Affordable non-fisheye wide-angle lens options for a Canon T3i/70D
Asked 3/13/2014
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I’m looking for a low-cost wide-angle lens for a Canon T3i, with possible use on a future Canon 70D. I’d prefer a prime, but I’m open to zooms if they offer better value. My main use is video, so quiet autofocus would be helpful, but I also want to use it for stills. I want a wide-angle look without strong fisheye distortion, and my budget is about $350. What lenses are worth considering, and how do they compare?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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The Rokinon series of wide angle lenses are top notch performers for optics and are also suprisingly cheap for their build quality. However, Rokinon is only now making filters for these lenses through another vendor and I think they only make a single filter for each lens so you can not select how many stops of light you want to reduce the scene by and this is especially important if you need a gradient filter to preferentially block the sky to get adequate exposure on the foreground and background. So in short the Rokinon is a trade off.
Another great option for a few more dollars that does accept filter adapters is the Tokina wide angle lens lineup, right now the 11-16mm is getting very good reviews.
Originally by user26725. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user26725
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
At around $350, true wide-angle options without fisheye distortion are limited, and most strong recommendations in this range are zooms rather than primes.
From the answers, the strongest option is the Tokina 11-16mm. It’s widely praised for image quality and is often recommended for Canon APS-C bodies like the T3i/70D. New it was above your budget, but used copies may fall close to your range.
The Canon 10-22mm is another good APS-C wide zoom and gives a very useful range, but it typically costs more and still has some distortion at the wide end.
Rokinon wide lenses are noted for very good optics and relatively low cost, but the tradeoff is that many are manual-focus designs. That can be fine for some video work, but it does not meet your preference for quiet autofocus.
So, if quiet AF matters, a used Tokina 11-16mm or Canon 10-22mm is the most realistic path. If you can accept manual focus, a Rokinon wide-angle lens may offer strong optical value for the money. In this budget, avoiding fisheye usually means choosing an ultra-wide rectilinear zoom instead of a prime.
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