Suitable Wide Angle for Full Frame?

[mr.dude]

Hey guys,
 
   i'm planning to get me one of them rumoured 16mp 5d replacements for release in the spring.  i've noticed lots of people aren't all that satisfied with canon's wide angle offerings on full frame.  i don't know too much about the choices in non-canon lenses covering roughly the 20-35mm range, and i really want to have 18-21, 24 or 28, and 35mm covered.  here's what i do know about:  the zeiss 21 f2.8, the two oly 21's, the oly 19, and the leica 21-35.  the zeiss is pretty out of my budget and maybe the leica is justifiable but wouldn't be able to get one for quite a long time.  are there any other choices i'm missing?  

BTW how do you guys feel about the 24-70L's performance between the 24-35mm range on full frame?  i think i might need to pick up one of these anyways for stuff that needs the speed of AF. so if that lens decently covers it's full range, all i'll need is a wide prime in the 18-21 range...  

thanks for your help!  

[Tim Gray]

I'm in the same boat, will upgrade from a 1d2 to the next 1 ff.

Here is a good test site: http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/index.html

Fred Miranda has a very active forum on alternative gear at: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/55

It sound like, based on price, you've pretty well eliminated everything except the Zuiko, which is were I ended up.  Here's a link to some Zuiko reviews: http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardw...zuiko/index.htm

It's a bit of a mystery to me why the Zeiss lenses for Nikon didn't start at the wide end.  Maybe in a couple of years they will have that segment covered...

[mr.dude]

I'm in the same boat, will upgrade from a 1d2 to the next 1 ff.

Here is a good test site: http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/index.html

Fred Miranda has a very active forum on alternative gear at: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/55

It sound like, based on price, you've pretty well eliminated everything except the Zuiko, which is were I ended up.  Here's a link to some Zuiko reviews: http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardw...zuiko/index.htm

It's a bit of a mystery to me why the Zeiss lenses for Nikon didn't start at the wide end.  Maybe in a couple of years they will have that segment covered...
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thanks tim, that test site was especially helpful.  i think i spent way too much time there looking at those reviews   .  the nikon 17-35 really looks like a winner especially at 21mm, although i wish it was included in the 28 and 35mm comparisons.  one important thing that was left out is how well those wide lenses handle flare, especially the old ones.  it's pretty hard to avoid sometimes so i think of flare control as a big factor in how good a wide lens is.  

were you also a bit confused about the 17-40 doing pretty well in Micheal's brief test here vs the awful results at the other site?  now i'm really curious how the corners of my own 17-40 compares on FF.  

oh yeah, this might answer your question regarding the ziess lenses (check about 5-6 questions down): [a href=\"http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-7890-8183]http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_p...cid=7-7890-8183[/url]

thanks again, you were a big help  

[mr.dude]

hey tim,
 
   i might have my info a little mixed up but do you have a 300 f2.8 and 2x TC?
If so, have you got a 100% crop that has low to moderate sharpening applied that i could see?  i think i might pick up this lens and TC....eventually.  it's hard to find sample shots and know how much sharpening has been added or how close to 100% the images being viewed are.  but if i've got the wrong guy please ignore!

[Gary Ferguson]

After four years with a Canon 1Ds then a 1Ds MkII, I've found two really good Canon wide angles, the 35mm 1.4L and the 14mm L. These two can stand comparison with any retrofocus lens that I've ever come across.

After this the field thins out quickly. I used the Canon 20mm for a while but eventually sold it. It was okay, certainly not a dog, but that's all it was.

I use the 24mm T&S regularly and I've always found it to be a very solid performer, not in quite the same league as say a Leica M 24mm apo but still very respectable. Recently I evaluated the 24mm T&S, the 24-105 4.0L IS, and the Zeiss Distagon 25mm used with a Zeiss/Canon adaptor. In terms of sharpness the 24-105 was fractionally ahead of the T&S which was fractionally ahead of the Zeiss Distagon. The zoom really is sharp, but sufffers from quite bad distortion. It may not be an issue for you, but it's something I dislike. The DxO RAW converter can correct the 24-105's distortion convincingly, but that either means using DxO for all RAW conversion, or adding an extra step to the conversion process (now that DxO supports DNG).

What I'm hoping for is the Canon equal of the Zeiss 21mm, biting corner-to-corner sharpness, great flare control, and reasonable distortion.

There was an interview about six months ago with a senior Canon executive who admitted that Canon sensor development had gotten ahead of lens development, particularly wide angles. Given that Japanese managers rarely publicly recognise deficiencies unless they've got a solution in mind, I've got my fingers crossed that something impressive with a red ring in the 18-24mm range isn't too far away!

[glenerrolrd]

Hey guys,
 
   i'm planning to get me one of them rumoured 16mp 5d replacements for release in the spring.  i've noticed lots of people aren't all that satisfied with canon's wide angle offerings on full frame.  i don't know too much about the choices in non-canon lenses covering roughly the 20-35mm range, and i really want to have 18-21, 24 or 28, and 35mm covered.  here's what i do know about:  the zeiss 21 f2.8, the two oly 21's, the oly 19, and the leica 21-35.  the zeiss is pretty out of my budget and maybe the leica is justifiable but wouldn't be able to get one for quite a long time.  are there any other choices i'm missing? 

BTW how do you guys feel about the 24-70L's performance between the 24-35mm range on full frame?  i think i might need to pick up one of these anyways for stuff that needs the speed of AF. so if that lens decently covers it's full range, all i'll need is a wide prime in the 18-21 range... 

thanks for your help!   
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There is a great article at www.reidreviews.com covering a number of good options for alternative lenses on a 5D...its a pay site but the reviews are extremely informative and accurate...a real working pro demonstating the differences.   I use the older version of the Leica R 19mm which works great without modification and is half the price of the newer version.    I also use a R 35mm 2.0 . This combination is magic especially in low light .  Neither is a CZ 21..which I also use but  hate to travel with such an expensive lens.  I can compare these to the 24-105 which is my normal walk around lens.  Almost as good so I try hard to use it a stopped down a bit . Resolution is exception even a 24 but saturation and contrast right out of the camera not up to the Leica or Zeiss lenses.  You should find a lot of opinions at the fredmiranda site under alternative systems.