choosing a wide angle lens. help!

[wanderella]

hello, i have a canon eos rebel xsi 450D and i want a wide angle lens...my dilemma is, do i choose a 16-35mm f2.8 that cost roughly 1500$ or the ef-s 10-22mm f3.5 that cost approximately 700$ and with the conversion gives me the equivilant of the 16-35mm...i think the cheaper lens will not work with a full sensor camera, thus the cheaper price. and i probably won't update my camera body for a few years, if ever (unless photography makes me rich)....so which would be a better purchase?....thanks for the help.....

[RichardTaylor]

What are you going to use your new lens for?

Will the 10-22 meet your needs (not wants) both photographically and budget wise?

If so get it.

Have you considered third party lenses like Soligor & Tokina?

[inkista]

Ok. Sounds like you're looking for an ultrawide lens. The 18-55 kit lens is a wideangle lens on a crop body like your 450D. actually.

The 16-35L will not be the same as the 10-22 on your camera. It will still be not-as-wide. It's only give an equivalent field of view to the 10-22 on your 450D if you put it on a 5D. So, the more appropriate focal length for you is probably the EF-S 10-22.

Yes, i'ts true, you cannot use it on a full-frame sensor body, like the 5D mkII or the 1Ds mkIII. Any lens with "EF-S" in the name is like that.

However, the 10-22 is not your only choice.

Sigma makes a 10-22 f/4-5.6 HSM (Sigma speak for USM) for about $500.
Tokina makes a 11-16 f/2.8 for $600-$700
Tamron makes a 10-24 f/3.5-4.5 for $500

They're all good lenses, they all do the ultrawide thing. It's mostly a matter of how much maximum aperture you want, and also how big a lens you're willing to cart around. Nearly none of the ultrawides are designed for full-frame. Most are only appropriate for use on a crop body.

Also, be aware that shooting with an ultrawide does require some skillz, and optical compromises (be prepared to learn how to correct for CA and distortion). I'd recommend reading this essay to get a feel for what's involved.

[OsmosisStudios]

Inkista: There is one option: Sigma make a 12-24 for full-frame that works very well on the crop-sensor cameras as well. It's not the best optically, but as a two-sensor-system solution, it's certainly one of them.

[bearly]

I have the canon 10-22 EF-S lens and I used it this entire summer with an XSi... it's absolutely fantastic. yeah the 16-35 and the 17-40 are L lenses and very nicebut if you really want WIDE on a crop body canon, there is nothing better than the 10-22.

I have nothing bad at all to say about it. it's a very solid lens, really well built and focuses very smoothly and accurately. I love it, and can't recommend it highly enough. I haven't used any of the third party lenses, so I have no basis for comparison with any of those, but I'd say go for the canon. you won't regret it at all.

if you want to look at my flickr, the newest images (except for the very first one) up there were all shot with this lens

[wanderella]

thanks for the info everyone....i want the lens for landscapes and architectural shots....and i am not familiar with the other brands mentioned....i just thought i would stick with canon products cause i have a canon camera (if that makes any sense)....so would this lens be a good one for landscapes and such?....thanks for all your help!....

[wanderella]

great shots andy....that is exactly the kind of photos i want....you may have sold me...thanks again for the help.....

[vsa]

Let's start with that photography most likely won't make you rich. You can make money to buy the best camera and all that but still not rich.

Anyways... I've stuck with Canon lenses too and haven't had anything bad to say about them. If you don't plan on shooting some events in the dark then you probably don't need very fast lens so the 10-22 will be fine. Just remember to also invest in a good sturdy tripod/head. Not those flimsy $30 things.

The brands inkista mentioned should be good too nowadays so if you can get your hands on any of them try them out.

[gturner]

that Sigma lens is one of good, but suggest you check out the IQ before you get it. The canon has much better contrast.

If you are keeping the body, then 10-22 CANON is the answer

[Michael_2010]

I also bought a Canon 10-22 EF-S lens a couple of months ago and I also love it. I'm still learning how to best use it, but the new vantage point it gives on common scenes is really intriguing.

It doesn't have image stabilization, but I have not run into a situation where that has presented a problem. Most of the time I'm either shooting in good light or with a tripod while using that lens.