Nikon 16-35
Taking good pictures with a wide angle is actually a bit challenging. There are some things that just work so beautifully, but it is not for everything. Therefore if you have a prime wide angle lens with you, you will most probably need something else as well. While 24mm is still a quite usable wide angle anything below that is rarely needed, so you either have to carry multiple lenses (or cameras) with you.
The idea behind this kind of wide angle zoom is to give you a more flexible lens that can find more general use. Basically you can walk around with this lens all day, at its long end (35mm) you have a very practical focal length, for most everyday tasks it is just what you need. Good for a city visit where you might come across some things that would work with a very wide angle, for the rest you still have a workable lens. For those (like me) that prefer to walk around with two cameras, this lens could stay on one, and the other one would have a longer zoom or macro. But if you are using a single camera and anyway carry some lenses with you, then probably a wide angle prime lens is a better idea (a Nikon 20 and a Nikon 35 combined are lighter and much faster than this zoom).
When compared to any prime lens you of course pay a price with a zoom. It is slower (you need longer exposure times). Since extreme wide angles can be very useful indoors, and for taking pictures of the night sky, the loss of speed may hurt you (see also ISO). Unlike the APS-C Nikon 10-24, this lens also has a vibration reduction function which could offset this a little bit (for indoor settings, not really for the night sky).
Going wider than 24mm/28mm is tricky, and taking good pictures with 20mm or lower requires a bit of practice. And if you like taking these extreme wide angle pictures, you will probably appreciate a prime lens more, so you were warned. But this could actually be a walk around lens for you, if you are willing to carry it around.
| Price | Quite expensive and full frame only |
|---|---|
| Weight | quite heavy, 700g |
| Good for | Interiors, landscapes |
| New or used | 1000+ new, used also quite expensive 500+, I found one for less than 400 |
This is definitely a lens only for full frame. If you are using an APS-C camera, the Nikon 10-24 or the cheaper 10-20 would do almost the same.
These wide angle zooms are all very practical but also very expensive. Keep in mind that they can not really compete with the prime lenses for a given focal length, so choose wisely.
Just no. It will technically work, but it would be quite uninteresting to have a 24mm-50mm f/4 zoom that weighs 700g. If you want such a lens, get the Nikon 10-24.
Gallery / see also
This is at 16mm it is tricky to get such shots properly.
Although it feels like a wide angle shot, this is actually only 35mm and it could benefit from a healthy dose of cropping. At this focal length you could just as well carry a small Nikon 35
Another shot at 16mm. Notice that there are no people in the shot, and the statue is centered reducing the distorted view as much as possible
Many people think that wide angle lenses are for taking pictures of wide open spaces. Most of the time, you need to come close. For this 16mm shot I almost shoved the camera into the reeds. I was going for a bit darker muted color, so that part is actually intentional.
Another 16mm shot. Such extreme wide angle will distort the picture quite a lot. There are a couple of things that allow me to sort of get away with some of the problems. There are a lot of curved surfaces (the thrash cans, the coast like, the roof), and I keep the structure in the center. With people all over the coast, this shot would not have worked as well.
A series of pictures to show off the extremes of the range. This one is wide and open.
A series of pictures to show off the extremes of the range. This one is long and open.
A series of pictures to show off the extremes of the range. This one is wide and stepped down to f/16.
A series of pictures to show off the extremes of the range. This one is long and stepped down to f/16
two extreme wide angle zooms side by side. Nikon 10-24 on the left is only for APS-C and does not have a vibration reduction, and is not f/4 over the entire zoom range. It is however 40% lighter and a tiny bit wider.
These pages are for Amateur Photographers and not really for seasoned photographers and professionals. I have no affiliation or commercial interest with any brand/make. I write from my own experience. I ended up using mainly Nikon, so I am more familiar with this brand than others. See price for notes on pricing as well as photography related links.