Wide, Ultra-wide, Fisheye?

[TonyW]

I've been thinking about a wider-angle lens than the 18-70 on my D80 and I'm getting confused by nomenclature. I see terms like wide, ultra-wide and fisheye but also realise that what might be 10mm on a full-frame sensor will be 15mm equivalent on my D80 because of the crop factor. So I guess my question is, is there something different about fisheyes that would give a wider angle view (and more distortion) than a wide angle lens of the same focal length with my AP-C sized sensor.

Any recommendations for a lens that gets me down in the 10-18 range (and I don't really want a fisheye effect - just a wider field of view that I can get at the moment without a lot of distortion).

Tony

[JulieM]

Hi Tony,

I think a wide angle is going to be my next lens too, albeit probably not in the near future. I have a blogging friend who loves her Tokina 12-24 (http://www.vistek.ca/store/CameraLenses/238088/tokina-af-1224mm-f4-asph-pro-dx-nikon-wide-angle-zoom-lens.aspx)(she also uses the D80) and her results with it are fantastic. I'll shoot you a link to her blog so you can see some of the images and get a feel for the distortion.

[TonyW]

Thanks Julie: Those pics look good and pretty much what I was looking for. I'm still wondering if 12 at the short end is low enough and looking at for example the Signma 10-20. Seems that the difference between 10 and 12 could be quite a lot in terms of field of view (but then I see some 10 mm fisheyes that don't really give what I want)

Tony

[JulieM]

Have you tried a 10mm on your camera? (hoping to glean some useful info from your research so keep us posted...)

[lowbone]

Fisheye is a term for an arrangement of lens elements capable of producing a photo of at least 180 degrees. You have probably seen these photos as they appear to be a circle rather then a rectangle in format. Things can get tricky. I have a 10-22mm lens for my Canon 50D camera. It is wide but not fisheye. By the same token Tokina makes a lens that I think is 10-17mm that is advertised as fisheye and on a crop camera is almost fisheye. The only true fisheye lens I know of for a crop camera is the Sigma 4 1/2 mm lens.

[Derry]

Tony, another thing to consider is that most wa lens provided this amount of degree on a corner to corner, not side to side due to the smaller sensor,,

Derry

[ricklepage]

Lots of my Nikon pals love the 10.5mm fisheye, but they all rent it when they know they'll get plenty of use out of it. You might want to try renting a couple to play with - there are many good online rental outfits, and lots of pro photo stores rent lenses as well.

Pro Photo, my outfit here in Portland, even has a special weekend rate after 3 pm on Fridays: 50% off the day rate. If you return it by 10am Monday, you only pay for half of one day. It's a great way to play with expensive glass, or test out lenses for purchase.

Extra wide angle lenses are definitely an acquired taste. I ended up going with a Sigma 20-40 for my 5D after playing with the wider (and pricier) 16-35 Canon lens. 16mm was fun, but it wasn't something I would use that much.

Rick

[TonyW]

Thanks for the input. I'll have to take a trip out of our small town and try some I think or find someone who has one. I have a pretty good idea of the pics I want to take - just need to find the right lens at the right price that will take them :). And I'm still a bit confused about the nomenclature - I don't think Rick's 20-40 on his 5D would be wide angle on my D80.

Tony

[JulieM]

And I'm still a bit confused about the nomenclature - I don't think Rick's 20-40 on his 5D would be wide angle on my D80.

Tony

Maybe you should get a full frame camera then you'll be talking the same language! :D

[RonH]

I am using a 11-18 mm Tamron and have been very happy with it. Lens distortion is minimal and it has good range. Since my CCD has a 1.5 factor that would be equivalent to a 17mm in the 35 mm and full frame world.

RonH

[Whiplash-GT]

Tony...
where abouts in Ontario are you?
if you're somewhat local to Burlington i could always meet up with you and let you try the 10-20 for a bit
i love this lens on my D80 crop
great for landscapes, excellent for some nice wedding captures (over the head dance floor stuff, large churches from the balcony) and it's great for the occasional "trash"

once i go FX i'll be getting the 14-24 for sure

lemme know

[Edmund]

Tony, If my memory is right from what I remember from my Nikon film days a fisheye was a fisheye by definition, a super-wide was a 14mm,18mm 20mm type lenses. The wide angle started around the 24mm range and included the 28mm and 35mm lenes. The normal lens was always the 50mm and so on. I still have my old 24mm f2.8 D lens which is equivalent to a 36mm lens on my film camera. I too want a true wide angle but the Nikkor 14mm f/2.8 is around $1400+ which in my case is too pricey. So the zoom now enters the equation and after all my analysis and trade offs I think I will save up and buy the Nikkor 12-24mm f/4 G lens. This is going for around $900 + at B&H or Adorama. I usually always used my wide angle for Extreme sharp DOF type of images.
Eddie:)

[TonyW]

Tony...
where abouts in Ontario are you?
if you're somewhat local to Burlington i could always meet up with you and let you try the 10-20 for a bit
i love this lens on my D80 crop
great for landscapes, excellent for some nice wedding captures (over the head dance floor stuff, large churches from the balcony) and it's great for the occasional "trash"

once i go FX i'll be getting the 14-24 for sure

lemme know

Thanks for the offer but I'm a long way west of you - but that's the lens I'm leaning towards at the moment.

Tony