Best wide angle lens for landscape photography

Please share your thoughts on the best wide angle lens for landscape photography. Both crop and FF body.

I am still confused whether to move to FF or just get a 10-22 for a crop body. Any thoughts?

TS-E 17mm or TS-E 24mm

Depends on the landscape. UWA isn't always the tool of choice.

Windpig is on the money though. The 17mm T/S would be awesome!

When you ask about the "best", you're going to get a lot of very expensive and/or specialized lenses. Maybe this is OK with you, but since you mentioned the 10-22 Ill talk about it for a bit.

Ive used the 10-22 on crop and the 17-40L on FF. In my opinion, the 10-22 has the better IQ of the two lenses. I feel like its a bit sharper and it doesnt vignette like the 17-40. Colors and contrast are equal. The 10-22 is a fine lens and judging by the question you've asked, you'd get more out of learning with the 10-22 than by swapping APS-c for FF and wide primes.

The other posters are right - some of the wide angle primes and tilt shift lenses are probably the ultimate landscape wide angles, but they are impractical for most of us. If you do go this route, I would upgrade to full frame because those wide primes make the most sense in their native focal lengths on a FF body.

I've got the 17-40L and it's fantastic. Would loe to use the TSE's but can't afford them at the moment. I've also used the Sigma 10-20 on my old crop and really liked those

I'm not a landscape photographer so probably not qualified to comment. I've also had the Siggy 10-20 and think it's an excellent value. I've heard mixed things about the Canon 10-22, mostly people disappointed that, though it is a quality lens, it didn't meet the expectations set by its price. There's always the 16-35 II which I have and enjoy on a ff camera; more expensive than the 10-22 or 17-40, but maybe not as much and/or more versatile than the TS options.

love the 10-22 on a 7D

I like the 17-40 on a crop body.. I believe that you would get the most use and value from this lens where the 10-22 may only come out of the bag on rare occassions.

The 17-40 shows some easily corrected curvature on both the 5d and 1dsII full frames and so, unless you really, really need that 17mm FOV it seems that it's mostly used at the long end..........

YMMV

A fisheye can be cool.

17-40L is the boss for landscapes. the colors are perfect, just a little soft for me.

fstopblues wrote in post #10952002
17-40L is the boss for landscapes. the colors are perfect, just a little soft for me.

Then there's something wrong with your copy because there's no softness from mine!

Especially when I'm doing landscapes at f/8-f/13...

Sick Sharp.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #10952180
Then there's something wrong with your copy because there's no softness from mine!

Especially when I'm doing landscapes at f/8-f/13...

Sick Sharp.

yeah, i played with my friends 17-40L and i got a lot of softness wide open, i was also indoors, which might have contributed to the softness.

as a landscape lens though, amazing. just got to keep above f/4 in my opinion.

fstopblues wrote in post #10952218
yeah, i played with my friends 17-40L and i got a lot of softness wide open, i was also indoors, which might have contributed to the softness.

as a landscape lens though, amazing. just got to keep above f/4 in my opinion.

yeah.. you do not shoot landscape at f/4...

I do have a Sigma 12-24mm on FF that I like very much, I think its the widest non-fisheye lens on the market right now. I love to use it at 12mm if people are not inside the frame.. otherwise I just leave it at 24mm to avoid distortion on the edges.

monk3y wrote in post #10952242
yeah.. you do not shoot landscape at f/4...

I do have a Sigma 12-24mm on FF that I like very much, I think its the widest non-fisheye lens on the market right now. I love to use it at 12mm if people are not inside the frame.. otherwise I just leave it at 24mm to avoid distortion on the edges.

yeah got to watch out for those cheaper wide angles. the deadly ripple around the edge hate that distortion.

MCAsan wrote in post #10946051
love the 10-22 on a 7D

That makes two of us.
I think this lens on a crop camera is very creative. The fov is very wide, very large.
The color is outstanding, and the clarity is exceptional.
Distortion is easily handled in LR 3 and can actually be manipulated creatively.
It is a light lens, not too noticable and just plain fun. I believe it is worth every penny paid for.

Those saying the IQ is not what expected may be pixel peepers. Print a nice size copy, frame it and you will be very happy.

This weekend I am shooting my 5Dmii with the 16-35L. I will let you know what I think.