Lower than 18mm?

[andyquantum]

For a Nikon, excepting fisheye what are the options?

I've seen 10-20 Sigmas and 12-24 Nikkors. I'm hardly going to set the world alight with my photography, and I dont want to be spending mega money

Anything I havent thought about thats sensible money? Speed isnt a massive issue as I can always use a tripod and it'll be landscape stuff that shouldnt be moving really

ETA - I'm not averse to a half decent compact if such a thing exists

Edited by andyquantum on Tuesday 21st October 11:52

[GetCarter]

I have the 10-20. It's OK. A bit soft at the edges. But good value. I hardly ever use it for landscapes though as it's too wide for most stuff... unless you want something like this (taken with said lens):

[dumbfunk]

I've used the Sigma 10-20 a lot and whilst it isn't fast and it can distort somewhat, the results on landscapes are just way out of proportion with the price. Pixel peepers will point out quite rightly that it's a little soft too but it genuinely captures images that you could not get any other way and that I believe makes it a unique bargain. It does incredible things to skies too.




dumbfunk

[Stickers]

This might seem a tad naff, but have you considered a Jessops Semi-Fisheye 0.42X Lens adaptor?........at a fraction of the cost and comes complete with macro adaptor, don't laugh - it's not a bad piece of kit.

Works for me on the odd accasion that I need to be looking in all directions at the same time.

[Simpo Two]

Stickers said:

This might seem a tad naff, but have you considered a Jessops Semi-Fisheye 0.42X Lens adaptor?

That kind of thing would certainly be the cheapest option but will be far worse edgewise than a dedicated ultrawide. But if you shoot for fun and aren't too bothered about perfection, it could be the best answer for you.

I had one which was not only a 0.4x wide angle adaptor but you could unscrew the front and get a close-up lens too.

[beano500]

andyquantum said:

For a Nikon, excepting fisheye what are the options?

For a digital sensor I'd caution AGAINST a 14mm Sigma HSM - tried it, flared like hell as you'd expect, but apart from that the quality wasn't great, even though it can be had cheap-ish. I don't think that the 14mm Nikkor is so hot on a digital sensor, either - and that's shed loads. The 16mm Nikkor?

Now, I know, I know, I know that you said excepting fisheye. But it is a wonderful lens for the money. And can be had new or secondhand for reasonable amounts. It is useful for shots like this:



Otherwise there are only two Nikkor choices, 12-24 or 14-24 lenses, that are really good. I know little about the non-Nikkors, apart from my experience with the Sigma.

[_dobbo_]

I use the Sigma 10-20 all the time, it's incredibly versatile and I love mine to bits, I'd heartily recommend it.

Check out the flickr group for some good, and not so good examples of the lens in action.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sigma10-20/

edit - it's good fun up close too:

Edited by _dobbo_ on Tuesday 21st October 13:59

[andyquantum]

Excellent photos and replies chaps!

The 10-20 is looking pretty good. Not convinced on the Jessops adapter thingy though, I had a quick look through their site and couldnt find much about it. I presume it's just an add on to say my 18-55 to do "weird stuff"?

[rhubarb]

Andy, I'd agree with what people say about the 10-20, since I bought one it's not been off my camera. I think its a very creative lens, I've not used it for landscapes much either, but you can get some great effects from odd angles

[...Mole...]

Another vote for the Sigma 10-20mm here ive had mine for a yea and a half now and it is probably my most used lens. Its good fun and will give you a lot of new creative ideas

[Elderly]

I hired a Nikon 12-24 and then bought a Tokina 12-24;
except for a little more Chromatic aberration than the Nikon, the extremly well built Tokina
is excellent value and for my style of photography is wide enough.

[andyquantum]

I think it was dobbo's pier shots that got me looking into what the lens can do, I've been taking some local area type shots recently, and things such as lakes, bridges and seting something up for fireworks should look pretty decent with that type of lens

And I'm sure I'll find plenty of other uses for it post seasonality

[RobDickinson]

Love my 10-20, use it al the time, well up to when I got the 70-200 anyhow...