Do I REALLY(!!) need a super-wide angle

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rabaroo

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I am starting to wonder and investigate the purchase of a superwide, currently looking at the Canon 10-22, Sigma 10-20 or a Tokina of a similar size....

my question is do I REALLY need one, will it make THAT much of a different to my photos? - I currently have a kit 18-55 lens, which has suited most of my needs recently, but at times has been a bit restrictive and I'd have liked to be wider... however I am not sure I'll get the return on the ~£300+ invested.

I've arranged to loan one from Stewart @ Lenses for Hire in May when I'll be in Keswick & Northumberland to test one out... photographic wise, I have no speciality and enjoy doing all kinds on different days... however, in the second half of the year I have a Med Cruise and New Year in the Lake District, so thinking that it would do me well for Landscapes etc....

Does anyone else have a similar setup, and is the extra 8mm from 18-10mm really make a difference? - coincidentally my next lens after the 18-55 is a 28-105 and I really feel the loss of width in that, but with a 10-22 would I constantly be swapping over lenses etc?

sorry, maybe this is just a ramble, but perhaps it'll bring out some thoughts...:thinking:
 
I pondered the same question for a long time.
Some people argue that super wide angle lenses are too wide for landscapes but I disagree.
Last year on our med crusie and when we visited my step daughter in Iceland, I found there were plenty of times I wish I had bought a wider lens.
Next weekend we are going on a cruise around the northern tip of South America so I jumped at the chance to buy a Canon 10-22mm.
I've not had much chance to use it yet but the photos I have taken have made me realise I have made the right choice.
I did consider the Sigma 10-20mm but as there are people that haven't been happy with their fist copy (although plenty of people have been), and the review in photoplus magazine, sealed my choice of the Canon.
Be warned though, the prices have gone crazy with the pound being weak against the yen.
It's anyones guess as to when things will return to normal so your choice hire one from Stewart is a good idea.
 
When I'm doing landscapes I often look for a very close and interesting foreground to lead me into & then through the image. For huge DoF and to capture a wide vista my favourite lens is my 12-24mm

IMHO - to make sense of such a wide lens you really need to pack in the foreground interest as otherwise even a tall mountain can be 'lost'

I'd have to recommend one if landscapes and or architecture are your thing

:thumbs:

DD
 
Wide angles are best used to create dramatic angles, not to squeeze everything in to the frame. The latter will tend to make quite boring photos.

Get one and play with it. If you're always at the wide end of your 18-55 it seems like an easy decision.

The 8mm from 10mm to 18mm is almost halving the focal length! It's not like 8mm from 47mm-55mm. It's more like the difference from 18mm - 35mm. It's huge.
 
I pondered the same question when I was thinking about buying the Sigma 10-20. In the end I bought it, as I'm going to New York in April and thought it might come in handy. However since I bought it in January it has hardly been off of my camera, and I've found it a useful lens even when not doing landscape photography...takes lovely photos of my horse!!!
n502157922_1517389_3693.jpg


n502157922_1517388_3193.jpg


For £300 I think the Sigma is a steal, such a good lens (my dad loves it too, and is always asking to borrow mine ;) )
 
This is not a great photo by any means, and ill considered use of a CPL has harmed the sky, but here is an example of a shot at 10mm on a 30D. This has been cropped both top and bottom, but what you see here is the full width of the frame....

20071207_134724_0885_LR-2.jpg


Here's a similar shot at 22mm with no crops/edits....

20071207_134711_0884_LR.jpg
 
You can also take unsuspecting snaps of people at partys as it looks like you are pointing the camera at someone else. :D
 
That's like asking "I want to unscrew some screws, do I REALLY need a screwdriver". If you want to take wide angle shots, you need a wide angle lens. 18mm on a crop camera is not wide angle so you won't be able to get wide angle shots with it :shrug:

What you're really asking is for us to justify you buying one I suspect?? In which case, if you really want one get one, you won't regret it. I bought the Sigma and I'm not disappointed, I love it. Youre not restricted to just landscapes with it either - try using one for interesting portraiture and groovy perspective shots. You can really creative with wide angle.
 
tdodd said:
This is not a great photo by any means, and ill considered use of a CPL has harmed the sky, but here is an example of a shot at 10mm on a 30D. This has been cropped both top and bottom, but what you see here is the full width of the frame....
Click to expand...

Nice shots tdodd.
Can you not correct the sky via software?
 
Plus, adding to all the madness, the 18-55mm kit lens isn't the sharpest of lenses, so the 10-20 or the 10-22 will be a much better quality lens.
 
I loaned a Sigma 10-20mm from Stewart for New Year and it was well worth it. I only have a Sigma 24-60mm for landscapes and find that the extra width essential so I'm now in the market for a Tokina 12-24mm.

Andy
 
hashcake said:
Nice shots tdodd.
Can you not correct the sky via software?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how I'd go about fixing it. I could try a bit of vignetting correction, or perhaps some sort of gradient filter things, but I don't have the skills to do it properly in Photoshop and I'm not sure Lightroom has the facilities to do it properly ether. As things are, I'm happy enough with it the way it is, but I have learned my lesson about excessive use of a CPL on ultra wide lenses. I'm sure only photographers would find the error offensive. To non togs I'm not sure they'd even notice anything wrong.
 
You don't NEED any extra lenses, it just adds to the fun of photography and subtracts from the bank balance.

Sigma 10-20mm lens is fun.
I've had one on my Canon and now one on my Nikon.
 
For the styles of photography that I enjoy, when I went from DX to FF, I really missed my 10-20. So for me, I needed an ultrawide. If you have not used one before then, as you have planned, use one first and see how you get on with it. If it really suits you then consider investing in the 10-20.
 
These quoted focal lengths are all relative to a full frame camera, and if cropped sensors are involved I think the discussion can be a bit confusing.

12mm on (eg) a canon 40D is equivalent to 19mm, 24mm = 38 mm = not very wide at all!

Personally, on full frame I hardly ever find wider than 24mm is necessary, so my 17-40mm zoom hardly gets used. On a cropped sensor I often used it at the wide end.
 
None of us amateur photographers need the kit we buy, we just want it.
Otherwise we would all buy point and shoot or bridge cameras and be done with it :D

The same can be said for all singing and dancing mobile phones, game consoles etc.
If you want one and have the cash to spare then go of it.
 
Ste Manns said:
That's like asking "I want to unscrew some screws, do I REALLY need a screwdriver". If you want to take wide angle shots, you need a wide angle lens. 18mm on a crop camera is not wide angle so you won't be able to get wide angle shots with it :shrug:

What you're really asking is for us to justify you buying one I suspect?? In which case, if you really want one get one, you won't regret it. I bought the Sigma and I'm not disappointed, I love it. Youre not restricted to just landscapes with it either - try using one for interesting portraiture and groovy perspective shots. You can really creative with wide angle.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with this. To add to the point of not limiting by landscape - the latest issue of "Digital SLR Photography" magazine has a very interesting article about just this - use of extreme wide-angles for various non-landscape shots. Quite interesting...
 
Once you use one you'll more than likely want it –*it's always the case with photo kit –*but I do feel people buy these ultra wides simply becuase they're expected to rather than because then need it. At the end of the day, unless you work profesionally, it will only pay for itself if you get the enjoyment out of it that you wouldn't have done with yur kit lens.
 
Ste Manns said:
That's like asking "I want to unscrew some screws, do I REALLY need a screwdriver". If you want to take wide angle shots, you need a wide angle lens. 18mm on a crop camera is not wide angle so you won't be able to get wide angle shots with it :shrug:

What you're really asking is for us to justify you buying one I suspect?? In which case, if you really want one get one, you won't regret it. I bought the Sigma and I'm not disappointed, I love it. Youre not restricted to just landscapes with it either - try using one for interesting portraiture and groovy perspective shots. You can really creative with wide angle.
Click to expand...

LOL -

perhaps a bit of that, and perhaps a bit of hope people would say its not required so I could save a few hundred £££ and keep the wife happy for a bit longer.... been quite an upward learning curve and downward bank balance curve since i started :D
 
rabaroo said:
LOL -

perhaps a bit of that, and perhaps a bit of hope people would say its not required so I could save a few hundred £££ and keep the wife happy for a bit longer.... been quite an upward learning curve and downward bank balance curve since i started :D
Click to expand...

Tell me about it! The kit lens lasted about a week before I "needed" something longer. Then I "needed" a macro. A nifty fifty soon followed and then finally the superwide. Then I started on flash. I got a couple of cheap units but wasnt happy. I "needed" a Canon 580EX2, that was followed up by two 430EX2's...I'm onto my fifth kit bag, but I've outgrown that and am now toying with getting something else. It's never ending when you get the bug. The long lens I got originally is a bit rubbish (EF90-300) and so I've been looking at better quality items. I'm very lucky in that I've had some money available to spend and a very very understanding partner, but now we have a baby on the way and I think I'll have to curb the spending for a while and be happy with what I have.

I will say this, when I started out with my 350D the kit lens soon showed its flaws, I was trying my best to get decent landscapes with it but I just wasnt happy with it. You will not regret buying a superwide in this respect, but you don't "need" it - you can still take fantastic pictures with the kit lens if you work at it and are prepared to look for that shot you want, it just won't be as wide a field of view.
 
Again, I'll say that if there's ANY chance of going up to a FF body in the next few years, go for the Sigma 12-24 rather than the 10-20. It's not quite as wide as the 10-20 on a crop sensor but stick it on a FF body and it'll be W - I - D - E ! I've been using mine quite a lot recently to chart the progress of some building work Dad's having done on the inside of his new home. Standing tight in the corner of a room, I can get all 4 walls in shot. I'm also using it a fair bit for landscapes and am looking forward to taking it on holiday with the D700 - I just MAY be able to capture some of the glory of the mountains in Crete!
 
Ste Manns said:
Tell me about it! The kit lens lasted about a week before I "needed" something longer. Then I "needed" a macro. A nifty fifty soon followed and then finally the superwide. Then I started on flash. I got a couple of cheap units but wasnt happy. I "needed" a Canon 580EX2, that was followed up by two 430EX2's...I'm onto my fifth kit bag, but I've outgrown that and am now toying with getting something else. It's never ending when you get the bug. The long lens I got originally is a bit rubbish (EF90-300) and so I've been looking at better quality items. I'm very lucky in that I've had some money available to spend and a very very understanding partner, but now we have a baby on the way and I think I'll have to curb the spending for a while and be happy with what I have.

I will say this, when I started out with my 350D the kit lens soon showed its flaws, I was trying my best to get decent landscapes with it but I just wasnt happy with it. You will not regret buying a superwide in this respect, but you don't "need" it - you can still take fantastic pictures with the kit lens if you work at it and are prepared to look for that shot you want, it just won't be as wide a field of view.
Click to expand...

Interesting post, thanks! - I went through much of this.... I was "allowed" to get my 450D a few months in advance of the original plan, but having got it and used the 18-55 - i really needed a telephoto.... so I got the 55-250. Then I had 2 lenses so needed a camera bag to store everything in..... then I started to "need" other bits and bobs..... For Xmas I was quite lucky and got my "nifty fifty" and also my 28-105, which although I can tell is good quality, I've yet to have real chance to use it as landscapes/buildings which I've mainly done since Xmas means that the 28 is too tight.... so I am stuck with the 18-55 to satisfy that need.

One thing that always gets me though is comments about low quality of the kit lens and noticing the better quality in a new lens...... in the time I've had it I've made my nifty fifty look cr@p - I've read webpages, bought magazines, watched tutorials, but I'm yet to get a really stunning (photography wise) photo - maybe the lenses are holding me back? maybe its me? who knows......

One thing I'd really love to try is an L lens just to see if what people say is true!

Anyway, its my B'day soon and I need a new bag (outgrown the old one!) and a new tripod.... the wide angle is definately wanted/needed but for now I guess I'll stick with loaning the one in May for my week away, and see what to do from there in time for the summer - hill walks, landscapes, cruise holiday etc......
 
People often talk about kit lenses being poor quality, and tbh yes they are, but a poor workman blames his tools...I've personally had some cracking shots with the kit lens. The 1.8 50mm is excellent optically but shabby build quality, this won't stop you getting amazing pictures from it though - keep trying.

I have promised myself some L glass when I can buy it from the proceeds of my photography and not until then. They are highly desirable but I just cannot justify the expense yet, I do own the 60mm EF-S macro lens, which is often said to be an "L" lens in disguise, and if the quality of this lens is indeed indicative then I can't wait!!!
 
I got a Sigma 10-20mm a few weeks ago and i have to say that after i got over the period of paranoia as to if it was "soft", it has become my favourite lens. You don't need one for landscape shots but if you get one you'll never look back. Play with it at it's extremes and you'll also find a little bit of creativity. :)
 
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