Camera Labs

hello all!

I was hoping to get your suggestions/opinions on the best wide angle lens for a Canon 60D body. I have been an amateur photographer for about 9 months, initially I bought the 60D body + the 24-105 f4 L series which is my day to day lens that I use 90% of the time. I love it! The only other lens I have is a Sigma 30mm f1.4, which is "okay" I guess I just don't use it enough + I find the auto focus a bit 'hit and miss'. I don't tend to take many portrait photos, I live very close to the beach so predominantly my photos are of landscape with a bit of street photography.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a wide-angle lens? I'm not bothered with the brand (either Canon or third party). Also I was looking to get an ND filter for my 24-105mm f4? again any suggestions? I know very little about ND filters, wasn't sure about many 'stops' to have.

I appreciate your thoughts/feedback

Richie

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richie lyons | sydney australia

photography by [ fresh ]
http://www.facebook.com/photographybyfresh

Unless you see yourself upgrading to full frame some time soon, I have no reservations in suggesting that you look at the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. The build and image quality are really good and the f/2.8 aperture makes low light photography a lot easier without you having to ramp up the ISO thereby reducing the likelihood of noisy images.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

While I agree on the Tokina 11-16mm (I own one, myself), if you don't need f2.8, there's also Canon's 10-22mm f3.5-4.5

As for how many stops of ND to have, how many do you want/need? (Check your EXIF to see what you're shooting at now, then determine how far off that is from what you'd like.)

Mark

Depending on what aperture you are using, say f/8 for landscapes, then you might not even need something as expensive as those options.
Both the Tokina and the Canon are great lenses, but the older Sigma 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6 gives a great value for the money.
The main problem against the Sigma is that it does not let in as much light as the other two lenses, but most of the time I do not need it to.

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Canon Rebel XTi, BG-E3 Grip
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.4, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DO, 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX Macro
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Canon 430EX II
Opteka 13mm, 21mm, and 31mm extension tubes

hey guys, thank you all for the feedback. I asked myself the question today whether I would actually use the f/2.8, and the honest answer would probably be no. I often do shoot in low light (mainly dawn) however I have a tripod and normally prefer to use a slower shutter speed to let more light in.

So I would therefore probably prefer to spend less on a lens, I have had a look at the photos from Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 on Pixel Peeper and generally I think I would be pretty happy with the image quality.

The only other lens that I'm aware of (only slightly more expensive than the Sigma) is the Tamron SP AF 10-24mm f3.5-4.5. Has anyone used this lens? Would you prefer the Sigma over the Tamron?

thanks again for helping me narrow down my choice

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richie lyons | sydney australia

photography by [ fresh ]
http://www.facebook.com/photographybyfresh