EF-S 10-22mm - First Impressions

[RichardtheSane]

I bought a 10-22mm lens from paulhillion last week. Picked it up yesterday and have had a couple of chances to play with it since then, enough to make a first impressions anyway.

Lets have a bit of history, I have been toying for a while with the option of trading my 17-40L for a 10-22mm. I have most of the 17-40 range covered with primes and hardly ever mounted it... and I wanted wider.

Don't get me wrong, I love my 17-40L, I know it is a sharp copy and it is built like a tank. It seemed (initially) a foolish move to trade sucha good lens, that can be used on any camera, for an EF-S. Second to this I have read reports of sharpness issues with some of the 10-22mm and I wouldn't want to get a dud. So when Paul listed his for sale, despite not being able to afford it, I negotiated a deal, the clincher? I know that when Paul said his was a sharp copy he would not be lying :)

Enough waffle, the lens. Bear in mind I am used to the 17-40 as my wide angle.
I find the 10-22 is
-A good size, smaller than the 17-40, but not much
-A good weight, maybe even a little on the light side
-Suprisingly well built, I admit having low expectations for the build quality so I am pleased at how good it is.
-Wiiiiide!

I used it a bit on my ever unwilling model, the furry Tippy. Here is one of the shots, and it certainly makes my lounge look much bigger! As well as showing all his fur detail. There is some obvious perspective distortion because of the low angle but I am impressed with how well barrel distortion is controlled.
http://www.pbase.com/richardthesane/image/45596019.jpg

Outdoors this lens is a good performer. Like all lenses it will take a little getting used to before I can really produce some results, but it is certainly very sharp. Below is our local water feature, the first shot is just rotated to correct wonkyness, the second one I have done a bit to the perspective. I forgot to edit the saturation on the second though.

Overall, a joy to use, if you like I will update this thread as I learn the lens.

[Jackal]

There's a really kick ass effect going on in that first shot......

I like the distortion. Alot. =)

[Sean-Mcr]

The more i see of this lens the more i like it. I'm thinking of getting into taking the marketing shots for Estate agents. Through my line of work i have contact with quite a few and there's so many being taken with p&s and they make the rooms looks so small.



The 10-22 would be perfect the more i think about it. Just wondering if flash would have to be used a lot of the time



Could you give us a few non flash interior shots?

[Jonny]

I was gutted when i saw Paul had sold this one as i wanted it!!

Mind you, as you are so close to me maybe i could borrow it from time to time! :-)

[RichardtheSane]

Jonny, I'm sure we could come to some sort of arrangement :) ;)

Jackal, thanks. I really like what this lens does and it is going to be a lot of fun learning to put that to best use.

Sean-Mcr, a few non flash interiors around my house - all at 10mm.
Be gentle, I've never really done interior photography before.

[RichardtheSane]

A couple more, after I realised the best angle to take the shot from...
already I'm learning

[Sean-Mcr]

Richard thanks for doing those for me that's really good of you.

They look great pal

That's some lens

[OceanView]

So are you selling your 17-40mm L ?
:-)

[Jonny]

Are they Hilda's ducks?

[RichardtheSane]

No worries Sean, any excuse to try something different with a new lens.
After a few more shots I am actually amazed at how well the distortion is controlled. This lens has less distortion at 10mm than may old 19-35 tamron had at 19mm. That in itself is worth the money!

OceanView, yes, PM me if you are interested.

Jonny, I should be offended that you suggest I have hilda's ducks. But due to the similarity I will let you off - on account they are something of a hilda duck pi$$take...

No, I don't have Hildas ducks, but I do have 'Ogdenesque Wall Bats' (yes, bats)

[Sean-Mcr]

There's no doubt that it's a great lens Richard. The one thing that's stoping me is for available shots it could struggle at F.3.5 But i guess it's landscapes where it's at its best

Still though, you have me thinking

[RichardtheSane]

There's no doubt that it's a great lens Richard. The one thing that's stoping me is for available shots it could struggle at F.3.5 But i guess it's landscapes where it's at its best

Still though, you have me thinking

Agreed, I had to up the ISO and increase the exposure in C1 for those shots. I would imagine I would be able to use a lower shutter speed with a monopod - and the 10mm would actually give me enough room with a tripod too. If you want I'll try if correctly exposed and tripod mounted tommorow...

[paulhillion]

Richard you might have warned me you were posting this, the words dagger and heart spring to mind :( Will it be ok if I visit occasionally ;)

[Sean-Mcr]

Richard you're a star;) I don't have a tripod as yet i do like fast lenses, of course that's not a reason to not get a tripod, i should have one;

[drisley]

Wow, these are great examples of what that lens can do.
Really impressive.

[syburn]

Hi,

I will buy one next week and being a beginner how do I tell if mine has good focus (above you mentioned that there are some reports of not too great focusing)

Also Im in china were I dont want to have to return anything as China is not a place that is known for customer service!

Regards,


Simon

[Glyyde]

if I get this lens, and one day I feel like upgrading to 1Ds, I can't use it anymore? since it is a EF-S lens?

[cdhender]

if I get this lens, and one day I feel like upgrading to 1Ds, I can't use it anymore? since it is a EF-S lens?

You won't be able to use it anymore no. But to get the same FOV, since the 1Ds is full frame, you'll need a 16-35L .

[Hellashot]

if I get this lens, and one day I feel like upgrading to 1Ds, I can't use it anymore? since it is a EF-S lens?

No you won't, but if you get the Sigma 12-24mm you will. I tried it on my EOS-3 for the first time this weekend and I could not believe how wide it really is! I don't see the point in buying lenses that cannot fit on full frame/film cameras. Maybe Canon is getting everyone to buy these "digital" lenses, so that in 2 or 3 years if they go to a bigger low end sensor they'll get everyone to buy different lenses!

[Andy_T]

Richard,

of course most of us will be really interested how this lens performs in comparison to the 17-40 ... will you be doing a kind of comparison soon?

Best regards,
Andy

[RichardtheSane]

No you won't, but if you get the Sigma 12-24mm you will. I tried it on my EOS-3 for the first time this weekend and I could not believe how wide it really is! I don't see the point in buying lenses that cannot fit on full frame/film cameras. Maybe Canon is getting everyone to buy these "digital" lenses, so that in 2 or 3 years if they go to a bigger low end sensor they'll get everyone to buy different lenses!

Now, I really don't care about what my lens will do in 2-3 years time, I have got a lens now that gives me a 35mm equiv FOV of 16mm now, and I am able to shoot with it now. THat is all that counts. Plus I really don't think canon will ditch the current lineup of sensor sizes fo quite some time. Once I can afford a full frame or large frame camera, a 16-35L will be no problem.

[RichardtheSane]

Richard,

of course most of us will be really interested how this lens performs in comparison to the 17-40 ... will you be doing a kind of comparison soon?

Best regards,
Andy

Andy, Yes I will.
I've already agreed to a shootout between my 17-40L and my 18-55 so I may as well do the 10-22 at the same time. I would imagine wednesday is a good day :)

[RichardtheSane]

Richard you might have warned me you were posting this, the words dagger and heart spring to mind :( Will it be ok if I visit occasionally ;)
Sorry Paul, promise not to do it again :)

[MrChad]

Richard your shots pushed me over the edge I had to order the 10-22mm EF-S, I hope it arrives before the weekend, BHP. I paid for 2 day UPS. My sister is coming to town for the weekend I hope to try it out downtown this weekend on the oh so tall buidlings :)

[lancea]

Yes thank you from me too Richard. It's nice to see something different done with this lens. Now I really wish I'd got one instead of my 17-40! Wonder if they'll come down in price ....

Not sure how anyone could mistake your bats for Hilda's ducks - you haven't got a murial for a start ;)

[SimonBl]

For what it's worth, here are 3 of my very first shots with my Canon 10-22. They're not earth shattering (the first 2 are a bit muddy, due to crap lighting), but they may be appreciated by others to see the difference between 10mm and 22mm :confused:.

I'm going to go mad this weekend!

The first at 22mm:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/45807824.jpg

and now, from exactly the same spot and a second or so later, at 10mm:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/45807825.jpg

and one other at 10mm (focus point was the writing above the doors directly to the front of shot):

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/45807826.jpg

Simon....

[DavidThomson]

HI I just got a 10-22 and a new D20

altogether delighted with both the build quality is fine for a £500 lens and from what I can see from tests this is a good sharp lens. I guess all modern mass produced lenses are subject to manafacturing flaws I has 2 D20's that had permanent error 99 faults that Jessops kindly replaced immediately with no fuss.

This is a shot from my roof looking west in London on a dull day and crap light but I will have a go at night which most of my work is done to realy test it out.

Cheers
DT

PS
For those with a 10-22 have you tried photostitch yet with the lens at 10 .... Photostitch will not accept the image as it sas it was shot on to wide a lens . Any Ideas how to overcome this??

[SimonBl]

Haven't tried pano's yet with the 10-22 @10. Only had time / conditions to take 6 shots or so.

Congratulations on the Olympics and welcome to the forums!

Simon....

[MrChad]

Just got my 10-22mm in the UPS truck hours ago. I plan to shoot Downtown Chicago this weekend with it. I can't wait to get out and use this puppy, I took some shots at work with the lens in the parking lot. Nothing worth posting.

I found that I did get some flair with the lens if the sun is not at my back, anyone else run into this issue? Granted it's near 12 noon here just an aweful time of day to be out with a lens. But anyone see improved results with the hood or even the ebay fake hoods? BHp is out of the real hoods or I would have had one.

-Chad

[Jwreich]

Chad,

Be sure to post some shots, as many as you can :lol:

[MrChad]

Chad,

Be sure to post some shots, as many as you can :lol:

definately, what free hosting sites do you guys recommend using for pictures.
I've posted most of my JPEG's via a cardomain site URL I have, but the resolution is very low after I upload the files.

[Todd Jacobsen]

A couple more, after I realised the best angle to take the shot from...
already I'm learning

I've never gotten over the washing machine in the kitchen. Definitely British.

Lived in Cambridge for three years and never used it once. It kept breaking the glasses...

[SimonBl]

Here are two more shots from my 10-22, went to Brisbane for a day but didn't really have time to do anything photographic except from the hotel window (EXIF in the frame):

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/45927629.jpg

and, a few minutes later:

http://www.pbase.com/simonb/image/45927630.jpg

[Sonderval]

Wow! Those are some nice shoots dude! :)

[Jonny]

ohhhhh. i want mine now......fed ex has it in Kazakhstan at the minute....at least its a little closer today than it was yesterday!

[MrChad]

Ok spent all day Saturday in downtown Chicago with my wife, my sister and her boyfriend. I have a ton of tall building shots and to be honest in review many of them now bore me, but I love the lens. This lens is so small and light, but nicely built. Many comment it's not L build, well IMO it's better built then the D-Rebel I have it on so that's good enough for me.

I didn't really start to feel creative with this lens until the end of the day. But this is my first outing ever with a really wide angle lens. Since most folks really want to see this lens at the max here are a few shots I took on the 10mm end.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/12/web/276000-276999/276824_113_full.jpg
Weber Grill restaurant downtown (Sis and her boyfriend), f3.5; 1/4, ISO200 10mm end. No tripod; I'm pleased to get this shot at the bar, it's one of my favorites from the day.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/12/web/276000-276999/276824_114_full.jpg
Guess where, duh? 1/50 f4.0 ISO1600 10mm end.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/12/web/276000-276999/276824_115_full.jpg
Not really special but its an indoor demo shot, 1/13, f3.5, ISO100, 10mm end.

[Adam Hicks]

People mentioning the fact that EF-S lenses can't be used on other bodies continue to disregard the excellent resale value of Canon lenses. Who cares if my 10-22 doesn't work on my next full frame camera. I'll sell it on eBay for more than the $649 I paid for it through Dell. How can I complain?

Also, the 10-22 is pretty scary at 10mm when shooting in portrait mode. Especially with people.. it's NOT flattering!

That being said, it's an excellent lens and takes fantastic wide shots (landscape mode shots that is!)

Adam

[MrChad]

People mentioning the fact that EF-S lenses can't be used on other bodies continue to disregard the excellent resale value of Canon lenses. Who cares if my 10-22 doesn't work on my next full frame camera. I'll sell it on eBay for more than the $649 I paid for it through Dell. How can I complain?

Also, the 10-22 is pretty scary at 10mm when shooting in portrait mode. Especially with people.. it's NOT flattering!

That being said, it's an excellent lens and takes fantastic wide shots (landscape mode shots that is!)

Adam

I think limiting any lens to only one type of media-style is short changing gear we have all invested hundreds to thousands in.

Of all the EF-S lenses the 10-22mm is the most unique IMO, simply because until it's debut there wasn't a lens for it's FOV. Think about that, since the days of the D30 '99 we have not had a Canon lens capable of the 10mm (16mm FOV eq.) for any Canon SLR.

As for a wasted purchase down the road given full frame one day? I'd wager Canon sold more Drebels (300D) then D30/60 and 10D's combined, you may even be able to count 20D's in the mix. And with the 350D on the market now, and the 20D and most likely the 20D replacement(one day) all using EF-S mount, it's the one EF-S lens there will never be a Canon sustitute for. It's a gamble I was willing to take, I wanted the wide angle zoom now, I figured having the funds for the 10-22mm was more likely then having the funds for the 17-40 or 16-35L and a full frame DSLR. I also wagered the odds were better of my EF-S working on a Canon down the road then a 3rd party lens APS-C as well.

[OceanView]

People mentioning the fact that EF-S lenses can't be used on other bodies continue to disregard the excellent resale value of Canon lenses. Who cares if my 10-22 doesn't work on my next full frame camera. I'll sell it on eBay for more than the $649 I paid for it through Dell. How can I complain?

Also, the 10-22 is pretty scary at 10mm when shooting in portrait mode. Especially with people.. it's NOT flattering!

That being said, it's an excellent lens and takes fantastic wide shots (landscape mode shots that is!)

Adam


How did you get such a great price through Dell?

[JSolie]

Also, the 10-22 is pretty scary at 10mm when shooting in portrait mode. Especially with people.. it's NOT flattering!

Very true! However, I've taken some great "Easter Island" pictures of my kids. They giggle themselves silly looking at them. :rolleyes:

-- John

[garbidz]

I got mine from hk-digi at eBay: 610 euros -or 230 euros less than Nomatica which is the only online shop in France that posts to Réunion Island. Things are never easy with the French---this time the customs office had torn the package to pieces and charged me 52 euros of having done so.

But the lens is magnificent. Very true that it cannot be used on my EOS-5 which I gave to my son who lives some 10000 miles from here. I couldn't use it on a 3500-dollar EOS 1D, either. There I'd need a 1300-dollar 16-35.

There are times when one has to be reasonable...or sort of at least.
I find the lens well built, great fun to use and producing pictures where I personally am the limiting factor, not the lens...Never had one this wide and it will take time to learn to see and walk to the right spot to shoot.
http://photos22.flickr.com/26281310_6a30003251.jpg

[elm54]

Andy, Yes I will.
I've already agreed to a shootout between my 17-40L and my 18-55 so I may as well do the 10-22 at the same time. I would imagine wednesday is a good day :)
Hello Richard, Did you ever do this comparison between the 17-40 and 10-22 ?