Camera Labs

Having been lucky enough to borrow a friend’s 12-24 for a few days I've decided to get an Ultra wide angle of my own now that has ungraciously demanded it’s return.

As I understand it the better Nikon DX Ultra wide angle options are:
Nikkor 12-24mm
Nikkor 10-24 mm
Sigma 10-20mm
Tokina 11-16mm

I had a look at the tamron 11-18 but didn’t like it very much as it felt very cheaply made. I was wondering if anyone would like to comment on these (or other) lenses?

I’m currently leaning towards the Tokina as it has many exellent reviews though I can see that it’s very limited zoom range might cause a lot of lens changing.


Many thanks.

I'm not experienced with these lenses so I can't really comment, I just wanted to mention that Sigma has recently updated the 10-20mm f/4.0-5.6 EX DC HSM with the 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM. I don't know if the new one has been reviewed yet, but it could be an interesting option as well.

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Canon 7D | EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS

My take on the second copy of the Sigma 10-20 is here. This lens is recommendable if you manage to get a good copy. See a professional review of my copy there.
Be warned of the Tamron 11-18 though.
The Tokina 11-16 was reviewed here on a Canon body with some pretty good results.

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

I've used both the Sigma and Tokina 11-16 - and ended up getting the Tokina. Never regretted it for a second.

Solid build, confidence-inspiring action and optical quality very very satisfying.

It's a little more expensive than the Sigma, but n money was spent on an AF motor, hence the higher quality of everything else in the lens.

The constant F2.8 aperture is superb for those indoor dim-light shots where you can only go hand held.

A curious coincidence: yesterday I had the opportunity to do some comparison shots between the two, swapping lenses and taking the same shots. The Tokina is visibly sharper in the corners and I also noticed that the colors appear better out of the Tokina. Not a scientific study by any means, just observations. It wasn't intended as a serious test, since I bought the Tokina some time ago - but fun to see what the Sigma could do. The Sigma is not bad at all and is 1mm wider.

Cheers

Thanks all, I'll try out the tonika one more time and if all goes well spend some more money I dont have...

check out the tokina shots here..

http://www.cameralabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10017

i would go with the sigma 10-20 since you said that money might be a tad low.

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Many thanks; I've looked at a lot of comparison shots on the internet (between these two lenses) In all honesty it often seems that the IQ varies as much between samples of these lenses as it does between the brands themselves. More to think about.