Budget Wide-angle lens

WitB1itz · Sep 23, 2011

Hi
I just started with photography and bought me a Nikon D7000 with 18-105mm lens.
I found the lens a bit limiting in low light.

I am looking at a budget wide angle lens like:
Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4 AT-X Pro DX
Sigma AF 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM (DX)

Since I do not have the budget for the Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 G ED N.<br><br>Any suggestions on a good budget wide angle lens?

Regards

WitB1itz

Infinite_Day · Sep 23, 2011

ATX1116PRODXN Tokina 11mm - 16mm F/2.8 ATX Pro DX Autofocus Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras. Seems to be the go-to lens for the budget wide-angle market. It's what I intend to get at some point.

tyler_h · Sep 23, 2011

Seconding the 11-16. Ties in nicely with you 18-105 too for all but complete coverage from 11-105mm.

2WheelPhoto · Sep 23, 2011

Infinite_Day said:
ATX1116PRODXN Tokina 11mm - 16mm F/2.8 ATX Pro DX Autofocus Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras. Seems to be the go-to lens for the budget wide-angle market. It's what I intend to get at some point.

tyler_h said:
Seconding the 11-16. Ties in nicely with you 18-105 too for all but complete coverage from 11-105mm.

3rd!

bentcountershaft · Sep 23, 2011

The two lenses you listed won't be any better in low light and the Sigma is a fisheye lens which will quickly lose it's novelty. For wide and fast, the previously mentioned 11-16 is very popular. If you want something that covers the wide end of you current lens' range but works better in low light I would recommend the Tamron 17-50 2.8.

ulrichsd · Sep 23, 2011

The only other option in this group to look at is the Sigma 10-20mm, the main difference between that and the 8-16 (other than the wider angle) is the 10-20 can take filters, where the 8-16 cannot. Also the 10-20 is less expensive around $450. The Tokina 12-24 is about $400 and when I was looking the 11-16 was close to $600 (and hard to find in stock).

For low light, the 11-16 f/2.8 would probably be the best option.

Markw · Sep 23, 2011

The Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 is the best UWA lens on the market. It has brilliant distortion control and sharpness. It's built like a tank and just produces brilliant images overall. If you're going UWA and don't want a fisheye, it's the way to go 100%.

Mark

2WheelPhoto · Sep 23, 2011

Markw said:
The Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 is the best UWA lens on the market. It has brilliant distortion control and sharpness. It's built like a tank and just produces brilliant images overall. If you're going UWA and don't want a fisheye, it's the way to go 100%.

Mark

+1, there's a reason its among the most expensive for the wide angle budget buys, and a reason it may be harder to find than the others

Mike_E · Sep 23, 2011

Have you considered a tripod?

That's one of the most under rated pieces of gear in the whole of photography.

Markw · Sep 23, 2011

I agree 100%. But means nothing when you have people walking about, trees and grass blowing, and birds flying about in the sky. Not to mention moving larger objects like cars, planes, boats, and bodies of water. Sometimes you need the extra speed. And you can always use the better optics. :thumbsup:

Mark

WitB1itz · Sep 29, 2011

Thanks everbody for the infromation...appreciate and will see where I can find the lens locally.

WitB1itz · Sep 29, 2011

I agree 100%. But means nothing when you have people walking about, trees and grass blowing, and birds flying about in the sky. Not to mention moving larger objects like cars, planes, boats, and bodies of water. Sometimes you need the extra speed. And you can always use the better optics. :thumbsup:

Mark

what do you mean with this statement?

Compaq · Sep 29, 2011

I can vouch for the tokina 12-24mm/4.

Overread · Sep 29, 2011

The Sigma 8-16mm is NOT a fish-eye lens - its a perfectly normal wide angle lens for crop sensor and the widest you can go (heck is has less barrel distortion at 10mm than the 10-20mm from sigma

).

These reviews and comparisons might help you:
Juza Nature Photography - Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DC (vs Sigma 12-24 on FF)
Juza Nature Photography - Sigma, Canon, Tamron and Tokina APS-C Wide-Angles (compares most of the wide angles for crop sensor together, barring the 8-16mm as it wasn't out at the time of writing)
Juza Nature Photography - Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM Review

analog.universe · Sep 29, 2011

I just want to point out that the praise for the Tokina 11-16 is a little bit exaggerated in this thread. Yes, it's a nice lens, I have one, I like it a lot... however, it's not the best UWA. In fact there's no such thing as the best UWA. They all make compromises somewhere, and the Tokina has a pretty nicely placed assortment of flaws. Whether or not it is ideal for you is another question entirely. The Tokina has less of a zoom range than all of the competition, is not 100% distortion free (none of them are), exhibits some CA, and though it goes to 2.8, it's soft in the corners at 2.8. The Sigma 8-16mm is NOT a fisheye, and is formidable competition to the Tokina. It has better distortion and CA characteristics, but a smaller aperture, and does not accept filters. It's also a little pricier. The sigma 10-20 f/3.5 is a great lens as well (not the f/4-5.6, which is really not such a great lens).

The point is, research each one individually. Check out lenstip.com and photozone.de. Look at sample photos on flickr from each lens, and see which one is best suited for what you want to do with it. None of them are really "good" in low light. 2.8 is better than your kit lens, but if you really want low light performance you should be looking at a f/1.4 or f/1.8 prime.