Ultra-wide lenses

[HFnotts]

I wonder if there is any advice as to which ultra-wide lens to buy for the 700?

Should a zoom be bought or a fixed lens?

What issues do the various makes have that one needs to be aware of?

[David Kilpatrick]

There are two good choices - the Tamron or Sony 11-18mm, and the Sigma old type 10-20mm f/4-5.6.

I have tested the new Sigma and Tamron designs, and unless you for some reason want a small improvement in maximum aperture at the expense of sharpness across the field, they are inferior to the older models. Also, the Tamron 11-18mm can be bought for under £250. You pay a fair amount more for the Sony name on an identical lens!

David

[alphaPDX]

If gathering light is a big deal to you, look for 14mm f/2.8 from Tamron or Sigma. If flexibility is more important, David's choices are great, plus the Sigma 10-20 seems well regarded. A brighter f/3.5 model is coming soon, at that point you need to decide when size and weight become too much to bear - it's a big one!

I have the Tamron 14, which while heavy is short enough not to be a huge drag. It flares almost any time the sun is above the horizon but in a fairly tasteful way, a few non-destructive blobs in an otherwise-contrasty image.

[David Kilpatrick]

I have the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 here in Nikon mount. It is not worth twice the price of the old one, it is a little larger (not all that much) but the performance is not as good. Apart from HSM for Sony, there's no logical reason to prefer it to the older f/4-5.6 model which is still available at the moment.

David

[HFnotts]

Very many thanks.

Looks like the Tamron. I have the CZ 16-80 so the 11 end will make a nice fit.

I LIKE wide lenses!

[HFnotts]

I have scoured the web for the Tamron at £250 but cannot find one under £325.
Nothing on eBay pre-owned either.
The Sigma is about the same price.
Would appreciate advices re source of £250 figure.

[David Kilpatrick]

Sorry, my mistake - Nikon fit. Same for the 18-250mm which has been advertised at £199 - when you get there, it's sold out and was Nikon fit only. Reason - they don't work with the D5000 etc. New type with motor needed (e.g. the 10-24mm Tamron for Nikon owners).

The £325 price is still entirely reasonable.

David

[David Kilpatrick]

Camerabox has them for Sony at £269.99;

http://www.camerabox.co.uk/product1.asp?ProductID=5023

Currently sold out, but they are reliable (not like some import-sellers) and you could check for when they expect stock.

David

[HFnotts]

Very many thanks.
I have emailed them for information and will post on here when I receive a reply.

[alphaomega]

I must confess that I sold my Sigma 10-20 F4-F5.6 to my son and indulged in the new Tamron 10-24. I figured that I could do with the extra 4 mm at the narrower end. I have read about the view it is inferior to the 11-18 and also the old Sigma 10-20. I am not a tester and lens variability is a well established phenomenon but I must admit that I find the Tamron OK at 100% on my A700 and equally sharp edge to edge fully open. My Sigma was prone to fall off in sharpness at the corners. I must confess to being happy with my purchase. Perhaps I have gone from a "bad" Sigma to a "good" Tamron. Who knows. I also think that the geometry is better. I seem to remember that David K concluded it was inferior to the Sigma and old 11-18 on shaprness and resolving power but better at maintaining straight lines or something to that effect.

[Wes Gibbon]

Should a zoom be bought or a fixed lens?

There seem to be very few prime (fixed) wide-angles these days, particularly for APS size sensors. I personally find this regrettable, as prime lenses are generally smaller and lighter, and possibly give better optical quality. It would seem to me that there are enough compromises to be made designing extreme wide-angles without introducing problems of zooming as well. Perhaps it is only because I normally concentrate on landscapes, but I usually fnd that with a wide angle I can achieve a similar effect to zooming in and out by moving my tripod a small distance nearer or further away. In this digital age, it is also possible to crop the image to achieve the same effect as zooming in.

When I used a Minolta MD system, I carried a Vivitar 19mm f3.5. Optically, it was OK rather than great, but it was tiny! That, combined with the compact Minolta 24-35 zoom was a lot lighter than the 17-35 monstrosities that have appeared more recently! When I carried a 35-70 zoom as well, the 24-35 hardly ever got used any any focal length other than 24mm.

Telephoto zooms are another matter. My 75-300 zoom would need to be replaced by three or four primes, and you can't replicate the effect of zooming by moving the tripod, unless you are able to move a long way on level ground.

Another point you might want to consider when choosing your lens is that some extreme wide-angle zooms take internal filters. Of course, that is far less relevant with today's dslr's. However, you may like to fit a clear filter for protection, and although a lens with internal filters will probably be supplied with a cap, that will probably be the only cap that fits, so if you lose it...

[David Kilpatrick]

The Tamron was tested on Nikon, and my comments really apply to wide-open testing at fairly close distances, where the 11-18mm does well. I have some shots with the 10-24mm which are pretty good because the subject has fitted the field curvature. I guess my conclusion was more to do with whether you need to change from the 11-18mm to the 10-24mm in order to get an improvement in image quality, and the answer there is 'no' - the 11-18mm is just as good and in some ways (flat field) slightly better.

The same goes for the new Sigma. The old one is actually better, and Sigma's own website tells part of the story:

Here is the MTF chart for the f/4-5.6 older version:



Here is the MTF for the new one at almost twice the price:



The old one is technically better while available, at least for sharpness. The new one seems to have less barrel distortion though, as well as being 1.5 stops faster at 20mm.

David

[HFnotts]

As promised an update.
I received a reply from Camerabox today to the effect they will not be stocking the Tamron 11-18 again.
Shame but all credit to them for a swift response to my query.

[Mr_Canuck]

I've been frustrated by the limited options in APSC ultra-wide. I tried a Sigma 10-20 for a while and it was no match for my Minolta glass. But there aren't many options, so I guess I'd recommend it. I captured some quite nice interior shots with it. I wish Tokina would make the effort to produce their lenses for alpha mount. I'd jump at their 11-16/2.8...

[alphaomega]

I stated above that I passed my old Sigma 10-20 to my son and purchased the Tamron 10-24 for my own use. I have now had it away and extensively covered the old castle in St Andrews (Scotland) from the road using my A350. I must say I am pleased with the results at 100%. The lines are straight (no barrel) and resolution looks as good as the Sigma with better corner results. A bit of CA (red/green) easily removed. The resolving powers cannot match my CZ 16-80 but then what can? Cannot post results as PC just back from repair and complete Vista re-installation so still to re-install most software. The extra coverage (30 to 36mm at 35mm equivalent) is also welcome. Makes lens more versatile and less changing over.