By Joseph Kashi, for the Redoubt Reporter
In addition to wide-to-normal zooms that I discussed last week, there are several excellent and affordable ultrawide to wide-angle zoom lenses available to users of most dSLR brands.
Several ultrawide zoom lenses by independent lens makers Tokina, Sigma and Tamron are very good to excellent optically and are relatively affordable. Versions will fit most dSLR models. These are often as good as their name-brand competition and usually less expensive, although none of these lenses are exactly “cheap.”
All of the lenses listed here are “rectilinear,” that is, they render straight lines as straight lines. Fish-eye lenses are, in my opinion, something of an overused novelty and are not included here.
Despite their short focal lengths, ultrawide angle zoom lenses tend to be bulky, a result of the complex designs necessary to provide sharp focus and even illumination over a very wide field of view.
Our best buy is the Tokina 12- to 24-mm f 4 lens and its Pentax counterpart. This is an excellent and very sharp lens throughout most of its zoom range, at least when stopped down slightly to f 5.6 to f 8. Resolution becomes somewhat soft toward the 24-mm upper end of its magnification range unless you stop down to f 11.
This 12- to 24-mm lens has a 35-mm equivalent zoom range of 18-mm ultrawide-angle through 36-mm slightly wide-angle magnifications. Many reviewers consider this lens to be a basic standard of comparison for wide-angle zoom lenses because of its high optical quality relative to price. Versions ship for most major camera brands.
Tokina and Pentax are part of the same Hoya holding company — the only difference between these two lenses is that the Pentax version includes more efficient multicoating that further reduces internal reflections and flare, frequently the bane of complex wide-angle lenses like this. Both lenses are very well made. The 12- to 24-mm Pentax is somewhat more expensive at about $700 and works with both Pentax and Samsung dSLR cameras. One of these lenses should satisfy the wide angle urges of nearly any photographer.
- Tokina also makes a newer 11- to 16-mm f 2.8 ultrawide-angle zoom (about $600) which has a very short zoom ratio, with a 35-mm equivalent range of 17 mm to 24 mm. Again, the optical quality of this lens, particularly overall sharpness, is very high considering its extremely wide field of view, large maximum aperture and moderate cost. This is a well-made lens and definitely another best buy. The only noticeable optical concerns with this lens — chromatic aberration and vignetting at the shortest focal lengths — can both be readily corrected in Adobe PhotoShop or Lightroom.
- Sigma, another independent lensmaker, sells a 10- to 20-mm f 4 ultrawide-angle zoom for most camera models. This is another well-made lens usually selling for around $600. Overall, this is a fairly sharp lens — center sharpness is quite good but the corners are noticeably softer than the Tokina zooms above. Unusually, this lens is also available for Olympus and Panasonic Four-Thirds cameras. All other things being equal, go with the Tokina/Pentax 12- to 24-mm lens.
- Sigma’s 12- to 24-mm f 4.5 zoom (usually between $700 to $800) is a very complex design inside a solid lens body. Although it’s a decent performer with good center resolution, the Tokina and Pentax 12- 24-mm lenses have somewhat higher sharpness even though they’re less expensive. Moreover, the bulging front element of this Sigma lens prevents mounting a protective UV filter.
- Tamron’s 11- to 18-mm wide-angle zoom currently sells as low as $405. Despite that low price, it’s no bargain due to high optical distortion and poor sharpness, especially away from the center of the frame.
- Tamron’s10- to 22-mm f 3.5 ultrawide zoom (about $500) is a newer model that’s much better. Sharpness over the central two-thirds of the picture is high at the widest angle settings, if you stop down to f 8, but corners are always a bit soft, no matter what aperture you choose. Toward the upper end of the magnification range, sharpness generally declines. This lens provides good value but others are somewhat better optically.
- Tamron’s 17- to 35-mm f 2.8 zoom ($400-$450) can be used on both APS-C and large full-frame sensor cameras. This can be a very sharp lens, particularly when only the central lens image area is used by an APS-C camera. When used wide open at its largest apertures, most of the frame is fuzzy, but stopping down just one or two stops to f 4 or f 5.6 dramatically improves overall image quality. On a full frame sensor, you’ll get an even wider angle of view but you’ll need to stop down to f 8 or f 11 in order to get good image quality.
- Sony’s 11- to 18-mm f 4.5 zoom ($700) is fairly sharp in the center of the image but generally suffers from fuzzy corners. Some of the third-party lenses do a better job for less money and have sharper corners as well.
- Panasonic’s 7- to 14-mm f 4 zoom (about $950) fits all Panasonic and Olympus Four-Thirds cameras and, when using an adapter, Micro Four-Thirds cameras. On a 4/3 sensor, this 7- to 14-mm lens has a 35-mm equivalent magnification of 14 mm to 28 mm. This is a wickedly sharp lens for cameras that can mount it and optical distortion is surprisingly well-corrected, as well. Overall, it is one of the sharpest lenses that I’ve seen, especially considering its daunting and tricky ultrawide-angle field of view. Although expensive, it’s worth every penny if you can use it.
- Olympus has announced several ultrawide-angle lenses for Four-Thirds cameras but there’s no test data available at this time, so I can’t comment upon them.
- Nikon’s 12-to 24mm f 4 zoom (about $1,000) is impressively sharp at all magnification ranges if you stop it down to f 5.6 or f 8. However, I believe that some of the third party lenses discussed above are better buys, even for Nikon users.
- Nikon’s 14-to 24mm f 2.8 zoom ($1,650) actually works corner to corner on a full frame sensor, if you can believe that, and it’s very sharp across that big sensor area despite the extraordinarily wide field of view for a rectilinear ultrawide-angle lens. It’s comparably sharp on smaller APS-C sensor Nikons as well. Although this lens gives me severe sticker shock, it’s probably a case where you get what you pay for. It’s even sharp at wide apertures. Wow!
- Nikon’s 10-to 24mm f 2.8 ($900) is very sharp but works only with smaller APS-C sensor Nikons. I could find no fault with this lens given its price range. It’s sharpest at medium apertures like f 5.6 and good at all focal lengths and a very good all-around ultrawide-angle zoom lens for Nikon users.
- Canon’s 10- to 22-mm f 3.5 zoom ($725) is another good ultrawide zoom lens. Between its widest 10 mm setting and about 18 mm, it’s very sharp across the entire frame at f 5.6 and f 8. Edges tend to be somewhat fuzzy toward its longest 22 mm focal length regardless of aperture. Still, this is a very good choice for APS-C Canon users at a fair price.
Recommendation
Most users really don’t need, and won’t use, ultrawide-angle zoom lenses to their full capability. They’ll likely be satisfied with a high quality normal range zoom lens that includes a 16 mm or 17 mm minimum magnification. Not only are such lenses less expensive, they’re more versatile, covering a range between 24 mm (equiv.) extreme-wide-angle through the equivalent of a 75 mm or so moderate telephoto magnification.
Among the better OEM lenses in this “normal zoom range” group are the Canon 15- to 85-mm, the Olympus 12- to 60-mm, the Nikon 16- to 85-mm, the Sony 16- to 80-mm, and the Pentax 16- to 45-mm and 17- to 70-mm lenses.
- Tamron’s 17- to 50-mm f 2.8 normal range zoom is probably the best buy in this group. It’s very sharp at most settings, well-built, and relatively inexpensive. Tamron makes versions of this lens that fit most dSLR cameras.
If you decide that you really do want to go very wide, then Tokina’s 11- to 16-mm and 12- to 24-mm lenses are probably your best values in a generic ultrawide-angle zoom. The Pentax 12- to 24-mm zoom is basically the same design with some additional optimization — it’s the best buy for Pentax owners. If I planned on a lot of wide-angle photography, then I would combine a good normal range zoom like the Tamron 17- to 50-mm f 2.8 zoom and a high value wide zoom, probably the Tokina 11- to 16-mm f 2.8 lens. This combination is versatile and economically priced for what you get. There are some very nice OEM ultrawide-angle zoom lenses made by major camera manufacturers but you should expect to spend more. Panasonic’s 7- to 14-mm seems to be the lens of choice in this category for 4/3 users while the Canon 10- to 22-mm zoom and all three Nikon ultrawide zooms will provide excellent optical performance if you’re willing to pay the price.
Local attorney Joe Kashi received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MIT and his law degree from Georgetown University. He has published many articles about computer technology, law practice and digital photography in national media since 1990. Many of his technology and photography articles can be accessed through his Web site, www.kashilaw.com.
