search the site
Selecting the Best Wide Angle Lens For Your Digital SLR Camera
While most folks naturally will start their lens collection by going for more and more focal length, eventually every good photographer will need a good wide angle lens to add to their camera bag, and for some, choosing the right one can be difficult. For starters, qualifying what exactly wide means can be confusing, the options can be overwhelming, and the prices can get very expensive.
Why?
So why do you want a wide angle lens? The answer is easily summed up in one word. Drama. Attach a wide angle lens to your camera of choice and you can see the world in a whole new way. You can see everything in front of you, and I mean everything (maybe even the tops of your feet), and it’s this unique perspective that makes a wide angle shot grab the viewer unlike any other, be it landscape or architecture. We simply don’t see the world this way with our own eyes, and this new viewpoint is instantly captivating. Additionally, the all encompassing viewpoint provided by wide angle lenses mean you’ll typically have to compose your pictures with fore, middle, and backgrounds, which leads to depth, perspective, and movement. Like I said, drama.
What?
What do we mean by wide, exactly? While technically on a full frame camera (35mm sized sensor) anything less than a 50mm lens is wide angle, what we’re after here is super-wide angle, think: 10-35mm in focal length. The immediate problem here is that most DSLR cameras aren’t full frame, but more likely APS-C in size, which in most cases leads to a crop-factor of 1.5x, or 1.6x(Canon), even 2.0x (Olympus). The crop-factor means that an attached lens will have an equivalent focal length of 1.5 (or whatever the crop factor happens to be) times the length of what the lens would be on a 35mm sized sensor. This multiplier works great on the zoom side of things, for example a 200mm lens on an APS-C sized sensor with a crop factor of 1.5 becomes a 300mm lens. On the wide angle side though, this crop factor can make the difference between wide angle, and super-wide angle. 18mm sounds pretty wide until you realize you’re actually shooting with the equivalent of a 27mm lens. Obviously shooting with a full frame camera eliminates the need for factoring in crop factors, a huge advantage (every “mm” counts!) when it comes to shooting landscapes and architecture.
How
Before we present you with various options available for the major digital SLR camera systems, here’s some points to consider when buying a wide angle lens:
- What’s the equivalent total length based on your crop factor? Again, if you aren’t shooting with a full frame camera, you need to multiply the length of the lens by your crop factor.
- How fast is the lens and what will you be using it for? Some of the more expensive wide angle lenses will feature a faster aperture, f/2.8 for example. If your intention for the lens is mostly landscape and the camera will be on a tripod for most of the time, then it’s likely you’ll do more than fine with somewhat slower lens (like f/4) and save some serious cash in the process.
- How serious are you about this? Our general rule of thumb here at Neutralday is before buying anything, take an honest appraisal of what you intend to do. If you’re serious about shooting landscapes, buy the best lens you can possibly afford. Best to buy smart, than to buy cheap in the long run.
Additional factors to consider when analyzing a wide angle lens:
- Focal lengths: Wide angles are typically bought as zooms (16-35mm for example), though there are prime (fixed focal length) versions as well.
- Aperture: Some of the best wide angle lenses (and expensive) will feature very fast apertures, great for depth of field effects and low-light work.
- Distortion: Typically most wide angles will have distorted look when at their widest lengths, including some stretching at the corners and possible barrel distortion in the middle
- Light Fall Off: also known as vignetting, better lenses typically suffer from less of it.
- Chromatic Abberations: or CA, seen as a magenta looking halos/fringing around darker areas with bright backgrounds. Can be reduced in post, but again better lenses will typically suffer less CA than cheaper lenses.
- Sharpness: Softeness in the corners is quite common in wide angle lenses, though the better lenses will typically have less.
The Options
Here’s some of the best options available in wide angle lenses. Our focus is on zoom type lenses, and as such we’ve not included the prime wide angle lenses from any manufacturer. The omission is one based on time and space considerations and has nothing to do with performance. We’ll start with the major camera maker’s options followed by the third-party selections.
Nikon
Click to expand, lenses described left to right.
The Good |
The Bad |
Price |
|
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED |
|
|
$899.95 |
AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED |
|
|
$1769.95 |
AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D IF-ED |
|
|
$699.95 |
AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED |
|
|
$1764.98 |
Canon
The Good |
The Bad |
Price |
|
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM |
|
|
$710 |
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM |
|
|
$739 |
Canon EF 16-35mm f2.8L II USM |
|
|
$1450 |
Pentax
The Good |
The Bad |
Price |
|
SMC Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL (IF) |
|
|
$661.70 |
SMC Pentax DA* 16-50mm F2.8 ED AL [IF] |
|
|
$626 |
Pentax DA 16-45mm F4 ED AL |
|
|
$306 |
Olympus
The Good |
The Bad |
Price |
|
ZUIKO DIGITALED 7-14mm F4.0 |
|
|
$1768.94 |
ZUIKO DIGITAL ED9-18mm F4.0-5.6 |
|
|
$539.95 |
Sony
The Good |
The Bad |
Price |
|
Carl Zeiss® Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm f/2.8 |
|
|
$1899 |
Sony SAL-1118 DT 11-18mm f4.5-5.6 |
|
|
$649 |
Third Party
The Good |
The Bad |
Price |
|
Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM |
|
|
$479 |
Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG IF HSM Aspherical |
|
|
$689 |
Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4 AT-X Pro DX |
|
|
$489 |
Tokina AF 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX |
|
|
$599 |
Tamron SP AF 10-24mm F3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) |
|
|
$469 |
Continue the Discussion
|
Join us on Facebook! Become a fan of Neutralday today! Become a fan of Neutralday on Facebook. Interact with us and stay updated on what's coming next at Neutralday, photography news, and other fans' insights.
Follow us on Twitter! Grab our tweets right here. Follow Neutralday on Twitter. Insights on the cameras we're reviewing, and frequent photography related news, thoughts, and links.
Support Neutralday by shopping at our preferred retailer, B&H Photo |
Explore Similar Posts
- Canon’s Instant Savings Now In Effect
- Instant Rebates on Nikon DSLR/Lens Combinations Now I…
- Nikon Unveils Four New Nikkor Lenses: Pre-Orders Now …
- Pentax Optio M90 Heads to European Markets
- Sigma 8-16mm F/4.5-5.6 DC HSM Lens Is Now Available
Leave a Reply
About Neutralday.com
Established in 2007 by photographer Patrick Dean, Neutralday.com brings you the latest in photography news and reviews. With insights on photographers, equipment, and how to's, Neutralday.com is focused on and intended for the photography community.
Support Neutralday.com
Our Most Recent Reviews
Apple 15″ Macbook Pro 2.66GHZ (Core i7) Review
Canon 10×42 L IS WP Binoculars In Depth Review
Canon 18×50 IS All Weather Binoculars In Depth Review
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV In Depth Review
Canon EOS 7D In Depth Review
Canon EOS Rebel T2i (550D) In Depth Review
Canon PowerShot G11 In Depth Review
Canon PowerShot S90 In Depth Review
Fujifilm FinePix Z700EXR In Depth Review
Nikon Coolpix P100 In Depth Review
Nikon D3000 In Depth Review
Nikon D300s In Depth Review
Nikon D3s In Depth Review
Olympus E-P2 In Depth Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3 In Depth Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 In Depth Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 In Depth Review
Pentax K-x In Depth Review
Pentax Optio I-10 Digital Compact Camera In Depth Review
Samsung NX10 In Depth Review
Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO DG HSM Macro Review
Sigma DP2s In Depth Review
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V In Depth Review
Swarovski EL 10×42 SwaroVision Binoculars In Depth Review
Get The Hottest Cameras
Latest Tweets
resources
Best Sellers at Amazon
flickr
took a lot of time to study, but it helped me much in my understanding of lenses. thank you.
Not a problem. pretty much had this at my fingertips since I just went through this research before getting the 17-40 f/4 for the Canon 5D2. Liking it very much
I’m looking for a wide angle that accepts circular filters for my Pentax-you point out that the SMC Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL (IF) doesn’t do as well as the competition in this category, what lens are you speaking about?
Hmmm, I’m meaning to compare to the oly, nikon offerings, not to sigma, tamron, etc.
The Pentax 12-24 is usually regarded as the wide angle of choice for Pentax, with the sigma 10-20 pretty closely following.
Sorry for the confusion.
I have alpha a300 with standard lens 18-70mm and Tamron 70-300mm. My question:
What other kind of lens do I need?
What is zoom super wide angle lens ?. Should I provide it?. I saw Sigma 12mm-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG Aspherical Autofocus Super Wide-Angle Zoom Lens, for the Maxxum & Sony Alpha Mount (http://www.adorama.com/SG1224MAX.html?sid=1240943836968007). What do you recommend ?
Thank you for you help.
Monang.
Monang,
Without trying to sound too brash-there is no other lens you need, quite honestly if you don’t know what a super wide angle is you probably won’t be able to shoot one well. They require quite a bit of composition in your photos and an understanding of light that may provide difficult to grasp until you are more experienced-also you must be willing to get very very intimate with your subject matter.
If you would like to read up on these lenses and see sample shots, try kenrockwell.com. But, from the nature of your question, I’d say go out and practice with the lenses you have and quite possibly take some classes to learn how to properly use the lenses you already have.
Good Luck,
Jonathan
monang,
I suppose you’d need to answer, “what do you plan on photographing”. As jonathan said, you might just have everything you need right now, but certainly getting out there and shooting would reveal what you can’t do, and if that happens to be wide angle, well then the next question would be what’s your budget?
I’ve been using Sigma 10-20 with my Canon 1D-Mark II and quite satisfied with it’s performance. It looks like a cheap lens, but very less distortion in the widest range and no perspective distortion if leveled horizontal. There’s some color issue I could not yet understand, but with the price/quality perspective, I’d advise Sigma for a wide-angle use.
deniz,
that’s definitely a good alternative, plenty wide and pretty good performance for a good price.
I use the Olympus 7 – 14 on an old E1 and E510, it is a truly remarkable lens in terms of it’s overall sharpness and definition, when held parallel to a rectangular subject, it displays no barrel distortion whatsoever. I was lucky enough to buy it from the U.S when the pound sterling was very strong against the US dollar, saving myself a good bit. Over here in the U.K. we pay the same in pounds as you do in $ in the States. Just come across your website, an excellent resource. Thanks for your efforts.
Peter,
Seems like one of the best reasons to use Olympus, just as an excuse to put the 7-14 on there. I always hear the best things about this lens, nothing but happy owners it seems.
Thanks for stopping by!
I am keen on Canon’s 15-85mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens. Currently using a Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-f/4.5, which is a great walkabout lens.
What are your thoughts on Canon’s 15-85mm lens?
Can’t say I’m too experienced with it, but appears to be a solid walk-around type lens…
Hi could you advise me whether i should go for the Tokina 12-24 mm for my D90 Nikon. I am a beginner photographer and would like to now try my hand with a wide angle lens. I don’t want to spend the price that a Nikor lens costs.
Thanks in advance.
Kabir,
I don’t have one, but I think I’ve heard generally good things about the Tokina 12-24, and I know many “Nikonians” opt for it over the Nikon version.
Thanks for your advice Patrick.
Hi I have pretty much mastered the standard lens that comes with my Nikon D60 (18-55mm)as well as zoom photography and am in love with landscape, I am ready to purchase a wide angle lens however when I go to do research on them there is either little information on the 3rd party lenses compatibility with the D60 because it seems that I own the red headed step child of Nikons (sorry for the sarcasm)the D60 always seems to be the exception when it comes to compatibility. I am not a stranger to manual focus but would rather have the AF so can you shed some lite on what wide or ultra wide is compatible (AF wise)with the D60 that is not super expensive?? I was looking at the Tokina AF 12-24 as the 3rd party or the pricy nikon brand but would love the wider angle as well???
Thanks, Melissa
Hi Melissa,
I’d urge to consider the Sigma 10-20, it’ll focus on your camera and is about as wide as you’ll get! Probably the next best thing if you can’t afford the Nikon version.
Hi Patrick
I have a Canon 450D with a Tamron 18-200mm lense.
I intend buying a new Wide-Angle lense
Ihaving problems deciding between the two sigma lenses
Sigma – EX DC HSM pour Canon – 10-20mm – Focal 3.5
Sigma – DC 10-20mm F4-5,6 EX HSM Canon
which one would you go for?. do you the the 3.5 aperture justifies the price for the Sigma – EX DC HSM pour Canon – 10-20mm – Focal 3.5
Do you know a web site that compares lenses
Thanks for the help
Terry,
It isn’t worth it just for the faster constant aperture, it is sharper at 10mm, has less distortion, and less vignetting. For some… little differences will be worth it, but it depends on your budget. (Also filter sizes 77mm on the f/4 vs. 82mm on the f/3.5). If you’re putting it on a tripod and doing landscape work, you’ll likely never use f/3.5, but like i said, the newer lens is slightly better than its predecessor optically. Check slrgear.com for reviews on both.
just an after thought, I do alot of mountaineering so I’m into landscape photography also I have a tripod for long exposures.
Patrick,
Very nice article. I am considering a super wide for my Canon 7D and found this very useful. Still, it seems there’s not any one lens that has it all. Since it was originally posted over a year ago, has anything changed your thoughts or opinions on these products?