Lens Dilemma

hil26 · Lens Dilemma

Ok, want a new lens

Cannot decide which to go for

Replacement for the kit lens 18 - 70 3.5/4,5 to Nikon 17-55 f2.8

or wide angle, Sigma 12 - 20

would love both but...........

Replacement for kit lens, will it give me a better quality image, value for money etc, going to do some studio stuff, so will be helpful in that department

Wide angle - most of my shots are landscape so will give me more coverage and perhaps less time trying to stitch 2 images together..

Dilemma, but a nice one .... need to decide as need to write to father christmas

Venom

I think the first question is which do you need most?
Dave do you mean the 10 - 20 or the 12 - 24?

All the reviews compare the 17 - 55 to the 70 - 200 with:
• Build quality
• Image quality
• Sharpness
• Fast aperture at all focal lengths
• No significant distortion
• Its heavy and stable to hold
Most of the reviews give it 5 out of 5.

The Sigma depending which it is, the 10 - 20 tends to rate slightly higher but both suffer from an inability to find a screw in filter.

IMO would it not why you are discovering the studio side be worth keeping the kit lens and buy the wide angle as this IMO is what you would use the most then further down the line as you develop the studio side look again at the 17 - 55, just a thought.

Evolution104

Hi Dave,
I'm not going to try and tell you which way to go, but I'll share my own experience which may help.

Faced with the same decision, I opted to buy the Olympus 7mm-14mm super wide angle lens for much the same reason you cited. It is by far the most expensive lens in my collection - it's a beautiful lens, pro quality optics and build - and heavy!

I've found now that I rarely use it. I can't find filters for it (it won't accept filters anyway due to its construction) and it is a true specialized lens that requires just the right subject to make a great image.

As for making wider images for panoramics, it does that, but it obviously is also squeezing that image on to the same size sensor, so it's smaller and loses detail, especially when I crop the top and bottom and enlarge it to make a panoramic. Careful stitching of multiple full size images using my kit lenses gives me better panoramics in the end assuming I get the exposure levels correct. Granted this is a lot more work.

As for my kit lenses, I'm increasingly dissatisified at their lack of sharpness, slow speed and muddling of detail. I do, however, appreciate their light weight and relatively inexpensive filters due to the small diameter. Better mid-range lenses would be heavier and probably larger requiring new, more expensive filters. But I use these lenses for the vast majority of my pictures.

On hind sight, I'm beginning to think I would have gotten more for my money by putting it in to better lenses I use all the time, rather than one specialty lens that sits in the bag. I love my super wide angle lens, and someday when I find that perfect scene it was just meant for, I'll be grateful for it.

Of course, if I had bought replacements for my kits lenses, I'd be anxious to get that wide angle now anyway - I want it all Laughing

hil26

Thanks to you both for your valuable input.-

Mike - it was the 10-20 I was referring to

John - You have re-affirmed what I was thinking,

letter to Santa very soon

cheers

adam

i have the sigma 10-20...
sometimes i think its too wide..you want to take a photo of something but it ends up being a spec on the horizon with this lens....
also, if you ever go full frame (my canon 5d for instance) it wont work..it will only work with cropped sensors...so obviously it wont work with a film camera either...

but all the guernesy shots you have seen from me over the last couple of days were taken with the 10-20....i do love it...i wouldn't change it....and to be honest, its given my old 350d reason to live cos i can only use it with that camera...

but..its is a luxury item...and if you have the money to significantly improve the kit lens, do that first i reckon..

but i do love that 10-20...

if you are ever down south, give me a shout and you can have a lend!

hil26

Adam

thanks- and more thanks for the offer - be there tomorrow - LOL

Think/know now that it is replacement "kit lens" now.

Not there is anything wrong with it .......

Anyone want to make an offer before I advertise it?
Nikon 18-70 , 3.5/4.5G - about 13 months old

jonH

I've been away all weekend so sorry for jumping in so late ;)

The 17-55 is a 'direct' replacement for the 18-70 but with obviously much faster aperture and generally better optics. The 18-70 is a fabulous lens, but the 17-55 is a jawdropper. I got mine very late on in the season last year after giving up on the 28-70 f/2.8 (I think I may have a bad one)

I have to say it's utterly amazing. The D2Xs is extremely unforgiving but when you stick a lens with the sheer resolving power the 17-55 has on it, the difference is worlds apart. I can't get over how ludicrously sharp it is in comparison to every other single lens I own: 70-200 AF-S f/2.8, 28-70 AF-S f/2.8, tokina 12-24 f/4 and the 18-70 AF-S f/3.5-4.5

HOWEVER

It's not going to get you super-wide. You've not lived until you've shot super wide Smile

I love my Tokina 12-24mm to bits. I've had 1 occasion where it wasn't wide enough, but I've shot a lot at the longer end too.

Here's an alternative suggestion to those made previously: get a super-wide and release an aspect of your photography that 18mm just won't get you anywhere near. You've still got the 18-70 as your walk around lens - I still use mine even on the D2Xs (I even shot at race meetings last year with it on my D2Xs and had pics in the h&h using that combo)

If you want stunning optical quality for studio work, buy yourself a 50mm f/1.8 for less than £100 alongside the super-wide. Best of both worlds at a fraction of the cost of the 17-55 AF-S f/2.8. If you're feeling flush, by all means plump the £200-odd for the 50mm f/1.4 but consider that a luxury item in comparision to the 1.8.

hil26

thanks for all the input

Jon - many thanks for putting the other perspective, 2 lenses instead, could be a promising solution. - Cheers

hil26

Thanks for all comments, help is gretaly appreciated

Just to let you know that

I have now ordered the Sigma 10-20
the 50 1.4 is hopefully on my wifes list to go out and get

Cheers

jonH

Ooh gone for the 'flash' 50mm then! You'll not get finer optics than a prime, and you're going to seriously love the extra options a super wide will give you. The sense of scale you can get by getting up close and personal then zooming out to fit what seems half the world in the shot is something I don't think I'll ever get bored doing.

Venom