Wide Angle Lens - Sensor size

[jacobgoestotheforum]

Hello..

I have a Nikon D5100, and I am about to buy a new lens.
I have my eyes on either the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM
Or, The Tamron 10-24mm SP AF Di IIs
They cost the same, so I btw also have the question about which you would choose, of those two?
I am maybe mostly into the Sigma, because of the F-stop, widest opening is 3.5, where the Tamron is 3.5 - 4.5.

But I read somewhere that not all cameras support this wide angle (about the sensor).
So that is my main question; Do you know if my Nikon supports these lenses?
I think to have read that it is a APS-C sensor, and CMOS-sensor, I am not sure what that is, and thought that you maybe can help me.

Thanks for that..
/Jacob

 

[jacobgoestotheforum]

Oh I forgot..
These lenses are not "fish eye" lenses are they?

 

[robbins.photo]

Hello..

I have a Nikon D5100, and I am about to buy a new lens.
I have my eyes on either the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM
Or, The Tamron 10-24mm SP AF Di IIs
They cost the same, so I btw also have the question about which you would choose, of those two?
I am maybe mostly into the Sigma, because of the F-stop, widest opening is 3.5, where the Tamron is 3.5 - 4.5.

But I read somewhere that not all cameras support this wide angle (about the sensor).
So that is my main question; Do you know if my Nikon supports these lenses?
I think to have read that it is a APS-C sensor, and CMOS-sensor, I am not sure what that is, and thought that you maybe can help me.

Thanks for that..
/Jacob

Jacob.. your Nikon camera is what is called in Nikon terms a DX, which means it has an APS-C sensor. Nikon calls it's full frame sensor cameras FX.

You can use FX lenses on a DX format camera. Two things to be aware of about your camera in particular. Since it is a DX your FOV (Field of View) using it will not be the same as the same lens used on an FX camera, it will actually be multiplied by the crop factor (in nikons case I think that's 1.5). So if you were to use a 10-20 mm lens on a FX camera your FOV would be 10-20mm. If your using the same lens on a DX camera like yours it will give you a FOV of 15-30mm.

So if you used this lens on an FX camera you'd get a wider field of view. Since your using it on a DX camera it will give a more narrow FOV than it would on an FX. As to whether or not your FOV is wide enough is entirely up to you.

The one other important thing when looking at lenses for your camera is to make certain the lens your looking at has a focus motor built into the lens, because your camera body does not have a built in focus motor so for AF to work you need a lens that has the motor built into the lens.

Some older model lenses don't have a built in focus motor, which is why many of them sell much cheaper than the newer counter parts because the won't autofocus with all Nikon bodies. They still work, but you have to manually focus them.

Tamron uses the designation BIM, Sigma calls it HSM as I recall - if the lens has this designation it means it does have a built in motor.

 

[fmw]

They will work fine in your camera and they aren't fisheye lenses. Both have internal focusing motors.