Low cost wide angle solution for ist DL

I'm expecting my spanking new ist DL (body only) to arrive in tomorrow's post, and I can't wait to see how my trusty old 24/2.8 and 50/1.4 SMC A lenses perform on the camera. However, I'm concerned that the 24mm (37mm on the DL) will miss too much of the scenery - I anticipate it being used primarily as a standard lens.

Any suggestions for a decent quality ultra wide (used or new) that will give me an effective 24 or 28 mm focal length on the DL, without breaking the £200 barrier?

Scenery?
Get the gimp photo editor. or use whatever you got, and while your shopping for a lens, you can try stitching together panoramas for free.
Hard to get good ultrawides cheap these days. seems digital sensors have created a demand which has created a sellers market.

What you need is a Vivitar 1:3.5 19mm in Ka mount. I say this with confidence because I just happen to have one for sale.

However, the Pentax FA 1:2.8 20mm is a good lens, and I got mine for about £200. Nowadays they often go for a bit less, but at that time the new wide Pentax lenses hadn't appeared.

To match the AOV of your 24mm (on film), you would have to pay more, or choose Sigma or another independent (my advice: start saving).

G

With the same angle of view issue in mind I secured myself a Zenitar 16mm via eBay, for use with my *ist DL, for less than £60-00. For some shots a spot of 'defishing' with PTLens does the trick nicely. For many shots I feel no need to make 'corrections'...

I used to own one of the Vivitar 19mm F3.8 primes and I wrote a review on it which is available here: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/1837/viv19rev.html. Mine suffered badly from light fall-off in the corners, however that should be less of an issue on a DSLR.

At under £200 there are several options. The Vivitar/Cosina/Pheonix 19-35mm zooms are optically decent enough and can be had very cheap - the build quality doesn't inspire confidence however mine is surprisingly unmarked after years of use. I've also seen a Tokina 19-35mm sell cheap on Ebay recently.

I've also seen the Sigma 15-30mm EX for sale in the States for under £150 on Ebay - including shipping etc. that could still be around the price you mentioned and it's supposed to be a very decent lens.

Some excellent suggestions here - thanks.

George, your Vivitar would be a decent lens I'm sure, but I would prefer to get closer to 24 mm effective focal length.

The Sigma 15-30mm looks like good value for £150 and I certainly wouldn't mind the convenience of autofocus in one of my lenses given that the other 2 are MF. Since making my original post I've also seen the DA 16-45mm for £299 at Park Cameras - outside my stated budget but it might be worth the additional £99. I would love the DA 14 mm, but my wife would hit the roof if I shelled out for this (I had enough of a job convincing her of the merits of buying a DL to replace my MZ-50)

The DA16-45 is a stunning lens in all respects. For landscapes in particular I can't match it! Sharpness, contrast, great flare control - it's all there.
(Though the DA12-24 is definitely on my shopping list )
Matt

Why has nobody mentioned the Pentax smcP-FA J 18-35mm f/4-5.6 AL, I've alway's found mine to be a decent performer.

Hi,

To achieve near a 24mm lens view (35mm format) on your DSLR you need an 18mm lens or wider...

To get anywhere near the quality of your Pentax KA lenses you need to buy an older Pentax wide prime or a recent zoom. The Pentax SMC-K 18mm f3.5 is very scarce and would cost about £300-350 ish. The SMC-K 17mm f4 would cost approx £170-200 and the SMC-A 16mm f2.8 about £250-350. I have seen the current DA 14mm sell for as low as £270 on ebay.

I guess the best bet is the current 16-45mm. There is one privately advertised in the AP this week for £200.

Hope this helps, cheers grumpy Steve.

Actually you need 16mm, because the Pentax has a 1.5x angle-of-view-multiplier. 18mm gives you nearer 28mm angle of view

£200 for a second hand 16-45 sounds a good idea
There's always Germany for lenses - http://www.technikdirekt.de/ that'll save you £30 or £40, but then there's ParcelForce to deal with

Matt

This forum really is superb for ideas and advice. Thanks

With regard to Steve's post, I really would like a similar level of quality to that offered by my KA manual lenses - I'm beginning to think this quality would not be offered by the Sigma/Tamron/Cosina zooms. I'm becoming increasingly inclined towards the DA 16-45 mm, particularly after reading favourable opinions of this lens on the forum. My brother in law is off to the States soon - presumably he could pick one up for £200 or less there.

If I was lucky enough to find a DA 14 mm or a SMC A 16 mm on offer for the same sum I would definitely go for it, but in life I've learned not to get my hopes up too high!

Nearer £200 (about £235 from www.bhphoto.com ). But then there's customs duty and VAT to pay
And by then you may be better off looking for second hand...
Stuff does come up on the regular sites: www.ffordes.co.uk , www.mxv.co.uk , but I can't remember the last time I saw a DA16-45.
Matt

Hiya,

The two biggest USA dealers seem to be B&H and KEH...you could check out their prices at : bhphotovideo.com and keh.com

If you buy over there make sure the lens has a warranty valid in the UK...i.e a worldwide one, not just a US one. Autofocus lenses are much more prone to faults than old mf ones. Also do not write of recent Sigma lenses, a lot of them are superb. I use a Sigma 50mm macro on my 1stD and it is super.

Cheers Steve.

Hiya...

Buying from the USA...unbox the lens, put it in any bag, do not declare it as it is just a lens you bought from the UK..wink...put the box and paperwork in a jiffy bag and send it to yourself using the USPS...US post service....job done...

I think it's worth getting the 16-45, it's a superb lens. So is the 12-24 (I have both). It sounds like the 16-45 will get you going just fine, it'll give you the same angle of view your 24mm gives on a film camera.