which WIDE Angle lens????

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torque22

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Hi everyone
I have just bought an EOS 400D and am just starting out in the world of photography. I am going to the Grand Canyon later this year and would like to try some HDR shots.High Dynamic Range.

So which canon wide angle would be best from the EF series?
I can't afford the L series.

should i look at a prime lens or zoom?

should i concentrate on getting one with little to no distortions, so that the images will knitt together properly?

is wide better than ultra wide for HDR?

looking at this one at the moment, but had origionally looked at the EF 10-20.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EF-24mm-24-F-2-8-f2-8-Lens-New-0248_W0QQitemZ110151400361QQihZ001QQcategoryZ4687QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

appreiciate any thoughts and advise on this
 
Sigma matey :)

The 10-22 is awesome, the 12-24 is also blinding. Either would be great and much cheaper than the Canon with no noticeable difference in Image Quality to my eyes!

Cheers,
James
 
the sigma 10-22 has got some great reviews and a few members on here are over the moon with it.

good luck with the search :)
 
thanks for the replies.
so is a zoom wide angle just as good as a prime wide angle for doing HDR work?

Also, does anyone know if Photoshop CS2 will do the image stitching and layer alignments required?
 
Be very careful if you're considering 'stitching'..... zooms are not renowned for being linear. That's the same for Canon, Nikon, Sigma....... :shrug: You can get some optics which are well corrected but they cost the earth.

If you're serious about panoramas stick with a good prime OR take a lot of shots in the middle of the zoom range (and in portrait, not landscape), which is generally regarded as being the most rectilinear.
 
You don't need image stitching to produce an HDR image. For HDR work I'd only use Photomatrix. CS2 will give second-rate results. Doesn't matter what lens you use, as the images will be of the same scene at the same angle.

If you want to stitch photos together to make a wide panoramic, then Autostitch is your best bet (and is free). Photos taken at the 'wide end' of things won't stitch well due to the distortion. But we're talking about two different things here - panoramics and HDR - which is it you'll be wanting to do?

My advice for a good value wide angle for the 400D would be the Sigma 10-20. It's the obvious choice, and can be found for £300.
 
I am definately wanting to do some panoramic shots and HDR sounds the most impressive way to do it. I will probably do some normal HDR shots i.e non panoramic just to get the process nailed, but my goal is to be profficient by the time i go to the Grand Canyon in November.

I think that a prime wide angle is prob my best bet (to avoid distortion) but how much difference would the lack of zoom be for panoramics?

thanks once again for the advice and answers provided so far.

which prime lens comes recomended?
wide or ultra wide? (would ultra wide be fisheye and introduce more distortion?
 
The thing is, if you're stitching images together to make a panoramic, then you don't need a lens that's all that wide. I bought my 10-20 so that I didn't have to stitch images together.
 
Any thoughts on the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM its priced quite good and comes with hood, but is it wide enough to also be used just for normal panaoramics without stitching, or for indoor use, group photo's.
I know i'm asking alot bit i only have limited funds.
I currently have the std kit lens, 75-300mm usmIII and EFS-60mm macro.
would the 30mm complement my current lenses and allow me to do HDR?
really appreciate all your thoughts.
 
Nope, 30mm on a crop body such as the 400D won't be wide enough for panoramics.

If you have the standard kit lens, set it to 30mm and have a look. Not that wide eh?

Sorry!

Cheers,
James
 
I'm a noob to photography, thats why I'm asking

thanks for any info and guidance
 
It just means that it's designed to give best performance on APS-C sensors, the focal length still needs multiplying :(

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, if it helps, I thought this rather misleading too!

Cheers,
James
 
well that only leaves this one then
Sigma AF 20mm f/1.8 EX

what do you think?

but will it have too many ditortions at the edges?
 
It'll be a great lens, that's for sure - the EX Sigmas are great, and sit nicely between the Non L and L series in terms of performance.

But will 20mm be wide enough for you? After the crop, that's not particularly wide. As I said before, get your kit lens and set it to 20mm, the field of vision will look the same as the Sigma and will tell you whether it will be suitable or not.

The wider the lens, the greater the risk of distortion yes - it's unavoidable, but the trick is making distortion work for the image. Look at the shots of buildings, converging verticals are a pain in the arris, but they actually lend the idea of height and space - so are not always a bad thing!

Cheers,
James
 
thanks for your help james

maybe i should start a new thread asking which is the best lens for HDR and forget about wide angle at the moment. Maybe i need 2 new lenses one for std panoramic shots and one for HDR
 
Torque, there's no best lens for HDR in my opinion - HDR is only a tool for giving a certain effect to an existing image, it could be taken with anything!

However, I think I know what you mean, and really you just want as wide as possible - the way I see it you have two choices.

1). Buy the Sigma 10-20

2). Wait, and get a full frame camera as and when they become available at a sensible price.

My choice would be number one - what's the point of not being able to take shots in the meantime?

If the budget won't stretch to the 10-20, then persevere with the glass you have, until you can afford it, trust me, it IS worth buying the right thing and not wasting money inbetween - I have learnt this to my cost.

Cheers,
James
 
Hi James

thanks for your help and advice, i will let you know what i end up doing.
 
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