The best wide-angle lenses offer a field of view much wider than that of the human eye. This means photographers and videographers can shoot with a unique perspective, producing imagery that fits eye-poppingly expansive views fit into a single frame, opening up myriad possibilities when compared to a standard lens.
My hit list covers versatile wide-angle zooms and features some of the most stunning lenses I've ever tested, for all the major mounts and systems. The generous viewing angle of a wide lens enables you to get close to a subject, exaggerating the perspective between foreground and background and creating that unique 'look' that isn't otherwise achievable.
There are loads of reasons why an ultra-wide zoom is a great lens to have in your toolkit, allowing you to open a whole new world of creative shooting opportunities…
Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has personally tested and reviewed the majority of the wide-angle lenses on this list!
The best wide-angle lenses
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Best for Canon
Designed for EOS R-series full-frame mirrorless cameras, this is the wide-angle member of the f/2.8 ‘trinity’ zooms. As you’d expect from such an ultra-wide lens with a fast f/2.8 aperture rating, it’s quite big and weighty but is nevertheless smaller and lighter than, for example, the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 Art lens for Canon DSLRs. Unlike the Sigma, the RF lens has a separate hood that enables the easy attachment of filters or filter holders via an 82mm thread.
The Canon almost matches the Sigma for maximum viewing angle, at 110 degrees, while adding a 5-stop image stabilizer that’s great for handheld shooting indoors or at twilight. Other highlights include a rapid and virtually silent Nano Ultrasonic autofocus system and stellar image quality. It’s a superb lens but, then again, it really should be at the price.
Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM full review
Best budget Canon
Conveniently compact and lightweight for a full-frame compatible ultra-wide-angle zoom, this lens is also much more affordable than Canon’s previously launched 14-35mm and 15-35mm L-series RF-mount options.
Designed with full-frame R-system cameras in mind, it’s also a good fit for APS-C format bodies including the EOS R7, R10 and R50, on which it has a still useful ‘effective’ zoom range of 24-48mm.
At just over 3.5 inches in length, the lens nevertheless packs a 5.5-stop optical image stabilizer and some up-market glass. Good build quality, handling and performance make it well worth the money, although it lacks weather-seals and the hood is sold separately.
Canon RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM full review
Best for NIkon
A constant f/2.8 ultra-wide zoom is one of the essential 'trinity' lenses in any pro lineup, and Nikon pulls it off again with the superb Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S. Anyone who remembers the AF-S 14-24mm DSLR lens and its bulbous front element will be pleased to learn that this lens actually supports front filters too, though at 112mm they're probably going to cost as much as a budget lens on their own.
If you want to travel light, though, take a look at the older Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens. You lose a stop on the maximum aperture, but you lose a lot in weight – and cost, too. This could be a telling factor for landscape photographers or those who only need an ultra-wide zoom every now and again, rather than all the time.
And if you must have a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture, there's always the Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8, which is a little longer in focal length than the S-line 14-24mm, but far less expensive to buy.
Read more: Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S review
Best budget Nikon
Like most of Nikon’s Z-mount prime and zoom lenses, the 14-30mm has a fairly modest aperture rating. This enables a relatively compact and lightweight build, perfectly matching the design ethic of Nikon's Z-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. It’s certainly no lightweight in terms of features and performance, however, packing four aspherical elements, four ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, and a super-fast yet virtually silent autofocus system.
Build quality is excellent with the inclusion of extensive weather-seals, Nano Crystal Coat, and a fluorine coating on the front element.
As with all other Nikon Z-mount S-line lenses that we’ve seen, image quality is gorgeous and particularly impressive in terms of sharpness. Another bonus is that the removable hood enables the easy fitment of filters or filter holders via an 82mm attachment thread.
Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S full review
Best for Fujifilm
Some lenses are designed in such a way that they are just a pleasure to use, and the Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS WR is one such optic. Its high-quality metal build gives it an unmistakably premium feel, and having an aperture ring is such a welcome addition, infinitely preferable to scrabbling around in menus.
The specs of the lens are not out of this world, but are perfectly adequate for a lens of this type – when working at these focal lengths, you probably don't need much more than f/4, for instance. It's much lighter and more affordable than Fujifilm's big flashy flagship wide-angle zoom, the XF 8-16mm f/2.8 R LM WR, and if you want something more affordable and less fussy, this 10-24mm is just the ticket.
The lens even includes useful features like an aperture control ring, linear autofocus motor, weatherproofing, and optical stabilization, which is pretty impressive for a lens at this price.
Read more: Fujinon XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS WR review
Best for L-mount
Thanks to Sigma's part in the L-mount alliance, all of the manufacturer's brilliant mirrorless lenses are available for the system. If you're using a Panasonic, Sigma or Leica L-mount camera and want an excellent wide-angle zoom, you cannot go wrong with the Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art (which is also available for Sony E-mount).
Earning the full five stars in our review, this stunner of a lens is built for outdoor work, with a weather-sealed brass mounting plate that features a locking slot for inserting gel filters. Optically, this lens is a superb performer, with a sophisticated optical construction that delivers brilliant sharpness and clarity with well-controlled aberrations.
The large 114-degree viewing angle allows you to fill the frame with stunning vistas, while multiple types of lens coatings help to control flare. The lens is a little reliant on in-camera optical corrections, but that's pretty much par for the course with modern wide-angles, and it all works very well.
Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art full review
Best for Micro Four Thirds
A millimeter might not sound a lot but every little helps when you’re trying to maximize wide-angle coverage with a Micro Four Thirds camera. As such, this Olympus lens goes 1mm shorter than the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 8-18mm f/2.8-4 Asph, which we favor as the best lens for landscape photography for Olympus and Panasonic MFT users. The Olympus doesn’t have the Panasonic lens’s filter attachment thread, due to its integral hood, but the maximum viewing angle is boosted from 107 degrees to 114 degrees, which makes a very noticeable difference in real-world shooting.
The Olympus also has the advantage of a fast and constant f/2.8 aperture rating, whereas the Panasonic lens drops to f/4 towards the long end of the zoom range. Optical finery includes two aspherical elements, one dual spherical element, one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element, three Super ED elements, and two HR (High Refractive index) elements.
Everything’s wrapped up in a dust, splash and freezeproof casing that features a lens function button and manual focus clutch. Image quality is fabulous in all respects, from great sharpness to a complete absence of distortion.
See full Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 ED Pro review
Best for Sony APS-C
The Sony E PZ 10-20mm f/4 G claimed to be the smallest, lightest f/4 ultra-wide APS-C format power zoom on the planet when it was launched, and I couldn't readily find one that was smaller and lighter. It's even more downsized than Sony's already tiny 10-18mm f/4 OSS.
The silent power zoom facility makes it ideal for vlogging and general video shooting, but it’s equally adept at capturing stills. This is a pricey APS-C format zoom lens – especially for one which lacks OSS – but strong image quality and supreme portability make it well worth the money.
Read our full Sony E PZ 10-20mm f/4 G review
Best for Sony full-frame
I was seriously impressed with Sony’s FE 12-24mm f/4 G zoom, but this lens is even better. You'll pay significantly more for this f/2.8 version, but it sets a new benchmark as a wide-angle zoom lens for Sony mirrorless cameras.
It's a big lens that's noticeably larger than the f/4 version, which is only to be expected considering the faster aperture rating, but it still balances and handles well when mounted on a full-frame mirrorless camera like the Alpha A7R IV.
As I'd wish for, the lens delivers stunning image quality, while the smooth, fast and quiet autofocus is a joy. Considering the price, this lens isn't for everyone , but if you're looking for the best wide-angle lens for your Sony camera, look no further.
Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master full review
Best for DSLRs
This Sigma Art lens, available for Canon and Nikon DSLRs, is a 'trinity' zoom with a fast f/2.8 aperture and a wide 114-degree maximum viewing angle, which significantly undercuts the camera makers' own-brand lenses on price.
Build quality is excellent with a high-quality feel throughout, a full set of weather-seals and a fluorine coating on the front element. The ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system is fast and whisper-quiet, and top-notch glass includes a large, ultra-high-precision moulded glass element at the front, along with three FLD (‘Fluorite’ Low Dispersion) and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements.
Sharpness is amazing right into the corners of the frame, and, remarkably for such a wide-angle lens, there’s virtually zero distortion even without using in-camera corrections. If you don't mind going a stop slower to save money, look no further than Sigma’s companion 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art lens.
Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM | A full review
Lab data and comparisons
The graphs below show the comparative performance of the lenses in this guide, based on our in-house lab tests. The Sony FE 12-24mm is the sharpest of the bunch, which is no mean feat considering its spectacularly ultra-wide maximum viewing angle. The Nikon Z 14-24mm comes a close second.
Scores for sharpness and color fringing are averaged from data taken across the entire image frame, from the center to the edges and corners, throughout the aperture range. For zoom lenses, the scores are also averaged from data measured at all marked focal lengths, and the same applies to distortion.
Bear in mind that these average values don't fully reflect specific areas of performance. For example, a zoom lens might have noticeable barrel and pincushion distortion at its shortest and longest focal lengths, respectively, which tends to average out when looking at the data overall. For more detailed graphs of each lens's performance, which give the full picture, check out the graphs in our full standalone lens reviews.
How to choose a wide-angle zoom lens
You may be wondering what types of photographers tend to use wide-angle lenses – and indeed whether you need one at all for your style of shooting. One tends to see ultra-wide lenses in the hands of landscape and architecture photographers. This makes practical sense, as landscape photographers tend to want to squeeze as much of a fabulous view into a frame as possible, and architecture photographers will sometimes be working to fit a lot of building into a frame from limited vantage points. Ultra-wide lenses can be as useful indoors as outdoors for this purpose.
Ultra-wide zooms are generally preferred to ultra-wide primes, to the point that the choice of ultra-wide primes is pretty limited, especially when using a crop-sensor body. This is partly because the difference of a millimeter or two is pretty significant when you're talking ultra-wide. This means that a wide zoom offers a huge amount of shooting versatility, and it's good to make use of the entire zoom range when you're using one – and it also means that if you know you want to maximize your field of view as much as possible, it's worth looking for a lens that starts at 10mm or 12mm rather than 14mm. It makes a significant difference!
It's also worth noting that the long end of a wide zoom will often provide better optical quality than the wide end of a standard lens, with less distortion and vignetting. A 10-24mm lens is therefore worth using to its full extent, not just as a 10mm lens, as some photographers tend to!
How we test lenses
We test lenses using a mix of both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-word testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics.
