Nikon Wide Angle Lens

[bayusuputra]

I have a feeling some of the basic knowledge of photography (f-stop, focal length, shutter speed, dof, ev, etc) are disappering in the modern age of digital photography.

It was a norm for starters to just get hold of a basic pentax k1000 manual body and a 50mm standard lens and start shooting everything in manual to understand the true meaning and effect of the basic parameters. Nowadays, automation and technologies have obviously taken over.

Do more hands on shoot to understand the essence of various parameters, one's own style of shoot, and in turn the required gear. Need not be chasing equipment and numbers all the time just to feel comfortable.

Hehe, not true for me.. i use my d70 in M modes all the time cus i only have manual lenses.. no metering at all.. i treat it like my old slr, but with image review..;p

coming back to the topic.. i think TS should consider his budget and try out 3rd party as well.. and consider whether it's gonna be hand-held or on tripod.. if hand-held, constant big aperture will help to a certain extent.. eg even if u stop down a bit to up the sharpness in the tokina 11-16mm, the f-value will be similar as the non-constant 10-24 nikon (but obviously the nikon will be at wide open, assuming u stop down to f/3.5).. but if you mainly use a tripod or flash (night portrait?), maybe u can get non-constant ones (cheaper generally) and stop down further to increase sharpness.. for fixed aperture lens, they are usually expensive, and personally i can't see the use of constant aperture YET especially the slower one like f/4 (but it is diff case with the tokina, cus i can see the use in dim lighting), this is because i shoot landscape with tripod (i will stop down to abt f/11 or f/13 for DOF and sharpness, i use 28mm though, i feel that it is my normal lens and i like it, so i take landscape using it too, can right? hehe)..

please correct the above if any of u think it is wrong or anything..
i am still climbing the early part of my learning curve as well..:sweat:

but, as u intend to use it for portraits, i think the tokina will be a good choice (well, i use my assumption above and also assume u would use it handheld in daylight) as it can cover the wide, and near ur 18mm lens reach (the 2mm u can cover by moving a few feet)..
or maybe sigma 8-16mm:think: hehe..

 

[miaoteh]

Shots like this are harder with a slower lens (hand held, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/13 second):

also worth to note that f2.8 to f4 is 1 stop different. u can take the same photo by using ISO800 F4 1/13, or ISO400 F4 1/6 secs. 1/6 sec handhold is possible with UWA especially at wide end.

of cause by having larger maximum aperture, you will have brighter image in viewfinder, and the camera can focus easier too.

 

[DL-WC]

i wld recommend the tokina 11-16mm. i used it with my d90 and it's great!

14-24mm with FX is even more holy hahahahaha! =)

 

[2100]

The fun fair photo is a 11mm on DX (16.5mm in 35mm speak), and pointing a bit up. Of coz sure got perspective distortion.
http://www.lonestardigital.com/perspective_correction.htm

You probably won't print big stuff from this unless you really dig nice landscapes (which we don't have much here to do anyway). So seriously i'd advise you not to go crazy on the lens quality, but rather get something which is the widest but non-fishball I mean fisheye rectilinear lens. You want something which is serious wide so it presents a view which is "abnormal". Perspective distortion is something which can be utilised to be artistic. f2.8 is nice to have, but f5 thereabouts works great too.

24mm f1.4 on FX, punch it close to the subject.
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/889216/12

 

[bruggink]

IMHO 18mm is simply not wide enough. U have got to try one yourself to see the difference. The FOV of a UWA lens is amazing.

 

[Ethyu]

Sorry too dig up a 3 week old thread. =D but at which point does a lens become Widey and at which point it's a UWA? Also I understand that D300 has a 1.5x Crop Factor so means a 16mm lens = 24mm? or how do i calculate?

D300 User

 

[jeffchanjj]

Sorry too dig up a 3 week old thread. =D but at which point does a lens become Widey and at which point it's a UWA? Also I understand that D300 has a 1.5x Crop Factor so means a 16mm lens = 24mm? or how do i calculate?

D300 User

Yes that's correct.
Since DX cameras have a crop factor, any focal length on DX needs to be multiplied by 1.5
So 16mm on DX (crop frame) is equivalent to 24mm on FX (full frame)

 

[Hacker]

Plenty of options from Nikon...

1. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
2. Nikon AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED
3. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
4. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR
5. Nikon AF 14mm f/2.8D ED

Don't forget the PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED and Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 also. :thumbsup:

 

[george671]

Did anyone try the Sigma 8-16 yet???

 

[2100]

Don't forget the PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED and Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 also. :thumbsup:

The AF-S 24/1.4 is truly amazing (from what I see better than the Canon, but then you can get a Canon 24/1.4 version one for $1950), but I suspect 98% of the dSLR users out there (particularly newbies) won't know how to use it or what tricks to get good results. ;p

I look at all my photos from the past 3 weddings I shot this week esp today's, I think no need post-process by leveling the dark tones up to pump up the contrast/saturation. The microcontrast is crazy. It is not as sharp as I have hoped it to be though at f1.4. f2 is crazy sharp. No need to buy a 35/1.4, just put it on a crop body.

 

[coolthought]

The AF-S 24/1.4 is truly amazing (from what I see better than the Canon, but then you can get a Canon 24/1.4 version one for $1950), but I suspect 98% of the dSLR users out there (particularly newbies) won't know how to use it or what tricks to get good results. ;p

I look at all my photos from the past 3 weddings I shot this week esp today's, I think no need post-process by leveling the dark tones up to pump up the contrast/saturation. The microcontrast is crazy. It is not as sharp as I have hoped it to be though at f1.4. f2 is crazy sharp. No need to buy a 35/1.4, just put it on a crop body.

Do you shoot really wide as with the 20 f2.8 and the 14 f2.8?

 

[2100]

Do you shoot really wide as with the 20 f2.8 and the 14 f2.8?

Nowadays no, last time I used to shoot with the 12-24 in crop. Some couples feedbacked they do not like that effect. Now in the dry cabinet as backup.
I can't sell it, ahh...yes I dropped it before so the zoom ring is a bit stiff at some parts.
!@%#@#!@ I dropped some many damn things before. :angry:

Wide angle in weddings must have style.... Even then, I think as a customer some would not agree with the style. But shots are good I must say.
http://www.magicalshots.com/

PS. The site is not mine.

 

[jeff7id]

Wide angle in weddings must have style.... Even then, I think as a customer some would not agree with the style. But shots are good I must say.
http://www.magicalshots.com/

I see you have already mastered wide angle shoot in wedding photography

 

[2100]

I see you have already mastered wide angle shoot in wedding photography

Forgot to say that's not my site. :bsmilie: Very rarely would you see a wedding PG using UWA so frequently esp for people close-up.
I'm more of the somewhat wide-angle nice bokeh type of person, just enough seperation to make it POP with the bokeh, but still enough background info to display what is going on. I'm not the 85/1.4 type.

24/1.4 power.
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/889216/15
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/889216/17

 

[jeff7id]

Forgot to say that's not my site. :bsmilie: Very rarely would you see a wedding PG using UWA so frequently esp for people close-up.
I'm more of the somewhat wide-angle nice bokeh type of person, just enough seperation to make it POP with the bokeh, but still enough background info to display what is going on. I'm not the 85/1.4 type.

24/1.4 power.
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/889216/15
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/889216/17

Yes it's very rare. You are on assignment and the Client is watching and paying you.
One single mistake with UWA lens then it's over, you can't go back to fix it ...

 

[appleshem]

Comparing a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 and a Sigma 10-20mm, which would be a better choice?

 

[kentwong81]

Don't forget this.....Nikon 13mm f5.6, "The Holy Grail" (1976 -1998). Only about 350 were made worldwide, and only to special order.

Review can be found here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/13mm.htm

If you find one today, expect to pay a minimum of USD5,500 for a beater lens without its case or filters, USD10,000 for one in OK shape complete with case, caps and filters, and USD20,000 or more for one unused in the box complete with papers.

 

[coolthought]

Comparing a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 and a Sigma 10-20mm, which would be a better choice?

it depends on how you will be using it. Each have its strengths and weaknesses.