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Favorite wide-angle lens and why (a sample)?
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:17 am    Post subject: Favorite wide-angle lens and why (a sample)? Reply with quote
Hi everyone,

I would like to know what is your favorite wide-angle lens and why?
For me it was Tokina 11-16, however now on FF I have no clue.
Hence my question.
Including some sample(s) would be nice to get a feeling why Smile
Looking forward to your responses.

Cheers,
Dimiter


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 9:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well on film, my favourite WA is what I have and also has to fit the camera I prefer Wink

So it would be the Sigma 24mm f2.8 superwide II......excellent results but don't know how good compared to say a Nikon 24mm.

Next would be Hexanon 28mm f3.5..I have 14 other consumer 28mms but prefer this one...if it's not the sharpest 28mm in the world, I don't care as I just get lovely shots from it.

Next would be the M42 Flek 35mm f2.4 well we all know this is very good.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
My actuall dream is to try the leica m summilux 1,4/21 lens.

About the wa I used, 35/2,8 angulon rollei, 35/2,4 czj, 24/2,8 hexanon (old coated has effects), 24/2,8 elmerit m and r and rokkor, 21/3,4 schneider leica m.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
My fav is the Voigtländer Super Wide Heliar 15/4.5 in LTM
here some samples http://www.telltale.it/tag/voigtlander-super-wide-heliar-154-5/


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I never owned any extremely expensive lens, and I'm an aps-c camera user.
With these premises, my favorite wide is CZJ Flektogon 4/20, mainly because it's sharp through all the frame (I read often that corners are not so good, but on aps-c is hard - if possible - to notice) and especially because of its excellent distortion control.
It is one of my most used lenses, for sure the most used wideangle.
Some samples Here


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 11:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Aanything wrote:
I never owned any extremely expensive lens, and I'm an aps-c camera user.

Me too.

I've tried 3 manual focus wide angles ...

1. Tokina 17/3.5 RMC - good but not better than my 18-55 kit lens
2. Arsat 20/2.8 - sharp but lots of distortion and purple fringing at hight contrast borders
3. Nikon 20/3.5 UD - good but not outstanding; heavy with a powerful aperture recoil

I currently use a Sigma 10-20 zoom (AF!). Reports say that there is a lot of copy variation in this lens. I think that I have a "good one" - there's no obvious decentering. But how can I know without buying half a dozen copies ?

Below 20 mm what else is there apart from one of these ultra wide angle zooms ? Each of the major manufacturers seems to have one and there are 3rd party examples from Tokina, Tamron and Sigma.

I find 14 mm to be a nice FL. The Samyang ? It's reported to be sharp but with "wavy" distortion.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 11:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
sichko wrote:
Aanything wrote:
I never owned any extremely expensive lens, and I'm an aps-c camera user.

Me too.

I've tried 3 manual focus wide angles ...

1. Tokina 17/3.5 RMC - good but not better than my 18-55 kit lens
2. Arsat 20/2.8 - sharp but lots of distortion and purple fringing at hight contrast borders
3. Nikon 20/3.5 UD - good but not outstanding; heavy with a powerful aperture recoil

I currently use a Sigma 10-20 zoom (AF!). Reports say that there is a lot of copy variation in this lens. I think that I have a "good one" - there's no obvious decentering. But how can I know without buying half a dozen copies ?

Below 20 mm what else is there apart from one of these ultra wide angle zooms ? Each of the major manufacturers seems to have one and there are 3rd party examples from Tokina, Tamron and Sigma.

I find 14 mm to be a nice FL. The Samyang ? It's reported to be sharp but with "wavy" distortion.


Ditto.
I know that this is a MF lenses forum, but this lens came with my Nikon D300 and it is the one lens I would never leave behind. It is capable of MF and is often used in this way.
Specifically, it is the Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6 DC HSM.
Here is a sample


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rick1779 wrote:
My fav is the Voigtländer Super Wide Heliar 15/4.5 in LTM
here some samples http://www.telltale.it/tag/voigtlander-super-wide-heliar-154-5/

+1
very good image quality, fits nicely on nex.

other fav are:
zeiss E 24/1.8
nikkor PC 28/3.5
zuiko om 35/2.8 shift
zuiko om 21/3.5
pentax M 20/4


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 12:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My widest is 24mm.
I had a Tamron 17 mm that I sold a while ago.
I still don`t know why I did it.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Aanything wrote:
I never owned any extremely expensive lens, and I'm an aps-c camera user.
With these premises, my favorite wide is CZJ Flektogon 4/20, mainly because it's sharp through all the frame (I read often that corners are not so good, but on aps-c is hard - if possible - to notice) and especially because of its excellent distortion control.
It is one of my most used lenses, for sure the most used wideangle.
Some samples Here


Yes. Another great lens. You are right.

Sharp, very sharp at f/11 and f/16


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
DR.JUAN wrote:
Aanything wrote:
I never owned any extremely expensive lens, and I'm an aps-c camera user.
With these premises, my favorite wide is CZJ Flektogon 4/20, mainly because it's sharp through all the frame (I read often that corners are not so good, but on aps-c is hard - if possible - to notice) and especially because of its excellent distortion control.
It is one of my most used lenses, for sure the most used wideangle.
Some samples Here


Yes. Another great lens. You are right.

Sharp, very sharp at f/11 and f/16


I use it mainly between f8 and f11, as it's the right aperture for most the pics I take with it, and it's definitely sharp there. It doesn't disappoint me even at f5.6, though, and f4 is rarely used, mostly at closer focus distances.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Favorite wide-angle lens and why (a sample)? Reply with quote
I use the following. Samples are all out of camera JPEG, no PP, just resized for web

Zeiss Distagon 28/2. Legendary lens with a unique optical formula and thus very unique rendering. Great colour. Sharp wide open. Can focus extremely close. Vignettes HEAVILY but gradually and beautifully. I use ZF.2 Leitax-converted to Canon. First 2 samples use an ND grad, no filters for the other 2.








Zeiss Distagon 18/4. I have it in Contax mount Leitax-converted to Canon. It doesn't clear Canon mirror so I shaved the mirror. It's a nice little rock-solid compact lens.




PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 11:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My favorite WA lenses have historically been the widest I would own. When I first bought a Canon FD 24mm, it became my favorite. Not too long after that, I bought a Canon FL 19mm f/3.5 and then it became my favorite. Then I got a Tokina-made Vivitar 17mm f/3.5, but it just sort of tied with the FL 19mm for favorite status. Reason being was the Vivitar has rather obvious barrel distoration whereas I didn't see that with the FL 19mm.

These days, I don't have any ultra-wides for my APS-C DSLR and I don't own an FF DSLR. Neither do I own that FL 19mm either. But I still own the Vivitar 17mm, so it is my favorite UW lens. Because it's my only UW lens. Not that it's all that bad, mind you.

This image reveals some of the barrel distortion. Not too bad, but it's just noticeable. Canon F-1, Vivitar 17mm f/3.5, Ektar 100.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tokina 3.5/17, LOMO OKC1-18-1 2.8/18, Konica Hexanons 4/21 and 2.8/24, Zeiss Opton Biogon 2.8/25, Canon FL 2.5/35, Meyer Primagon 4.5/35, Konishiroku Hexanon 2.8/35, but probably my favourite is the Konica Hexanon 3.5/28 because it's so versatile on my NEX-3 and the IQ is really superb, it's as sharp as anything wider than 50mm I have ever used and has nice 3D pop, I have yet to find a situation it couldn't handle, apart from shooting into the sun, which I never do anyways.



PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the memory jolt, Ian. I'd forgotten about the Canon FL 35/2.5. Still my favorite 35mm lens. I'm also very fond of my Canon FD 24mm f/2.8 SSC.

I have a Tamron 24mm f/2.5 that is also quite good. It compares very favorably with both my Canon 24mm and my Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AIs.

I would like to eventually pick up a Tokina or Tamron 17/3.5, the Tokina in Nikon mount. So I could use it with my EOS DSLR. I also will one day buy a Nikon 20mm f/3.5 UD -- the old Pre-AI model. I owned one once, and like a fool, I let a guy talk me into selling it to him.

Also one of these days, I'll end up getting both the 14mm and the 8mm Samyangs.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 1:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
wuxiekeji SUPERB!!


PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
A couple more images from my archive. These are both Canon FL lenses, as coincidence would have it.

This first one I took with my Canon F-1 and the FL 19mm f/3.5. Kodachrome.


This one I took with an FTb and the FL 35mm f/2.5. Kodachrome


PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 5:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't have a lot of wide angles so my favourite is what I have which is the Tamron 20-40 F2.7-3.5. Not very wide on APSC and would be better on full frame, but still I find a lot of use with this lens, very versatile and great for scenery.

For MF lenses I have the Minolta MD 24-35/3.5 which I think is a nice little lens as well, don't think it'll be as good as 24mm primes from major brands but versatile and focuses close enough for daily usage.

One more I have is the Spiratone/Sigmatel 18/3.2 which I believe is the earlier version of the Tokina made 17/3.5? But haven't used it much since acquiring the 16/2.8 pancake for NEX.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Edited

Last edited by bernhardas on Mon May 02, 2016 6:38 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 10:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
A couple more images from my archive. These are both Canon FL lenses, as coincidence would have it.

This first one I took with my Canon F-1 and the FL 19mm f/3.5. Kodachrome.


This one I took with an FTb and the FL 35mm f/2.5. Kodachrome


The canon 19 shows nice IQ but strong vignetting, does not it?

The 35 is amazing.

I want a 19 canon as complement to my 24 lens. As you had it, what do you think about 19 canon lens?


PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 5:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
DR.JUAN wrote:
cooltouch wrote:
A couple more images from my archive. These are both Canon FL lenses, as coincidence would have it.

This first one I took with my Canon F-1 and the FL 19mm f/3.5. Kodachrome.


The canon 19 shows nice IQ but strong vignetting, does not it?

The 35 is amazing.

I want a 19 canon as complement to my 24 lens. As you had it, what do you think about 19 canon lens?


I loved the 19 and wouldn't mind having another except whenever I find one on eBay the prices for it are sky high. As for vignetting I don't recall it ever being a problem. What you're seeing in the above photo is not vignetting, but the arc of post-sunset light in the sky. Ordinarily, with a longer focal length, you would not be able capture the entire arc, but with this 19 I was able to. Here's another shot with that same lens. Same beach, different day. Click to see the entire image on your screen.



As you can see, there was no vignetting. But because the lens is so wide, I had this huge foreground area that detracted from the image, so I usually crop it for display. Yeah, I could have selected a more appropriate focal length, but I saw this potential shot emerging and I knew that if I changed lenses I'd miss it. J'm just glad I got it at all. I was anticipating being able to line up the girl on horseback with the reflections of the setting sun on the ocean. But having the dog describe a vertex of an almost right triangle and then for the seagull to line up exactly on the hypotenuse -- I mean, who would have anticipated that? Here's the crop I most often use. Click to see the entire image on your screen.



Yes, I agree the FL 35mm f/2.5 is an amazing lens also. There are others here who like it as much as I do, too. The FL 35 was the first used lens I ever bought. The above photo was one of the first photos I took with it, probably not even one hour after I bought it.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 6:29 pm    Post subject: Re: Favorite wide-angle lens and why (a sample)? Reply with quote
wuxiekeji wrote:
I use the following. Samples are all out of camera JPEG, no PP, just resized for web

Zeiss Distagon 28/2. Legendary lens with a unique optical formula and thus very unique rendering. Great colour. Sharp wide open. Can focus extremely close. Vignettes HEAVILY but gradually and beautifully. I use ZF.2 Leitax-converted to Canon. First 2 samples use an ND grad, no filters for the other 2.








Zeiss Distagon 18/4. I have it in Contax mount Leitax-converted to Canon. It doesn't clear Canon mirror so I shaved the mirror. It's a nice little rock-solid compact lens.




Very nice pictures. Some lenses have a special '3D' quality, I think this is one of them.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
A couple more images from my archive. These are both Canon FL lenses, as coincidence would have it.

This first one I took with my Canon F-1 and the FL 19mm f/3.5. Kodachrome.



I love that, the full frame makes such good use of that lens.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 8:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Perzackly!

Plus it was just the right time of day/eve. A few minutes earlier and the arc would have been too wide, even for FF with that 19. A few minutes later and it would have been too dim for handheld photography.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 18, 2013 3:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
DR.JUAN wrote:
cooltouch wrote:
A couple more images from my archive. These are both Canon FL lenses, as coincidence would have it.

This first one I took with my Canon F-1 and the FL 19mm f/3.5. Kodachrome.


The canon 19 shows nice IQ but strong vignetting, does not it?

The 35 is amazing.

I want a 19 canon as complement to my 24 lens. As you had it, what do you think about 19 canon lens?


I loved the 19 and wouldn't mind having another except whenever I find one on eBay the prices for it are sky high. As for vignetting I don't recall it ever being a problem. What you're seeing in the above photo is not vignetting, but the arc of post-sunset light in the sky. Ordinarily, with a longer focal length, you would not be able capture the entire arc, but with this 19 I was able to. Here's another shot with that same lens. Same beach, different day. Click to see the entire image on your screen.




I
As you can see, there was no vignetting. But because the lens is so wide, I had this huge foreground area that detracted from the image, so I usually crop it for display. Yeah, I could have selected a more appropriate focal length, but I saw this potential shot emerging and I knew that if I changed lenses I'd miss it. J'm just glad I got it at all. I was anticipating being able to line up the girl on horseback with the reflections of the setting sun on the ocean. But having the dog describe a vertex of an almost right triangle and then for the seagull to line up exactly on the hypotenuse -- I mean, who would have anticipated that? Here's the crop I most often use. Click to see the entire image on your screen.



Yes, I agree the FL 35mm f/2.5 is an amazing lens also. There are others here who like it as much as I do, too. The FL 35 was the first used lens I ever bought. The above photo was one of the first photos I took with it, probably not even one hour after I bought it.



Thanks Michael.

Very informative and formative.

I will go for the canon 19. Hope to find one.
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