What's a good wide-angle?

Printable View

  • 08-09-2010, 12:26 PM
    patia
    What's a good wide-angle?
    Is there a good wide angle you'd recommend? Maybe cheap for now, or maybe a better zoom I can save up for.
  • 08-09-2010, 12:30 PM
    CaraRose
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    Tokina makes two very good wide angles, the 12-24 and the 11-16mm, both of which are moderately priced ($400ish).

    I recently rented the sigma 8-16mm and if you don't mind the barrel distortion at the widest end, it's a very nice lens and the widest now available for crop-sensor cameras.
  • 08-09-2010, 01:30 PM
    mjs1973
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    I love the Tonika 12-24mm f/4!
  • 08-09-2010, 01:48 PM
    Photo-John
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    How much are you willing to spend and how wide is wide enough, Patia? I've got the 12-24mm f/4 Tokina and it's excellent. I paid about $600 for it a couple of years ago, though. Not sure if the price has really come down that much. The new Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 is probably the most lustworthy superwide available for APS-C sensor cameras right now. I'd love to replace my 12-24mm with one but I can't justify it since the 12-24mm gets the job done so well.

    I have a Sigma 8-16mm for review right now and I have to admit - I love it. It's soooo wide and the distortion doesn't bother me a bit. It's pretty expensive, though. The list price is $11000 and actual street price is $700. There's nothing else like it, though.
  • 08-09-2010, 02:15 PM
    CaraRose
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mjs1973
    I love the Tonika 12-24mm f/4!

    That's the one I own and I second the above statement :)
  • 08-09-2010, 02:25 PM
    Photo-John
    Tonika?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by CaraRose
    That's the one I own and I second the above statement :)

    Really? You both own one? I've never even heard of Tonika lenses :p
  • 08-09-2010, 02:30 PM
    CaraRose
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Photo-John
    I have a Sigma 8-16mm for review right now and I have to admit - I love it. It's soooo wide and the distortion doesn't bother me a bit. It's pretty expensive, though. The list price is $11000 and actual street price is $700. There's nothing else like it, though.

    I had a lot of fun with it. I did notice the distortion as being a it significant in a few shots, but at 8mm, I sort of expected that.

    Since we're talking about them, some samples of shots I've taken with these lenses...

    Looking Glass Falls, taken with the tokina 12-24mm @12mm
    <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2726/4356263291_cac65de828_b.jpg" border=2 width=800>

    Trail Ridge Road Overlook, taken with Sigma 8-16mm @16mm
    <img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4811266602_9071125434_b.jpg" border=2 width=800>

    My mom at Great Sand Dunes, taken with Sigma 8-16mm @8mm
    <img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4829168998_3f9151ebc1_b.jpg" border=2 width=800>

    My mom again at Great Sand Dunes, taken with Sigma 8-16mm @8mm, you can see distortion in this shot.
    <img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4829158942_293f693244_b.jpg" border=2 width=800>
  • 08-09-2010, 02:32 PM
    CaraRose
    Re: Tonika?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Photo-John
    Really? You both own one? I've never even heard of Tonika lenses :p

    :P I read typoese fluently and was able to translate without even noticing!
  • 08-09-2010, 02:57 PM
    Grandpaw
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Photo-John
    How much are you willing to spend and how wide is wide enough, Patia? I've got the 12-24mm f/4 Tokina and it's excellent. I paid about $600 for it a couple of years ago, though. Not sure if the price has really come down that much. The new Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 is probably the most lustworthy superwide available for APS-C sensor cameras right now. I'd love to replace my 12-24mm with one but I can't justify it since the 12-24mm gets the job done so well.

    I have a Sigma 8-16mm for review right now and I have to admit - I love it. It's soooo wide and the distortion doesn't bother me a bit. It's pretty expensive, though. The list price is $11000 and actual street price is $700. There's nothing else like it, though.

    John, the Sigma 8-16 is a VERY EXPENSIVE lens at that price, Jeff :blush2:
  • 08-09-2010, 03:07 PM
    Photo-John
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Grandpaw
    John, the Sigma 8-16 is a VERY EXPENSIVE lens at that price, Jeff :blush2:

    Oooohhhhh - you got me! Doh! :mad2: :D

    The list price is $1100, not $11,000.

    I am so ashamed, after making fun of CaraRose and mjs1973 for their "Tonika" lenses.
  • 08-09-2010, 03:37 PM
    Photo-John
    More Samples
    Here are a couple samples from my archives:

    Sigma 8-16mm:

    http://gallery.photographyreview.com...wers-flume.jpg

    Tokina 12-24mm:
    http://gallery.photographyreview.com...07/MG_1311.jpg

    You can see more from each camera in the gallery.

    Tokina 12-24mm Lens Sample Gallery >>
    Sigma 8-16mm Lens Sample Gallery >>

    You need to upload some more photos to the gallery, CaraRose! All the Sigma 8-16mm photos are from me. And you've got some good ones here. Add them!
  • 08-09-2010, 04:05 PM
    CaraRose
    Re: More Samples
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Photo-John
    You need to upload some more photos to the gallery, CaraRose! All the Sigma 8-16mm photos are from me. And you've got some good ones here. Add them!

    I will as soon as I have time :)
  • 08-09-2010, 04:32 PM
    mjs1973
    Re: Tonika?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Photo-John
    Really? You both own one? I've never even heard of Tonika lenses :p


    It's the gray market version of the Tokina. :D
  • 08-09-2010, 05:27 PM
    Photo-John
    Re: Tonika?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mjs1973
    It's the gray market version of the Tokina. :D

    Did you get it on eBay from a Hong Kong vendor for $100?
  • 08-09-2010, 05:38 PM
    JamesV
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by patia
    Is there a good wide angle you'd recommend? Maybe cheap for now, or maybe a better zoom I can save up for.

    I have to agree with the others on the Tokina 12-24. I rented it last year from LensRentals and loved it.

    When you ask about a zoom lens, what do you have now? Are you in need of a different zoom?

    Have you rented a lens before? You should look into it to see if one lens is better for your needs over another.

    James
  • 08-09-2010, 06:18 PM
    mjs1973
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    Here is a link to an older thread with lots of wide angle images that you may find helpful.

    http://forums.photographyreview.com/...ad.php?t=42097
  • 08-09-2010, 08:47 PM
    armando_m
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    I have the tokina 11-16 and it is great !
    besides being wide I love the dof

    here a couple of images taken using that lens
    http://gallery.photographyreview.com...ed_Medium_.jpg

    http://gallery.photographyreview.com...C_9305_800.jpg
  • 08-10-2010, 06:49 PM
    mjs1973
    2 Attachment(s)
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    I was going through some old photos and I came across these. I did this as a test to see just what I was missing by going with a 12mm instead of one of the 10mm lenses. Both shots were taken with the same settings, from the exact same location. The first image was shot using the Canon 10-22mm lens @10mm. The second image is with the Tokina 12-24 @ 24mm.

    It may be kind of hard to tell from viewing the images in this thread, but if you make a copy of them and overlay one on top of the other you will notice the difference that 2mm can make on a wide angle lens.
  • 08-11-2010, 05:43 AM
    Grandpaw
    2 Attachment(s)
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mjs1973
    I was going through some old photos and I came across these. I did this as a test to see just what I was missing by going with a 12mm instead of one of the 10mm lenses. Both shots were taken with the same settings, from the exact same location. The first image was shot using the Canon 10-22mm lens @10mm. The second image is with the Tokina 12-24 @ 24mm.

    It may be kind of hard to tell from viewing the images in this thread, but if you make a copy of them and overlay one on top of the other you will notice the difference that 2mm can make on a wide angle lens.

    Mike, that looks like a fairly noticeable difference to me. I am going to add a few pictures taken with my Sigma 10-20 at 10mm Jeff
  • 08-11-2010, 09:32 AM
    patia
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    Hey, thanks everyone for the feedback and suggestions! The sample photos really help, too. I think the Tonika/Tokina :-) 12-24mm sounds like a good choice for me. I don't need super wide. I just want to maximize landscape photos.

    At the moment I can't really afford much at all, but I will add this to my wish list. Thanks again!
  • 08-12-2010, 03:56 PM
    spiraleyes
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
  • 08-12-2010, 07:56 PM
    patia
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    Jim, I don't think I've ever seen that angle on the Eiffel Tower before. Cool.
  • 09-18-2010, 12:35 PM
    draymorton
    Re: What's a good wide-angle?
    What brand of camera do you own?