover an angle of view of about 94 degree. This should mimick what our eyes see. Alternatively, shoot at 20mm, but pay attention to the distortion.