I have no idea about anything
 

Ok ive made a few posts on this forum and i'm learning little by little
as ive posted in another thread about wanting a wide angle lens
i have no idea what im looking for. All i see is the numbers and it means very little to me
i have a sony alpha 200 which has a 18-70 kit lens is this lens capable of taking wide angle photo's?
i really have no idea. I do know i want to photograph landscapes and my photography would benefit from a wide angle lens
maybe a simple explanation on the terminology of lens would be very much appreciated
thanks

Fred,
Its impossible to recommend a lens for somebody else, what I may find acceptable, you may not. Having said that, I would have thought the 18mm short end of your current zoom is wide enough (but as I mentioned in your WA lens thread, I hate anything wider than 50mm anyway).

For landscapes you don't need a particularly fast lens. i.e. one that has a large maximum aperture, usually f1.2 to f2.8. So no need to spend the extra on those types of lenses. These are only really needed for low light/action photography or for special effects like background blurring (bokeh).

With the crop factor of your camera (sensor size relative to a 35mm film frame, so multiply any focal length by 1.5 to get the equivalent field of view on a film or full frame camera), its hard to find a truly wide angle lens. I think 10mm is the widest you can go, thats on a Sigma lens, I don't know but but I think Tamron and Tokina both do one that starts at 11mm and I've no idea what Sony does.

I also think (remember, I don't really know, because I don't shoot any wide angle stuff), that once you get lower than 24mm you start to introduce perspective distortion into your pictures - Though you might want that for artistic effect.

Hope That Helps (a bit):)

The wide angle end of your 18-70 lens (18mm) equates to a 28mm lens on a 35mm film camera. The horizontal FOV ( field of view) is an angle of about 64 degrees.

I would think that 18mm is wide enough for most landscape photography. Unless your including tall buildings close up where the Ultra Wide Angle 10mm lens will be required.

To be honest it is only you who can tell if your lens wide enough. Can you get all of your subject in the frame ? if not you need a wider angle lens or move back further.

The best photography is learnt by trail and error, learn from your mistakes and try not to cram too much theory into your head. Use the theory when you need to understand why something does not work as expected.

As Duncan has said before Gadgets don't make the photograph. They only help. It is down to the eye, skill and experience of the photographer to capture the moment.

Often it is the case of making the best of the kit you have got with you at the time. It is all too easy to get hooked on the must have gadget only to find it idle in your gadget bag for years on end.

thanks you
most appreciated

Your 18-70 isn't a bad lens. In fact as a 27-105mm (35mm FF format)it takes you from a relatively wide angle to medium telephoto. The only concern might be the speed of the lens. I.e. aperture. Being that the Sony has in camera stabilization and will allow you to shoot up to 3 stops slower than a camera without a stabilized lens or body, you do compensate for the minimal aperture available on your kit lens. Which is called a "Slow Lens". However, if you wish to really blur the background a lot, a faster larger aperture lens might be a good investment. I would look at the Tamron's, Tokina's and Sigma's that go from 16,17,18 to 50,70 mm at f2.8, which blows out the background quite a bit more than your kit lens does.

ha ha I am exactly the same. And we have the same camera! this time last year I just had a compact type and decided I wanted digital slr so bought the sony. I now have a magazine every month and am reading everything I can get from the library. little by little I am understanding what things do and have taken a couple of shots (ha ha before it was photos!) that i really like.

I am even understanding about focal lenghts and things ( a bit anyway) but cant give you any advice about what to get as I am still learning my self. I love it!