Wide lens decision

[MS26]

Hello everyone

I am looking at purchasing a wide angle lens for my D90 for an upcoming trip to Eurpoe.
I'm looking at Tamron 10-24 or Nikon 10-24 or Nikon 12-24.

The heard the Nikon 12-24 was made in Japan and is better quality than the 10-24 being made in China.

Also there is the cost difference. The Tamron is roughly $500 vs Nikon $800

Any opinion would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

 

[Solarflare]

Ah yes. Another reason why I switched to full frame.

AFAIK there is no truely good option for wide angle on Nikon APS-C (aka DX), like the Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f2.8 or the Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC for full frame.

For Canon there is the EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS, both cheap and brilliant, but for Nikon there are only expensive underperformers.

The most popular choice seems to be the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8, but it sadly has flare issues, which is quite evil on a wide angle. The Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f2.8 has flare issues, too, though. Theres a successor Tokina 11-20mm f2.8, IIRC it seems to be an okay choice.

Oh, and theres a Sigma APS-C lens which starts at 8mm, thats actually quite interesting.

 

[MS26]

I agree, I found the Tamron 15-30 and got excited only to find out it would not work on my D90. The lenses I listed were the only available options.

The full frame will have to wait for now.

Right, now I'm confused on which lens to get, Nikon, Tamron, Sigma or the Tokina. All seem to have their own pluses and minus.

 

[MS26]

Do you think the flare up on the Tokina can be minimized or corrected thru lightroom?

 

[fmw]

I have the Nikon 10-24 zoom and it makes perfectly fine images. I can get better images with fixed focus 14, 17 and 24 Nikkors but not that much better. The 17mm Nikkor is one of the best corrected wide angle lenses I have ever encountered. I would bet the Tamron would also serve you well although I don't have personal experience with it. I have never been disappointed in Nikon products so I continue to use them.

 

[fmw]

OP, I owe you an apology. I was cleaning my DX lenses in preparation for the arrival of a new camera body. It turns out my wide angle zoom is 12-24 f2.8 ED. I've never used the lens I mentioned above. If it helps, the 12-24 makes perfectly fine images. Sorry for the error.

 

[Ido]

I don't have any experience with those lenses myself, as I don't shoot with the same system. But I did research this topic quite a bit a couple of years ago, as I was strongly considering buying a Nikon DX camera before eventually going with an Olympus OM-D.

In my research back then, I concluded that the Nikon 10-24 was my best option. It tested really well, perhaps the best out of the lot, and gave the widest angle-of-view (apart from the Sigma 8-16, which doesn't have a filter thread). If you're currently shooting with the kit lens, or any other standard zoom lens, you'll certainly appreciate the extra millimeters it covers at the wide-end compared to the 12-24.

The 10-24 has a great advantage, in my opinion, over the Tokina 11-16, and that is its longer zoom range. Yes, it does matter even in a lens like this, because it means you don't have to change lenses as often. In certain situations where changing lenses is not a great idea (light rain / dusty environment, etc.) it can be the difference between getting and missing the shot you really wanted. The newer Tokina 11-20 does remedy that, however.

The Nikon 12-24mm f/4 was a good lens for its time, but on the higher-resolution cameras available today, it does pale in comparison to the 10-24. That doesn't matter on the Nikon D90—the 12-24 will produce excellent images for you—but you may be disappointed with its results if you ever upgrade to one of the 24MP bodies currently available, or higher-resolution cameras that will inevitably launch in the future.

While the 12-24 should be built to a higher standard than the rest, does it warrant the additional cost? Remember that you're giving up a significant chunk of angle-of-view at the wide-end, and you're even losing some optical quality. I'd say it's not a good compromise, but others may think differently.

I highly recommend buying used. The Nikon 10-24 isn't an inexpensive lens, but I assume it should be available used in pretty good deals.

 

[MS26]

OP, I owe you an apology. I was cleaning my DX lenses in preparation for the arrival of a new camera body. It turns out my wide angle zoom is 12-24 f2.8 ED. I've never used the lens I mentioned above. If it helps, the 12-24 makes perfectly fine images. Sorry for the error.

Thank you very much for the information, Im leaning towards the Tokina 11-20 due to reviews of sharpness and the 2.8 vs the others offering 3.5. Is this a mistake or is it not that big of a deal?

 

[Ido]

Im leaning towards the Tokina 11-20 due to reviews of sharpness and the 2.8 vs the others offering 3.5. Is this a mistake or is it not that big of a deal?

I'd say the f/2.8 maximum aperture is a great benefit if you want to shoot nighttime landscapes, including starry skies, or if you want to shoot action in low light with such a wide angle lens (some situations definitely call for it, like concerts where you can get right up to the stage). Otherwise, it probably won't make much of a difference as you'll tend to stop-down anyway, and you may appreciate the weight of a slower lens. But if you don't mind carrying it, there's not much to fault the Tokina 11-20mm f/2.8.

 

[MS26]

Im leaning towards the Tokina 11-20 due to reviews of sharpness and the 2.8 vs the others offering 3.5. Is this a mistake or is it not that big of a deal?

I'd say the f/2.8 maximum aperture is a great benefit if you want to shoot nighttime landscapes, including starry skies, or if you want to shoot action in low light with such a wide angle lens (some situations definitely call for it, like concerts where you can get right up to the stage). Otherwise, it probably won't make much of a difference as you'll tend to stop-down anyway, and you may appreciate the weight of a slower lens. But if you don't mind carrying it, there's not much to fault the Tokina 11-20mm f/2.8.

Nighttime landscapes is definitely on my to do list, especially for my upcoming travels.

Thank you!

 

[fmw]

OP, I owe you an apology. I was cleaning my DX lenses in preparation for the arrival of a new camera body. It turns out my wide angle zoom is 12-24 f2.8 ED. I've never used the lens I mentioned above. If it helps, the 12-24 makes perfectly fine images. Sorry for the error.

Thank you very much for the information, Im leaning towards the Tokina 11-20 due to reviews of sharpness and the 2.8 vs the others offering 3.5. Is this a mistake or is it not that big of a deal?

No, I'm sure that lens will do fine. The reason to have a wider maximum aperture is to provide a brighter image in the viewfinder. The 1/2 stop of speed isn't that important for exposure. It is valuable for focus and composition, particularly in low ambient light. Pros don't expose at maximum aperture all that often. But they appreciate being able to see the subject better before the exposure.

 

[Ido]

Pros don't expose at maximum aperture all that often.

This sentence made me cringe a little. Many photographers do use their fast lenses wide open for exposure, pro or amateur. It can certainly help, even that extra 2/3, especially if the photographer is very intolerant to noise.

 

[fmw]

I've used maximum aperture like anyone else, particularly shooting sporting events with long lenses. I don't use it all that often for other things. Perhaps others do. But a 1/2 stop is a 1/2 stop and not the end of the world. The benefit is primarily to have a brighter viewfinder.

 

[shadowlands]

I once owned an older Tamron 11-18 for my former D90. It was honestly, a great lens.

 

[23NR]

I agree, I found the Tamron 15-30 and got excited only to find out it would not work on my D90. The lenses I listed were the only available options.

The full frame will have to wait for now.

Right, now I'm confused on which lens to get, Nikon, Tamron, Sigma or the Tokina. All seem to have their own pluses and minus.

The Tamron 15-30 works just find on D90s! I have both myself, and its a great lens. Check out a review I posted on my website: REVIEW: Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD

I can upload some sample photos shot with the D90 and the Tamron 15-30 if you want? It's an absolutely stunning lens that works great on my D90, D750 and D3300.