10-24mm Lenses.

[Tommo224]

Hey all, I'm looking in to ideas for my next lens (down the track). I dwell, sit on the idea, and read in to things for a while before buying!

I would like something wide angle, but I don't know how wide I want to go, and I don't know if it is worth spending more on something with a lower f-stop number thing or not. However, on all of these, I've figured that I could be happy with at least one of them!

I have a Sigma 30mm f1.4, and I love how low I can set the thing, but when it comes to wide angle I've read that you don't really need to drop it that low (I read you can end up with ugly bokeh). Would it be worth spending money on a 15mm or 20mm lens? Would there be that much more view range? I know it may be hard without knowing my photography style, but I tend to easily blend in with whatever the capabilities of the lens I'm using is :)


I have a few in mind (I chose this store because they have a shop front 5 mins from work, in which I can cut my list down and try-before-buy lol):

Sigma 15mm f2.8 - $869
http://www.digidirect.com.au/camera_lenses/sigma/wide_lenses/sigma_15mm_f28_ex_dg_diagonal_fisheye_lens

Sigma 20mm f1.8 - $704
http://www.digidirect.com.au/camera_lenses/sigma/wide_lenses/sigma_20mm_f18_ex_dg_aspherical_rf_lens

Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 - $845
http://www.digidirect.com.au/camera_lenses/sigma/dc_lenses_for_dslr_cameras/sigma_10-20mm_f35_ex_dc_hsm_lens

Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 - $655
http://www.digidirect.com.au/camera_lenses/sigma/dc_lenses_for_dslr_cameras/sigma_10-20mm_f4-56_ex_dc_hsm_lens

Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 - $721
http://www.digidirect.com.au/camera_lenses/tamron/di-ii_lenses/tamron_sp_af10-24mm_f35-45_di_ii_ld_aspherical_if_lens


Anybody here have experiences with any of the above lenses, and is anyone able to give me good/bad comments/comparisons with any of the above? (Such as, if you've used 1, 2 or more of the above, etc etc).

Price is also a factor, so if you think one isn't worth spending more on than another on the list, could you please let me know?

Thanks in advance!!

[Tommo224]

Or what about these from eBay? :)

Says Australian Warranty

Tokina 11-16 f2.8 - $652
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tokina-at-x-116-pro-dx-11-16mm-f2-8-Canon-/320734958978?pt=AU_Lenses&hash=item4aad4b1582#ht_3002wt_1139

Tokina 12-24 f4 - $533
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tokina-at-x-124-af-pro-dx-ii-af-12-24mm-f-Canon-/320721778040?pt=AU_Lenses&hash=item4aac81f578#ht_3002wt_1139

Sigma 10-20 f3.5 - $642
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sigma-10-20mm-f3-5-ex-dc-hsm-Canon-/320720489626?pt=AU_Lenses&hash=item4aac6e4c9a#ht_3002wt_1139

Tamron 10-24 f3.5-4.5 - $505
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tamron-sp-af-10-24mm-f3-5-4-5-di-ii-ld-Canon-/320737435024?pt=AU_Lenses&hash=item4aad70dd90#ht_3002wt_1139

[junqbox]

No idea about any of these, I own the Nikon 10-24, but the extra width from a 10mm is extroadinary over the 30mm. not knowing what you sort of stuff you shoot, I'd be reticent to comment further in relation to your needs. Keep in mind the larger the aperture, will make it easier to see through, particularly in low light. Most of my work is landscape (f8-16), so the wider aperture really only helps in composition.
Keep in mind also, if you require a polariser, you will need one of the more expensive 'pro' versions, as they are a lower profile, so you don't get vignetting when at 10mm.

[Tommo224]

To explain a bit more on my position, I suppose it would help to explain my style/where I'm coming from:

My photography isn't really specific to anything, it's more spread over a lot of types. Bit of landscape, bit of people, bit of close ups, bit of cars, bit of buildings and other random stuff.

So it's more so finding another lens to help me broaden some of those things! Get wide angles of cars close up, get wider landscape shots, get interesting angles amongst things in (say) the city (or wherever). Plus, to give me more of a range available as I come across things!

I only ever shoot with my 30mm, and that can become a bit restricting when I'm in need of some more of a range (ie: 15mm). Or something really wide, with the option of constraining it more (10-20mm).

I don't even think I own a polarizer lol

[Tannin]

Wide aperture is pretty pointless on an ultra-wide. The ability to zoom is much more important. The Tamron 10-24 gets very bad reviews. The Canon 10-22 is the benchmark in the class; the Sigmas are decent too.

[Chinook]

I just bought a Sigma 10-20mm and I am very happy with the wide angle not ever having anything apart from my two kits lenses. It is wonderful that I can be real close and still get that very wide angle. It is crystal clear and feels great to.
I bought mine on the net for $408 so I am more than happy. Good luck with what you decide. Sorry I cannot be of more help.

[Tommo224]

Wide aperture is pretty pointless on an ultra-wide. The ability to zoom is much more important. The Tamron 10-24 gets very bad reviews. The Canon 10-22 is the benchmark in the class; the Sigmas are decent too.

Ah okay! I see :) Thanks for mentioning the aperture thing!

Canon would be great, but the prices that Canon gear goes for really turns me away.


I just bought a Sigma 10-20mm and I am very happy with the wide angle not ever having anything apart from my two kits lenses. It is wonderful that I can be real close and still get that very wide angle. It is crystal clear and feels great to.
I bought mine on the net for $408 so I am more than happy. Good luck with what you decide. Sorry I cannot be of more help.

Thanks! Your post was good in helping me think which direction I'm wanting to go :)


So, I'm marking the Sigma 10-20mm up a notch, and Tamron 10-24 down a notch :D

[Tommo224]

Went and had a go of a 10-20mm Sigma lens at the shops today, was quite an interesting lens! I do like it, going to shop around for prices soon :)

[arthurking83]

Wide aperture is pretty pointless on an ultra-wide. The ability to zoom is much more important. The Tamron 10-24 gets very bad reviews. The Canon 10-22 is the benchmark in the class; the Sigmas are decent too.

I'd actually go the other way, and reverse Tannin's zooming function with his disdain for more aperture.

UWA's are not limited for use as wide vista single shot landscape situations, and having once tried to fight with the Sigma's too slow for it;s own good f/4 max aperture in very low lighting conditions once before, I suddenly realised the value of having that faster aperture AND overall good image quality. For event photography, and I'm not referring to only paid work(which I dont' do anyhow), just some fun stuff with 'ya mates at their parties... having the ability to shoot unfettered at ISO3200 f/2.8 and 11mm is quite a boon, in capturing a moment ... something you can't do as well when the need for flash arises.

Basically: been there, done that.. now I want the Tonkina 11-16mm f/2.8 for a crop sensor, or the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 on a full frame sensor. It's really that simple. As wide as you can go, and as fast as she'll go for 'ya.

In the past (close to)5 years and about half a billion frames with the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6, I can't really remeber ever feeling that the inability to zoom past 20mm was ever an issue, 99.9% of the images with it have been at 14mm or less.. maybe a few at 17mm or close to it, and I'd say 1 or 2 frames at 20mm(at which time, if I've realised that If I needed 20mm, then I'm probably better off at 24mm and mounting the 17-50/2.8 lens anyhow.. etc, etc ....

I've only used the Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 and Tokina 11-16/2.8 and compared briefly, and if I had my time over again, I'd definitely go with the Tokina hands down, even though the focusing system type sucks badly compared to the much better Sigma HSM type.

If I wasn't about to start migrating to the full frame format, I'd have gotten a Tokina 11-16 ages ago(and probably still kept the Sigma out of respect for the fact that's it's been my 'workhorse' for 199,000 of my 200,000 images :p

As for junqbox's comment about requiring a pro(or slim??) type polariser(or any filter I guess).. this is not necessary on the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 model. Been using a standard pol(my preferred) for years, and wasted very good money on a Pro1 slim type, with absolutely no difference to vignetting in any way.
I say 'wasted' money on the Pro1 polariser, because I barely use it at all. I see no difference in quality between the two polarisers, and due to the lack of filter threads on the slim type Pro1, it's a PITA at pack up time, as the lens cap can't be fitted to the lens.
I think that the Tokina did need it(the slimmer filter type)... but this is coming from a memory that's 4 or more years old, and I can't even remember what I said 4minutes ago! :D I do remember that it did have a much larger front lens element, where the f/4-5.6 model Sigma lens's front element is tiny by comparison(it's supposed too.. it's only f/4-5.6).
Now you can get ultra slim filters with threads, I think.

Basically:
if you think you are going to use it at events, where you want 'everything in the shot' and in low light .. forget any lens other than the Tokina 11-16 mm
If it's mainly for use in static scenes, where aperture's are small and time is plentiful (ie. landscapes) the Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 is probably the wisest choice. Great value for money(being the cheapest lens) and due to it's specs, cheaper filters can be used in preference to more expensive ones.

[Scotty72]

Wide aperture is pretty pointless on an ultra-wide. The ability to zoom is much more important. The Tamron 10-24 gets very bad reviews. The Canon 10-22 is the benchmark in the class; the Sigmas are decent too.

Could agree with this any less.

Too much zoom range will cause its own probs (10-24 is a massive range).

Wide apertures can be used to give you more stops (faster shutter) in low light (eg. parties)
You can use the wide angle to do some creative shots with foreground / background elements where you want to isolate.

But, if you purely want to limit yourself to landscapes - aperture is not important.

I have the Sigma 10-20 f/3.5 and love it

[Tommo224]

The guy at the shop told me the Tokina was the better one to go, and said that if he had a choice between the Sigma 10-20 f3.5 and the Tokina one, he'd go Tokina.

I wasn't sure if that was sales man talk (because the Tokina is more pricey) or if he really meant that. I think the latter (with a dabble of the first :P)

But thanks for your input guys, I'll definitely mark the Tokina one up the list!! :D

[Tommo224]

Anyone shopped at eGlobal Digital Cameras before?

They have the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 for $550
http://www.eglobaldigitalcameras.com.au/tokina-at-x-116-pro-dx-11-16mm-f2.8-lenses-buy-now.html

[Speedway]

I have the 10-20 F4-5.6 and couldn't be happier. I mainly use F8-22. I think it is the best value for money lens on the market other than the nifty 50.
Keith.

[98kellrs]

Anyone shopped at eGlobal Digital Cameras before?

They have the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 for $550
http://www.eglobaldigitalcameras.com.au/tokina-at-x-116-pro-dx-11-16mm-f2.8-lenses-buy-now.html

I use eGlobal for all my gear, everything arrives very quickly (2-4 working days) and it takes me hours to unpack it all as they package it so well! I've also never found a cheaper site which is a bonus. Win-Win-Win. :th3:

The only slightly annoying thing is that they sometimes call you to confirm your order prior to shipping (which is annoying for me as I work away).

(P.s With the money you'll save buy a polariser for whichever lens you use for your car work, cuts down on reflections and glare so good for car shows, and also seeing the driver through the windscreen at an event. :) )

[Bennymiata]

The only problem with the Tokina wide angles is the colour fringing they get.
A friend of mine has one, and it seems to be quite prevalent, especially when the sun is in the picture.
This would be a deal breaker for me.

[Tommo224]

I just ordered the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 :)



I use eGlobal for all my gear, everything arrives very quickly (2-4 working days) and it takes me hours to unpack it all as they package it so well! I've also never found a cheaper site which is a bonus. Win-Win-Win. :th3:

The only slightly annoying thing is that they sometimes call you to confirm your order prior to shipping (which is annoying for me as I work away).

(P.s With the money you'll save buy a polariser for whichever lens you use for your car work, cuts down on reflections and glare so good for car shows, and also seeing the driver through the windscreen at an event. :) )

Ah awesome! Great news that :) Hmm.. Polariser, I've already placed my order lol. I wonder if they'll let me add to it without doing more postage!!

Actually, I just remembered, I have one for my kit lens. I never used it though! Probably wouldn't fit this lens though :(


A work colleague has used this site before and said good things, Whirlpool also with the positive reviews, and another work colleague just ordered a D700 from there. So I felt confident :)



The only problem with the Tokina wide angles is the colour fringing they get.
A friend of mine has one, and it seems to be quite prevalent, especially when the sun is in the picture.
This would be a deal breaker for me.

Haha ah man, I guess I'll have to wait and see how it goes for me!

[arthurking83]

.....

Actually, I just remembered, I have one for my kit lens. I never used it though! Probably wouldn't fit this lens though :(


....

LOL! an extremely hilarious situation just flashed through my extremely hilarious cranial internals! :D ..

Yes you can use the kit lens polariser on your newly ordered Tokina, and this is very strongly not recommended tho! The kit lens filter is almost certainly a 52 or 55mm sized filter(diameter) and the Tokina needs 77mm filters. You can find adapters for almost any filter combination if you know where to look, but this would end up being similar to placing a cheap kids toy kaleidoscope in front of the lens(and onto the lens I guess) and ..... well ... you can imagine the loss of image quality that you're about to experience! :D


I recently found a polariser filter test on line, where they tested many brands, and the different levels of quality within specific brands of polariser filters, and they concluded that for best value for money was the Marumi SuperDHG Circ Pol filter (http://www.marumi-international.com/dhg/)
But! ... that the best performing filter was the B+W KSM MRC Circ Pol (https://www.schneideroptics.com/ecommerce/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?CID=989&IID=5624)

I think(from memory) that the Marumi filter (and which I have a UV filter from their brand!! :o .. long story .. you don't want to know about either :p) is half the price of the B+W but recorded about 99% of the performance of the higher priced filter. (the B+W's produced better flare resistance).

Filter tests are at Lenstip.com I think.

One thing to note too about filters in general. The higher priced they are, the more prone is that brand or model to being ripped off, and sold on ebay(and the purchaser would never know the difference!)
So due to the expected higher price they retail for, there's possibly a very good chance that some unscrupulous sellers on ebay will take advantage of their high price tags.
Something I would be very weary of getting on ebay(unless I know the ebayer).

My recommendation: Once you get your Tokina(and congrats on the purchase too .. I'm sure you're going to have fun with it :th3), take it to your local photography shop and go looking for polariser filters.
Only 77mm sizes, and check out the range of filters they have(they'll usually have two.. maybe three different brands or models within a brand).
Ask to be allowed to see how they perform, in that you can mount it to the lens, and take one or two reference images with it. Shoot at f/2.8 and 11mm and if you see any vignetting that looks disturbing, then try the next model up in the range.. etc. etc ...

I had a peek back at my old images taken with it, when I had the opportunity to compare it to the Sigma 10-20, and I can't remember if I mounted the polariser to it or not. I generally leave the pol on my 10-20 by default, so I dare say that I did take the time to mount it onto the Tokina too?? If that's the case then a standard mount filter should not vignette on it, when mounted onto a Nikon APS-C camera.

[Tommo224]

Awesome! Thanks heaps for the tips. I've never actually looked in to Polarizers properly, I bought the ones when I bought my camera but never fitted it. The darkening slowed down some photos and I had no idea what the use for it was, so I stopped using it pretty quickly haha..

I'll have to take it back in to consideration for times where it would come in to use =P

I found two links at two totally different prices, I don't know the difference between these two models. So, onwards to research time!:
http://www.eglobaldigitalcameras.com.au/marumi-77mm-cir-pl-cpl-filters.html
http://www.eglobaldigitalcameras.com.au/marumi-77mm-dhg-super-cir-pl-cpl-filters.html

[Tommo224]

24 hours after shipping from Hong Kong my new lens arrived on my desk at work! Hooray!

Definitely a weighty lens, but so awesome. Going to have a lot of fun with this one :D

www.eglobaldigitalcameras.com.au