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Best Value Wide Angle Prime Lens for Canon

A

AirborneAngel

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 8, 2007
258
0
Los Angeles, CA
What lens do you guys suggest for someone looking for a relatively cheap wide angle prime lens? I want something pretty fast (like a 2.8) to supplement my 50mm 1.8 and my 18-55mm kit lens. I really want something in the $2-300 range, as I just bought a 70-200 which set me back quite a bit.

Cheers
 
This falls outside the $200-$300 range, but the 17-40 F4L is a STELLAR lens to own, it'll slaughter pictures you're getting from the kit 18-55. Save up a few more months and pick one up around $500. It's tack sharp on a crop sensor. If you want to aim for 2.8 you've got to be willing to shell out even more cash.
 
Well, if you are looking for something without a fixed focal length there are some good options, but nothing that would usually go for $200-$300.

Are you looking for something to reach below your kit lens? Like an Ultra Wide Angle like the Canon 10-22? Or a prime lens at like 24mm, 30mm?

Lots of awesome UWA choices for the Canon. Are you shooting with a a full frame camera or a crop sensor?
 
AirborneAngel said:
What lens do you guys suggest for someone looking for a relatively cheap wide angle prime lens? I want something pretty fast (like a 2.8) to supplement my 50mm 1.8 and my 18-55mm kit lens. I really want something in the $2-300 range, as I just bought a 70-200 which set me back quite a bit.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Samyang/Rokinon/Bower/Pro Optic 14mm f/2.8 is your best bet- it'll be just over $370-435, but is about as good as a 14mm gets this side of $1400. Search each brand name for a Canon mount- prices vary depending on the way it's branded.

Paul
 
Agreed with Paul. The Samyang, and other branded but same lenses, is the best you can get in terms of sheer optical quality. The fact that it is manual focus might throw some people off but with a wide angle like that it should not be a problem with focusing really.
 
legreve said:
I would save up to the 35 1.4. I know its a long way off, but that lense is very nice.
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That's not even a wide-angle lens on a crop body, it's a normal lens.

@OP
If you want a wide-angle prime lens, you could have a look at Tokina's 17 mm f/3.5 prime which gives you approximately the same viewing angle as a 28 mm lens on full frame. The built quality is outstanding and optically it's quite good.
 
AirborneAngel said:
What lens do you guys suggest for someone looking for a relatively cheap wide angle prime lens? I want something pretty fast (like a 2.8) to supplement my 50mm 1.8 and my 18-55mm kit lens. I really want something in the $2-300 range, as I just bought a 70-200 which set me back quite a bit.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Dude, $2? You aint getting no lens for that :D

Haha I joke, it's how I read it at first.

I know it's annoying when you go on a forum, specify a budget and get recommended things higher than your budget but when it comes down to glass it's really important. You genuinely are better off buying good lenses rather than sub-par, and then selling them when you want to move on. I've learnt this the hard way!

Bought a Sigma 70-300, sold that.. bought a 50mm 1.8, sold that and got the 1.4.. bought a canon 70-300, took about 3 pictures with it, sold it cause I'm going to buy the 70-200 f4L..

If I just had of got all those good lenses to begin with I'd have more money now. I honestly think if you want a decent wide angle then it is the 17-40f4L you want! ANd for L glass, it's considerably cheap. You may be sceptical over the f4, but if your using it for landscapes you shouldn't have to worry so much anyway (tripod, long exposure, f8-f11 for sharpness anyway, etc)

So yes, I second that!

If you really cant, then the sigma 17-50 2.8 :)
 
wheezy said:
This falls outside the $200-$300 range, but the 17-40 F4L is a STELLAR lens to own, it'll slaughter pictures you're getting from the kit 18-55. Save up a few more months and pick one up around $500. It's tack sharp on a crop sensor. If you want to aim for 2.8 you've got to be willing to shell out even more cash.
Click to expand...

TheSVD said:
Dude, $2? You aint getting no lens for that :D

Haha I joke, it's how I read it at first.

I know it's annoying when you go on a forum, specify a budget and get recommended things higher than your budget but when it comes down to glass it's really important. You genuinely are better off buying good lenses rather than sub-par, and then selling them when you want to move on. I've learnt this the hard way!

Bought a Sigma 70-300, sold that.. bought a 50mm 1.8, sold that and got the 1.4.. bought a canon 70-300, took about 3 pictures with it, sold it cause I'm going to buy the 70-200 f4L..

If I just had of got all those good lenses to begin with I'd have more money now. I honestly think if you want a decent wide angle then it is the 17-40f4L you want! ANd for L glass, it's considerably cheap. You may be sceptical over the f4, but if your using it for landscapes you shouldn't have to worry so much anyway (tripod, long exposure, f8-f11 for sharpness anyway, etc)

So yes, I second that!

If you really cant, then the sigma 17-50 2.8 :)
Click to expand...

3rd vote for the 17-40 f/4L. I wanted for a reburb to become available and grabbed it. Save your money and go for the better glass, they will often outlast your present camera body. Should you eventually go FF from a crop camera-no problem.
 
Tokina 11-16 f/2.8

/thread

With only 5 mm of zoom its pretty much a prime, its WIDE, and its FAST.

Your going to have to spend about $500 to pick up a used one though. You wont be dissapointed. I was so happy with it I bought the Full frame variants, the 16-28 f/2.8 when I upgraded to Full frame rather than going with the mega-bucks Canon 16-35 f/2.8LII, despite the vaunted Red Ring.
 
MattSepeta said:
Tokina 11-16 f/2.8

/thread

With only 5 mm of zoom its pretty much a prime, its WIDE, and its FAST.

Your going to have to spend about $500 to pick up a used one though. You wont be dissapointed. I was so happy with it I bought the Full frame variants, the 16-28 f/2.8 when I upgraded to Full frame rather than going with the mega-bucks Canon 16-35 f/2.8LII, despite the vaunted Red Ring.
Click to expand...

Have one of these and I can't recommend it enough. It became my weapon of choice the moment I got it, and although I use other lenses a bit more these days, the Tokina is always the default lens for a shoot.
 
What's wrong with the 18-55 IS?

At 18mm it's only a half stop slower than the 17-55mm and a half stop faster than the 17-40mm. And it's remarkably sharp wide open, mtf charts indicate it's on par with either of those two. It does have its share of CA and distortion, but it's a phenomenal lens otherwise.

The Tokina seems like a great choice if you need to go wider, but I've never used it.
 
Policar said:
What's wrong with the 18-55 IS?

At 18mm it's only a half stop slower than the 17-55mm and a half stop faster than the 17-40mm. And it's remarkably sharp wide open, mtf charts indicate it's on par with either of those two. It does have its share of CA and distortion, but it's a phenomenal lens otherwise.

The Tokina seems like a great choice if you need to go wider, but I've never used it.
Click to expand...

18mm (or 17mm) is just not that wide on a crop.
 
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