I'm really having trouble finding a viable prime wide angle for Canon in the sub $400 range??
I have the 50mm 1.4 right now and I'm looking to go wider.
I've checked reviews on the 35mm f2, the 28 1.8, the 28 2.8 and the 24 2.8 and I've heard that they're all very soft and their sharpness/contrast doesn't even match that of the zooms in that range.
I like the EF 35 f/2, relatively light, noisy, and feels like it might fall apart if you sneeze on it! I like it at the f/2 to f/4 range. It's fine for landscapes, actually better than fine. OK contrast. Plenty sharp. Lousy flare control if that matters to you.
35mm at f/2, plenty sharp for my purposes and held up at 16x20.
and at f/11
I also bought a demo Carl Zeiss 25mm f2.8 ZF for Nikon. Needs an adapter. Manual focus. $400. Spectacular lens. Rock solid, heavy, excellent contrast, mostly good in to sun. See my Monument entry for an example of flare. It's better in the corners on my camera compared to my 17-40 f/4L. Worth every penny, particular at the used price.
ETA: I know web sized images are not the best way to support a given lens, but it is for me! ;) Ignore the pixel peepers if you can. I bought the primes to shoot wide open, or near wide open, and I like the feel of the primes over the zooms.
I've owned both the 35/2 and the 28/2.8. The image quality on both were excellent, even wide open. The only downside for me was the outdated design and buzzy focus motor (it's silly that I should even care about those things given the image quality, but I couldn't help but be annoyed)
I know you are asking about primes but a lens to look at (if you wanting to shoot it on your 7D) is the Tokina 11-16 ƒ2.8. The zoom range is so small it may as well be a prime. I have been extremely happy with mine so far.
Here is a recent photo taken with it.
In this gallery all the static shots are taken with the Tokina.
I know you are asking about primes but a lens to look at (if you wanting to shoot it on your 7D) is the Tokina 11-16 ƒ2.8. The zoom range is so small it may as well be a prime. I have been extremely happy with mine so far.
Here is a recent photo taken with it.
In this gallery all the static shots are taken with the Tokina.
Wow...didn't know about that one! Thank you. Seriously considering this on my wider end because I was originally going to go with the canon 10-22 for ultra wide but the 3.5 apterture was killing me. I like the 2.8 Tokina!
I also loved the 30mm Sigma when I had it. Great lens. I also had the 11-16 Tokina, very very wide. I think my next lens will be the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM. It's not a prime but it covers a good range to compliment your 50mm
I also loved the 30mm Sigma when I had it. Great lens. I also had the 11-16 Tokina, very very wide. I think my next lens will be the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM. It's not a prime but it covers a good range to compliment your 50mm
I've heard great things but that lens is EXPENSIVE. I'm not making $$ from my photography and economy is down...trying to keep costs low.
Not to disregard your question (prime), but I'd like to weigh in with just how happy I have been with the EFS 15-85mm, other than some vignetting, it's unbelievably nice..
kgeary, I did a lot of looking and testing when I was looking for an ultra wide lens to use on my 7D. In my opinion the Tokina is the best ultra wide zoom for a crop sensor.
Another very interesting UWA is the 8-16 sigma, it's rectilinear, and stupid wide, of course it's only for the 1.6x cams... It's essentially equivalent to the 12-24 on a 5D...
It's a heck of a choice, for sure. Remember the old adage "fast, good, cheap - pick two"? It fits. Well, OK, maybe something like "fast, wide, cheap - pick two"
If you really want creative control of DOF with a WA lens, you really want something faster than f/2/8. That rules out the zooms.
I have not been a fan of Sigma, mainly because of the issues with forward compatibility (lenses becoming useless because they cease to work with newer bodies, and Sigma no longer supporting re-chipping of the lens). I hear about this much less than in the past, in fact rarely these days. The Sigma 30/1.4 is well-respected for IQ and is fast enough to give some creative control over DOF. The Canon 35/2 is another good choice, as long as plasticky build and noisy focus aren't killers for you. The Canon 28/1.8 is, IMO, not worth considering, and the 28/2.8 is really not fast enough, you'd be better off with a zoom.
