Wide angle converters
Author
Discussion

bigbaddom

Original Poster:

509 posts

263 months

Tuesday 29th March 2011
quotequote all
Hi, I am going on holiday to China in a couple of weeks and I am looking for a way to take really nice landscape photos.
I have a sigma 70-200mm lens and a 28-80mm canon lens.
and maybe I can borrow a 18-55mm lens

I am using a canon 20d inherited from my mother.

Do the wide angle converters they sell on ebay really work?
I imagine not as they are so cheap....

Is there another way I can get full wide angle photos without buying another lens?
Ideally I would like the 10-20mm sigma lens.

Thanks
Dominic

tinman0

18,231 posts

269 months

Tuesday 29th March 2011
quotequote all
I've seen a few people use them and they are....erm....not good. Maybe other people have had different experiences. However, it is well worth taking a UWA. So maybe hire one over buying tat off Ebay.

However, I would seriously think about buying one, and don't worry which one you get (Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, Canon or Nikon(?)), they are all about the same. Not a minger amongst them.

I rarely remove my UWA these days. Weapon of choice wink

rxtx

6,050 posts

239 months

Tuesday 29th March 2011
quotequote all
I imagine they'll be a bit poor, but I've never used one. The 18mm end of the 18-55 should be fine if you can borrow it. Wide angle lenses are more for getting up close to things than fitting in large landscapes, but they can work well for wide-field astro.

bigbaddom

Original Poster:

509 posts

263 months

Tuesday 29th March 2011
quotequote all
So is the consensus I should be ok with the 18mm lens?

If so then great :-)

tinman0

18,231 posts

269 months

Tuesday 29th March 2011
quotequote all
bigbaddom said:
So is the consensus I should be ok with the 18mm lens?

If so then great :-)
Personally? No. Get a proper UWA somehow. Beg borrow whatever.

Last poster might use his UWA for closeups, but mine does landscapes for the most part. Great for indoor shots (as you can actually fit groups of people) and outside gives you a real sense of wide angle. I find 18mm just too narrow for landscape shots.

Simpo Two

92,730 posts

294 months

Tuesday 29th March 2011
quotequote all
Or take two and stitch them together. Cost £0.

Dogsey

4,301 posts

259 months

Tuesday 29th March 2011
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
Or take two and stitch them together. Cost £0.

LongQ

13,864 posts

262 months

Tuesday 29th March 2011
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
Or take two and stitch them together. Cost £0.
Bonus benefit - much higher resolution.

Double bonus .... take 4 .... or 8

Gad-Westy

16,571 posts

242 months

Tuesday 29th March 2011
quotequote all
If the one that I have (it came free with a lens, promise) is anything to go by, they're not only optically poor, but don't really achieve anything either. I tried mine at 18mm. Took with and without photos and there really isn't a great deal of difference between the two. First and last time I used it. I'm selling my lens that it fits on and I'm going to chuck in the box with it when I send it to the buyer.