GROUP TEST: ZOOMS FOR LANDSCAPES
Extend your wide-angle perspective without needing to overextend your budget. Here we round up the best-value independent lenses for full-frame Canon and Nikon SLRs
Need a wide-angle zoom for your Canon or Nikon SLR? We test some great-value options
a 24-70mm f2.8 zoom makes an ideal workhorse lens for daily shooting on a full-frame camera. The fairly fast and constant f2.8 aperture enables fast shutter speeds even under gloomy lighting conditions, along with a fairly tight depth of field towards the long end of the zoom range. However, the zoom range itself can leave a little to be desired. a 70-200mm f2.8 is perhaps the ideal optic for extending your telephoto reach, but what if you want to go really wide angle?
canon and nikon both offer some highclass glass when it comes to wide-angle zooms, but it generally comes with hefty price tags. For example, the canon EF 11-24mm f4L UsM and EF 16-35mm f2.8L iii UsM will set you back abound £2,800/$3,000 and £2,050/$2,200 respectively. The nikon aF-s 14-24mm f2.8G ED is a little more modest at around £1,800/$1,900, but that’s still a considerable wodge of cash.
so, can an independently manufactured lens match own-brand optics for quality and all-round performance, while also saving you some money? we’ve chosen four a-team players that aim to beat canon and nikon luxury lenses at their own game, and for rather less outlay.
There are two sigma lenses on the list. The first goes ultra-wide in its maximum viewing angle, while downscaling its aperture rating from f2.8 to f4, which helps to keep the size and weight to manageable proportions. it’s the uprated ‘art’ edition of sigma’s older 12-24mm Mk ii lens, which offers significant improvements throughout. next up is sigma’s 14-24mm f2.8 art lens, with a less generous maximum viewing angle but an f2.8 aperture rating that’s often favoured by professional and enthusiast photographers.
Tamron’s offering is a redesigned G2 (Generation 2) edition of its 15-30mm lens which, uniquely in the group, adds optical image stabilisation. That’s despite its typically fast f2.8 aperture rating. and finally, the Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 lens is a more oldschool design, but it’s well built and, if it has performance to match, should be an absolute bargain at the price. Let’s take a closer look before we give our verdict.