Tokina 12-24mm low light

I am looking into getting a wide angle lens. From everything that I have seen, the Tokina 12-24mm seems to have great coverage and image quality. I am also impressed by the build quality. My main interest is wildlife photography with a few landscapes thrown in there as well as a portrait or two. So my question is this: How well is this lens in low light situations and should I consider going with a f/2.8 lens? I thought about going with the 17-55 f/2.8, but would like to have the option of going wider when I want. Plus, the prospect of spending twice as much money (almost) is discouraging. My other lenses are the nifty and 28-135 to be followed soon by the 100-400.

Have you considered the 11-16 f/2.8?

I was considering this lens. The extended range of the 12-24mm is tempting however, and I am not sure how much I will use the "ultra wide" end. I see myself using more of the 16-24mm range in general. I have never owned a wide angle however, so I could be wrong.

well the slowest shutter speed you can use at the longest setting is 1/40th without blur (using the 1/FL rule). In my experience that should be enough indoors with lights on. Just don't expect to stop any action...

40Driggs wrote in post #6100996
I was considering this lens. The extended range of the 12-24mm is tempting however, and I am not sure how much I will use the "ultra wide" end. I see myself using more of the 16-24mm range in general. I have never owned a wide angle however, so I could be wrong.

17-50 Tamron, EF-S 17-55, EF 16-35 L. If you're more concerned about light gathering than wide angle, these would probably be better choices for you.

For what I use my 12-24 for, I don't feel it is very limited by the f/4 aperture. If I'm shooting low light ultra-wide, it's almost always with a tripod, and even in darker churches, I can usually get handholdable speeds at the shorter end at f/4.

The 12-24 is one of my favorite lenses. If you are not going to use the UWA end much, the 17-50 f/2.8 is also outstanding. However, if I were to keep only one, it'd be the 12-24 in heartbeat. I love that lens.

I've always had an easy time handhold UWA focal lengths in any sort of light. Between the Sigma 10-20 and the Tokina 12-24 that I owned, at 10mm and 12mm I could easily shoot down to 1/15s or 1/10s without any problem. If there are any people in the shot, however, they will be blurred (which sometimes creates a nice effect).