I'm in the market for a wide angle lens for 500 or less. I've looked around and have come across a few that interest me and wondering if anyone has any experience or advice about one. The two that have peaked my interest the most are the..
Tokina 12-24 f4
Sigma 17-35 2.8-4 ex
Any more advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Thanks:)
I have the Tokina and though I haven't used it much yet, I'm pretty happy with the quality of my test photos. Seems it's going to be a fun one to use. Was rated pretty high and was $500. Having never owned a super-wide though, I don't have much to compare it to.
Is the tokina 12-24 the same as the quality of the sigma 12-24?
No, it's optically better. Check out the reviews at Popular Photography.
I've the Tokina 12-24 (aka "the toke") and a Tamron 17-35, the ranges make them quite a differnt lens. I wouldn't consider zooms in these two ranges as comparable. It might be a good idea to figure out if 12-24 ish or 17-35 range is better fit for you.
I am in the mountains where I can probably use all the wide angle I can get. If I did go with the 12-24 I do have another lense to cover in between that and my 50mm even though the quality will not be spectacular. I would like the 'the toke' as long as the quality is good even though I wish it could go less than f4.
According to Pop. Photo, it out performs the Nikon and the Sigma.
see it here
//www.popphoto.com/assets/download/PP0405_TokinaLensTest.pdf they concluded "Superb performance at a great price. Highly Recommended."
I also think if you are shooting outdoor for mountain landscape, you should stop down to about f5.6/8 or even higher to f16 anyway. If you want to shoot wide open and are worried about shutter speed, consider a tripod as well.
The Sigma 18-50 2.8 is a nice lens, and can be had for $400-450 new.
It is my main lens now - you can see samples in my portfolio -
all of these and my construction and leading lines challenge entries.
