Wide Angle Lenses, uh oh... APS

[Michael Fanelli]

I am thinking of doing something really dumb or really enlightened. I have avoided the smaller APS lenses because of my belief that larger sensors will be here in a few years. I hold onto lenses forever. But I saw two excellent lenses at an affordable price that are just what I have been thinking of:

Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM (available soon)
Tokina AT-X124 Pro DX 12-24mm f/4 (would be my first choice)

Both are APS lenses. The test reports I've seen look good and they run about $500 each.

So, would I be making a horrible mistake committing to an APS lens or am I showing good judgment in the face of inevitable change? Would YOU spend $500 on an APS lens? Opinions?

[Liz]

Michael,

What camera do you have now?

Your question is probably uppermost in a lot of our minds. I have heard many times (including from you), that there will always be something new coming down the pike.......and if you buy these lenses for your "now" camera, they will both still work when the new stuff comes out whenever that is.

I would just do it. They both sound like great lenses. My lenses include the 17-40, 50mm/f4 and 85mm/f1.8 which I'm happy with. I may have to consider an IS lens at some point if I have to use something to help camera shake (if it gets worse, hopefully not). Right now it's slight enough not to notice for the most part, but I'm not getting any younger.

Liz

I am thinking of doing something really dumb or really enlightened. I have avoided the smaller APS lenses because of my belief that larger sensors will be here in a few years. I hold onto lenses forever. But I saw two excellent lenses at an affordable price that are just what I have been thinking of:

Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM (available soon)
Tokina AT-X124 Pro DX 12-24mm f/4 (would be my first choice)

Both are APS lenses. The test reports I've seen look good and they run about $500 each.

So, would I be making a horrible mistake committing to an APS lens or am I showing good judgment in the face of inevitable change? Would YOU spend $500 on an APS lens? Opinions?

[Michael Fanelli]

Your question is probably uppermost in a lot of our minds. I have heard many times (including from you), that there will always be something new coming down the pike.......and if you buy these lenses for your "now" camera, they will both still work when the new stuff comes out whenever that is.

Thats the problem! The newer cameras coming out may not be APS but, rather, something larger or full-frame. These lenses won't work with the bigger sensors. My money is extremely limited these days (even $500 is a lot) so a nice L lens is out of the question.

[another view]

I don't mind the APS sized sensor. I hope it stays around, actually. So my opinion is that you wouldn't be wasting your money on a lens designed for it. Everything gets better and less expensive, and some day if and when full-frame 35mm sensors become more common I think there will still be a market for the APS crowd (and resale values for used lenses to go with it).

I didn't buy a DSLR until Nikon came out with their 12-24. That's been two years now and I still don't have anything wider than a 20! Personally, I'll add the Tokina to my bag but it's not a big priority at the moment.

[racingpinarello]

While these lenses are high quality, I think that the lenses would be obsolete in three to five years. If you hold onto lenses for a long time, and you can live with the heavier weight of the standard lenses then I wouldn't buy it. It's a lot of money for an uncertain future.


Loren

[DownByFive]

I think that I'm going to try and stick with standard lenses...Not because I think APS lenses will become obsolete (it seems that Nikon is fairly committed to their DX line), but because I plan on shooting some film too, and having lenses that can be used on a film body as well as my digital body will be a much more efficient and cost effective option.

[Franglais]

I am thinking of doing something really dumb or really enlightened. I have avoided the smaller APS lenses because of my belief that larger sensors will be here in a few years. I hold onto lenses forever. But I saw two excellent lenses at an affordable price that are just what I have been thinking of:

Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM (available soon)
Tokina AT-X124 Pro DX 12-24mm f/4 (would be my first choice)

Both are APS lenses. The test reports I've seen look good and they run about $500 each.

So, would I be making a horrible mistake committing to an APS lens or am I showing good judgment in the face of inevitable change? Would YOU spend $500 on an APS lens? Opinions?

In a society driven by the marketplace there is an eternal battle between Better and Cheaper. Usually Cheaper wins.

I hear a lot of people saying "I used to have a film SLR but it was so big and heavy I never used it much. Now there are these little numeric cameras (they mean the P&S and bridge varieties) I use the camera a lot more. I just wish it went a little wider". End of citation. I think that bodies and lenses for film-sized sensors is going to remain an elitist thing.

I think that APS-sized sensors are going to be around forever. I would go for it. Think of the other advantages - these lenses are also smaller than the designed-for-film equivalents.

Charles

[Mig]

What about the Sigma 12-24 EX DG? That one is full-frame, but admittedly I don't know the stats of the other two, so I don't know how it compares quality-wise. And of course it's around $170 more.

Danielle

[Michael Fanelli]

What about the Sigma 12-24 EX DG? That one is full-frame, but admittedly I don't know the stats of the other two, so I don't know how it compares quality-wise. And of course it's around $170 more.

I looked at this one but the price is just too high. With all my medical bills, anything over $500 is out of the question. I have seen mixed opinions of this Sigma ranging from very good to very bad. Sometimes, it's difficult to get an objective point of view!