Ultra wide angle lenses in the past have been a great way to shoot some awesome images.  My favorite ultra wide was the Tokina AT-X Pro 17mm f3.5 lens that gave me awesome results when I was shooting film with my Nikkon F100.   Since I did then and still do, a lot of travel photography, using this lens in the past, meant shooting 70% of everything I shot, with this lens.  In the past as is the case today, you could of course use a fish-eye lens to get a wider field, but for me, those fish eye shots tend to get boring if used to often.  Even with the many new programs designed to remove that distortion, I would prefer to simply shoot with a good ultra-wide and not have to apply corrections in my post processing of my images.

My Tokina 17mm was a great lens, very sharp and with the type of distortion that actually gave my shots a beautiful, artistic feel. When I converted from film to digital I had to give up shooting these wonderful wide images because, there really wasn't anything that wide available...that was until now.

Amazon Sunset & Village Children

Tokina 17mm Lens, Nikon F100

The Ultra Wide Digital Zooms

Today a small-format digital SLR may have a 1.5x magnification factor, so the 17mm lens would be equivalent to a 25mm lens and this would then take it out of the ultra wide category.  So I waited until the lens manufacturers were able to come up with a 10 or 11mm ultra wide lens that would give me a similar image that I was getting with my older 17mm Tokina and do it at an affordable cost.  Happily, there are a few lenses now that can fill this gap and offer the DSLR user a chance to experience the best lens they will have in their bag (with the exception of a 50mm F1.8-2.8 lens).

I have not had a chance to get my hands on the Tokina AT-X116PRDXC AT-X PRO DX 11-16mm Ultra-wide Angle Lens because for two years now, they still can't import enough of these lenses for the hungry U.S. market.  Apparently, all the lenses they can produce are being eaten up in the Japanese market and THK has told me they only get a small allotment each month and have to distribute them to their accounts as they arrive.  I can tell you I had one on order for 4 months at Amazon and decided it just wasn't worth the wait.  I even tried to get a loaner from THK, but they were not responsive either. 

Now users have some other options on an ultra wide zoom. You can find your ultra wide lenses from Nikon, Canon and other prime camera manufacturers, but you can also expect to pay $1,000 or more. The Nikon 12-24mm f/4G ED IF Autofocus DX Nikkor Zoom Lens sells for $1030 on Amazon and the Tokina, if you could ever get one, will cost you $650 or more, because dealers are asking a premium now for that lens. So what do you do if you want to shoot ultra wide and still stay within your budget?  You go out and buy the new Tamron AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 SP Di II LD Aspherical (IF) Lens, 2.4X zoom.  This lens is selling for just under $500 and is great for your small format digital cameras. The lens is equivalent to a 16-37mm full frame lens, so for me, replaces my old 17mm lens with ease. The lens is great for shooting spectacular views and crazy close-ups, wonderful panoramas and will give you shots with a very unique perspectives, creating images that are basically impossible to achieve with a standard wide-angle lens.
 

Tamron 10-24mm Samples - Nikon D90

Holmdel, NJ

Times Square,NY

Javits Convention Center, NY

Keyport, NJ

Although there are claims that this lens is a bit soft wide open, if you close it down to f8-f16 you will find it quite sharp, with excellent color and contrast.  You may have to increase your ASA settings to keep it sharp in low light situations, but for me, shooting mostly outdoors this is not an issue.   The lens is built well and has a solid feel and from what I have seen on consumer reviews, it can even "survive a three foot drop to the ground with only a ding on the lens cap". 

From our research we have found users thought that the barrel distortion on the Tokina to be worse then what you might experience with the Tamron.  Of course any distortion can usually be corrected in Photoshop.   The look, feel and weight of this lens is excellent and if you don't need to use the auto focus function (the lens has its own motor), go manual as I have.  Since the depth of field on these ultra wide's are so great, focusing manually is quite easy to do and you can pinpoint what you want in focus better then trusting the auto focus feature.

Zoom range is great and beats the Tokina's 11-16mm (which to me is not a zoom at all) with its 10-24mm. Using the Tamron 10-24mm and my other Tamron 28mm-300mm means I can cover everything I might need no matter what the assignment. I have added my Nikkor f1.8D to my bag because of the beautiful bokeh and the extra speed of this wonderful and inexpensive lens.

Panoramic's With Tamron & Photoshop CS4

I have recently begun to shoot hand held panoramic's using Photoshop's CS4 Auto Merge feature.  It does a great job of stitching overlapping images together, seamlessly. Although, I have found it does the best job by stitching from 3-6 images together, I decided to see how some of my ultra wide shots taken with the Tamron would do. 

Here are two samples of panoramic's. The first was taken with my Tamron 28-300mm and the second with the Tamron 10-24mm lenses. You can see at 28mm, the first lens does a great job when stitching 5-6 images together. Using the 10mm focal length on the 10-24mm lens, I found, you can only stitch 3 images together and the distortion is more evident.

I like to experiment when shooting and will post some new images after my next assignment which takes me to Montego Bay, Jamaica where I will be doing an article and review on the beautiful Iberostar Grand, Rose Hall and the Iberostar Rose Hall Suites. Revisit this site at the end of this month to see how both lenses hold up in the Jamaican sun.

Keyport, NJ - Tamron 28-300mm @ 28mm - Nikon D90- 5 Photos Stitched

Old Bridge, NJ - Tamron 10 -24mm @ 10mm - Nikon D90 - 3 Photos Stitched

 

Personal Recommendations "I have returned the loaner to Tamron and have purchased my own Tamron 10-24mm lens for my personal use.  I have been happy with the quality of the Tamron lenses I have owned, I need rugged lenses that feel right on my camera and in my hands."

Today, quality and cost are always a big concern for me, as it is for many photographers. If you are a pro shooting for major clients and spending $1000 for a lens like this is not an issue, go with the Nikon and Canon's.  If you are like me, shooting for stock, weddings, occasions, travel, or the web, then this is the perfect lens for you. Amateurs and professional photographers will find this a great lens and one that won't break the budget. 

Tamron Specs

Model B001
Lens Construction (Groups/Elements) 9/12
Angle of View (Equivalent to APS-C size)
Diagonal: 108°44'-60°20'
Horizontal:l 98°28'-51°36'
Vertical 75°19'-35°29'
Diaphragm Blade Number: 7
Maximum Aperture: F/3.5-4.5
Minimum Focus Distance: 0.24m (9.4")
Macro Magnification Ratio: 1:5.1 (at f=24mm, MFD:0.24m)
Filter Diameter: ø77
Weight: 406g (14.3oz.)
Diameter: x Length ø83.2mm x 86.5mm
(3.1in x 3.9in)
Accessory: Flower-shaped Lens hood
Mount:
Canon - Available
Nikon with Built-In-Motor- Available
Pentax - Available
Sony - Available
Warranty: 6 years  

Tamron Links

Full Lens Catalogue - PDF
10-24mm Lens Brochure - PDF
Instruction Manual - PDF
Focal Length Comparison Tool - Click Here