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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Wide angle lense
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06/15/2011 08:52:34 PM · #1
Hi forum,

I just recently got a Canon EOS T3i and i absolutely love it. To start off i just bought a 50mm lense and now I'm really interested in getting a wide angle lense. I have been reading up on wide angle lenses and I would just like the forum's opinion. I want to take pictures of the night sky, thats what i'm most interested in :]. If there is any place i can get a wide angle lense used that is still in good condition, and i don't want to blow my budget. Hopefully less than 200 bucks but i will pay up to 300.

Thanks!
-Brent Chico
06/15/2011 08:58:52 PM · #2
Fred Miranda is where I bought a used 50mm in perfect condition. There are tons of great deals in those forums.

Message edited by author 2011-06-15 20:59:58.
06/15/2011 09:29:04 PM · #3
Well, you've chosen a difficult set of constraints. WA lenses are notorious for having some optical compromises, and that goes double for inexpensive WA lenses. Your target application of night sky photography is one of the most demanding possible uses for a WA lens; it will show up every little optical problem, believe it.
I scoured the marketplace for years for a WA lens that would perform adequately for this, finally settled on the Canon 24/1.4, NOT a cheap lens, and NOT perfect, but quite good.
I don't mean to be discouraging, but please do recognize that you will wrestle with the quality vs. cost issue with this application.
06/15/2011 09:33:37 PM · #4
Hm, this changes my outlook a lot haha. What size lense would you suggest? i was thinking a 20mm or maybe even a 14mm. What is your opinion?
06/15/2011 09:38:11 PM · #5
Originally posted by cheeseboy:

Hm, this changes my outlook a lot haha. What size lense would you suggest? i was thinking a 20mm or maybe even a 14mm. What is your opinion?


On an APS-C camera, yes, 20mm or wider would be desirable. My advice is, buy used, try it out, re-sell if you're not satisfied.
Another option is a fisheye. They are usually optically better than rectilinear WA lenses, and give a wider field of view for the same focal length. A Canon 15mm fisheye would fit the bill really well, but is more expensive than your current budget.
06/15/2011 10:09:02 PM · #6
If you are interested in a UWA zoom, then the Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 is a solid performer, which is pretty well regarded. You might be able to find a used copy for $300, but probably not $200. I've been pretty happy with mine. Maybe a little soft at the edges at 10mm, but you can always shoot at 10mm and crop a little, so that you are effectively left with an 11 or 12mm image that is nice and sharp edge to edge. Still wider than the 14mm or 20mm options you mention.
06/15/2011 10:27:39 PM · #7
Well... How about something a bit off the beaten path..... Manual focus.... 8mm f3.5 FishEye (who needs to focus at 8mm) and fits right in your budget.

Adorama Linkie
06/15/2011 10:41:43 PM · #8
I have a Tamron 10-24 and am very happy with it. $500 new when I bought it last year. I've seen them used on Craigslist for about $300-350.
06/15/2011 11:10:14 PM · #9
Holy sh*t so many suggestions. Thank you for all of your guys' help. I think a fish eye would be really fun for a while but i dont know if its practical for my usage for the camera. But if i can find a well priced used one that might be a possibility :]. Now the Sigma 10-20 sounds really good and I will try to find a good used one. And so far (10 to 15 min) i cant seem to find any on craigslist in southern california. Thanks for all of your help :]. I will keep you guys updated. and if you find any more info or have any opinions feel free to share.

Thanks!!
-Brent Chico
06/15/2011 11:55:42 PM · #10
I really love my Sigma (and use it and my 28-70 the most), but you might have some frustrations when it comes to astro shots because of its speed. Not sure on the 600D's high ISO performance, but that's something to consider.
06/16/2011 02:53:55 AM · #11
What do you mean because of its speed when taking astro shots? The 600D has pretty good high iso performance but i usually have it on iso 400 or 200.
06/16/2011 03:42:46 AM · #12
Originally posted by cheeseboy:

What do you mean because of its speed when taking astro shots? The 600D has pretty good high iso performance but i usually have it on iso 400 or 200.


Speed refers to its largest aperture (F4). So here's a hypothetical to illustrate why that's important.
To get a good exposure on stars, you want to minimize the duration of your shot for several reasons. One, is because the longer your duration, the more ambient light becomes prevalent in your shot. Two is because longer exposures increase noise inherently. Three is because you can only have so long an exposure before your star points become star trails (not necessarily a problem, unless you want stars to appear as points). Stars also aren't all that bright, so, to keep your exposure shorter, you need one of two things- A fast lens, or a high ISO. F4 is one full stop slower than F2.8, for example, so to get the equivalent shot with that Sigma vs a 2.8, you need to double your ISO.
Take this shot-
The exposure on the sky was F1.4 30s @ ISO1000. To get that same shot with that Sigma 10-20 (which is three stops slower), you would have to shoot at ISO8000.

ETA: That weird colored light on the bottom is ambient from a distant city. The longer the exposure, the more prominently it will appear in your shot.

Message edited by author 2011-06-16 03:44:30.
06/16/2011 11:28:45 AM · #13
Oh that is interesting. Then i need a lense with a faster speed. That is a beautiful shot by the way! So would you say a F1.4 lense would do the job much better?
06/16/2011 11:37:17 AM · #14
Some DPC photographers have made some spectacular shots using the Canon EF-S 10-22MM. It was made for use with your camera's sensor.
06/16/2011 12:29:14 PM · #15
Originally posted by EL-ROI:

Some DPC photographers have made some spectacular shots using the Canon EF-S 10-22MM. It was made for use with your camera's sensor.

Yeah great lens I an a fan of mine but it's not likely in the 200-300 budget.... would be lucky to get it for double that budget :-)
06/16/2011 01:11:41 PM · #16
Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

So here's a hypothetical to illustrate why that's important.
To get a good exposure on stars, you want to minimize the duration of your shot for several reasons. One, is because the longer your duration, the more ambient light becomes prevalent in your shot....

ETA: That weird colored light on the bottom is ambient from a distant city. The longer the exposure, the more prominently it will appear in your shot.


That's not quite correct. I mean, it IS correct, but the ambient light also gets more visible at the same shutter speed if you open the lens up to a wider aperture. It's just light, like any other light. There's something in the way you phrased that that seems to imply that the ambient light somehow responds differently than other sorts of light. Or it sounded that way to me, anyway :-)

Bottom line; you want "X" quantum of exposure, and as far as fixed-position light goes, it doesn't matter if the quantum is long shutter speed/small aperture or short shutter speed/larger aperture. For the STARS, on the other hand, the longer the shutter speed the more they will trail. nevertheless, for the given quantum of exposure, the ambient light will render exactly the same. Just like a daylight shot is exposed exactly the same at f/2.8 and 1/1000 or at f/8 1/125 or at f/22 at 1/15 — all those give the same quantum of exposure.

R.

Message edited by author 2011-06-16 13:12:03.
06/16/2011 06:25:45 PM · #17
I have been looking around and i found this lens and i'd like your opinions.
//www.ebay.com/ctg/Canon-EF-S-18-mm-55-mm-F-3-5-5-6-Lens-/99653344?_dmpt=Camera_Lenses&_pcategid=3323&_pcatid=783&_trksid=p5360.c0.m2000114
06/16/2011 10:57:51 PM · #18
Originally posted by cheeseboy:

I have been looking around and i found this lens and i'd like your opinions.
//www.ebay.com/ctg/Canon-EF-S-18-mm-55-mm-F-3-5-5-6-Lens-/99653344?_dmpt=Camera_Lenses&_pcategid=3323&_pcatid=783&_trksid=p5360.c0.m2000114


Just a kit lens. Probably not that different to what's on your camera now.
06/16/2011 11:00:49 PM · #19
I have a 50mm and i just want a wide angle lense that will be good enough for me. I'm just an amateur photographer and i just do it for fun.
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