Advice on buying a cheap(<1K) wide angle zoom for a Nikon APS-C body

[tuxwithacamera]

Hi all, I just got started (been a couple of months and i am really digging it!) with photography and i feel like i need a new lens

Most of the shots that i end up liking tend to be landscape/architecture shots that i take with my 18-55 kit lens. But i tend to find the kit lens limiting at times. So i want to invest in some thing that would give me better quality (shorter focal length, sharper images, better colors..etc).

I don't mind getting a used lens. And i can do without AF and VR (as i mostly shoot on a tripod with VR off and use MF). And i don't think i need a really fast lens either (i tend shoot at f8 or smaller anyways so..) I've been thinking about the tokina 11-16 or 12-16. But i am not sure whether thats the best choice here. May be there are old MF lenses that match my needs?

Please advice!
Thanks in advance.

 

[mazeppa26]

trawl the buy and sell
couple of sigma 10-20mm : pretty good on aps c sensor is 15mm
the tokina is pretty good too
or if budget allows go for the 12-24 nikon wa for apsc sensors

 

[Rashkae]

Read the 100 or so previous "recommend UWA" threads. This has been discussed to death and the dead horse beaten to a pulp.

 

[tecnica]

tokina 11-16 f/2.8

 

[joe]

Hi there,
I don't really understand you people you already have your wide angle kit len to shoot.And you people brought another wide angle for what purpose.Unless you're shooting a very big group of people.If it a hobby don't waste time on your money.Unless you're working as a full time photographer.

 

[spree86]

Hi there,
I don't really understand you people you already have your wide angle kit len to shoot.And you people brought another wide angle for what purpose.Unless you're shooting a very big group of people.If it a hobby don't waste time on your money.Unless you're working as a full time photographer.

Don't really understand what you mean. Kit lens is 18-55, what's wrong with buy an 11-16 or 10-20? The TS already mentioned that he is shooting landscape and the focal length of the kit lens is limiting him, a perfectly good reason to buy a UWA.

 

[tecnica]

Hi there,
I don't really understand you people you already have your wide angle kit len to shoot.And you people brought another wide angle for what purpose.Unless you're shooting a very big group of people.If it a hobby don't waste time on your money.Unless you're working as a full time photographer.

wide and ultra-wide, big time differences.

the usage of UWA doesn't encompass shooting big group of people only, it can be used in many other creative ways.

seems like you are unable to appreciate the fine distinctions between wide and ultra-wide anyway.

you can google up the dissimilarity if you have doubts about it.


later~

 

[tecnica]

for the record, UWA exaggerates the depth of the image by making subjects nearer to the camera, really big and those further away, really small.

 

[joe]

Do you really that wide angle 11-16 or 10-20 cos he or she already have kits lens.

 

[tecnica]

Do you really that wide angle 11-16 or 10-20 cos he or she already have kits lens.

What are you trying to put through?

10 and 18mm are universe apart leh.

 

[technoglitz87]

for the record, UWA exaggerates the depth of the image by making subjects nearer to the camera, really big and those further away, really small.

wow that's a really nice portrayal of what you're trying to get across, niceee. Agreed. even with my 17-50 now i at a lot of times wish i could go wider to capture that extra landscape..

i'd go for the tokina 11-16 too, to complement the kit lens as well.

 

[spree86]

Do you really that wide angle 11-16 or 10-20 cos he or she already have kits lens.

Have you ever tried a UWA before? 18mm and 11mm is worlds apart. For wide angle, a 2mm difference is very significant, not to mention 7mm

 

[tecnica]

wow that's a really nice portrayal of what you're trying to get across, niceee. Agreed. even with my 17-50 now i at a lot of times wish i could go wider to capture that extra landscape..

i'd go for the tokina 11-16 too, to complement the kit lens as well.

Thanks man.

When I was only using my 17-55, I faced the same problem as you. And it's worse when you stand at one fullerton, trying to capture MBS and Singapore Flyer, all in a single frame. I looked at the same image from my friend's 5D2+17-40L and damn, I knew I had to get the 10-22.

 

[joe]

To me is more than enough for what I see now for the kit lens18-55

 

[tecnica]

To me is more than enough for what I see now for the kit lens18-55

Maybe it's time for you to widen your visual scope.

 

[spree86]

To me is more than enough for what I see now for the kit lens18-55

What is enough for you doesn't apply to everyone else. Also, the effect caused by UWAs are totally different, you cannot compare it to the kit lens. Don't comment that people are wasting money by buying UWAs if you do not understand the reason why people buy it and what the lens can do.

 

[dardar]

well i was used to be like u think 18mm is all i need. after more and more shoots i found out wide is better than long for my shooting style.

some Advantages i found out

taking self portrait with girlfriend become a breeze and now with more background:bsmilie:
lots of creative ways to distort the subject like Bigheaded doll or giant effect
never again u feel tight when shooting indoor
autofocus is never faster
it not about how far u can reach it about how close u can get

afterall to me i use UWA it more for portrait then landscape. i feel it bring out the subject from background more

 

[SkyStrike]

afterall to me i use UWA it more for portrait then landscape. i feel it bring out the subject from background more

But extra effort needed to make sure that the face/figure don't get distorted... (esp for Wive/GF...)

 

[dardar]

i using tokina 12-24
so far only edge will get distorted badly centre wont be much different i feel. sometime getting distortion is hard

 

[spree86]

it not about how far u can reach it about how close u can get

Very well said:thumbsup::thumbsup: Took me very long to learn that over the course of my shooting