Wide angle lenses are a huge part of landscape and marine photography and are widely used in the field. They are very popular and often produce amazing results if used properly. Just like any lens used for shooting landscapes and seascapes, it also has some drawbacks and limitations that you need to know about.
One of the big disadvantages of wide angle lenses is that when you are close to an object they tend to distort and stretch the subject disproportionately which is an undesirable effect. Unless of course you’re really trying to achieve that effect, but most of us as landscape and marine photographers don’t go after that effect. This effect is easy to avoid if you know about it, but if you are not aware of it, it may surprise you.
Another disadvantage of wide-angle lenses is that they are prone to vignetting and can often produce images with soft edges. The entire image may be sharp except for the edges, again this is an undesirable effect but easy to avoid. Your wide angle lens will be particularly prone to vignetting if you have a thick filter mount on it. You should always try to get a very thin filter mount to avoid vignetting.
The last real drawback to a wide-angle lens for shooting landscapes and seascapes is that it has a very limited zoom ratio. They’re great for taking close-up pictures of things but are almost useless when trying to take things at a great distance.
The advantages of a wide-angle lens far outweigh its disadvantages, but as with anything you buy, just be aware that there are some downsides to it. As with anything as long as you are aware of their limitations, you should never run into them. It plays an important role in shooting landscapes and seascapes for good reason, it’s an efficient lens and it can capture a lot of information.
If you are looking to buy a wide angle lens, you should not stress too much about the disadvantages as the advantages are far outweighed by them. Go for it!