Best Economy Wide Angle Lens for Canon?

I'm heading to Hawaii in March. I've already slapped down so much money in airfare and hotel, so I'm looking for a wide angle lens that won't break the bank. I used to have the 17-40 L and I loved it, but parted ways with it. Now, I'm wishing I still had it. Nevertheless, is there another wide angle lens I should look at?

Have you considered renting? I would much rather rent a great lens than go on a trip to Hawaii with budget glass. I have had excellent service from LensRentals.com and there is a NAPP discount if you happen to be a member. Canon's 16-35 is $66.00 for a week and the 17-40 is only $44.00 for the same time frame.


http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon/lenses/wide-angle

Rent here - http://www.hawaiicamera.com/rent/canon-17-40mm-f-4l/oahu

You don't say if you are shooting crop of FF.  Either way the renting idea is a good one.


I'd consider the Sigma 12-24 for FF.  It's so much wider than the 17-40  


For crop, I'd look at the Sigma 8-16, or tokina 11-16.

The Canon 28 1.8 is a pretty sweet lens if you're looking for a standard wide lens and not a super wide.

I think the Canon 24 2.8 is a sleeper lens often overlooked. I like mine a lot better than my Canon 28 1.8 which I sold. The 24 2.8 is a lot sharper and I like the wider angle perspective (I use a 5D Mark 3). However the build quality is better on the newer 28 1.8.


The Canon 24 1.4 L II is a great lens but very expensive, large and heavy. For travel I will often take my little 24mm 2.8 which is really light and compact.

Take a good advice!  if there is one type of lens you really have to forget the word "budget" about its the wide-angles! budget WA tend to give massive CA, distortion and vingetting. Sure you can correct most, not all but most, in either the converter or PS, but the odds are you will get rejects.


Hawaii, is a paradize, have been there four times. If you cant afford the best WA, i.e. 16-35 or similar then rent one for the trip.

I have the Canon 20mm f2.8, which I use on a cut-down sensor (Canon 7D). As usual, when people mention lenses I always think fixed-focus, not being a fan of zoom lenses.

What Christian says above is good sense. I find the 20mm lens is OK if it is not stretched too far. When you buy your wide angle lens be sure to test it out in a wide variety of conditions so that you know what to expect. (Before March ... )

A couple of examples with the 20mm:

In terms of bang for your buck, I think the 17-40L on full frame is hard to beat. The kinds of thing I shoot with mine tend to require a greater depth of field anyway, so not having f/2.8 has never been an issue for the architectural and landscape shots mine tends to get used for. I like the renting option though.

I have a canon 24 2.8 i'd let go for cheap

^ Is that a recommendation?

It's wide, works great, economical for canon

True! the Canon 17-40, the 20 and 24, are all good optics and good priced. In fact and I be honest, the new 16-35L.II. is NOT all that. I found it gives quite soft corners to the point of unsharpness and quite a bit of CA at the wider ends. Surprised really considering the price. The 16-35 is an akward focal-range and neither Canon nor Nikon have so far managed to get it right.


If you do buy one. I would go for Kelvins 17-40 or the fixed 20 and 24. At least with these you will come back from Hawaii with some technically good shots.


PS:  waikiiki beach, Honolulu city-scapes and surfing-waves.

Sigma 12-24, and look to Samyang 14/2,8 too. It is a perfect manual-focus lens better that Canon wide-angles.

Samyang 14/2.8 hands down.
What an amazing glass for 350 USD!


(Edited on 2013-03-02 12:50:52 by itsskin)