Need advice with Wide Angle Selection

[DoleWhipDVC]

I'm working on selecting a wide angle lens for my Canon D40. I am not a pro, but like taking nice captures and sharing them. After doing much research, I am becoming more and more confused due to all the specs and info such as distortion ratios, lighting problems (flares, etc) and have decided to make a purchase from the following choices:

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5
Tokina AF 12-24 f/4 AT-X PRO DX
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Tamron SP AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 II LD

I know all of them have pros and cons, but the Canon is priced at around $850, while the rest come in just under $500. If anyone has any insight into these various brands, I would love to hear it. I've been all over the internet looking at reviews.....does anyone have any bottom line real-world insight to share? I'm an amature hobbyist so don't necessarily need the best, but I don't want to invest in junk to save 300 bucks. Please help

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

I don't have a Wide Angle yet - it's on my wish list of lenses to get. Roger, the owner of www.lensrentals.com has a nice side by side review of 2 of the 4 lenses you have on your list.

 

[zackiedawg]

My advice - don't worry so much. They're all fine lenses, and the differences between them are pretty small. Sure, one might be slightly sharper in center, one slightly better in the corners, one slightly better with flare, one slightly better at distortion control, one slightly faster max aperture...in all honesty, not one of them excels in every category - so they're all going to involve choosing an advantage or two and accepting a compromise or two.

I have been using a Tamron 10-24mm for years now, and thoroughly enjoy it - it's one of my favorite DSLR lenses, and is a definite favorite for Disney where I use it a ton. I ultimately picked it for the center sharpness, flare control, and decently fast aperture - but I'm also fairly confident I'd find myself happy and pretty much as capable had I gone with the Sigma 10-20, Tokina 11-16, or Sony 11-18, or any other. The ultra-wide angles are a lot of fun, and whatever small compromises each lens has you just learn to work around.

 

[My2Girls66]

I know where you are coming from. I did the same thing back in April. I knew I wanted one with a lot of range so I narrowed it down to the Nikon 12-24mm(used), the Sigma 10-20mm and the Tamron 10-24mm.
So after looking through the ultrawide photo thread a few times, I ended up with the Tamron. I believe Zackiedawg uses the Tamron and has some wicked awesome shots. There are awesome pictures from various wide angle lenses in the thread, also, so my bet is it would be hard to go wrong with any you listed.
The few I posted are on pages 77-79. Nothing great but they were my first attempts at ultrawide and I think they are pretty good.

 

[PhotographyDR]

I too did a lot of research when looking for a UWA (Ultra Wide Angle). To me it came down to a simple factor. What was the lowest f-stop the lens would go. Going to the "fastest" lens is so critical in picking a lens because it allows more light to hit that sensor. With UWA lenses your depth of field will also be very long and to get that nice soft background will be very difficult. With a faster lens you do have a chance to get that background softer. Okay without me rambling on, I have the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 and I really love it. It is probably my favorite lens to shoot with. It opens so many doors and it has that f2.8 if you need it. The images are sharp and I have been able to get a nice soft Depth of Field with it. I know this was not on your list but I would highly recommend this and it looks like it was within the price range of the others. Hope this helps and keep shooting.

 

[boBQuincy]

I have the Canon 10-22, it works well.

 

[mom2rtk]

I love those shots Bob! Love the processing too. Just perfect.

 

[toomanycars]

I'm working on selecting a wide angle lens for my Canon D40. I am not a pro, but like taking nice captures and sharing them. After doing much research, I am becoming more and more confused due to all the specs and info such as distortion ratios, lighting problems (flares, etc) and have decided to make a purchase from the following choices:

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5
Tokina AF 12-24 f/4 AT-X PRO DX
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Tamron SP AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 II LD

I know all of them have pros and cons, but the Canon is priced at around $850, while the rest come in just under $500. If anyone has any insight into these various brands, I would love to hear it. I've been all over the internet looking at reviews.....does anyone have any bottom line real-world insight to share? I'm an amature hobbyist so don't necessarily need the best, but I don't want to invest in junk to save 300 bucks. Please help

I love my Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. I had a Canon 10-22mm, the Tokina was sharper.