Super wide angle lenses

Since original Canon lens is beyond my budget, I am looking for an alternative.
Still don't know which one to get, Tokina AF 17-35 mm F4 or Tamron 15-30 mm F2.8. The Tamron one cost almost twice as much.
Need some good input. Thanks.

eaglesnest wrote in post #17706306
Since original Canon lens is beyond my budget, I am looking for an alternative.
Still don't know which one to get, Tokina AF 17-35 mm F4 or Tamron 15-30 mm F2.8. The Tamron one cost almost twice as much.
Need some good input. Thanks.

Heya,

If shooting APS-C, the EF-S 10-18 IS STM is ultrawide and can be found for like $250 second hand, $300 brand new. Hard to beat that price for the optics on this thing. At the $300~400 range, you can look at the 10-22 versions by Canon & Sigma.

Otherwise, no matter the format, the Tamron 17-35 is a very good piece of glass, usually around $300ish used. It's nearly as good as the 17-40L. On that note, the 17-40L is often $425 used these days.

And of course, there are primes, like the Rokinon 14mm F2.8 which is often had for $250ish. And there is the Tokina 17mm too, around $200.

Very best,

I had a Tokina 19-35 that got for about $100. It was very similar to the $500 17-40 I replaced it with, except the Tokina was hugely prone to flare.

I have a Rokinon 14mm and Sigma 15mm Fisheye. Both are great, but I'd trade both of them for a Rokinon 12mm FE. Talley?

Thanks for the tip. For lenses, I prefer to get a new one. I will mount the lens on my 6D. What about Tokina lenses? Heard lots of positive comments.

The only Tokina I've ever used was the 19-35 f/3.5-4.5. It was worth more than the $100 I paid for it. The Tokina 16-28 has a good reputation. If you are willing to go manual focus, the Rokinon/Samyang/Bower line of ultra-wides (and others) has a really good reputation.

eaglesnest wrote in post #17706344
Thanks for the tip. For lenses, I prefer to get a new one. I will mount the lens on my 6D. What about Tokina lenses? Heard lots of positive comments.

Tokina is a long time lens maker. Very good lenses really. Their latest ultrawides, however, are very prone to flaring. So if you're using this for any kind of bright direct light sources (sun for example), you're going to get some serious flare. If it's for things other than bright light sources, you should be fine. Tokina makes very sharp lenses though, their latest ultrawides are crazy sharp.

Very best,

eaglesnest wrote in post #17706306
Since original Canon lens is beyond my budget, I am looking for an alternative.
Still don't know which one to get, Tokina AF 17-35 mm F4 or Tamron 15-30 mm F2.8.

The Canon 16-35 f/4 L is less expensive than the Tamron 15-30 f/2.8 (here in the U.S., can't say for sure in Canada), and is a great lens.
From the reviews I've read, either the Canon or Tamron will outperform the Tokina in image quality, so the choice comes down to quality vs. price; which is more important to you?

Another lens not mentioned thus far: Sigma 12-24 DG (full-frame). I have a 6D and I use this lens for wide-angle shots and love it. See samples below. Up until the introduction of the Canon 11-24, Sigma 12-24 was the widest available full-frame lens. I really like it.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/qob9​2n

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/rraL​Za

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/rhr1​9T

Spectacular shots, Arutemu!

Back to the subject, a nice feature of Tokina lenses is they're built like a tank.

I have had great results from my bower 8mm 3.5

I have the Tokina 12-24F4 and can attest to it being sharp. It is crop only, and does work well indoors. You don't want to shoot into the sun with this lens, and I suspect that this is also the case with some other Tokina models.
The 12-24 doesn't get much use now, and there is nothing wrong with it. I have been using the Canon 17-40L and like it on the 6D.
The Tokina 12-24 is heavy like a tank, but there are problems with the system for switching from AF to manual. You can accidentally have this happen to a lens while it is in the bag, or while getting it out. You can then lose a shot, since the AF may be off and you don't realize it-the AF is then off. Even though the basic construction is good, some early 12-24 lenses had problems with the AF clutch or cable. Lens Rentals did a piece on the clutch construction.
I have the Tokine 35F2.8 macro (crop only), and it is unique and sharp. It doesn't have the flare problems of the Tokina ultrawide, but I use the Tokina lenses with AF, or fine tune manual focus with body sway. You don't need manual focus with an ultrawide.
I would look at the Canon 17-40L, unless you need F2.8. If you can spend more, the Canon 16-35F4IS has some great reviews. I like the 17-40 too much to trade it for the "better" zoom.