Help with wide angle photography lenses.

GD
Posted By
Grant_Dixon
Jun 3, 2004
Views
235
Replies
7
Status
Closed
I have very seldom shot with anything wider than a 35 mm lens. Recently, I have got the bug to do some wide angle work. I had been looking at a Nikkor 17-35 mm f/2.8 and while there is no doubt about it this an excellent lens it is a tad more than I want to pay. Make that a big tad! I would like your point of views are there good alternative out there for a Nikon user. Should I stick with fixed lenses or go to a zoom. Please keep in mind that in the past have very seldom shot with anything wider than 35 mm although I did own a 24 mm. Oh yes it has to be able to be used on both film and digital Nikon SLRs.

Grant
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DG
David G House
Jun 3, 2004
Grant…

My brother in law (you saw his images in my web page) is like you a very avid Nikon user and uses the lens’s you’ve described.. I will pass this on to him and get his view… I’ll mail you or have him mail you…. (see now…. if lens’s from a film cam can fit a digi.. then they can’t be "hateful..;))

David
CR
Chris_Rankin
Jun 3, 2004
Isn’t there an issue with wide angle and digital? I seem to recall something that because of the sensor size that there can be a problem with vigenetting at the wider angles. I haven’t noticed it at 28mm but that’s as wide as I’ve got (‘course I quess it’s not really 28 but 44.8)

CR
GD
Grant_Dixon
Jun 3, 2004
They will all work if they are of the design "reverse telephoto" the trouble is they are not all built that way. The Nikkor 17-35 f/2 and also the Tamaron 17-35 f/2 – f4 di are. unfortunately I don’t know a lot about the Tamaron!

g
DG
David G House
Jun 3, 2004
Grant… I shared your question with my B in Law…. he suggests that you investigate the Sigma or Tamron line…. he was looking at the Sigma .. says they have an excellent site.. here is the URL

<http://www.sigma-photo.com>

David
JB
John_Burnett_(JNB)
Jun 3, 2004
Grant. I tried the Tamron 17-35 di on my Digital Rebel. It was quite good, and a big step up from the 18-55 kit lens, but MY copy was not in the same class as the Canon 17-40 f4L. And here’s the thing – at least one photographer in the Fred Miranda Canon forum is switching BACK to Nikon for the express purpose of getting that Nikon 17-35 f2.8. He contends that Canon makes NOTHING in that range that can compete (17-40 and 16-35 included).

This is, of course, all third-party hearsay.

The Tamron is actually tougher to find in Canada, and pretty darned expensive in its own right. If you purchase in the U.S., the Canadian distributor (Amplis Foto) will only honour the 1 year international warranty and not the 6-year one.

Other considerations: It is a 2.8-4.0 lens. So by 35mm (close to normal perspective on your digital) it is pretty slow. That may or may not be a consideration for you, particularly if what you want to do is indoor work. Lastly, my experience with the Tamron was strictly on the Rebel (i.e. smaller sensor). I don’t have any personal experience with it on a full-frame film camera.

For what it’s worth, here is a Popular Photography review:

< http://www.popphoto.com/article.asp?article_id=842&secti on_id=2>

As for the wide Nikon primes and zoom alternatives, check in the Fred Miranda forums for some opinions.

<http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showgallery.php?cat=12> <http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showgallery.php?cat=28> <http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/7>
LK
Leen_Koper
Jun 3, 2004
Grant, just have a look at the Tokina AF 20-35/2.8 AT-X Pro. I have pretty good experience with Tokina AT-X Pro lenses; I did own both the 17 mm and the 28-80 mm and both performed extremely well.

Leen
BC
Brendon_Cullinan
Jun 4, 2004
Grant:

I too have been scoping ebay for a good deal on the 17-35 f2.8. Knowledgeable professional photographers love that lens. A nature photographer from Norway has a HUGE website that reviews more than a hundred Nikon lenses; he writes that the 17-35 is basically one of the best lenses Nikon has ever made.

Still, it costs $1300, and I haven’t seen a good lens from a reliable seller go for under $1150 on ebay.

An alternative would be the Nikkor 20-35mm f2.8 D. On ebay it seems to go for around $700.

Regarding the off-brand lenses. In that focal range and with a nice wide aperature, I would expect to get crummy contrast, significant distortion, and noticeable vignetting on anything but one of the Nikkors.

Two ideas: 1. Check out the relatively new Nikkor 12-24mm lens for digital bodies only.
2. Get a fixed focal length extreme wide angle, such as a 16mm or 20mm f2.8. These are highly rated for their contrast and sharpness. Good luck, let me know how it works out!

-Brendon

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