Help! Talk me out of buying a super wide lens!

For our upcoming cruise I was initially planning to take my Nikon D40, the 18-55mm lens for low light shots and my Tamron 18-270mm as a walk around lens. I've been wanting a super wide lens for a while now and I feel like I need it for this cruise to really make my photo journal pop. I believe I've settled on the Sigma 10-20mm after reviewing the Tamron and Nikon alternatives.

I know I don't need to carry around a super wide but I really want one. Would you carry a super wide around with you on your trip??? I will create a Shutterfly album for family as gifts and great shots are really noticed as well as the photo content.

Definitely take the super wide!! My 16-35 was my most used lens on our last cruise.

Larry

If you look at my lens gallery for my 10-24mm ultrawide, you'll see that it is primarily made up of photos taken on 3 different cruises and about 8 trips to Disney World:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/tamron_1024mm_f3545_lens&page=all

It's actually one I consider a necessary travel lens, that I couldn't go without! On my last cruise in October, I used it exclusively both day and night while walking around Quebec City, and it always is my go-to lens for all ship interior shots. At Disney, it loves taking long night exposures, and wonderful when traveling in old cities or narrow lanes where there's often no room to back up any further to fit a building into a shot.

I unfortunately can't talk you out of it...I can't live without one when I travel!

If you look at my lens gallery for my 10-24mm ultrawide, you'll see that it is primarily made up of photos taken on 3 different cruises and about 8 trips to Disney World:

 

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/tamron_1024mm_f3545_lens&page=all

 

I unfortunately can't talk you out of it...I can't live without one when I travel!

WOW!!! After seeing these photos how could I think to live without a super wide??? Absolutely stunning; thank you for sharing!

The first responses are not doing a very good job of talking you out of buying a super-wide, so let me help...

...damn!

Unless you are going to go without food or medicine, just buy it! You may not use it all of the time (and shouldn't) but you will not regret the purchase.

I guess I didn't do a very good job either.:o

Dave

LOL...you guys aren't helping at all!! With Christmas and a cruise I was trying to be budget friendly. Now I've decided buying the Sigma is way more budget friendly then the Nikon...

No help whatsoever from the peanut gallery... :D

Definitely take the super wide!! My 16-35 was my most used lens on our last cruise.

 

Larry

Totally agree Larry, one lens I would not miss out on taking my 17-40, I find I can get close to an object without people in the way.

The photo below, at the 'Trevi Fountain' Rome had crowds of people standing behind me, and thanks to the super wide, I can get the Fountain without the people in the way.

So many interesting shots you can gain from wide angle.

My is already packed for next week!

Sorry 'Aviendah' I can't talk you out of buying a super wide lens :D

Andrew

I would never talk you out of that! I still use my D60, and the superwide was on my camera the last two trips over 90% of the time...

I will try and talk you into it, not out of it. Or maybe you are asking for some reverse psychology to talk you into it by attempting to talk you out of it. Never matter, just buy one!

They are essential for the well equipped cruiser.

I have a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 superwide and it is a great lens. It works very well for taking photos of the interior of ships, and when you cannot exactly back up on deck for those outside photos too.

Nothing compares.

It has gone with me on my last 7 cruises, and I use it about 40% of the time.

For our upcoming cruise I was initially planning to take my Nikon D40, the 18-55mm lens for low light shots and my Tamron 18-270mm as a walk around lens. I've been wanting a super wide lens for a while now and I feel like I need it for this cruise to really make my photo journal pop. I believe I've settled on the Sigma 10-20mm after reviewing the Tamron and Nikon alternatives.

 

I know I don't need to carry around a super wide but I really want one. Would you carry a super wide around with you on your trip??? I will create a Shutterfly album for family as gifts and great shots are really noticed as well as the photo content.

I agree with whomever said "give up eating if necessary but buy the lens".

DON

I would agree with the others. Can't really talk you out of it. Got a 10-22 for my Canon 60D before my last cruise and don't what I would do without it now. Well, I guess the only thing I can say about talking you out of it is having your significant other giving a very not pleased look when you get it and then decided that if you get a lens, it was shoe shopping time.:D

For our upcoming cruise I was initially planning to take my Nikon D40, the 18-55mm lens for low light shots and my Tamron 18-270mm as a walk around lens. I've been wanting a super wide lens for a while now and I feel like I need it for this cruise to really make my photo journal pop. I believe I've settled on the Sigma 10-20mm after reviewing the Tamron and Nikon alternatives.

 

I know I don't need to carry around a super wide but I really want one. Would you carry a super wide around with you on your trip??? I will create a Shutterfly album for family as gifts and great shots are really noticed as well as the photo content.

Aviendah, is your handle taken from the character in the Wheel of Time books?

I have a Sigma 12-24mm, Nikon mount. I always bring it because there are always good vistas to photograph on a cruise.

In fact, I rarely do multiple exposure panoramas anymore, just take an ultra-wide shot and crop it to look like a pano. Example:

Tamron, Sigma, and Tokina all make good super wides, as well as Nikon.

All comes down to how you shoot, if photography is "it" than a staple. I'm not one big on wide but I do have a nice inexpensive used one 17-35 bought use, ~ 11.5mm on DX. If you are pinching pennies perhaps look on CL or ebay for a used one. You'll find a lot of these, people pop the money and after a few years find out they used just a handful of times and sell. I think out of the stable of 17 lenses I have or do own only got 5 new, of which in my line up now only 2 of 9 are new.

I would never give up eating for a lense, that is crazy :eek:

I agree with whomever said "give up eating if necessary but buy the lens".

 

DON

For our upcoming cruise I was initially planning to take my Nikon D40, the 18-55mm lens for low light shots and my Tamron 18-270mm as a walk around lens. I've been wanting a super wide lens for a while now and I feel like I need it for this cruise to really make my photo journal pop. I believe I've settled on the Sigma 10-20mm after reviewing the Tamron and Nikon alternatives.

 

I know I don't need to carry around a super wide but I really want one. Would you carry a super wide around with you on your trip??? I will create a Shutterfly album for family as gifts and great shots are really noticed as well as the photo content.

Aviendah, is your handle taken from the character in the Wheel of Time books?

Yes! I love Robert Jordan and I'm reading the series for probably the 4th time now. Every once in a while someone recognizes the name which makes it fun. If there is a movie or book with elves, trolls, dragons or women on horseback with swords... I'm there! :)

I've been pouring over CL and ebay today just to see what's out there. I need to upgrade my camera body as well but I think for this trip the ultra-super-wide is my first goal. I'm a little limited because not every lens will work automatically with my D40. I can afford a new lens thank goodness; I suppose that's why I work 60 hours a week!

I love the pics on this thread!

I've been very interested in trying an ultra wide, and a friend of mine who is a photographer insisted I take her old Nikon DX 12-24mm with me on a cruise a month ago. (I have a Nikon D7000.) She said she only shoots FX now and this lens was sitting around gathering dust. Okay, twist my arm! :)

I really enjoyed it having it, particularly for interiors of the ship. My friend may not get it back! :p

These photos are amazing!! Today I purchased the Sigma 10mm - 20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM AF Lens. I have a month to get a feel for how to compose these wide angel shots.

Thank you everyone for your recommendations!

Yes! I love Robert Jordan and I'm reading the series for probably the 4th time now.

I'm on book 5 of the series - I recently found out about the series, but I'm finding that I read a couple chapters on my iPad every night before going to sleep. Oh well, "the wheel weaves as the wheel wills".

Here is some more testimony and proof on the giant, totally-terrible mistake you have made. You'll want to take more and more pictures, share them with friends, post them on the web, etc. Before our Baltics trip in 2008, I got the Sigma 10-20mm, f4.0-5.6. Love it!! Does a great job. Late last year, I upgraded to a then newly-released Nikon D3100 that shoots at a much higher pixel level, has a larger viewing screen, other features, etc. The best part is that it shoots 1080p high def cinematic video with sound. We just got our first grandchild and that gives us important, new potentials with this camera.

Below are a few examples for how poorly my Sigma wide-angle lens works and performs. Hope you have been properly warned!! Be careful. It's addictive!!

Are you going to send it back?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 51,552 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 54,871 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Appreciate those who have “tuned in” for these two posts. Don’t be shy and feel free to comment and/or ask any questions of interest.

As we entered Catherine's Palace outside of St. Petersburg, here was the welcoming band captured by my wide-angle lens.:

Here is a wider shot of the Spilled Blood Church interior in St. Petersburg. Its exterior design is more traditionally "Russian" or Orthodox than St. Isaac.:

The Grand Staircase at St. Petersburg’s Hermitage is massive, but has been captured in this one shot.:

The Solarium was one of our favorite areas on the Celebrity Solstice. Food and drinks were nearby and it was very relaxed and sophisticated. Quieter, too, as it is an adults-only area. Two hot tubs here. Not crowded, especially in the evenings. Nice art and design are there as a part of this sparkling ship facility.:

This is the dramatic front view of St. Peters and the Square with the beautiful sky over this historic setting in Rome.:

Inside the Pantheon, this photo with my wide angle lens shows what is regarded as the best preserved of the ancient buildings in Rome. It is based on the classical Greek temple design and has a hole in the middle of the domed ceiling. It was the Roman “temple of all the gods”. You can see the light shining through the roof to part of interior on the left side.:

Ok, at the risk of hijacking and/or offending the purists, I'm going to ask this anyways...

Can't afford the traditional wide angle or WA zooms (10-22MM range) - I'm already not eating, but that's another story...

I keep looking at the cheapo screw-on-the-front of a normal lens WA lens. Obviously you get what you pay for, but still - has anyone ever found one that does a decent job? I would be using it with the kit lens 18-55MM. I wouldn't use it a bunch (unless it kicks butt) mostly for dock shots of the bow of the ship, stuff like that.

I don't want fisheye, but a little curvature is acceptable. If the thing creates a vignette, then I don't see a point of using it in the first place because I would crop it out, and by the time your done cropping you would be back where you started with out the adapter, yes?

Anyways, I've always wanted to ask so thought I would tag onto this discussion. Thanks.

I keep looking at the cheapo screw-on-the-front of a normal lens WA lens. Obviously you get what you pay for, but still - has anyone ever found one that does a decent job? I would be using it with the kit lens 18-55MM. I wouldn't use it a bunch (unless it kicks butt) mostly for dock shots of the bow of the ship, stuff like that. I don't want fisheye, but a little curvature is acceptable.

Good question! You've kind of answered your own inquiry. Such screw-ins will not be as good as the "real thing", but it is bound to be better than not having some capability to get and see "more".

I've used by 10-20mm wide angle lots of church interiors in Europe, etc. It's nice to have that added capability. How much it's worth to pay and that "value" to you personally is another questions.

Good luck!!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 52,782 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

I fail to understand how putting a piece of junk over better glass could in any way improve the finished product. In this case wouldn't you just be seeing "more" bad results?

A user would be much further ahead to stitch a couple shots with good glass together would they not?

Good question! You've kind of answered your own inquiry. Such screw-ins will not be as good as the "real thing", but it is bound to be better than not having some capability to get and see "more".

 

I've used by 10-20mm wide angle lots of church interiors in Europe, etc. It's nice to have that added capability. How much it's worth to pay and that "value" to you personally is another questions.

 

Good luck!!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Blah, blah, blah...

 

I keep looking at the cheapo screw-on-the-front of a normal lens WA lens. Obviously you get what you pay for, but still - has anyone ever found one that does a decent job? I would be using it with the kit lens 18-55MM. I wouldn't use it a bunch (unless it kicks butt) mostly for dock shots of the bow of the ship, stuff like that. Yada, yada, yada...

 

Anyways, I've always wanted to ask so thought I would tag onto this discussion. Thanks.

Just highlighted the pertinent query in case the "needle in a haystack" became an analogy that comes true - a decent screw on lens in a sea of crappy ones.

I picked a brand that I have used before on P&S cameras that has a reputation for decent quality, especially on their newer stuff. I did some searching through Flickr and PBase to see if I could find some examples of images shot with and Opteka .45x W/A adapter.

I was able to find shots made specifically with a Canon EOS 18-55:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/canon450d/discuss/72157622613869946/

On a Sony 18-55:

I was also able to find some examples shot with a Lumix LX3:

http://www.pbase.com/isabel95/panasonic_dmc_lx3

While not stellar, the quality seems to be at a level where it may be worth the $30-$40 to give it a try. While I love the ability to take tack-sharp images with a great (and expensive) lens, working with my Lensbaby has reminded me that there is more to an image than what you can see at 100% with your nose six inches from the monitor.

Composition and content makes a great image, not technical perfection.

Example:

An image by Henri Cartier-Bresson selling for $18k would be laughed out of the gearhead forums as a piece of crap that is too grainy where the shutter obviously wasn't set fast enough to freeze the bicycle rider...

Yet they will oooooh and aaaah over distortion-free shots of brick walls and tack-sharp test shots of someone's cat lit by a candle at ISO 12,800.

Only you can judge if the quality is "good enough". Maybe order it from Amazon or somewhere with a good return policy?

Dave

Thank you so much, this post is 10x better than I hoped! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience as well as your information. I'm going to give that one a try.

8mm fisheye