Lenses without Barrel Distortion for 5D

[Hoursofdarkness]

I’m looking for an all around lens for my 5D that does not have a lot of barrel distortion. So far it seems like they all do, anybody have any suggestions?

[Mr. Clean]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't any lens under 20-24mm on a 5d going to have barrel distortion? I think it's just a fact of life with UWA's. Perhaps if you're shooting in that range your biggest bang would be in software to remove the barrel distortion?

[Tom W]

The 24 mm f/1.4L has almost no barrel distortion, and the 24-70/2.8 is respectable as well. But Mr. Clean is right in general - the wider the angle of view, the greater the chances or amount of barrel distortion. Wider lenses require more optical correction to keep lines straight.

[Hoursofdarkness]

See I have a Sigma 12-24mm and that lens does not follow that rule. (Lines are straight as an arrow) But it’s wide so I'm looking for a more usable focal length. I tested the 24-70/2.8 the other day and for the price it falls short when it comes to the barrel distortion. Just asking if anybody has a good experience with any lens even a third party lens.

Thanks for the input.

[Tom W]

Yes, the Sigma 12-24 is known to be a very low-distortion lens, particularly at the 12 mm end. Canon's 3 wide zooms are good in the middle of their zoom range, but all have some barrel distortion at the widest end (the 16-35 & 17-40 have a good deal of barrel distortion at the widest setting, but perform well in the 24 mm range). The 2 "L" primes (24 and 35 mm) have a good reputation in terms of distortion - my 24 was very good in that respect.

[ijohnson]

primes

[chtgrubbs]

The Sigma 12-24 seems to be the exception to the rule about wide-angle zooms. If Sigma can do it with an ultrawide, why can't designers make mid-range zooms without distortion? Until then, only prime lenses will do.

[togger]

A pin hole?