Help with choosing a wide angle lens

[wickidwombat]

the 16-35 II is the reason i still love the 1.3 crop APSH sensors it gives you a nice 21-46 mm effective range at f2.8 which was considerably better than the 24-70 mk1 its a fantasic wide to normal combo then second ff body with a fast 85 or 135 or the 70-200 f 2.8 work really well together

 

[jdramirez]

So... what if money is an object. What's the best value zoom out there with minimal distortion? I'm guessing the canon 17-40... but what about any of the tamrons, sigmas, etc. for full frame and when tripod mounted and shooting at f/8 and iso 160... so... value...

 

[privatebydesign]

And privatebydesign. You were in Puerto Rico and did not come by for a visit!

Many many times, I used to go through Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport twice a week, if only I'd known I had a friendly face there! Love that Jet Blue Terminal architecture, MIA too.

 

[bholliman]

I wouldn't be without the 15mm fisheye, it is remarkable versatile and software makes it even more so.

Here is a selection of images I have shot with mine.

Some excellent shots! I especially like #2 and #6

 

[CarlTN]

the 16-35 II is the reason i still love the 1.3 crop APSH sensors it gives you a nice 21-46 mm effective range at f2.8 which was considerably better than the 24-70 mk1 its a fantasic wide to normal combo then second ff body with a fast 85 or 135 or the 70-200 f 2.8 work really well together

Interesting take on the relative focal lengths getting used on the 1.3 crop.

 

[CarlTN]

16-35 is a fantastic lens. I have a Tokina 11-6mm f2.8 I shoot on my 1D Mark IV. Crop lenses from 3rd partys generally work great on the Mark IV. But my favorite lens for close up Sports on the Mark IV is the 8-15mm fisheye!

It's funny you say that, the 8-15 was introduced just as I finally decided to give up on the 1.3 cameras, it was the only thing that gave me second thoughts. I really like using fisheyes for regular images and have been using Fisheye Hemi for years, I even used to shoot real estate with the 15 and with one click of a button there is no distortion, very cool tools.

I'm not a fan of most fisheye work, but every time I see one of TexPhoto's shots (this one, his basketball shots, and others) I realize that in the right hands a fisheye lens can achieve some excellent results. The idea of a de-fished real estate shot also intrigues me...

Thanks to mackguyver, and CarlTN for the compliments. This was shot at 11mm but there is some cropping. I am standing on the curb of a 90 degree corner in the race and panning hard. ƒ/8.0 11.0 mm 1/250 ISO 100 Flash: -2 Shutter speed priority AE Trying to get some background motion blur. I did ge more with slower shutter speeds, but did not crisp bike & rider I wanted.

I had my eye on a 1D Mark IV since it came out and really liked the idea of a 1.3 crop. When my 7D went down (bad power supply) The 7D was a fantastic compliment to my 5D first a II then a III. Bought the Mark IV used for $3K used, and it is just awesome all by itself... Love it. 7D returned to the stable after repairs and now I use all three.

My 8-15mm replaced a sigma 15mm fisheye, and is one of my favorite lenses on all 3 cameras.

And privatebydesign. You were in Puerto Rico and did not come by for a visit!

No problem, and I was tired so I apparently ignored the barrel distortion (should have guessed it was with the fisheye zoom). It does look like I was close at guessing the focal length though, since you're saying it's cropped a little (I was taking into account the 1.3 crop factor of the camera).

 

[mackguyver]

Just saw the updates to this thread - great photos privatebydesign (the hot air balloon and terminal shots in particular) and now you and Tex have me thinking more about the fisheye. I had planned to buy the 15 2.8 but Canon stopped selling it...and the new L isn't exactly cheap. I think I'll try a CPS loan to see how I like it.