super wide angle lenses
NB. the prices here are very approximate values - I do not sell these!!
see also:
introduction:
circular fisheye
rectilinear fisheye:
ultrawide zooms
cannot use filters as these lenses generally have a protruding convex front lens which also causes flare if light sources hit its surface
usually cover 35mm range of 14-18mm or more giving 114-75 degrees
great for creative effects, interiors and street photography
examples:
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Panasonic Micro Four Thirds 7-14mm f/4 - the most compact high quality ultra wide zoom
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Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED - superb lens but very big, heavy and expensive
Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 II OIS, rear drop in filter on EF mount version
wide angle zooms
general purpose wide angle zooms ideal for much landscape and travel work
usually cover 35mm range of 21-45mm although some may only be 24mm at the wide end.
can use a polariser filter &/or Cokin-type filters for gradient effects to manage the high contrast sky/subject.
examples:
hybrid ultrawide zooms:
these attempt to cover the 16-35mm range and still allow use of filters although vignetting is likely when using focal lengths less than 21mm
a great compromise for travel but unfortunately these lenses tend not to be as sharp and tend to have more aberrations
examples:
wide angle prime lenses (ie. fixed focal length)
generally, non-zoom lenses will give the following advantages over wide zoom lenses:
unfortunately there are very few examples explicitly designed for digital, but I would love a high quality one giving 21mm focal length.
examples:
wide aperture 24mm effective focal length or wider for low light work
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Olympus M.ZD 12mm f/2.0 ($A999 or ~$US710) for
Micro Four Thirds system - gains image stabilisation when used on Olympus cameras
Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II (~$2200) for full frame Canon dSLR - one of the best options for low light but the kit is big, heavy and expensive and no image stabilisation
Nikon 24mm f/1.4(~$2200) for Nikon FX dSLRs - one of the best options for low light but the kit is big, heavy and expensive and no image stabilisation
there are no comparable capabilities on DX or APS-C sized dSLRs other than expensive 14mm f/2.8 lenses.
Olympus Four Thirds dSLRs have the 14-35mm f/2.0 option but this only gives 28mm fov.
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wide standard zooms
tilt-shift lenses
options for a travel outfit:
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body 540g $A1300
lens $A2700; 780g; splashproof, dustproof, no filters;
live preview with sensor dust protection and 3-4EV CCD-shift image stabilisation
incredibly wide focal length range for most travel when matched with the ZD 12-60mm.
35mm effective focal range: 14-28mm
total weight 1320g
total price $A4000
in my opinion, THE BEST for some really creative shots and great for church interiors with the IS
combines well with the new ZD 12-60mm (ie. 24-120mm) f/2.8-4.0 SWD lens for Cokin-filtered landscapes, etc
THE BEST option for hand held super wide angle shots in dim light (eg. church interiors) - see
travel
THE BEST option for street photography although I would have preferred a flip out LCD like the E330.
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body 540g $A1300
lens 485g splashproof, dustproof, 72mm filter $A1400 - great for use with Cokin filters
live preview with sensor dust protection and 3-4EV CCD-shift image stabilisation
very usable focal length range for most travel, landscape uses.
35mm effective focal range: 22-44mm
total weight 1025g
total price $A2700
combines well with a 14-54mm general purpose zoom
THE 2nd BEST option for hand held super wide angle shots in dim light (eg. church interiors) - see
travel
Canon 450/550D with Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5:
body
lens 385g not dust proof or splash proof and half a stop less aperture although wider; 77mm filter;
vignetting at wider angles with Cokin filters
sensor dust protection apparently ineffective and no image stabilisation but lower noise at high ISO
35mm effective focal range: 16-35mm
total weight
total price
poorer option for hand held wide angle shots in dim lighting (eg. church interiors) as wide angle is f/3.5 and no IS.
Canon 550D or Nikon D90 with Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC lens:
Canon 5D with OM adapter and Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5 and Olympus Zuiko OM 28mm f/2 lenses:
body 895g $A5000
OM adapter ~$50
lenses:
no live preview, no sensor dust protection and no image stabilisation but lower noise at high ISO and full frame
should give the best quality images of the options compared (better than Canon wide angle zoom lenses)
beautiful compact lenses and filters and easily add more (eg. fisheye, 50mm, etc) but no AF
35mm effective focal range: 21 and 28mm
total weight ~1400g
total price $A5700
not a bad compromise if only you could get the body at a cheaper price and it had the features of the Olympus.
you could also add the Olympus OM 18mm but on Ebay these are pretty expensive at near $A1000.
Canon 5D with Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM:
body 895g $A5000
lens $A1600 475g - weather resistant; 77mm filter but 1 stop less aperture.
no live preview, no sensor dust protection and no image stabilisation but lower noise at high ISO and full frame
optical quality not as good but versatile with wider range
vignetting at wider angles with Cokin filters
barrel distortion especially at edges
35mm effective focal range: 17-40mm
total weight 1375g
total price $A6600
not a bad compromise if only you could get the body at a cheaper price and it had the features of the Olympus.
Canon 1D Mark III with Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM:
body 1335g $A6400
lens 635g; $A2959?; NB. 82mm filter; weather resistant;
live preview, sensor dust protection and lowest noise at high ISO and almost full frame with 10fps and fast AF
no image stabilisation with this lens
35mm effective focal range: 21-46mm (widest possible with this camera is the very expensive 14mm lens giving 18mm)
total weight 1970g
total price $A9400
what a great camera but its expensive, big and heavy - you would have to be a fanatic to carry this around all day and extra paranoid that no-one steals it.
lens, although better than the EF 17-40mm is still no match for the Olympus ZD 7-14mm optically.
Micro Four Thirds:
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Panasonic 8mm f/3.5 fisheye
Olympus M.ZD 8mm fisheye
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rangefinder lenses such as Leica M, Olympus Pen
C-mount video lenses but with vignetting
Olympus E-system digital SLRs:
2x crop makes using film-based lenses not as worthwhile for super wide angle except perhaps for 8mm fisheyes:
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Zuiko ZD 7-14mm f/4 digital:
14-28mm in 35mm equiv., rectilinear super wide angle zoom with super ED glass
114 to 75 deg field of view with 0.25m macro; weather proof. 7 blades;
cannot use filters; RRP $A2800;
one of the BEST ultrawide zooms in existence
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Zuiko ZD 9-18mm f/4-5.6 ED (Sept 2008):
consumer level ultra-wide 2x zoom covering 18-36mm effective range;
280g; close focus to 25cm; 72mm filter; 7 bladed iris;
“In fact, the ZD ED 9-18mm f4-5.6 lens announced just recently would have been unthinkable before. It was only because it became possible to mass-produce an aspherical lens with enormous variable ratio that it was possible to make it a compact lens without sacrificing image quality.”
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Zuiko ZD 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 SWD digital (mid-2007):
Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Nikon full frame dSLRs:
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introduced 2007, this is perhaps THE BEST AF wide angle lens under 21mm
easily beating the new Canon 16-36mm f/2.8L II
matches the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L & even beats it in corner resolution
luckily for Canon users, they can now use this lens via the
Nikon G adapter which may be the best argument for buying a Canon 1DsMIII.
Nikon 14mm f/2.8D ED drop in rear filter; new GBP700 Ebay; not very good at all
Nikon 15mm f3.5 AIS equiv. to 22.5mm; 39mm screw rear filters; used $US850 Ebay - why pay so much for a 23mm lens?
Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 PRO FX
Tamron 15-20mm f/2.8 VR
Nikon DX digital SLRs:
1.5x crop makes using film-based lenses not worthwhile for super wide angle
see also:
Sigma 4.5mm EX DC circular fisheye for DX
Sigma 10mm EX DC rectilinear fisheye for DX
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Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC:
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Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6:
very good lens for the price, if you don't mind the smaller aperture.
less distortion than the Canon/Nikon 14mm primes!
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Nikon
17-35 AF-S 2.8 ED works well at 18-21mm being up there with the best at this range but problematic pincushion at higher than 25mm is a big issue which requires upsizing of the centre to correct, so not for architectural work. For Nikon DX cameras the total range becomes 25.5-42.5mm
Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD IF:
Tokina AT-X Pro SD 12-24mm f/4 IF DX:
easily beats the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM and Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di-II
not so good at 24mm end and complex CA difficult to remove; not good for close up work.
almost as good as the Olympus ZD 9-18mm
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Tokina 10-17mm
Tokina 14-20mm f/2
Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 fisheye:
Canon APS-C digital SLRs:
1.6x crop makes using film-based lenses not as worthwhile for super wide angle
unfortunately, high quality options in the ultra-wide range are very limited on these APS-C cameras
widest rectilinear is 16mm in 35mm terms (compared to 14mm in Olympus and in full frame cameras).
see also:
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equiv. to 16-35mm, this has reasonable build quality and minimal aberrations with good resolution. Not dust proof. RRP $A1400; 385g; 77mm filter; 63-107deg;
for the 1.6x crop, it is more useful wide angle than EF 17-55, EF-S 17-85, EF 17-40 but could be sharper and more weatherproof.
said to be better than the Nikon 12-24mm, the Tamron 11-18mm, and the Sigma 10-20mm
less distortion at 10mm than a Canon 16-35mm L on a full frame.
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Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM:
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Sigma 12-24mm
Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD IF:
Tokina AT-X Pro SD 12-24mm f/4 IF DX:
easily beats the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM and Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di-II
not so good at 24mm end and complex CA difficult to remove; not good for close up work.
almost as good as the Olympus ZD 9-18mm
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Tokina 10-17mm
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Canon 15mm f/2.8 rectangular fisheye:
Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 fisheye:
Canon 1D (1.3x crop) digital SLRs:
unfortunately, high quality options in the ultra-wide range are extremely limited on these APS-H cameras with NOTHING available wider than 18mm
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21-46mm on 1.3x crop; 82mm filter allows polas without vignetting; weatherproofed; av. street price $US1600;
better image quality than the EF 17-40mm f/4L, but at 24-35mm, neither of these comes close to a EF 24-70mm f/2.8L
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Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L:
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Canon 15mm f/2.8 rectangular fisheye:
Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 fisheye:
Canon full frame digital SLRs (5D/1Ds):
can use legacy 35mm film camera lenses with adapters, but perhaps best to avoid zoom lenses as lens flare can be a big problem as it is exacerbated by reflections from sensor onto rear element.
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you want the best wide angle lenses for these Canon's, then check here:
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14-16mm - Leica R 15mm f/2.8 but mirror may hit it & v.expensive; Zeiss 15mm; Sigma 12-24mm; Canon 14L; see
here;
18mm - Olympus Zuiko 18mm and Nikon 17-35 AF-S are among the best see
here
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shift lenses - Zeiss PC35 Distagon; Zuiko 24 and 35mm shift; Canon EF 17mm and 24mm TSE; Nikon tilt shift lenses;
NB. the Canon lenses, even the L series are no where as good as these.
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AF lenses designed for digital:
auto-focus lenses:
manual focus lenses:
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Canon 17mm f/4 TS-E
Canon 24mm f/3.5 TS-E II
other manual focus EF-mount lenses:
using MF lenses on EOS cameras:
via an Olympus OM to EOS adapter:
adapters:
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Olympus Zuiko 8mm f/2.8 fisheye:
Olympus Zuiko MC 16mm f/3.5 fisheye:
Olympus Zuiko MC 18mm f/3.5:
Olympus Zuiko MC 21mm f/2:
deg field of view; 0.2m macro; 55mm filters; 6 blades; floating element thus better macro performance; used $US500-700 but great quality ones may go for $US900-1100;
the 4th best 21mm lens in the world, beating even the excellent Leica 21-35mm.
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Olympus Zuiko 21mm f/3.5:
deg field of view; 0.2m macro; 49mm filters; 6 blades; no floating element; used $US300-400; $A600 Ebay
this is extremely popular for the 5D - sharpness at f/5.6 and smaller, minimal distortion and good contrast, compact
performance close behind the Zuiko 21mm f/2, making it the 3rd best 21mm lens in the world.
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Olympus Zuiko MC 24mm f/2:
Olympus Zuiko MC 24mm f/2.8:
84 deg field of view; 0.25m macro; 49mm filters; 6 blades; used $US140-250;
one of the sharpest 24mm lenses available for the Canon, but best when stopped down to f/5.6-8.
astoundingly good at f5.6-8 at distance, and produced the highest resolution captures of anything shot thus far at 24mm.
Olympus Zuiko 28mm f/2.0:
via an M42 to EOS adapter:
Pentax Asahi:
17mm f/4 - used $US125
20mm f/4
via Leica R to EOS adapter:
Leica R lenses:
BUT issues with the oversized mirror on the 5D hitting the rear element on some of these lenses!
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Leica R 15mm f/2.8 - mirror may hit it.
Leica 19mm - 2nd best lens in 19-21mm range in the world.
Leica 24mm is not a stellar performer (and doesn't fit a Canon body)
via Contax to EOS adapter:
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BUT issues with the oversized mirror on the 5D hitting the rear element on some of these lenses, esp. the 15mm.
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Zeiss 18mm f/4 - see
here; not as good as the 21mm; waveform pincusion distortion;
Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 - the best 21mm in the world by a country mile, seems much sharper at f/2.8-4 than Zuiko f/2 lens but much the same at smaller apertures see
here but is big and sells on Ebay for $US3000 for mint condition used models! Suffers from waveform distortion which can be difficult to correct.
Zeiss 25mm is an older lens which doesn't seem to reach its siblings' level of picture quality.
via Pentax K to EOS adapter:
via Nikon to EOS adapter:
Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 fisheye:
manual focus shift or “Perspective Control” lenses for 35mm cameras and Canon EOS (+/- via adapter):
Pentax digital SLR's:
Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8 ED IF (21mm equiv.)
Pentax DA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 ED IF fisheye zoom (15-25.5mm equiv)
Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL IF (18-36mm equiv.)
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Film cameras:
35mm SLR cameras:
Bronica SQ:
Zenzanon PS 40mm:
Zenzanon S 50mm f/3.5:
Mamiya 645:
Hasselblad V series:
Panoramic film cameras:
135mm film based:
Fuji G617:
Noblex 6×12:
Fuji GX680III:
NB. 67mm Schneider centre filters retail at about $A550.