Nikon UWA Lens Choices

[EdanTrevethickPhotography]

Have decided it is time for an upgrade to a full frame camera. After much reserch I have decided on a Nikon D750.

Now to decide on a Lens.
To get myself started i want an UWA lens for landscape photography.

Lens i am considering.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
$800
-Good value for money
-Sharp Lens
-Would like it to go wider
-Distortion at 18mm

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G VR
$1500
- Don't need VR as 90% of my landscapes are taken on a tripod
- 16mm wide
- Superior build/image quality?
- Distortion at 16mm
- Large Lens, size isn't really an issue

Tokina ATX 17-35 f/4 SD IF PRO FX
$700
- Less distortion than both Nikon Lens
- Slightly Cheaper
- Not as sharp as either Nikon in corners?
- More Prone to CA and Flare issues

Using filters is a must so as much as i would like to go wider these seem to be my only options, unless i missed something.

I am currently Leaning towards the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED as i have little need for the VR on the 16-35. The only appealing factor is its extra angle of view. From the reviews i have read both Nikon lens are of equal quality. The Tokina from the review i have read is a step behind the Nikon 18-35, and therefore i don't think the $100 savings in worthwhile.


I guess my main decision to make here is whether the 16-35 Nikon is worth the extra $700 over the Nikon 18-35. From the reviews i have read so far i would say not.
However if anyone has both lens i would greatly appreciate any comments you have about either lens.

[Cage]

I have the Samyang 14mm F2.8 IF ED MC Aspherical and can highly recommend it.

Yes it has distortion, as all ultra wide angle lens do, more of an issue with architecture than landscape/nature. It is tack sharp and has a filter holder available.

[ricktas]

what about the 17-35: http://www.nikon.com.au/en_AU/product/nikkor-lenses/fx-format/zoom/wide-angle-zoom/af-s-zoom-nikkor-17-35mm-f-2-8d-if-ed

I have one and it's a great lens. It suffers from lens flare if you have the sun visible in the viewfinder, but that occurs with a lot of lenses.

[EdanTrevethickPhotography]

I have the Samyang 14mm F2.8 IF ED MC Aspherical and can highly recommend it.

Yes it has distortion, as all ultra wide angle lens do, more of an issue with architecture than landscape/nature. It is tack sharp and has a filter holder available.

Thank you for your suggestion however a quick google has informed me that this lens will not work with filters, unfortunately that is a deal breaker for me.

Will look into


what about the 17-35: http://www.nikon.com.au/en_AU/product/nikkor-lenses/fx-format/zoom/wide-angle-zoom/af-s-zoom-nikkor-17-35mm-f-2-8d-if-ed

I have one and it's a great lens. It suffers from lens flare if you have the sun visible in the viewfinder, but that occurs with a lot of lenses.

Thank you. I did look at that lens, and it has some good reviews but the price tag of just over 2k would be stretching my budget also considering it doesnt appear to offer much more than the 16-35mm Nikon

[MissionMan]

Another one I would add is the new Tamron 15-30.

[Lance B]

Yes, look at the new Tamron 15-30. Seems to be a real beauty, according to the reviews I have read.

Having said that, I am very happy with my 16-35 f4 VR. Very sharp and distortion at 16mm is a non issue as it can be corrected in post process.

[Cage]

The Samyang 14mm filter holder...... http://www.roxsen.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=742

[arthurking83]

Which filters are you using .... or considering using?

You can use filters with just about any lens, with the caveat that you need to be adaptable (and/or creative) or have tons of money to spend on them all.

From your list, I'd be inclined to go with the 16-35VR.

Back on the filters dilemma tho:
If price is a very high point to consider in your mix of price vs capability vs quality factors .. take into consideration the Sigma 12-24 f/4.5-5.6

This is my primary wide angle lens for landscapes, and will be even after I acquire another wide angle(eg. like a Tammy 15-30 or Nikon 16-35) which will be used for different purposes.

I ummed and ahhed a lot over the Sigma 12-24 as many reviews show it to be soft in the corners. But when viewed in an overall sense .. that softness is totally irrelevant for a few reasons.

one of them being that (until recently) no other lens could see those same corners anyhow! .. and secondly when you're shooting at those specific settings the corners are largely irrelevant anyhow in the overall image(at 12mm where it is soft in the corners).
At 12mm on the whole, the lens is pretty sharp from it's (admittedly low) fastest aperture.

On the D800, I tend to use it at F/11 or F/16(maybe f/22) for landscapes.

What it can't do tho .. is good astro/star type shoots. Aperture is too slow coupled with the corners being too soft(when needed to be sharper).
hence why I also want another UWA .. and leaning very heavily towards the f/2.8 of the Tammy 15-30.

But the filter situation for even such an extreme UWA lens such as the Siggy 12-24 isn't as difficult as it may initially appear.

1. at about 14mm and lower you really don't need a polariser(unless glare is a major factor in the scene) .. but for blue skies, the lens seems to self polarise itself.
2. for grad filters (which I'm very big on) .. I found a simple way to get them to fit, but with the issue that they need to be on the very large end of the size scale.(150mm to be precise).

For the filter holder I ended up getting the one cage linked too for the Samyang 14mm f/2.8. ($40)
I got 2x 150mm(5") grads to start with. ( still need to get more varieties eventually). They only cost $140 each .. while it sounds expensive, still cheaper than 4" or 100mm Lees from the same store in Fitzroy.
I got Hitech versions, and if they had any reverse grads at the time, I'd have got one of them too. But reverse grads are expensive, being over $200 each!
(note that if you want reverse grads, Lee don't make them)

I had to make two mods to the Samyang filter holder.
One was permanent, but trivial and the other is reversible but more involved.
The permanent mod is optional and I hesitated for a long time before I finally did it.
The Samyang filter holder is 162mm wide .. made to fit a specific Cokin grad filter type.
I cut two strips of aluminium drilled and tapped them and made a plate to reseat the filter holder slots so that they were now 150mm apart .. hence fit the 150mm Hitech filters I got.
My feeble attempt to hand drill and tap the holes can only be described as sub-optimal .. but even taking this into account it still works 99% perfectly.
(I will one day take the time to do it all properly tho so that I can extend that 99% to at least 99.9% .. hopefully more)

It turns out that the Samyang filter holder fits perfectly over the Sigma lens as well as the Samyang lens it was meant for.
You simply slide it on the hood part of the lens(if you can call it a hood!) and use it as any normal filter holder. It's a tight fit, does loosen over time but still tight enough to hold in strong wind.

The beauty of the Sigma 12-14 is that at 14mm ... maybe up to 17mm it has zero distortion(if you're technique is spot on).
That is vertical and horizontal lines are just that(as long as you haven't tilted or set the camera up to distort parallel lines).

of course you rationale and reasoning will be different to mine(ours) .. but eventually I will have something else to complement the Sigma lens. This was always at the back of my mind when I got it, and so I wanted to maintain as low a price to get it up and running as I could manage.

All this was a few years back now, when the Aussie dollar was at parity with the USD .. so prices may have now changed compared to what I've quoted.
But at less than $800 for the lens and $40 for the filter holder .. well it was cheap enough to not even think twice about it .. compared to any other option at the time.
At that time, al other options would have been at least 2x the cost for no real benefit .... other than f/2.8 aperture if I had gone with the Nikon 14-24.
But that option would have come it at least $2K .. but most likely more if the cost of the very expensive (and incomplete) Lee filter holder for it. And this filter holder kit is a right PITA to use by comparison to the Samyang one.

[EdanTrevethickPhotography]

Thank you all for the mountain of information.

The Tamron 15-30mm has some very good reviews.

I currently use 100mm holder and filters (selection of Lee and Hitech) on my Canon 10-22 EFS.


I have found filter holders for most of the wider bulbous lens, however they all take larger filters at either 150mm or 165mm, which are crazy expensive to purchase in the beginning. Then there is also the cost of replacing if i did the unthinkable and scratched one... It would cost over $800 to replace a ND13, ND4, ND Grad and ND reverse grad. Not to mention pretty much make my current filters worthless.
All for a little extra width.

I am certainly no closer to making a decision, however i am in no hurry. So thanks for the information guys :)

[feathers]

Thanks from me too, Cage & arthurking83. l have the samyang 14mm, and was looking to buy a filter holder.:th3: Cheers.