Wide-angle lens
![One of Canon's most-popular wide-angle lenses – 17-40 mm f/4 L retrofocus zoom lens.](/Images/godic/202502/10/Canon_17-40_f4_L_lens4811.jpg")
![How focal length affects photograph composition. Three images depict the same two objects, kept in the same positions. By changing focal length and adjusting the camera's distance from the pink bottle, it remains the same size in the image, while the blue bottle's size appears to dramatically change. Also note that at small focal lengths, more of the scene is included.](/Images/godic/202502/10/Focal_length4812.jpg")
![Field of view in APS-sized digital cameras is the same as that of a longer lens, increased by crop factor, on a full-frame 35 mm format camera.](/Images/godic/202502/10/Full-frame_vs_APS-C.svg4812.png")
![Cross-section of a typical short-focus wide-angle lens.](/Images/godic/202502/10/Symetrical.svg4812.png")
In photography and cinematography, a wide-angle lens refers to a lens whose focal length is substantially smaller than the focal length of a normal lens for a given film plane. This type of lens allows more of the scene to be included in the photograph, which is useful in architectural, interior and landscape photography where the photographer may not be able to move farther from the scene to photograph it.