What to look for…

Add some Real width to the feature set of your next lens FOCAL LENGTH

Smaller focal lengths equate to bigger viewing angles, so the lens’s shortest focal length is often more important than the overall zoom range of the lens.

ZOOM RANGE

Not just for use at or near their shortest zoom setting, wide-angle zooms tend to produce very low-distortion images at the long end of the zoom range.

APERTURE VS SIZE

Lenses with a wider aperture rating enable faster shutter speeds in low-light photography, but are often considerably bigger and heavier.

OPTICAL STABILIZATION

Stabilization is less vital than in telephoto lenses, but can still be very useful for handheld shooting in low-lit or indoor scenarios, especially at the longer end of a lens’s zoom range.

Jargon buster VIEWING ANGLE

This can be quoted as a horizontal, vertical or diagonal measurement in degrees, across the frame. Manufacturers usually quote the diagonal viewing angle, as it’s the biggest number.

ND GRAD

Graduated neutral density (ND Grad) filters are typically rectangular, with a dark half and a clear half. They’re ideal for darkening overly bright skies in landscape photography, relative to the land below.

FILTER THREAD

Only half of the lenses in this

Big Test feature a filter thread, namely the Nikon 10-20mm (72mm), Tamron 10-24mm and Nikon 16-35mm (77mm) and the Sigma 10-20mm (82mm).

DISTANCE SCALE

Featured on all the lenses on test, aside from the Nikon 10-20mm, this can be incredibly useful for setting the hyperfocal distance in landscape photography.