Wide angle on a tight budget.

Aethelstan

Aethelstan

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David
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Hi, for wide angle shots I use a Canon 18-55mm kit lens but lately I have been wanting to get out a little bit further, maybe to 15mm or so. I can't afford to spend a lot, but it seems prime lenses below 40mm are quite expensive, but I also feel that I have reached the point where I want a crisper image than my kit lens can deliver. Would one of these cheap x0.45 filter things be any good as a stop gap, or will I be throwing £20 away? I do plan to save for a while to afford a decent bit of glass, but it will probably be a year before I will have the cash together.
 
No idea about the filter thing but I suspect many would consider the Canon 10-22 in your shoes, budget-permitting.
 
Thanks for the recommendations. All out of my budget right now, but something to save up for.
 
" I have reached the point where I want a crisper image than my kit lens can deliver"

Attaching another piece of glass to the front of your kit lens will not make it sharper. Have you considered hiring a lens instead to cover your needs until you can buy one?
 
forget the adapters your just binning money

the canon 10-18 IS STM is the one for the budget. sure its slower than the 10-22 but its also half the price and with the very fast STM motor and IS too its a no brainer.
new prices are around £170-£210. second hand you might struggle to find one but im guessing they dont drop price much, and you would be lucky if you found one below £150
cheapest ive found new is here
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EF-...113?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cfc10e7d1

or if ebay doesnt appeal legit and reliable Hdew cameras for £175
http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/canon-ef-s-10-18mm-f45-56-is-stm-2339-p.asp
 
I wonder how many people dismissing wide adapters have actually tried them?

I suppose key things to think about are how the image is going to be viewed and if you are going to print or not and if so how big. If all you want to do is view whole pictures on screen or print relatively small and if you can avoid pixel peeping at the edges at 100% and viewing A3 prints with a magnifying glass maybe a wide adapter is your only option without the expenditure drifting into the hundreds.

I had two wide adapters a few years back. One was rubbish but it at least gave a very distinctive look that was actually nice to have now and again and the other was quite good.

These things are never going to be as good as a wide lens but at the price I don't think they can be expected to be. £20 might be a bit towards the lower end of the market and I think the better one I had cost a bit more than that but I certainly wouldn't dismiss them without looking at them a bit more if they're your only option as you don't want to shell out for a proper wide lens.

My advice is to Google your way to some reviews and image samples and be prepared to gamble £20 or £30 if you're happy with what you find on line.
 
woof woof said:
I wonder how many people dismissing wide adapters have actually tried them?

I suppose key things to think about are how the image is going to be viewed and if you are going to print or not and if so how big. If all you want to do is view whole pictures on screen or print relatively small and if you can avoid pixel peeping at the edges at 100% and viewing A3 prints with a magnifying glass maybe a wide adapter is your only option without the expenditure drifting into the hundreds.

I had two wide adapters a few years back. One was rubbish but it at least gave a very distinctive look that was actually nice to have now and again and the other was quite good.

These things are never going to be as good as a wide lens but at the price I don't think they can be expected to be. £20 might be a bit towards the lower end of the market and I think the better one I had cost a bit more than that but I certainly wouldn't dismiss them without looking at them a bit more if they're your only option as you don't want to shell out for a proper wide lens.

My advice is to Google your way to some reviews and image samples and be prepared to gamble £20 or £30 if you're happy with what you find on line.
Click to expand...
I've used one, I binned every image it produced, then I binned it. :)
 
dean messenger said:
forget the adapters your just binning money

the canon 10-18 IS STM is the one for the budget. sure its slower than the 10-22 but its also half the price and with the very fast STM motor and IS too its a no brainer.
new prices are around £170-£210. second hand you might struggle to find one but im guessing they dont drop price much, and you would be lucky if you found one below £150
cheapest ive found new is here
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EF-...113?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cfc10e7d1

or if ebay doesnt appeal legit and reliable Hdew cameras for £175
http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/canon-ef-s-10-18mm-f45-56-is-stm-2339-p.asp
Click to expand...
This one^
 
Phil V said:
I've used one, I binned every image it produced, then I binned it. :)
Click to expand...

Maybe you bought a crap one?

As I said, I suppose key things are use and viewing and if the option of buying a £150 lens isn't available, if you can find one for £150, then they're at least worth a look so that an informed decision can be made.
 
Depends what you are shooting, but doing a stitched pan solves many problems.
And also an opportunity to learn something new.
 
I think currys still have these for £181. But you get £25 cash back from cabin so make the cost £154
 
I have one of those adaptor things that I bought shortly after buying my first SLR. The only time I ever bring it out is to log decorating progress because I can get a whole room into a frame.

I'm afraid I agree with everyone else though. They are pretty woeful.

That said, if you just want to experiment a bit with a wider angle to see if it's something you really want to get into more before you commit to spending (and take your time to save) loads of money to spend on a lens suited to the job... well maybe as an interim measure it could be of benefit. it's only 15 quid after all, and when you're done with it you can probably put it back on ebay and still get a tenner...
 
The specific instance that makes me want a wider lens was a hole in a cave roof where I wanted the rocks in the image along all four sides. I don't think a stitched panorama would have worked in that instance, but I agree it would be good as another technique to learn. I will give that a go next time I am out and about.
 
Aethelstan said:
The specific instance that makes me want a wider lens was a hole in a cave roof where I wanted the rocks in the image along all four sides. I don't think a stitched panorama would have worked in that instance, but I agree it would be good as another technique to learn. I will give that a go next time I am out and about.
Click to expand...


You can stitch in almost any situation
Two rows covers most situations, but there is no actual limit to how many shots you can stitch. nor does the orientation of the shots matter in the least.
 
Aethelstan said:
The specific instance that makes me want a wider lens was a hole in a cave roof where I wanted the rocks in the image along all four sides. I don't think a stitched panorama would have worked in that instance, but I agree it would be good as another technique to learn. I will give that a go next time I am out and about.
Click to expand...
Stitching is straightforward, just remember to do large overlaps.
 
buy a proper lens. i have the sigma 10 20 and its fun

finding a decent wide angle adapter is really hard, and then the good ones cost as much as a ultrawide sigma or tamron... if you want to dip your toe in the water buy a phone lens, to see if you like ultrawide/fisheye

add on teleconverters are a safer bet, if you want to add lenses to a dslr/compact camera
 
I searched on ebay for 10-22 and there is a guy selling one for a 90quid bid atm. I would post the link but i'm not sure if that breaks the rules! I hope you find one that suits your budget!
 
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