wideangle lens vs stitching two pictures

[e r y k]

heyya POTN,

im at the point of photography where i am looking into different lenses to purchase. so the questions i ask below may still be kinda noobish :D

ive been looking at wideangle lenses and a replacement kit lens because telephoto is out of my price range atm. however, i've been able to merge two images together in photoshop / panorama software to create a "wide angle" effect.

here is what im talking about :
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/erykv1/gatechcarshow/350.jpg

is there anything a real wideangle lens could do that i couldnt do with a different lens other than save me some time stitching in PS?
please forgive my ignorance if i am overlooking something :)

thanks

eric

[farrukh]

Stitching gives very detailed large resolution final picture. but it takes a lot of time and effort to make one shot. Its nice to do pano's sometimes but wide angle lens is the real faithful shooting style.

[gfinch]

stitching 2 photos together of a car seems like a lot of work.. i can faintly see the line or so where you joined i think. for landscapes its much less noticeable.

you may be surprised with the price of wide angle lenses however..

Search B&H for: Canon 10-22, sigma 10-22 tokina 12-24.. you will be surprised..

My canon 10-22 cost more than the 70-300 IS...

its much easier and more fun to use a wide angle lens such as the 10-22 than stitching 18-55 shots together.. Plus you have to lock the exposure, make sure it all lines up and in focus etc.. Its much more gratifying to compose the shot in one photo than picture it in two.

if you have the opportunity try a wide angle lens yourself to see the difference. at least in the store.

[sadowsk2]

For photographing stationary cars you'd probably be alright... But taking two pics and stitching them together won't work for taking action shots or relative motion within the pic.... I love the 10-22 lens and would recommend it if you're planning on shooting wide....

[angryhampster]

If you don't mind setting focus and aperture manually, the Peleng 8mm fisheye and Zenitar 16mm fisheye are phenomenal ultra-wide lenses that can be had for under $300. The zenitar was around $200 i believe last time I checked.

I own a Sigma 10-20mm lens..and LOVE the creative perspective it gives me on cars. I got mine used on these forums for $420. It was in perfect condition and I use it quite often.

What is your price range, by the way?

[e r y k]

well being a broke college student :P my range would be about ~1000 this summer hopefully (if i get a job on campus)

if not, then ill be using the 50mm and the kit lens for quite a long while.

the thing is though, if i can simulate something like a wideangle, i can spend the money elsewhere on say something like a telephoto, or a kit lens replacement.

i am willing to sacrifice some time to stitch pictures together to save the money to put towards a different lens (like a telephoto, cause amount of photoshop can give u a telephoto effect)

at the moment im considering a 70-200, or a 17-40L and a flash of some sort since i dont have one yet.

[angryhampster]

You won't want to take the time to stitch photos together, not to mention you'll have to worry about distortion between photos, etc..

If you've got $1000, you can get a Sigma 10-20mm for about $425 and a Canon 70-200 f/4L for $500 and have a couple good meals left over :)

[KevC]

Stitching and UWA gives two different perspectives....

[august23]

I loved my 10-22, but for the money, I'd rather stitch. Plus, you don't have to worry about unsharp corners.

[dfoo]

If what you want to do is create wide images then stiching is fine and dandy. However, wide images have nothing to do with a wide angle lens -- its the unique perspective that it gives and just as with a telephoto no amount of photoshopping can reproduce that.

[angryhampster]

You can't get shots like these from stitching:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/angryhampster/artistic/skatepark5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/angryhampster/artistic/emma11.jpg