Help selecting ultra wide lens

Hi,

I have been thinking about getting a wide angle lens to complement the sigma 17-70, pentax fa50 1.4 and da 50-200.

Originally I was thinking about the sigma 10-20 but wonder how much I would use it at the 10mm end. I really like the clarity, vibrance and contrast of my 50mm prime which is almost like a camera upgrade. This started me thinking about the 14mm and 15mm prime for that same clarity boost. I like the idea of the f2.8 for indoor and low light (I have a k20d so need ask the low light help I can get). I also like the idea of the 15mm compact and light nature but wonder if I would really seen that much difference between that and the 17-70

I tend to do landscape, sometime architectural and some family photos. I was thinking about the 10-20 for outdoors but not wide-screen landscapes.

I would be interested in your view and experience. Versatility (alongside my other lenses) and image quality and priority followed by weight.

Thanks, Stuart

The Sigma 10-20mm should be OK. If you do nightime photography the Pentax 15mm (green ring version) produces nice starbursts. but isn't really any sharper.

The Pentax 12-24mm is also a good alternative.

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Hi Stuart

of the lenses you've mentioned I've used the DA14/2.8, DA15/4.0, HD-DA15/4.0 and Sigma 10-20/4-5.6 and I would have no hesitation in recommending any of them. You really have to pick which strength appeals to you most - the faster aperture of the 14mm can be useful, the size and weight of the 15mm (either variant) is great for travel, the 10-20 is superb for flexibility over an ultra-wide range.


If the aperture doesn't matter too much then I guess the logical choice would be the Sigma 10-20 - that would mean you would have everything from 10mm to 200mm covered.

Good luck making your choice

That's interesting. What I was trying to describe, and possibly not doing very well, is that the pictures with my 50mm prime look so much livelier (in raw before any processing), better contrast, colours etc. That's a big plus beyond the sharpness. But would be a disappointment if not present in a new 14 or 15 mm prime as the trade off is the convenience of the zoom.

I have also read the primes are better at handling lens flare?

Some recent tests on Depressing Review by a reliable photographer showing the Pentax 12-24mm outperforming a Pentax 15mm. The Pentax 14mm is even worse

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4296123#forum-post-61325625

I used to have the Pentax 12-24mm and the Sigma 10-20mm. The Sigma performed slightly better by a whisker so I sold the Pentax because I didn't need the two and I have a good 18-55mm kit lens that is very good if I need to cover 20-24mm.

The K20D isn't going to do justice to any of these lenses. I would buy a SH K-5 before another lens.

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There's a good looking example of the Sigma 10-20/3.5 for sale at Cash Converters and I'd give that a huge recommendation for the price only - it's being sold for £199 when the usual 2nd hand price can hit close to £250 for even the older variant.

If you want something smaller then the DA15 probably can't be beaten. It may not be as sharp as the zoom but there's a certain something about the images produced that can't be explained by numbers alone.

You mean it's a sort of fuzzy logic

£200 is around the right price. Mine is the f4-5.6 version. If you intend to use filters I'd check to see which fits each lens before buying. I don't think performance is much different although some lenses were reported to be a bit soft.

Someone posted this today taken with a k5 and sigma 10-20mm.
Best sunset I've seen for years

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4297714


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Have you considered the Samyung 14mm F2.8 ? It is manual focus, but the DOF also takes care of a lot of it, just set it to F8 and shoot. Somewhere around £330 new from SRS.

You'll have to factor in it'll effectively give you a 21mm lens with the crop factor, but the Sigma 10 - 17 will effectively be 15 - 25 ish and won't give you F2.8 !

I've got one, it's a cracker of a lens.

Thanks for all your help much appreciated. Interested in your comment Algi re k20d. I suspect I would notice a difference in low light performance and speed of focus, but in terms of image quality for a properly exposed photo on tripod? Stuart

There's a big leap in image quality. overexposed shots can easily be recovered. I've managed to pull back 5 stops once or twice. Crops are easy without much loss in quality. Higher ISO possible.

The Samyung 14mm F2.8 mentioned by Chris is a good alternative, but not reported to be FF like they say.

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It may be a good lens but I don't feel it offers any other benefits apart from the wider aperture. All of the other lenses mentioned can be purchased at a similar price and offer more versatility, IQ, or even a lighter design.

Having said that, I haven't ever used one so maybe there's pixie dust that I'm not aware of.

Thanks both,I've got one and it's used fairly often on a K1, it's certainly FF,the bokah and DOF is superb, it imo also offers you F2.8 as a constant which the Sigma can't and can only offer F3.5 at max opening, otherwise I think it's F4.5 or more.

It was Adam in this thread who said .....

14mm F2.8 ED AS IF UMC (officially FF compatible, but borderline performance)

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The Samyang is reviewed by Christopher Frost here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tELvxzfbz8
It's definitely full frame without issue.

Christopher Frost is my favourite reviewer. No waffle and a FULL test with samples in 7 mins. Seems like Adam is wrong, wonder why

Looking at other reviews there seems to be a lot of problems with sample variation with this lens and a thorough test is necessary on a NEW one.

Distortion looks very severe but can be corrected.


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