Wide angle on a Canon full frame

JohnN

JohnN

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Hi,
I'm thinking about a wide angle lens, for kid fun close ups, landscape and so forth, however as I won;t use it all that much I'm not wanting to spend a fortune so would happily look at third party lenses.

All that said is the EF 17-40 probably still the best option as I'd still want it sharp and clean?

Thanks.
 
The cheapest options for occasional use could include the Canon 20-35mm USM and Cosina 19-35mm for around the £100 mark or if you will consider a manual prime you could go for an Olympus Zuiko 24 or 28mm f2.8 which you can use via a £10 adapter. A 28mm in Oly mount can be found for under £30.

I owned the 20-35mm and used it on my 20D and 5D. I think that the biggest negative is distortion but that can often be easily corrected in PP, possibly with a lens profile. I tried my Oly 28mm on my 5D and it performed well.
 
Cheers Alan - the Cosina 19-35mm looks interesting as I'd be looking wider, but not quite fish-eye - for those big nose dog, bubble headed kid fun shots if you know what I mean.

As you say a spot of pp could correct for more architectural shots (not that I ever take any, but you never know)

A little digging suggested the Cosina 19-35mm should work full frame, something I'm never sure of when looking at the wider stuff.
 
Yes, that Cosina is a FF lens and is also made/badged/sold under other names.

Some dismiss it out of hand but it seems to have a loyal following. Personally I went for the slightly more expensive Canon 20-35mm USM as I find USM and the ability to have full time manual focus a bonus.

Just to prove I'm not a tight a**e, at the wide end I also owned a Sigma 12-24mm.
 
Thanks Paul :)

Alan how do you find the Sigma 12-24 - sounds an interesting range and would slot nicely into current line-up.
 
JohnN said:
Thanks Paul :)

Alan how do you find the Sigma 12-24 - sounds an interesting range and would slot nicely into current line-up.
Click to expand...

I sold mine along with all my DSLR kit as I'm mirrorless now but while I had it I thought that it was a very good lens indeed. Some people report the usual Sigma QC issues but that's not something that I ever ran into with any Sigma lens. In use I found the 12-24mm to be pretty much faultless especially with respect to distortion which is for all practical purposes non existent.

I initially went for a Canon 10-22mm when I had an APS-C DSLR but I never liked it and soon replaced it with the Sigma. On my 20D it performed very well and on my 5D it was a completely different beast and IMVHO simply an outstanding lens.

AFAIK Sigma have brought out a MK2 but I don't know what the changes are.
 
Aye, I'd noticed a v2 - I'll do a little digging and see whats going on with that.

I've also seen the Samyang 14mm being bandied about - I'll look into that one too.

Thanks for the replies, interesting to read and its certainly offering up more options.
 
I use a Sigma 12-24 on a full frame body and love it. If you can find one on a local 2nd hand shelf, you'll be able to have a play and take a few test shots with it to satisfy yourself (or not!) as to whether it's a good copy. Decent dealers should also let you try - I know Mifsuds allow a 10 day approval period (but wouldn't refund postage if you changed your mind).
 
Thanks guys, I've seen a fair few images from the Samyang now and it looks like what I need, very good image quality, a lot wider than my 24 and cheap, the only drawback/interesting challenge is manual focus, which could be fun.

I did think about both those lenses though, but the 24-70 isn't wide enough for the fun shots (plainly easily good enough for landscape though judging by your excellent images Daugirdas) and the Sigmas a fair bit more expensive - if I'm careful I could pick the 14mm up for around £130 judging by the completed and sold listings on eBay.

Thanks again, you've given me a lot to think about.
 
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