Wide-Angle Help - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon MF 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS

06/07/2003 01:39:52 AM · #1

I would like to get a wide angle lens and I don't know if the new Nikon lens will be too expensive for me. Does anyone know the difference between Sigma's 15-30 F3.5-4.5 and Sigma's 17-35 F2.8? I found the 17-35 about $110 cheaper but I don't know how much 2mm difference would be and if it would matter, or if my best bet for wide angle would be Nikon's 12-24. I'm just confused about all this wide-angle stuff.

jab119

06/07/2003 11:50:19 AM · #2

im confused about the wide angle lenses also. But due to the crop factor with the D-SLR's I have heard you want to go as low as you can.

On the canon side people love the 15mm lens, however its a little too expensive for my taste and I am thinking of a 17mm which is less expensive. But I have to wait till my mad money jar fills up before I get one of those.

mcmurma

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

06/07/2003 12:59:00 PM · #3

For what its worth, here is my take on wide-angle lenses. Mind you I only have experience with 35mm FILM cameras and wide lenses, so I am talking about a given lenses 35mm size. You will need to work out the digital "equivalent" for your camera. (For example, the Canon 10D has 1.6 focal length multiplier. So, to figure out the lenses 35mm equivalent we take the lens size, say 17mm, and multiply it by your cameras focal length multiplier, 1.6... 17 x 1.6 = 27.2. So, a 17mm lens for a 35mm FILM camera, will give you a 27.2mm lens on your Canon 10D.)

I have a 24mm and a 28mm lens. I use the 28mm a WHOLE lot more than the 24mm. The angle of view is not as wide on the 28mm, but it doesn't introduce as much distortion to the image.

Wide-angle lenses are great for fitting more of scene into a photo, but when youp keep trying to get more and more of a scene into the shot, something has to give. Straight lines get warped, and everyday objects take on a curiously distorted quality. At 28mm the effect is not bad. Group portraits, for example, will still give you fairly 'normal' looking people. But down at 24mm, the group portrait would start to have some freaking looking, melon-headed people in it. (IMO, at least.) I wish I had some examples to post, but I don't have any handy.

Still, 24mm is fine for landscapes and such where there are few straight lines to worry about, and for photos that you just cant get otherwise. But, for me, 28mm is the widest I like to go for most stuff.

Message edited by author 2003-06-07 13:05:19.

Nikon MF 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS

06/07/2003 01:22:25 PM · #4

i got a cheap vivitar 19-35 mm zoom for my 10d for $150, but it's performance hasn't been cheap! :) with the 1.6 x multiplier it's equiv to a 30mm. even so it's really wide, plenty wide for my uses - I bought because my 28-105 didn't go wide enough on my camera, but i have had no such complaints with this one.

optically, it's really really decent, esp for the price. maybe it's a tiny bit on the flimsy side but that hasn't been any kind of problem for me since i don't trash my stuff....

in practice (having had the lens for several weeks now) i find that i mostly only use wide angle on architectural type scenes where i'm quite close to the scene, i.e. inside of a cathedral, next to a monument, etc. in other applications, it just hasn't made sense. things that are far away , telephoto is more useful, and for work with people, medium tele gives less distorted facial characteristics, as well has helping fill the frame with the subject.

Here's an example, click to enlarge

.

I took that on Monday in Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. If you look in that folder, all of the ND interiors, as well as the Eiffel Tower shots, and the Sacre Coeur interior and exterior were shot with the 19-35. It would have been impossible to get these with a 28-105 on my camera.

What's the focal length multiplier for the D100?

Message edited by author 2003-06-07 13:22:52.

mcmurma

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

06/07/2003 01:29:30 PM · #5

Focal length multiplier on the D100 is 1.5. (As provided by www.dpreview.com :)

And Kollin, those are some great photos from Paris! My daughter is headed to Europe tomorrow... I am envious in the extreme.

Message edited by author 2003-06-07 13:32:15.

06/07/2003 02:13:56 PM · #6

Thanks, Mike. Not to hijack the thread, but there's more stuff including street photography from Germany, Paris, and the UK that I did last week
AT THIS LINK if you or anyone is interested :).

Originally posted by mcmurma:

And Kollin, those are some great photos from Paris! My daughter is headed to Europe tomorrow... I am envious in the extreme.

06/07/2003 05:10:07 PM · #7

Thanks for the help and ideas. I really like what I've seen from Sigma's 15-30mm. It's really sharp and will give me about a 22-45mm focal length. It's also $700 cheaper than Nikon's 12-24mm DX lens. So for the extra $700 I'll be getting an 18mm and I don't know if it'll make too much difference.

06/07/2003 06:16:39 PM · #8

I had the chance to use the Sigma 15-30 EX last week, visiting a friend who had one. Drool. Everyone raves about the quality of that lens, but also I would point out that it is a very large piece of kit. BIG honker. And heavy. In fact, in 4 days in Germany Holland and France, my friend put on his Sigma exactly one time. (The rest was pretty split between 28-135 and 75-300).

In contrast, I had my 19-35 on alot. Useful around monuments and buildings :). Doubles as a 50mm at the long end in a pinch with crop factor.

The size thing may be a nonissue for you. The size (the vivitar I got is really light and compact, prolly because it's just made of plastic :P) combined with the price difference cause me to be personally satisfied with my decision - for now. At some point, though I might upgrade. But for now, I find it chapping to have to pay for the widest to get the not-widest (crop factor). :)

06/08/2003 12:19:56 AM · #9

I like to shoot a lot of landscape photos and living here in Utah with 4 or 5 National Parks a wide angle lens would be a good one to have. I played with the 17-35mm sigma lens on a film camera and it made things look pretty cool. I kind of liked the distortion on certain things.

Journey

Canon PowerShot G3

06/08/2003 01:15:48 PM · #10

Since pretty much my favorite people are on this thread i want to say Hi!

You are among my favorites because:

Jubei: you were the first to make me a Favorite Photographer and it thrilled me to death :)

Kollin: you sent me a PM to look for the 'edge'. I always keep that PM in mind when shooting now. My shots are getting a lot better and for the magazine cover i have a tough choice to make among several. And suppose will be up against shots from Paris from you with your 10D. I bookmarked your pbase site and will look at it at more leisure. I liked the picture of Gary in a restaurant cafe; very nice mood and glimpse into someone's soul. BTW, is that the Gary we all know at dpc??? Did get the feeling your Europe trip was a whirlwind tour and you only had time to hit the 'main attractions'. Next time you're going to Europe, let me know and i'll give you a list of special places.

McMurma: thanks again for your enlightening PM about lenses. I ordered a teleconverter, managed to cancel it within a day, and got the Canon one instead. Am very happy with it. Just got back from a shoot this morning and was pleasantly surprised about the clarity i got on some particular shots; can't post it here because might want to submit for the magazine cover.

Thanks Guys and Have a Great Sunday!

Nikon MF 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS

06/08/2003 01:47:30 PM · #11

Hey thanks Journey for the kind words. I think that you have a great eye and imagination. My favorite picture of your is the one that is called Brother, Can you spare me a line? I like the abstract look very much and the colors work great.

Have a good sunday as well and happy shooting.

mcmurma

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

06/08/2003 02:38:36 PM · #12

Yes, thanks Journey :)

I am glad to hear you got the Canon teleconverter. I have been considering an upgrade from S30 to the new G5, and if I do I would be looking at getting both the wide and tele converters from canon.

I believe I was considering a wide-angle lens from Tiffen (for my S30) when I sent you the PM. I changed my mind on that one. I went to the local Circuit City to purchase the lens and it was not the MegaPlus lens... Just the same 'looking' lens with the Tiffen name on it. Then I began considering how much I want to spend on accessories for my S30 when I will likely purchase another camera in the next year.

(Also, I'm still hoping the 4/3 camera system from Olympus, Kodak, and Fuji pans out. But Canon already has such a commanding lead in the RAW file processing arena that unless they deliver the 4/3 cam with a well-featured RAW file processing utility, I would be content to stick with Canon a while longer.)

Anyway, once you are able, would you mind uploading some samples of the Canon tele?

Thx,

Michael

Message edited by author 2003-06-08 14:40:03.

Journey

Canon PowerShot G3

06/08/2003 05:35:05 PM · #13

Here's an example of the Canon teleconverter:

Dawn at Puget Sound

The 2-3 best examples of the teleconverter i will gladly show as soon as i can; neither shot would have been possible without it.

The only drawback is, of course, that it isn't a zoom. While shooting at Puget Sound, my dog was standing with her front paws high on a rock and really relishing the beautiful scenery. It would have been a great opportunity shot, at least a nice memento for myself, but couldn't take it because she was too close and i couldn't zoom in.

I will get the wide angle converter. Did get a set of Hoya close up filters, 1, 2, and 4, since i didn't want to spend more money for now and probably skip on the Macro close up lens altogether.

And, Jubei, i see you tripped to Traviala. Thanks for the compliment. The site has been sadly neglected since i have the G3. Have been in the digital darkroom instead of doing digital art and i really ought to remove all the crud there that i took with my old camera and replace it with G3 stuff.

06/09/2003 01:44:00 AM · #14

Originally posted by Journey:

And, Jubei, i see you tripped to Traviala. Thanks for the compliment. The site has been sadly neglected since i have the G3. Have been in the digital darkroom instead of doing digital art and i really ought to remove all the crud there that i took with my old camera and replace it with G3 stuff.

Your site has some neat stuff on it. I like looking through everyones profile and sites and seeing the kind of work that they don't submit. I really love the community of people here on DpChallenge. Everyone is always nice and helpful about things. On another site I asked this same question and I guess that because I didn't know anyone and I wasn't a "part" of the group no one replied with any help. I saw that a lot with a bunch of the "newbies" to the site and they lose a lot of people that way. People here at DpChallenge embrace newcomers and welcome them warmly. Just wanted to say thanks.