# Best 3rd party ultra wide angle zoom lens?



## SHaller (Apr 3, 2011)

I'm leaving for paris in a little less than three weeks and I was having trouble deciding on what to buy/rent before I go. I've decided that I'm going to buy a wide angle and the canon 50mm 1.8 and rent the 24-105 f4. So my question is what 3rd party lens should i buy. Im pretty sure its between the sigma 10-20 f4-5.6, the tokina 12-24 f4, and the tamron 10-24. I would love to have canon 10-22, but its to expensive for me especially since this lens won't be used as much as my others.


----------



## Jarrod268 (Apr 3, 2011)

Did you leave out the Tokina 11-16mm because you want the extended range? I tried the Tamron for about a week and returned it. The range was nice but it just got way too soft on the edges.


----------



## SHaller (Apr 3, 2011)

Yes, I also left it out because of the price. I already somewhat ruled out the tamron, but wanted to leave it in the discussion just in case someone had some rave reviews about it.


----------



## spacefuzz (Apr 3, 2011)

I have the tamron, I havnt noticed sharpness around the edges to be too much of a problem.  I can tell its there, but its not extreme enough to bother me.


----------



## SHaller (Apr 3, 2011)

Thanks for the responses, but I'm going to go ahead and order the tokina 12-24


----------



## Jarrod268 (Apr 3, 2011)

The tokina is nice, that's the one I settled on. Good price and great build quality - I have not owned a 11-16 but heard the IQ is comparable.


----------



## Stryker (Apr 3, 2011)

Watch out for chromatic aberrations on the tokina 12-24


----------



## SHaller (Apr 3, 2011)

Stryker said:


> Watch out for chromatic aberrations on the tokina 12-24


 
I thought I had my mind made up.....:meh:   Is the sigma 10-20 f4-5.6 any better with the color fringing?


----------



## Stryker (Apr 4, 2011)

take a look at this review:  Sigma AF 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM - Review / Lab Test Report


----------



## SHaller (Apr 4, 2011)

So the question is should i take the hit in vignetting and get the sigma or deal with the chromatic aberrations with the tokina. Also, supposedly the new tokina (dx II version) is a lot better in the ca department.


----------



## Geaux (Apr 4, 2011)

I own the Sigma 10/20 and love it!  I'll be in Paris in a few months myself, can't wait!


----------



## SHaller (Apr 4, 2011)

Geaux said:


> I own the Sigma 10/20 and love it!  I'll be in Paris in a few months myself, can't wait!


 
How is the build quality on the sigma? A few things that are turning me away are that I hear that Tokina has fantastic build quality and that the sigma vignettes.


----------



## boomer (Apr 4, 2011)

Tokina 12-24 gets my vote! Use it all the time and love it for the price


----------



## SHaller (Apr 4, 2011)

So now it pretty much comes down to what is more manageable in adobe lightroom. The CA from the tokina or the light fall off and the distortion from the sigma?


----------



## Hardrock (Apr 4, 2011)

Check out the sigma 8-16 juza . Its supposed to be really good.


----------



## KKJUN (Apr 5, 2011)

I'd go for light fall off and distortion. Lightroom (at least Lightroom 3) has a corection preset for the Sigma, but not for the Tamron. Also, IMO the CA-tool in LR is really a useless feature (or maybe I'm just too stupid to use it).


----------



## lukedarma (Apr 6, 2011)

Have you looked at the Tokina 11-16 review?

IMO, that lens looks excellent and will serve as a great third party alternative for an UWA lens.


----------



## Stryker (Apr 6, 2011)

I suggest that, since you are going to rent a 24-105L, rent also a 10-22UWA.  You'll come home happy with all your landscape and tight indoor photos.


----------



## RyanLilly (Apr 6, 2011)

I have the Tokina 11-16, and the build quality is on par with Canon L series lenses. Very good, even a step up from sigma EX lenses, which are also very well built. I Have heard that the quality is similar throughout Tokina's line of lenses.


----------



## Geaux (Apr 6, 2011)

SHaller said:


> Geaux said:
> 
> 
> > I own the Sigma 10/20 and love it!  I'll be in Paris in a few months myself, can't wait!
> ...



Not sure where you read the vignetting part from, I've never had that issue with mine at all.  Build quality is solid, no complaints from me.  When I was searching for UWA, everyone said Tokina 11-16, but at the time I had a d3000 and that lense would not AF on my body.  Now with a d90, I probably would have given the 11-16 a good look.  I can't complain though, I got my Sigma for 425 bucks NEW this past christmas.

Example shot:  http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5128/5362648310_b47b8e78a7_b.jpg
I rarely shoot above 10mm lol.


----------



## ulrichsd (Apr 6, 2011)

Geaux said:


> SHaller said:
> 
> 
> > Geaux said:
> ...



I have the Tokina 12-24mm and like it so far but haven't had too much time to play with it a lot.  I'm still second-guessing not getting the Sigma 10-20mm for the extra-wide, but the net is littered with softness complaints/qc issues about it which scared me away...


----------



## Geaux (Apr 6, 2011)

Truthfully at f/8-11 it's not that soft at all.  Whenever I use the 10/20 though, I always run it through a sharpening action to add the extra sharpness.

I love the extra wideness of it, the 10mm alone was worth getting it even with all the complaints.


----------



## ulrichsd (Apr 6, 2011)

Geaux said:


> Truthfully at f/8-11 it's not that soft at all.  Whenever I use the 10/20 though, I always run it through a sharpening action to add the extra sharpness.
> 
> I love the extra wideness of it, the 10mm alone was worth getting it even with all the complaints.



It sounds like a crap shoot on whether you get a good sample with Sigma...  but I have a feeling the more I use it the more I'm going to wish I had the extra 2mm.  :meh:


----------



## Geaux (Apr 8, 2011)

I had the same feelings when doing my research too.  I went for it all though and went for the extra 2mm, took a chance and I haven't regretted it at all.


----------

