Canon EF-S 10-22mm vs. Tokina 11-16mm -> FIGHT!

[Kayaker72]

I am kicking around the idea of an ultrawide lens for my 7D. Does anyone have experience with the Sigma 8-16? Right now I am leaning toward picking up a Canon 10-22 before the rebates end, if I do anything at all, but I am still a little tempted by the extra 2 mm/12 degrees from the Sigma. Similar to Dr. Croubie and kolorange, I have also been looking at the Sigma 10-20 f/3.5 and f4-5.6 and the Tokina. I am probably not going to wait for the new Tokina as I am used a trip I just booked in March as motivation for the lens. I would be using the lens mostly for landscapes.

Thanks,
Brant

[DJ 86]

i have a small doubt. Why do everyone prefer big aperture in wide angle lens? i know, that big apertures give more light. but then in that case, we mostly click the landscapes at 8 or higher value aperture for more span in focus.
if we use bigger aperture in wide lens, we have very less span in focus. so how does a big aperture in wide lens help?
i am planning for a t3i and interested in a wide lens. i would like to know, if i can replace the kit lens with a wide lens? as i already have a kit lens in my family which i can share. so i dont want to repeat the kit lens and get another good option.
please suggest.

[ChadS]

@DJ You can always stop down a fast (wide aperture) lens. You cannot make a slow lens faster. If you're ok with the added weight and cost of having faster lenses (the weight isn't such an issue for wide and ultra-wide lenses) there's no reason not to buy the fastest lens. One never knows when they're going to want to shoot a fast-moving object or have a razor-thin DoF.

As to a lens recommendation, you need to suggest a price range and style of shooting. Yes, you can replace your kit lens with a better "walking around lens" but that may or may not be what you need. I use a 70-200 most of the time because I tend to shoot sporting events, for instance.

[neuroanatomist]

i have a small doubt. Why do everyone prefer big aperture in wide angle lens? i know, that big apertures give more light. but then in that case, we mostly click the landscapes at 8 or higher value aperture for more span in focus.
if we use bigger aperture in wide lens, we have very less span in focus. so how does a big aperture in wide lens help?

A wide aperture helps mainly for handholding in dim light. Especially with the short focal length, DoF can be pretty deep even with a wide aperture. Here's an example of a handheld shot at f/2.8 where I was already at ISO 3200 (which is as high as I like to go):


EOS 5D Mark II, EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM @ 27mm, 1/25 s, f/2.8, ISO 3200

[DJ 86]

@ChadS ,
i am kind of new to the photography. till the date i had sony H9. but now i am new to DSLR. i like and prefer landscapes more. i just want to check if i can replace the kit lens with some better option. budget we can consider as $400 max. but then i wont have a walk around lens. i am a bit confused. i have read many times that higher x lens dont perform better. so people normally prefer lenses with lower focal length. like 10-24 n all. i was thinking of a 17-40 lens frm canon. but i dont know if it can solve the purpose of landscapes.

[Kayaker72]

Welcome to the forum.

Often lenses are selected for features that may only be used 5-10% of the time.....but it is that 5-10% that often gives us the opportunity to be creative.

BTW, the EFS 15-85 and the EFS 17-55 are the two most commonly recommended step ups from a kit general purpose lens. If you are interested in discussing how you'd like to use the lens, your budget, and anything else, I am sure you'll find a few people willing to help. But you might want to start a new thread for that.

[HDNitehawk]

i have a small doubt. Why do everyone prefer big aperture in wide angle lens? i know, that big apertures give more light. but then in that case, we mostly click the landscapes at 8 or higher value aperture for more span in focus.
if we use bigger aperture in wide lens, we have very less span in focus. so how does a big aperture in wide lens help?
i am planning for a t3i and interested in a wide lens. i would like to know, if i can replace the kit lens with a wide lens? as i already have a kit lens in my family which i can share. so i dont want to repeat the kit lens and get another good option.
please suggest.

One thing I found is just because your lens will shoot at F/1.4 it doesn’t mean you should be shooting at F/1.4. Close range even with a wide lens it can be hard to hit the exact sweet spot (thinking back about one of our past members who loved his 35mm F/1.4 at just F/1.4). Although it made for interesting cork pictures (arguably).

You want the wide aperture for low light, like indoor settings where you have no flash. You fight a battle to keep your ISO low, your shutter speed fast enough to avoid camera shake and your F# to give you the minimum setting you need so you can get a sharp un shaken picture.

Another use is to blur the surrounding background. Even in good light you use a low F# to isolate a subject in a crowd with a narrow depth of field. While a wide lens isn’t usually known for its bokeh, it can produce at a wide enough aperture.

While Canon’s 35mm and 24mm F/1.4’s can produce very nice pictures. Wide open the IQ falls off quite a bit. Around F/2.8 there IQ is quite acceptable.

If you are shooting landscapes off a tripod a wide aperture lens is less of a requirement.

[DJ 86]

in this image, at 2.8F, why the focus is not very tight?? i can see the background is not totally out of focus. and landscapes are clicked at smaller apertures for large span in focus, then how do we utilise big aperture?
can i see some more examples where wide lenses are used with big apertures?

[HDNitehawk]

i am a bit confused. i have read many times that higher x lens dont perform better. so people normally prefer lenses with lower focal length.

Not sure what you mean here. But in general as canon primes go, the longer the lens the sharper it gets. The super telephoto's are the sharpest and best performers of all.

[HDNitehawk]

in this image, at 2.8F, why the focus is not very tight?? i can see the background is not totally out of focus. and landscapes are clicked at smaller apertures for large span in focus, then how do we utilise big aperture?
can i see some more examples where wide lenses are used with big apertures?

24mm with 5D II, F2.5, ISO800 1/15, notice the OOF areas around the edges


The Melting Pot0007 by hdnitehawk01, on Flickr

35mm, F/1.8, ISO 3200, 1/50, an example of fighting to get enough speed to get a shot in almost total darkness. I had no lighting behind me and no flash used.


Festival of Lights Wagon by hdnitehawk01, on Flickr