Wide Angle versus FishEye lens

[georgewkenny]

Hi all.

Buying a new compact digital but I want to ensure I get a wide aspect on photos such as beach holiday photos.

First of all - I dont fully understand the difference between WideAngle and Fish Eye - are they the same.

Secondly - Does lens size matter. Ive seen a variety of sizes 27mm - 35mm, but does this make a difference to the width of a shot?

Finally - any recommendations for a WideAngle compact camera sub £400 ? ? ?

Thanks.

[Matt]

Hi George,

thanks for your post. A fisheye lens is an extreme wide angle, which distorts the proportions of the image. As an average compact would have to go to around the 14mm mark to become fisheye you're in no danger of suffering from this effect when buying a decent compact off the shelves.

The lower the number, the wider the shot. 27mm is wide for a compact, and although there are a few that go slightly wider it's a decent target to aim for if you're after taking landscape images.

As far as a sub £400 compact is concerned the Canon Powershot G11 is an excellent choice as it offers a 28mm lens, full manual controls and fantastic image quality. The Panansonic ZX3 is also well worth a look as the lens is slightly wider at 24mm but the zoom not quite as impressive.

Hope this was of some assistance,

Matt