wide angle

[adrian mandea]

i have the canon 40D and as you all know my 17-85mm is not wide enough sometimes.i want to buy a zoom lens starting from 10mm ,but it turns out that is not a very easy choice.there's canon 10-22mm, sigma 10-20mm ,tamron 10-17mm, and the new tokina 11-16 mm.i know that 11-16mm seems more like a prime lens but is f2.8!!! if if have any of these lenses, please tell me what you think i should do.sigma is cheaper, but has only one year warranty ,tokina seems better optically and has 3 years warranty but is more expensive.


thank you

[SupraSonic]

EFs 10-22mm i would go for this.... it beats lots of other manufacturer.It cost alot. but worth it at least with crop sensor it became 16-35.2mm

[Keith B]

Save money and buy a Full Frame. 17 will be plenty wide.

[Tony Printezis]

Adrian,


Hi. Basically, SupraSonic summarized it quite nicely. The 10-22 is probably the best wide angle lens you can get for the Canon crop cameras. Apart from Bryan's review, I liked what Roger from lensrentals.com said about the lens (I hope it's OK to quote this here!):


"I’m usually not too much of a ‘Canon snob’ and for most items we carry
several alternative lenses in that focal length. This is an exception –
I’ve tried the other ‘ultra wides’ and the Canon is just better."


http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon-ef-s-10-22mm-f3.5-4.5/for-canon ("http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon-ef-s-10-22mm-f3.5-4.5/for-canon)


Its disadvantages (IMHO) are two: (a) it's expensive (I really didn't want to spend that much money on an EF-S lens) and (b) for the price, the build quality is really not all that great (but I'm generally an L snob). Image quality is great, though, and it's lots of fun using the ultra wide angles.


Regarding the Tok 11-16, here's a nice review:


http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/379-tokina_1116_28_canon ("http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/379-tokina_1116_28_canon)


Its main disadvanteages (apart from the limited focal length range) are CAs. But, apart from that, it looks like a very sharp lens.


The Sigma 10-20 is OK. Not quite as sharp as the Canon 10-22, but it's a very good value for money (and you get the lens hood and a lens bag too for the price!). I got it but unfortunately I got a horrible copy (very soft on the left side). So, I was put off. Many folks have complained about getting horrible copies of that lens (one after the other too). So, I know that Sigma is maybe trying to save money on doing less QA, but I'm sure having to deal with all the returns is not helping them much...


Hope this helps,


Tony

[adrian mandea]

thank youall, but where i am now (abu dhabi UAE) the 10-22mm from canon costs 1000$ , and the sigma 10-20mm costs around 540$.tokina and tamron is impossible to find but i am still looking .you guys have no ideea how lucky you are living in the States (regarding this subject).


thank you

[Tony Printezis]

and the sigma 10-20mm costs around 540$


You could try the Sigma... but make sure you get it from a place where you can return it if the quality is not what you expect...


Tony

[adrian mandea]

you are right, but can you tell me please how can i do that while in the store? is very hard to take the same picture after you change the lens and i don't think they'll let me set up a tripod and do my test shots there. what am i supposed to look for? sharpness? distortions? i can't see much on the camera's display and i might end up with the wrong copy of teh lens without even knowing it.


thank you guys for all the answers and sorry if my english isn't good enough but it is not my first language.

[Katy Berry]

I have found this thread (and website for that matter)VERY helpful. I just purchased my Canon 40D and am looking for a wide angle lens for landscapes as I am going to New Zealand next month and want to take some pix of the scenery w/o a tripod. I am a beginner but will invest in a good lens if I will be able to learn and grow with it. I was looking into the Canon 10-22 but am a bit concerned for the $$ and no tripod it would not be a good fit.


Thoughts??


Thanks much in advance!

[Katy Berry]

I have found this thread (and website for that matter)VERY helpful. I just purchased my Canon 40D and am looking for a wide angle lens for landscapes as I am going to New Zealand next month and want to take some pix of the scenery w/o a tripod. I am a beginner but will invest in a good lens if I will be able to learn and grow with it. I was looking into the Canon 10-22 but am a bit concerned for the $$ and no tripod it would not be a good fit.


Thoughts??


Thanks much in advance!

[varok]

I'd recommend the Tokina 12-24 f/4. Very sharp, costs less than the 10-22 and is built like a tank.

[Tony Printezis]

you are right, but can you tell me please how can i do that while in the store?


Can't you return items over there, if there is a problem? I had bought my Sigma from amazon and, given that I was not happy, I returned it and got a full refund, no questions asked. Most stores here would do that too.



what am i supposed to look for? sharpness? distortions?


Generally, sharpness.



without even knowing it.


Oh, you will know...



thank you guys for all the answers and sorry if my english isn't good enough but it is not my first language.


No need to apologize at all; your English is fine! (and it's not my first language either!)


Tony


PS Is it possible to somwhow send me a private message through the forum? I can point you to some of the shots I had taken with the soft Sigma to give you examples of what to look out for... I don't want to publish the link in case all my bandwidth disappears...

[Tony Printezis]

I'd recommend the Tokina 12-24 f/4. Very sharp, costs less than the 10-22 and is built like a tank.


I did consider the Tokina too. But, the difference between 10mm and 12mm is actually not trivial. Look here ("http://www.e-fotografija.si/templates/default.aspx?a=1049&z=94) for a nice comparison (top of page 2). So, in the end, I opted for the wider lens...


Tony

[adrian mandea]

can anyone tell me how to send private message?


and how to post pictures?


thank you Tony for the pictures, now i understand what can be wrong with a lens. i have to check my 17-85 now.....

[mark]

Katy the 10-22 is a great lens and with the ultra wides a tripod should not be anissue unless shooting at night...IE long exposure

[greggf]

A friend of mine has the Tokina 12-24, and swears by it. It never leaves his 20D, and it's pretty sharp wide open. He was looking for the same UWA as you, went to Keeble and Shuchat in NorCal, and one of the sales reps told him the Tokina was unmatched for price and quality, verses the Canon 10-22, or Sigma.

[mark]

true enough the tokins is an excellant lens in terms of quality and image capture but gicing up 20% angel of view is a lot when your looking for an ultra wide on a crop body...the differnce of those 2mm is very significant