Best wide angle lens for the money

[89coupe]

Originally posted by rage2
For realtor house shots, just get the widest lens available, and shoot everything HDR. That's what sells houses anyways. Everything is presented in web size so you don't really need an amazing lens to get the job done.

Well I still want something that can be multi purpose, I still enjoy photography.

I'll most likely go down to the Camerastore and test them all out.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by rage2
For realtor house shots, just get the widest lens available, and shoot everything HDR. That's what sells houses anyways. Everything is presented in web size so you don't really need an amazing lens to get the job done.

Pretty much this haha. Just get something that has easily correctable distortion. I've been doing several realty shoots lately and home buyers love HDRs. Sharpness won't even matter when the buyer is looking at a tiny little picture on MLS, but if he want's to use it for other stuff, it might be more of a concern.

If you want constant aperture though, I would go for that Tokina or also the Sigma 10-20/3.5. The Canon 10-22 is now 11 years old and it isn't too surprising the 10-18 has an edge. The only thing about that 10-18 is it's built poorly, has a plastic lens mount, and is VERY prone to flare. It's hard to complain for the price though - it's only $339, might be worth seeing if it works for you. I'd go for the Sigma or Tokina if you want something a little better or F2.8 - twice the price though. The Tokina is built like a tank but is a little limiting on range if that's an issue.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


Pretty much this haha. Just get something that has easily correctable distortion. I've been doing several realty shoots lately and home buyers love HDRs. Sharpness won't even matter when the buyer is looking at a tiny little picture on MLS, but if he want's to use it for other stuff, it might be more of a concern.

If you want constant aperture though, I would go for that Tokina or also the Sigma 10-20/3.5. The Canon 10-22 is now 11 years old and it isn't too surprising the 10-18 has an edge. The only thing about that 10-18 is it's built poorly, has a plastic lens mount, and is VERY prone to flare. It's hard to complain for the price though - it's only $339, might be worth seeing if it works for you. I'd go for the Sigma or Tokina if you want something a little better or F2.8 - twice the price though. The Tokina is built like a tank but is a little limiting on range if that's an issue.

Sounds like the Tokina is the one. I'll have to swing by the Camerastore and check them all out.

[Xtrema]

http://imgur.com/vqQPrTe
http://imgur.com/JPaTxB3

Tokina, widest, in a tiny 1100sqft 2 storey townhouse for reference.

No tripot, ISO 1000

[AccentAE86]

Hmm, I have the version 1 of the Tokina 11-16. Had no idea there was a version 2. What did they improve on version 2?

BTW I also have the 10-22, and I tend to prefer the 10-22. It has no odd distortion characteristics. I almost never use the 11-16 anymore. In fact, I don't think I've used it in about 4 years.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by AccentAE86
Hmm, I have the version 1 of the Tokina 11-16. Had no idea there was a version 2. What did they improve on version 2?

BTW I also have the 10-22, and I tend to prefer the 10-22. It has no odd distortion characteristics. I almost never use the 11-16 anymore. In fact, I don't think I've used it in about 4 years.

The "II" variant just added a focus motor for Nikon mount and updated lens coatings. The Canon variant just has updated lens coatings. Probably not worth the upgrade if you have one already, but it's pretty bad for flare which I assume is why they updated the coatings. Very minor upgrade overall though.

[Go4Long]

totally surprised no one has recommended a T/S yet :P

[89coupe]

Originally posted by Go4Long
totally surprised no one has recommended a T/S yet :P

What is a T/S?

[msommers]

Canon 17mm tilt shift is by far the best lens out there. If I could stock it on my D810 I would in a heartbeat!

It's also quite expensive.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by 89coupe


What is a T/S?

It's a tilt/shift lens. They are quite expensive, but they work well. They allow you to change DOF and perspective. You can shift the image circle relative to the sensor, and tilt the focus plane. You can also use them to take parallax-free panoramas.

The widest one Canon makes though is 17mm, and on a crop sensor, 27.2mm is not nearly wide enough for real estate interiors.

[blitz]

Ya, T/S and APS-C just don't get the job done for wide angle. Plus with interior real estate photos you don't need shift since in most cases you can just physically raise the camera to avoid vertical distortion.

[89coupe]

All my house shoots will be done using a Tripod. I'm definitely looking for 10-11mm range, 17mm is not enough.

[blitz]

The 10-18, 10-22 and 11-16 will all work and their performance will exceed what most people need. 1mm might not seem like a big difference, but going from 11 to 10mm does impact your FOV. If you want the best lens for your business and clients, buy the 10-18mm.

[89coupe]

Originally posted by blitz
The 10-18, 10-22 and 11-16 will all work and their performance will exceed what most people need. 1mm might not seem like a big difference, but going from 11 to 10mm does impact your FOV. If you want the best lens for your business and clients, buy the 10-18mm.

So the Canon 10-18mm?

[98type_r]

Yes

[AccentAE86]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


The "II" variant just added a focus motor for Nikon mount and updated lens coatings. The Canon variant just has updated lens coatings. Probably not worth the upgrade if you have one already, but it's pretty bad for flare which I assume is why they updated the coatings. Very minor upgrade overall though.

Interesting. I never really had much of an issue with it's flare. The 10-22 is amazing in flare resistance though.

Originally posted by msommers
Canon 17mm tilt shift is by far the best lens out there. If I could stock it on my D810 I would in a heartbeat!

It's also quite expensive.

I have the 17TS-E and it is just as amazing as people hype it up to be. That is what sealed the deal and put my foot into the Canon camp. (I was on the fence and was a bi-shooter Nikon/canon for years) Tilt Shift is pretty lame-ass in Nikon compared to Canon. Not even close. You can't even freely use the PC Nikon lenses on the 7XX/8XX series! WTF. Since I do a lot of commercial architectural stuff, I just couldn't compromise on tilt shift.

[Wakalimasu]

I have the EFS10-18mm and its pretty good and very cheap (price wise) lens. It's very light and pretty sharp and it has Image stabilization.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...-STM-Lens.aspx for a review on it.

Seriously it's fantastic.