wideangle lens
 

hi i've just bought a canon 5d mark ii and need a ultra wide angle lens.

whats the best one and why? also there doesn't seem many choices out there for full frame why's that

thanks

There's plenty of choice:

14mm f/2.8L
15mm f/2.8 fish eye
16-35mm f/2.8L II
17mm f/4L (TS-E)
17-40mm f/4L

Which of those is the best depends on what you need from them as they all can fill slightly different needs (but the 17-40 can probably be overlooked as the 16-35 is a zoom better option - optically better as well as a stop faster). What do you want from a wide angle? Do you want/need a zoom? A tilt and shift? The widest you can get? Fisheye?

I'm glad I found this before posting an identical question!

I too have a 5D MkII and I'm off on a Norweigian Fjord cruise this weekend. I'll be taking the 24-105mmL kit lens with me as a good walk-about lens, but would love to get the best landscape shots that I possibly can from the experience.

I don't want to go fish-eye or TS-E and I'll probably try to hire a lens for the weekend, but any pointers on what top quality ultra-wide angle to try for landscapes would be very much appreciated.

Regards
Pete

Ruling out the fish eye and the TSE, the 14mm (mk II version) is widely considered to be the best optically, and it's also the widest too. So if the convenience of a zoom isn't a requirement then that would be the best choice. If a zoom is wanted then the mk II 16-35 f/2.8L.

thanks

i think from what your saying is its better to spend the extra money and buy the 16-35 mark II over the 17-40mm lens

[QUOTE=payne-14;20897]thanks

i think from what your saying is its better to spend the extra money and buy the 16-35 mark II over the 17-40mm lens[/QUOTE]

If you want Canon's best FF wide angle zoom, then yes. If you just want their best FF wide angle then the 14mm.

I am looking into getting a wide angle lens but have been debating the sigma 12-24 versus the canon 14mm. The price difference is huge and I am wondering if people think its worth saving the money or will the quality suffer?

Karen

Canon has recently announced a new fish-eye lens - 8-15 mm I have provided a link below.

[url]http://www.canonrumors.com/2010/08/canon-announced-8-15-f4l-fisheye-zoom/[/url]

I am VERY new to DSLR photography and I will be using a Nikon D60 with AF-S DX 18-55mm Lens (hell if I know what that means), but my friend takes amazing photos using a 0.45x wide angle lens w/ macro that screws onto the lens?

Can someone explain this to me? Because I'm really interested in buying one and I wouldn't even know where to look for one online.by (alls sublime)
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Sounds like a "Step-Down Ring" - you can get them in various 'strengths'.... the '0.45x' means that it turns the main lens into a lens that acts like it's only 45% of its focal length..... e.g. a 28mm lens becomes something like a 12mm. For your Nikon you could have a look on the Nikon websites for 'genuine' accessories, or somewhere like [URL="http://www.bowerusa.com/catalog.php?item=301|7"]Bowen's[/URL] (who make their own) for the right filter size of your lens. You shouldn't need to pay more than about 15 quid. Here's [URL="http://www.gadgettown.com/Nikon-D40X-45X-Wide-Angle-Lens.html"]another site[/URL] that had them but it's sold out and it's in the USA..... but you get the drift.