Wide Angle Lens Questions?

[EMQ]

Hi, anyone know if there is a difference in quality between getting a wide angle attachment lens and buying an actual wide angle lens? The price difference is big for sure, but if I'm going to invest I need to know if there is a difference. And if possible any suggestions for a photographer on a budget?

 

[weepete]

Yes. Buy a proper lens.

Wide angle and screw in attachments will almost certainly affect your image quality negativley as you are putting a cheap bit of glass in front of a reasonably decent one. They are not even worth the little that's charged for them.

What wide options do you have now and do you have a budget in mind?

 

[tirediron]

Yep... ^^That!^^ Those add-on wide-angle/tele attachments are almost universally junk with horrible edge-to-edge distortion, miserable CA, and overall softness. Even the most inexpensive kit lens at its widest setting (usually 18mm) will out-perform 99.99999% of those.

 

[EMQ]

I have no wide lens at the moment...this will be my first. I've seen the Sigma 10-20 mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM and they range from mid to 300 to 400 dollars and the Tamron 10-24mm AF SP DI II. I found a tamron used for mid 200... I've had both tamron and sigma lenses before but that was for a canon. I now have a Nikon, not sure if that will make a difference or if they are even good alternatives to Nikor lenses. I've been a photographer for years but never really learned a lot about lenses so anything helps!

 

[weepete]

I'll need to leave it to someone else that's familiar with nikon lenses to give you the script with them. But from what I've read the tamron is cheaper and the sigma f4-5.6 is a slightly better performer though nikon may do somthing better still.