Whats currently the best bang for buck wide(ish) angle for Nikon (FX)

JohnN

JohnN

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Hi,

Every now and again I want to take a wide angle shot - some landscape, some close for distortion but as I'm pretty new to Nikon I'm not sure which to go for.

I'm not really looking for serious fisheye and would like an AF zoom, maybe the 18-x sort of thing, something a bit wider than the 24-120 I have.

What would you guys suggest - well that doesn''t break the bank?

Cheers for looking.
 
Or the Samyang 14mm f2.8 is a good shout for some UWA fun.

There is also the Sigma 12-24 (???) which is one of the widest if not the widest normal UWA for Nik FX.

Or the Sigma 15-30...

:D
 
lol, so...

Well, I don't think I'll go with the Samyang - I've had a couple of while great the MF is a pain for me.

Theres the Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 DG HSM II (Nikon Fit) Lens (link) at £550ish

I can't find the 15-30..

Or the Nikon 18-35 - is that the older D or the new G (link)?
 
Hell, thats a fair few :)
 
Don't be be too discouraged by the manual focus Samyang, set the aperture to 5.6 or smaller, focus to 1m, and everything from 0.5m to infinity will be in focus. It's a great lens, but it is exceedingly wide on a full frame sensor.
 
I had one on the Canon, and again on the MFT - maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, but I agree it certainly is wide.

Proof - please excuse the use of spot colour !! :)


Playing with the Samyang 14mm by John Norton, on Flickr
 
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18-35mm assuming you don't need a fast lens, it's very sharp and detailed.
 
I'm getting a 18-35G vibe ;)

I am (yet again) thinking about the Samyang 14mm, but I think it may not be versatile enough... but then I've seen some pretty good shots with it too...
 
18-35G, no question. You'd need to spend a lot more to get faster or wider, and marginal IQ gains if any.
 
The Tokina 16-28 2.8 is a tip top lens! Pin sharp too, I know Nikkor lenses are top dog for your Nikon camera but the IQ of the Tokina is outstanding in my opinion and 16mm is plenty wide.
 
I had a quick poke round, isn't that a dx lens?
 
+1 for the Tok 16-28. A bit bulky and bulbous but great value if you can find one used. Test for decentering before buying if you can. Not a DX lens.
 
To add to the above. If you use filters the 16-28 suddenly becomes expensive due to the large rig and filters required. If you want to use filters go for the Nikon 16-35f4.
 
Looks interesting, with the 2.8 and all, but it seems there are some quality issues having read a bit on the flickr group (link), pretty heavy too.
Thanks for the idea though, it wasn't even close to my radar.
 
Hi John

I think the Tok has decentering issues which is why I advised testing. I also think this is an issue with many UWA lenses though. BUT, if you get a good copy it is a real cracker of a lens. If it took filters easily, which it does not, there is no way that I would have sold my optically excellent copy of this lens.

Still, lots of other options for you.

If pushed why not just get a Sigma 15mm or Nikon 16mm fisheye and defish for a more-or-less 180 degree view of the world ?
 
Thanks for all your help, and your added info Gary. My concerns were the ones that had a great copy for months and suddenly something inside broke and AF went really far out of whack.

Anyway good news, I just pulled the trigger on a 18-35G, which should do the job :D
 
Hi John

Congrats on getting the 18-35. Consensus of opinion here seemed to think it was the best option. I look forward to seeing some great images from you taken with this lens.
 
I had the 18-35G and I think you'll like it very much. It's much lighter/less bulky than the 16-35 and also very sharp - it's actually excellent value for money.
 
Very interesting thread for me as I have been looking for a AWA and have read and read reviews and tests.
 
Cool thanks guys
 
Cheap and fairly wide is the Cosina 19-35. Distorts a fair bit and not a stellar performer in the corner sharpness stakes either. Sigma's 12-24 is pretty much as wide as you can go as far as an FF zoom goes and is remarkably well corrected as far as distortion goes but there are apparently a few dodgy copies around, so try before you buy. Money no object, Nikkor 14-24. As far as primes go, there's the aforementioned Samyang if you can cope with MF an also a Tamron 14mm f/2.8 which is as cheap and gives a simpler distortion pattern (as well as full AF.) I think Sigma did a 14mm as well but not seen one. If fisheye's your bag, Sigma's 8mm is probably the pick of the bunch if you can find one and again has AF over the Samyang. IIRC the Nikon fit Samyangs do have aperture controllable from the body while Canon fit ones are fully manual.
 
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