Wide angle lens for cropped camera

Brendan Mulachy

Brendan Mulachy

Messages
1,835
Name
dave
Edit My Images
Yes
My current widest angle lens is my 17-50 so this on my 70D gives me an equivent to a 27mm on full frame camera...are there any recomended wide angle lenses for cropped cameras
 
The Canon 10-18 is quite a nice lens, I kept one when I sold my Canon stuff last year.
It is only f4.5-5.6, so not very fast.
 
When I had Canon DSLR's I initially bought the EF-S 10-22mm but quickly changed to the Sigma 12-24mm and liked it much better plus when I changed to the FF 5D I was able to carry on using the Sigma.

Just a word of caution on these lenses. Wide angle lenses can give you some dramatic results but I think they are also some of the most difficult lenses to use well. I think it is wise to think very carefully when using them and to see and understand what's happening when you look through the VF.

If you do go for one of these lenses, happy shooting.
 
Brendan Mulachy said:
My current widest angle lens is my 17-50 so this on my 70D gives me an equivent to a 27mm on full frame camera...are there any recomended wide angle lenses for cropped cameras
Click to expand...

How often do you find yourself wanting a wider frame? If it's often then stump up the cash for a more recent, good performing lens. If it's not very often (like me) then just shoot panoramic when needed.
 
LeeRatters said:
How often do you find yourself wanting a wider frame? If it's often then stump up the cash for a more recent, good performing lens. If it's not very often (like me) then just shoot panoramic when needed.
Click to expand...
To be honest i very rarely shoot landscapes but ive been dabbling lately..so i thought why not..its only money and you cant take it with you ive just bought a 2.8 70-200 on friday and its a similiar case il probably use it just now and again..ive tried panoramics that i stitch in photoshop...but ive found that there is a bit of distortion at the ends and they seem to rise up at the edges of the pictures sometimes.. maybe i just need to learn to be better at photoshop
 
I normally carry a 17-35 2.8-f4 Di OSD Tamron lens to use on a D750, but if I know I'll need wider I also pack a D7200 with the Tamron 10-24 3.5-4.5 Di-II VC HLD. It's a crop sensor lens that for its money performs very well. Can recommend it. Unlike most here I don't use my WA lenses for landscape photography, but when I can't back up any further when photographing architecture or people, for submission to Alamy. Either live news, reportage or stock.
 
Last edited:
Brendan Mulachy said:
To be honest i very rarely shoot landscapes but ive been dabbling lately..so i thought why not..its only money and you cant take it with you ive just bought a 2.8 70-200 on friday and its a similiar case il probably use it just now and again..ive tried panoramics that i stitch in photoshop...but ive found that there is a bit of distortion at the ends and they seem to rise up at the edges of the pictures sometimes.. maybe i just need to learn to be better at photoshop
Click to expand...

Indeed you can't take it with you so why not!

I was just pointing out that's all :) I tend to go out with just the A7, 35GM, Tamron 70-180/2.8 & the Mini 2 drone - that's just enough :) I will take the 24GM if I KNOW I will need wide but that usually just sits with my night sky astro kit.
 
Ive got my eye now on a couple of sigmas so il see what price they go for but they seem quite cheap...im away to cyprus on friday for a little family holiday in tbe winter sun so dont want to bid now anyway...thanks for all the input
 
Brendan Mulachy said:
My current widest angle lens is my 17-50 so this on my 70D gives me an equivent to a 27mm on full frame camera...are there any recomended wide angle lenses for cropped cameras
Click to expand...
People should quit comparing their lens to another format. You get what you get! ya don't like it and you think you want say a 35mm equivalent get a zoom lens that will give it to you and zoom in what you think you really want. You say the 17-50mm lens only gives you the equivalent of 27mm? On which end? if that doesn't work for you try getting a camera that will give you the same equivalent of what you want. I think you could spend a long time chasing your tail! Seems to me camera maker's may have done this with cameras just to give photographer's something to talk about!
 
Tokina 11-16mm, f/2.8 or Tokina 11-20 f/2.8 for crop frame camera.

Shooting 135 format SLR, I discovered very long ago that 28mm was simply not wide enough for my needs, so I sold the 28mm and bought a 24mm. I once travelled to Europe with only a 24mm Perspective Control lens on the camera as an experiment, and discovered that I was fully happy with just the one lens! Eventually I got 20mm yet found that I seldom pulled it out of the bag.

Fast forward to crop dSLR use, and I got the Canon 17-85mm and found it not wide enough for me once again. So I got the Canon 10-22mm but found it a bit slow for my preferences. I traded to the Tokina 11-16mm and found that to be satisfactory, but I found myself needing to swap lenses a bit too often; so after Tokina launched the 11-20mm f/2.8 I traded to that. Now fully happy.
 
Don Fischer said:
People should quit comparing their lens to another format. You get what you get! ya don't like it and you think you want say a 35mm equivalent get a zoom lens that will give it to you and zoom in what you think you really want. You say the 17-50mm lens only gives you the equivalent of 27mm? On which end? if that doesn't work for you try getting a camera that will give you the same equivalent of what you want. I think you could spend a long time chasing your tail! Seems to me camera maker's may have done this with cameras just to give photographer's something to talk about!
Click to expand...

I grew up in the days of film and when I got my first DSLR, an APS-C Canon 20D because FF wasn't available in those days, I was initially baffled as to why 28mm didn't look like 28mm any more. These days I have MFT which is a x2 crop system and FF and I still convert everything to FF because I find it easer to understand what's going on because I grew up with film.

If buying into a new format how do I know what I'm getting without an easy reference point?
 
I've got a sigma 10-20mm I bought it years ago because it won every like for like test at the time I still have it and use it when I need a wide on a crop
 
wiltw said:
Tokina 11-16mm, f/2.8 or Tokina 11-20 f/2.8 for crop frame camera.

Shooting 135 format SLR, I discovered very long ago that 28mm was simply not wide enough for my needs, so I sold the 28mm and bought a 24mm. I once travelled to Europe with only a 24mm Perspective Control lens on the camera as an experiment, and discovered that I was fully happy with just the one lens! Eventually I got 20mm yet found that I seldom pulled it out of the bag.

Fast forward to crop dSLR use, and I got the Canon 17-85mm and found it not wide enough for me once again. So I got the Canon 10-22mm but found it a bit slow for my preferences. I traded to the Tokina 11-16mm and found that to be satisfactory, but I found myself needing to swap lenses a bit too often; so after Tokina launched the 11-20mm f/2.8 I traded to that. Now fully happy.
Click to expand...
Back in my film days I did that... then discovered the 20mm. :)
 
Pork said:
Sigma 10-20mm was the best lens I’ve owned, superb lens.
Click to expand...
It's a mighty fine lens. That would be my recommendation for a crop camera.

Brendan Mulachy said:
My current widest angle lens is my 17-50 so this on my 70D gives me an equivent to a 27mm on full frame camera...are there any recomended wide angle lenses for cropped cameras
Click to expand...

A rarely venture any wider than 28mm for landscape, and often find that I am shooting at 30 or 35mm - these focal lengths of course being on a FF sensor.
 
I would be amazed if I showed someone a photo I did and they could tell me what mm lens I took it with just from that picture. Not that I think there might be some out there that could actually do it but I doubt there's many!
 
Rokinon / Samyang 12mm f2 works pretty well on my Sony A6600. I got a manual 'video' lens which seems to be just as good as the 'stills' lens - but quite a bit cheaper. And it fits in my coat pocket.
 
I'd suggest as others have look at the Sigma 10-20. Had one a few years back on a Nikon D300 and it did the job for me. Yes it's a slow aperture but it depends what your usage of it will be?
 
Last edited:
Brendan Mulachy said:
My current widest angle lens is my 17-50 so this on my 70D gives me an equivent to a 27mm on full frame camera...are there any recomended wide angle lenses for cropped cameras
Click to expand...

It's my experience, that unless you have a tilt and shift wide angle lens, dealing witih the converging uprights is a real pain; unless, of course I'm missing something.

I normally set my 18-300 mm lens to 70 mm and take a series of overlapping shots, both vertically and horizontally, if necessary, and stitch them as a panorama in post.

That way I can have panoramas, 4:x3: format, vertical panoramas, full frame format - whatever I want, really. I have even taken a panorama using my 600mm telephoto lens, just to get the detail I want.
 
What mount? Probably look at the TT Artisan range. They do a good range in manual focus.
 
Brendan Mulachy said:
My current widest angle lens is my 17-50 so this on my 70D gives me an equivent to a 27mm on full frame camera...are there any recomended wide angle lenses for cropped cameras
Click to expand...
Read stuff like this a lot. Best thing I can say is you don't have a full frame camera! Figure out how to use what you have. I have a D7000 and my wide angle lens is an 18-200 Tamron; actually my walk around lens but the widest I have. I don't know what a full frame would get with something like this 18-200 but I don't worry myself with it either. Seems to do fine for me down at 18mm when I need a wider lens. A guy could go broke chasing lens's.
 
Fogey1 said:
It's my experience, that unless you have a tilt and shift wide angle lens, dealing witih the converging uprights is a real pain; unless, of course I'm missing something.
Click to expand...

Converging verticals are caused by the angle of the camera rather than the wide angle lens, if the camera is level front to back then the verticals will be straight.
 
Don Fischer said:
I would be amazed if I showed someone a photo I did and they could tell me what mm lens I took it with just from that picture. Not that I think there might be some out there that could actually do it but I doubt there's many!
Click to expand...

At the extremes of focal length and perspective then yes I believe it will at times be possible especially if you know the location a picture was taken at, think 12mm v 50mm, but when things are more even, maybe 35 v 50 or 200 v 300mm then maybe or even likely not.
 
justinminns said:
... if the camera is level front to back then the verticals will be straight.
Click to expand...
This is, of course, true.

However, achieving that level of rectitude will depend on where you can stand and what the image is intended to show. I find that the trick is to decide what's good enough for your particular intentions and what level of distortion you're prepared to tolerate in the image. (Sigma 10~20mm on Sony A65)...

Pedestrian steps from Western Way to Bridge Street Exeter A65 DSC03686.JPG
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
This is, of course, true.

However, achieving that level of rectitude will depend on where you can stand and what the image is intended to show. I find that the trick is to decide what's good enough for your particular intentions and what level of distortion you're prepared to tolerate in the image. (Sigma 10~20mm on Sony A65)...
Click to expand...
Yes its not always possible or even desirable to get it straight. You can of course straighten the verticals in post processing but it does mean the image gets cropped so another trick is to shoot wider than you need so that you won't lose anything important when that happens.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top