Wide angle Lens help

[reney03]

Hi All,

I am looking for a wide angle lens for landscapes etc and at the moment due to budget restrictions am looking at the Tamron 10-24ml for my D7000. Can anyone advise if they have the lens and general opinion of it? I have a Tamron macro and have been very happy with it.

Thanks

[ameerat42]

Gee, Reney, you'd think somebody would have one! Of course, I haven't

But here's a review on it by DP Review. Have a good read of it and maybe it'll give you some pointers.
Am.

PS: For what it may mean, it's getting on a bit, as it was released in 2008.
PSS: OK, I took my own advice and read thru the article... Some salient points:

...Conclusion - Cons

Soft wide open (low local contrast)
Soft corners at all focal lengths and apertures...

...and while sharpness wide open leaves something be be desired, you do at least have the option of using it when necessary (as well as getting the benefit of increased viewfinder brightness)...

...So overall, this is a wide angle zoom which will give good results when used with a little care (i.e. not shot wide open)...

I didn't like any of these points, for obvious reasons.

[reney03]

Hmmmmm a lot to think about in that review. Thanks for the link. I am going to have to look at the competitors now, sigma have a 12-24 and see if I can stretch the budget. If not it will be the Tamron used with out being wide open.

[ameerat42]

I think the Sigma 12-24 is a bit dearer, from memory. It is also a DG lens, suitable also for FF cameras.
You have an APS-?H? sensor, so the DC lenses will still be suitable. There are two offerings around the same as the Tamron,
Σ 10-20 (and two in that), and also the Σ 8-16. I have the latter, and few people on AP have the other two.

The 8-16 costs about $600, and the 10-20 about $450. I can certainly swear by the 8-16, any aperture any zoom.

I (excuse me being frank) must disagree with your stated last resort. I simply wouldn't put up with a purchase I was not able to use fully.
Am.

[reney03]

Thanks guys. Am no issues with you being honest. I came to the same conclusion myself and have re thought the budget. I saw a review on the same site if the sigma 10-20 and it wasn't at all encouraging. Going to look at the 8-16

[ameerat42]

There are two 10-20s, the older one is f/4.5-5.6, and a newer one at f/3.5 (constant f-stop I think). I can't remember which one is slightly sharper overall, but I suspect the older one.

Well, also be aware of reviews,. Now one thing I'd like to clarify is:

earlier I did not want to imply that the review made the Tamron lens bad. I was trying to say that you should not need to make a compromise when buying something.

Now I have used the Σ10-20 and if I can find some shots I'll post them in this thread. If you want to see some 8-16 shots, look at a 2ple of recent threads of mine.

I'm not pushing one brand or another, just caution. It took me a while before I got the 8-16, but now I'm glad for it. (And boy, is it hard to use right!!!)
Am.

Oh, meanwhile go to Flickr and look at samples there. Google the likes of "flickr sigma 10-20"...

[reney03]

Hi Am,
Thanks for all your help. I am going to google and Flickr tonight. I like what I read about the 8-16mm. Definitely know where you were coming from. Your suggestions made me dig a bit deeper and base my decision on everything not only price.

[nimrodisease]

I would highly recommend the Tokina 11-16. It's in the same price range and is a stellar lens. It's a slightly shorter zoom range, but for that compromise you also get f/2.8 which is great for indoors or starry shots. I almost always find I'm using the 11mm end anyhow.

[Erin]

I'm another vote for the Tokina 11-16. It's a great lens. I've taken it out and about in the city and it's marvelous.

[reney03]

Thanks everyone for your input. Decision pending. I appreciate the feedback

[arthurking83]

It depends on what the 'etc' means in ".... landscapes etc"!

if you want some wide angle indoors stuff, the Tokina is definitely the way to go! Coupled with good high ISO capability from the D7000, you can use the faster aperture to good effect for better quality images.

If it's primarily landscape images, many of us Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 users here swear by the Sigma lens.
Strangely...... I still use it on my D800E!
(but I am looking to get a proper full frame capable UWA very soon).

One thing to note, that I noticed about the Tokina for landscapes. Using a non ultra thin regular polariser filter caused a bit more vignetting at the wider setting than I see with my Sigma 10-20.
it's not a lot more, but it is noticeable.
I suspect that using a thinner type polariser will help to minimise this tho.

if it were my choice, it'd be Tokina 11-16 .. if that's a bit overbudget, then the Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6, which is generally much cheaper to purchase.

The Sigma receives a very mixed review set. One pro hates it with a passion and yet another one swears by it!
That's a big issue with the world ... for every good story there are also bad stories available for consumption too.