the bigger picture?

Hi, i'm an amateur photo guy with some really great travel destinations this summer. It would be near impossible to not come out with some amazing shots. So in my mind i've already justified the need for a decent wide angle lens. Been looking into it, but it's sometimes hard to tell if reviews are genuine or trying to sell. Honestly my knowledge about the subject gets foggy from here. The most i could tell you is they're expensive. Looking at nikkor 14-24 2.8 or cannon 16-35iii 2.8. I don't really need top of the line, just something nice. Maybe other options i'm not aware of. Anyone with knowledge of the subject please feel free to weigh in...
I mostly shoot landscape, nature, night landscape, and have been playing with timelapse a lot lately. Canon 7d mark2. Thanks.

Welcome.

I take it by your last line that you have a Canon 7D II. Why then would you be looking at Nikon glass?

I don't think I'd spend huge money on a top end lens that was designed to be an ultra-wide angle zoom for a 35mm sensor, and then use it as a modest wide-angle zoom on a 7D size sensor. That's paying a lot of money for UWA corner performance that you are not even going to see.

If you really want an UWA zoom lens, there are several designed for your sensor size that all start around 10-12mm on the wide end. That's a lot more flexible and useful than getting a 14-24 or 16-35. There are the Canon 10-22, Canon 10-18 (quite affordable), Sigma 10-20, Tamron 11-16 (fast f/2.8 for stars).

Similarly, if you just want a standard wide-angle zoom lens, again, some of the purpose designed 1.6X format lenses can deliver very good performance in a lighter, smaller, cheaper package over those 35mm format UWA zooms. There's the Canon 17-55 which is fast enough for astro work and known to be very sharp. Sigma and Tamron both offer 17-50s, and then there is Sigma with their intriguing 18-35 f/1.8. That fast 1.8 aperture in a zoom lens could be nice for astro work.

All of the lenses I mention are below $1000, some below $500.

Your profile doesn't indicate your location. It might matter; no sense recommending a Canon refurb for instance if you live in the UK or even Canada.

activeshooter wrote in post #18593820
.......Looking at nikkor 14-24 2.8 or cannon 16-35iii 2.8. I don't really need top of the line, just something nice. Maybe other options i'm not aware of. Anyone with knowledge of the subject please feel free to weigh in...
I mostly shoot landscape, nature, night landscape, and have been playing with timelapse a lot lately. Canon 7d mark2. Thanks.

Those 2 lenses you mentioned are designed for Full Frame cameras and won’t be very wide on your 7D Mk II.

You need something that starts wider like the Canon EF-S 10-18 STM or 10-22 USM.

If you need a f/2.8 lens you could get the Tokina 11-16 or 11-20.

Thank you. Sometimes i forgot how little i know about all this stuff and i'm glad to talk to people who do know...
I've got a good direction to go in from here, well worth the time to register on here & ask. Thanks a lot.

I've come to do a lot of 'wide', and I shoot mostly an aps-c Canon 80D (similar to your 7D2, uses same lenses).

In no particular order:
Canon efs 10-18mm. Good glass. Cheap. Too slow (aperture) to be useful at night, or indoors without a flash.
Canon efs 10-22mm. Better than 10-18, optically, slightly. 2/3 stop faster, and more useful zoom range.
Sigma 12-24 II. Excellent lens, but slow (aperture). Works on full frame, too. Not quite wide enough on aps-c cameras.
Sigma 8-16. IMHO, the best UWA zoom you can get. Optically excellent, but again slow. I use it primarily at f/5.6-f/11, so I don't care.
Tokina 11-20. Excellent lens, and it is f/2.8 fixed. Excellent optics, and f/2.8 sold me.

My current wide lens is two lenses:
Sigma 8-16 which is primarily for landscape types work for me. The main selling point to me is "widest non-fishey lens" available.
Tokina 11-20 which is my main 'indoor' family gathering type lens. Primary selling points are f/2.8 and good, useful zoom range.

Some folks have commented that I have a lot of overlap in these two lenses. I don't see it. The Tokina can't do 8mm (and even that isn't always wide enough). The Sigma can't do f/2.8. To me, they are two different lenses for two entirely different purposes.

Bassat wrote in post #18593919
Tokina 11-20. Excellent lens, and it is f/2.8 fixed. Excellent optics, and f/2.8 sold me.

Tokina 11-20 which is my main 'indoor' family gathering type lens. Primary selling points are f/2.8 and good, useful zoom range.

The lens mentioned is normally $499 but as refurbished it is available for $350 direct from Tokina at https://tokinausa.com …shed-11-20mm-f2-8-pro-dx/. Unfortunately it is currently shown as out of stock but should you have an interest, check back at that link every few days. The 12-28MM F/4 PRO DX is in stock and refurbished it is $240. It is obviously slower and I'm not sure how it stands up to the 11-20. See https://tokinausa.com …bished-12-28mm-f4-pro-dx/.

And again, I ask where you live as refurbished is generally only available to those that live in the US.

Bassat mentioned the Sigma 8-16. I own it too. If you keep the axis of the lens hotizontal, all the verticals are preserved (because it is a rectilinear lens). The results are spectacular! Below is an example of 8 mm Uncorrected for rotation, but cropped)

Williams Tower in Houston:

Bassat wrote in post #18593919
Some folks have commented that I have a lot of overlap in these two lenses. I don't see it. The Tokina can't do 8mm (and even that isn't always wide enough). The Sigma can't do f/2.8. To me, they are two different lenses for two entirely different purposes.

That is a ridiculous complaint.

Overlap is very good to have - the more the better.

Why? . Because it means that one doesn't have to change lenses so often while afield shooting. . Less time changing lenses means fewer missed shots.


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Perfect! I love it. B&H is moving that tokina 11-20 towards me. And the price was right on, I hate getting anything too expensive because I'll probably break it. Thanks