[AOShep]

I need to purchase a wideangle prime or zoom but want to make sure it's enough to complement my current lenses, not duplicate them. Currently, the only wide I have is a Tamron 18-250 zoom. How much wider is 16 or 17 mm compared to the 18 mm on the Tamron? I'm sure that any lens with a wide of 10 to 14 mm will be significantly wider but there are a number of very good zoom lenses starting with 16 or 17 mm.

[jct us101]

You'll actually notice a huge difference. Well maybe not huge, but more than you probably expect. I went from an 18mm wide end on a kit lens to a 17mm wide end on the Sigma 17-70mm, and it's about 20% more area in the photo.

[Nass]

Hello,

It's definitely wider but whether it's worth a whole new lens is somewhat debatable. For what it's worth, I had much the same question as yourself and ended up finding out that the major painpoint for me was rectilinear (straight lines) vs. fish-eye (curvey). As it happens I've now got both; I found the Sigma 10-20mm and the Pentax 10-17mm cover this end very well and give good value for money. There are other good choices around too, Pentax 12-24mm, Pentax DA15mm, Tamron 10-24mm.

I need to purchase a wideangle prime or zoom but want to make sure it's enough to complement my current lenses, not duplicate them. Currently, the only wide I have is a Tamron 18-250 zoom. How much wider is 16 or 17 mm compared to the 18 mm on the Tamron? I'm sure that any lens with a wide of 10 to 14 mm will be significantly wider but there are a number of very good zoom lenses starting with 16 or 17 mm.

[patrickw]

If your priority is to get a good wide angle lens, I'd recommend getting a good wide angle lens, and not trying to sneak one in as the wide end of a normal zoom. (Because you surely know if you go that route, you will still be itching for a dedicated wide angle lens within a couple of weeks.) I have the 15mm Limited and for me that is a nice all-around wide angle length. It is wide enough that it feels dramatic and slightly unnatural but not so wide that it feels like a special effect lens. It's also pretty lightweight and not too expensive. If I get another wide lens I'd supplement it with one of the zooms (12-24mm or 10-20mm). There's definitely something to be said for a wide zoom, esp. when shooting say urban architecture, where you can't stand out in the middle of the busy street to get the exact field of view you'd otherwise like to have.

[jct us101]

If you really want a good wide angle though, I would definitely recommend getting the Sigma 10-20mm. At least if you get that one you can figure out where in the range of 10-20mm you want to get a lens in.

[Pentaxie]

If your priority is to get a good wide angle lens, my recommendation is around 12-14mm to complement what you already have and not trying to just put one in as the wide end of a normal zoom. If you chose to go that route, you will still be craving for a dedicated wide angle lens wider than your existing one.

Another wide angle lens is the 15mm Limited as anall-around wide angle lens. It is wide enough that it feels dramatic and slightly unnatural but not so wide that it feels like a special effect lens(like the fish-eye). The good thing is that it is lightweight and cost a fair sum.

[TOUGEFC]

I too am stuck on picking a wide angle, was considering a da 15 but i wish it was faster :|

[systemA]

If you really want a good wide angle though, I would definitely recommend getting the Sigma 10-20mm. At least if you get that one you can figure out where in the range of 10-20mm you want to get a lens in.

Seconded. One of the best and affordable rectilinear wide angle zooms you can get for the pentax mount.

[patrickw]

It is wide enough that it feels dramatic and slightly unnatural but not so wide that it feels like a special effect lens

This has a familiar ring to it!

(And, I agree... )

[patrickw]

I too am stuck on picking a wide angle, was considering a da 15 but i wish it was faster :|

Keep in mind that at 15mm you can use quite slow shutter speeds without picking up camera motion. Of course this won't help if you are shooting action in low light that you need to stop. But probably of all my lenses, the DA 15mm is the one that I least find myself wishing for an extra stop in practice.

[AOShep]

Thanks for all the input. Looks like anything wider than the 18mm I already have will be an improvement. Looks like anything overlapping the 15mm range will suite my needs. So now I just need to decide on price and f/stop range I will be happy with.

[alexulo]

You can buy a Samyang 8 mm Fisheye F3.5, it costs not too much, but the only problem is that the lens has a manual focus, I thik this is not a very big problem because with it you don't take sport photos but landscape.

I heard the lens costs between 400-500$ but I'm not sure, I think you can find it on ebay.

[axl]

Another vote for sigma 10-20/4-5.6.
I've had my since 2007 and I thought about selling it many times,, just because I'd like something bit faster and something with Pentax label (keep hearing DA14 ringing in my ears!), but every time I use this lens it delivers and it delivers big time! Just like it did today during my lunch (pix later).
For me 10mm is irreplacible and that's where all my doubts end...
though DA14 is VERY tempting IMO...

Good luck choosing

BR
Peter

[parsons]

yeah im getting tempted by the Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 EX DC HSM, which is new out, i think. its faster than the pentax and wider angle, perfect me thinks for dark urban photography (which is what im into). also its like £200 cheaper than the pentax 12-24. starting to wonder why anyone would go for the pentax other than for the label!? im guessing its preformance will mirror the Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6, which is meant to be good.

should go along side my DA10-17fisheye nicely

[axl]

I was thinking about getting the f3.5 version too but so far everything I heard/read suggests that the older (f4-5.6) version has better IQ!