Expand your horizons! 5 wide angle zoom lenses for DSLRs

All the main advantages of the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM object are encrypted in its marking. These include wide viewing angles (from 110° at the minimum zoom to 76.5° at the long end), the lens is equipped with a built-in stabilizer (IS), as well as a smooth and quiet autofocus drive (STM).

In comparison with its predecessor in the person of Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, the object dropped 145 g of excess weight and got a more democratic price tag. And although it loses out to its fellow luminosity, its values are compensated by an optical image stabilizer, with which it is possible to get clear pictures when shooting in low light conditions with hands at shutter speeds up to 1/2 s. The presence of a stub on board the object is perceived as a pleasant exception to the rule, since it is quite rare in wide-angle optics.

When zooming, the front lens of the model moves slightly forward, which, however, does not prevent putting a 67 mm diameter light filter on it. The lens does not rotate around its own axis, so you can safely use gradient filters in conjunction with the object both with photo and video shooting. Another "bun" for operators is the silent autofocus drive STM, which helps to achieve the cinematic effect of smooth focus translation. However, with such a low light intensity, it will not work out to highlight the objects of the shooting with a spectacular blurring of the background with all the desire.

The object can be sharpened from a distance of 22 cm, which, combined with a wide shooting angle, opens up new interesting angles. It should only be borne in mind that a picture in a wide-angle position will inevitably be spoiled by strong vignetting, which does not disappear from the photo either when zooming or when changing the aperture. Post-processing of the footage will help to overcome the darkening of the edges of the frame, during which it is also possible to correct the barrel-shaped distortions that occur when shooting in the focal length range of 10-14 mm.

With frequent changes of optics, owners of Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM need to be careful, since the bayonet mount of the object is made of plastic. Otherwise, there is no need to worry about the build quality of the model — there are no creaks and backlashes in its design at all. In the dry balance, the wide—angle zoom from Canon is a practical tool for interior and urban landscape photography for little money.

The Sigma zoom object is available in versions for all major bayonets — it is compatible with Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax and Sigma SLR cameras.

In full-frame equivalent, the focal length range of the object is 15-30 mm (with a crop factor of 1.5x). Such distances are optimal for landscape and architectural photography, as well as for indoor photography. Regardless of the position of the zoom, the maximum aperture of the object remains constant — its value is equal to f/3.5. But on the market there is almost a complete analogue of the model with variable aperture, which is the Sigma AF 10-20mm f/4.0-5.6 EX DC HSM zoom.

According to an authoritative resource photozone.de the zoom object receives a mark "Very good" for sharpness in the centre and edges at all values of aperture and zoom. Minor "blurring" can occur only from the very edge of the frame when shooting with the maximum aperture opening at the short end (10-12 mm). In the same case, vignetting and chromatic aberrations become visible in the picture. Well, where without distortions at the widest angle, which are correctable in the editor by selecting the profile of the corresponding object.

The model has been on the market for several years in a row and during this time it has managed to win a lot of positive reviews. In addition to good shooting results, the owners of the object write flattering reviews about the quality of its assembly and about the rich delivery set, which includes a hood and a storage case. A small bitter residue leaves only a large diameter of the front lens, which is why it is necessary to look for expensive light filters with a diameter of 82 mm in a pair with the model.

The optimal ratio of price and quality Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM makes the object the primary candidate for replenishing the optics fleet for drop-in mirrors with a wide-angle representative. With its help, it is possible to realize the most daring experiments in obtaining non-standard views on familiar things.

In fact, there are no similar analogues to the wide-angle object with a constant aperture value of f/2.8 from the Japanese company Tokina. With a stretch, the number of such can only be written down as a much more expensive Tokina AT-X 14-20mm f/2.0 PRO DX lens, which, although more luminous, at the same time cannot provide such a wide viewing angle at the short end.

The DX symbols in the object marking indicate its compatibility with APS-C format cameras — it is suitable for use in conjunction with Nikon, Canon and Sony DSLRs. The zoom multiplicity of the lens is quite small — its viewing angle ranges from 104 ° at the short end to 82 ° at the maximum approximation. Nevertheless, these figures allow you to shoot familiar scenes from unusual angles, capturing as much of the surrounding space as possible. Zoom's capabilities are revealed to the greatest extent when shooting interiors and architecture.

At a focal length of 11 mm, the characteristic barrel-shaped distortions, which are a feature of the drawing of almost all wide-angle objects, attract attention. You can deal with them in a photo editor, but in most cases perspective distortions do not spoil the picture much with their presence and require only minimal intervention in its editing. A separate line pleases the sharpness of the object in the entire small range of its focal lengths and the constant aperture f /2.8 at all zoom values.

A proprietary feature of the design of Tokina objects is a practical mechanism for switching the focus mode One-touchFocus Clutch: to switch to manual focus mode, it is enough to pull the focus ring towards yourself, and if you want to return to auto mode, you need to move it forward. The drive of the autofocus system clings to the object of filming quite quickly and with high accuracy, but its operation is accompanied by noise, which limits the use of the object when shooting video.

A couple of nice bonuses for the owners of the model will be a 9-lobed diaphragm, with which it is possible to get a beautiful round bokeh in the area of blurring, and a complete plastic lens hood. More detailed information about all the advantages of this useful accessory is described in the framework of a separate material "Why you need a lens hood for an object and how to choose it".

The group of top Nikon objects for drop mirrors, the distinctive feature of which is a golden ring around the front lens, has only 5 representatives. One of them is the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 12-24mm f/4G IF ED wide-angle zoom.

A set of focal lengths of the object (12-24 mm) allows you to shoot a wide variety of subjects: from landscapes and architecture to street photography. In the entire zoom range, the picture is practically not spoiled by distortions and the presence of chromatic aberrations — the level of undesirable effects is so negligibly small that they are easily corrected in the photo editor in a couple of mouse clicks. And thanks to the multi-coating applied to the front lens, the object practically does not catch glare and re-reflections, and also tolerates the contour light very well.

The elements of the optical circuit move when the focal length is increased and the focus is sharpened inside the body of the object, which distinguishes it from its younger brother (Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED). The difference with it can also be traced in the constant value of the maximum aperture f/4 in the entire zoom range against the floating aperture f/3.5-4.5. But in sharpness, both wide-angle zooms show equally good results both during tests and in real operation.

The photographer in the object will like everything — from high-quality assembly to fast and accurate autofocus. But videographers zoom may not fall into the soul. The thing is that the drive of the autofocus system emits loud clicks and taps when pointing at sharpness, which are highly likely to be heard on the captured video. Switching to manual focus mode will help to get rid of extraneous sounds, since the wide focus ring turns smoothly and predictably. This problem does not cause significant problems, because Nikon APS-C format SLRs are rarely used for professional video production. To a greater extent, cameras from the collection "Five cameras with interchangeable optics for shooting 4K video" will be suitable for these purposes.

The SP symbols in the Tamron object marking indicate that it belongs to the class of optics with improved optical and mechanical characteristics. The model will have to fit Canon, Nikon and Sony full-frame mirrors, and will also be installed on Sony fullframe mirrorless mirrors via the LA-EA4 adapter.

The f/2.8 aperture is available at all focal lengths. According to this indicator, the object is head and shoulders above the "native" glasses Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR and Canon 16-35mm f/4L IS USM, and Sony Vario-Sonnar T* 16-35mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II Tamron's brainchild wins in terms of much more affordable cost. Another important advantage of the object is the presence of a built-in image stabilization system, with the help of which it is possible to get clear pictures from hands at shutter speeds up to 1 s.

Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD without the slightest exaggeration draws a wonderful picture with excellent sharpness across the entire field of the frame at all values of aperture and focal lengths. Its resolution provides high-quality results even in conjunction with multi-megapixel cameras (for example, a 50-megapixel Canon EOS 5DS DSLR). At the same time, the object tolerates the contour light well, in which it is assisted by a built-in non-removable lens hood.

A couple of spoonfuls of tar in a barrel of honey are the huge size of the object and its large weight (1.1 kg), as well as the convex front lens, which is why it was not possible to include threads for installing classic light filters in the design of the model. Large dimensions limit the everyday use of the object, but there is a place for it everywhere — Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD is strong both in wedding and reportage photography, as well as in interior and landscape photography.