In need of some help finding a lens

[philip_20]

I have a Sony Alpha 100 DSLR with the following lenses:
Minolta 28mm
Minolta AFDT 18-70mm
Sony 75-300mm

My problem is i really wanted a wide lens, so i bought the 28mm. But i'm not getting on with it very well and was looking at something with alot more width, like a 10-20mm.
There is a Sony 11-18mm which seems to be quite good, but with it been Sony it costs a bomb. :thumbsdown:
What other lenses which will be wide are there that will fit my camera. I've found the 11-18mm Sony lens at ~£400 but idealy looking at less than that as i'm no Pro photographer.

I used the search but there doesn't seem to be that many Sony users compared to Nikon and Canon etc..

Thanks for reading and comments etc are muchly appriciated

 

[wicker_man]

Ultra-wide lenses are going to cost quite a bit, the cheapest around is the Sigma 10-20mm. I have heard reports of some being soft and requiring re-calibration, but if you find a nice copy then they are great value.

Some other lenses you could look into are the Tamron 10-24mm, Minolta 11-18mm and Tamron 11-18mm.

There is also the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 (around £500) which I was considering because although it doesn't have the range of other ultrawides, it has a constant f2.8 aperture which is fast enough for handheld no-flash photograph. It has excellent reviews, especially for build quality and sharpness, but I figured since I plan to go full frame within the next year, it's not really worth me getting one because it is a crop sensor only lens.

EDIT: It seems the Tokina is only available in Canon and Nikon mounts.

P.S. It's lens, not lens

 

[onomatopoeia]

The Sigma 10-20 is the default cheap-ish + good option. I sold mine on another forum for £250 last month, they tend to go for a bit more (circa £300) on ebay.

The Sony 11-18 was briefly available new in a few Jessops stores for around £250 a couple of weeks back but I think they are all gone now. None near where I live, not that I want another APS-C lens.

 

[philip_20]

There is a Tamron 10-24mm on Jessops, will this still be as wide as the 11-18mm that i first mentioned?

Clicky

Thanks for your replies, any links to lenses will be great

 

[Marc]

There is a Tamron 10-24mm on Jessops, will this still be as wide as the 11-18mm that i first mentioned?

Clicky

Thanks for your replies, any links to lenses will be great

As 10mm is wider than 11mm it is a tiny bit wider. It also has the advantage of a bit more reach at the other end.

I have the Sigma 10-20 myself and couldn't be happier with it.

 

[chrism_scotland]

There is a Tamron 10-24mm on Jessops, will this still be as wide as the 11-18mm that i first mentioned?

Clicky

Thanks for your replies, any links to lenses will be great

The Tamron 10-24 is actually wider than the 11-18 and has a bit more zoom ith being 24mm rather than 18mm at the end, that said from what I've heard its not meant to be very good, you would be much better with one of the older Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 EX lenses for the Sony, I used one on my old A300 and it was excellent!
If it hadn't been for the Jessops £249 offer on the Sony 11-18mm I would have snapped up another Sigma myself.

 

[wicker_man]

Yes, it will actually be 1mm wider!

Bear in mind (if you are not aware) that your Sony has a 1.5x crop factor, so multiply the focal length of the lens by 1.5 to give you the true (35mm equivialent) focal length. So, the 10-24mm will give you an equivalent view of 15-36mm.

There is a review for the Tamron 10-24mm here:
http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/tamron_10-24_3p5-5p6_n15/

(Edit: Ah a bit slow in replying!)

 

[philip_20]

Yeah i understand the 35mm equivalent etc..

I know it's me been a bit lazy in asking this, but when people are firing these numbers and lenses at me, is it possible to just post up a link.
As i said i'm a bit of a noob with cameras, but wanting to up my game a bit.

Cheers again