Nikon D80; Which wide-angle lens?

ajdesq

ajdesq

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Well folks, I've got the D80! :woot:

I got the 18mm-135mm lens, which I already feel will not be wide enough for the caravan interior photography I do. We're talking fairly cramped environments, naturally.

I know very little about lenses...

I cannot understand why, when I feel that 18mm isn't very wide, why some 20 and 25mm lenses call themselves 'wide-angle', and how a 15mm lens can be a fish-eye...:thinking:

Anyway, technicalities aside, I've whittled down what I feel is a suitable shortlist of three possibles:

1. Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6, £309

2. Tamron 11-18mm f4-5.6 Aspherical, £460

3. Sigma 15mm f2.8 'fisheye' £389

I say 'fisheye' because with a D-SLR the blurb states that you won't get fisheye, but will get 'Ultra-wide angle with minimal distortion'

I'm tempted by No.3 because I don't feel I need a zoom, and it has the widest aperture which will be handy for all those interior shots (faster shutter). But I do NOT want to have to process 100 images per caravan through my PS Elements 2 (if indeed Elements 2 could do that) to straighten the edges if that needs to be done.

So that leaves the slower lenses 1 & 2. Is it worth the extra £150 for 'Aspherical'.

These are the cheapest prices I've found in the UK. It's not worth me going offshore as spending has to go through our books.

Whaddaya reckon, peeps?

Cheers!
 
I cannot understand why, when I feel that 18mm isn't very wide, why some 20 and 25mm lenses call themselves 'wide-angle', and how a 15mm lens can be a fish-eye...
Click to expand...
Andrew BIM that 18mm on your D50 is the equivalent of about 27mm on a 35mm camera due to the sensor size of your camera (multiply the lens size by 1.5 to get the 35mm size)
So the very popular Sigma 10-20mm is actually a 15-30mm but as you say doesn't have the speed (wide aperture) of the 15mm prime - FWIW Sigma also do a couple of f2.8 15mm primes like HERE
HTH ... Paul ;)
 
Thanks Paul. I'd put No3 as Tamron but have just edited it to Sigma because that IS the one I was looking at! But I'm grateful for the link, as Purdy's price is £90 cheaper! And it gives other folks a better idea of what I'm rattling on about.

I'm favouring this lens, but still concerned about the amount of distortion around the edges.

So now the question still remains, do I go for the f2.8 15mm (equivalent to 22mm), or the f4 10-20mm (15-30). I guess I'll still get more in with the 10-20mm, which I suppose in my case is more important that the wider aperture/faster shutter.

Oh decisions, decisions! :thinking:
 
Just a thought but is it feasible to use a small tripod or clamp or beanbag to take your interior shots? If yes you could get away with less light so the 10-20mm Sigma - You'd get better results too as its difficult to eliminate "camera shake" when there's a lack of light ... Paul ;)
 
I have the Sigma 10-20mm lens for my D70 - it's a cracking lens.. just watch you don't get your feet in the shot :lol: :embarrassed: I think I paid about £289 for mine from Bristol Cameras.
 
Job done! Sigma 10-20 on order! :woot:

Thanks people! :thumbs:

My poor bank balance... but we're doing both a motorhome and a caravan review this weekend so it's an ideal opportunity to start using it 'in anger'. Mind you, I've still got to finish wading through the camera manual and then start on the flash manual! :bonk:
 
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