super wide angle lenses

NB. the prices here are very approximate values - I do not sell these!!

see also:

• lenses
• wide angle lenses
• standard lenses
• portrait lens
• super tele
• perspective control lenses
• online reviews:
  • http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/
  • http://panopticus.altervista.org/fishlist/fishlist.htm 

• these lenses generally fall into 8 main groups, each with their own purposes:

• produce a circular image for creative effects but of limited use in reality.
• examples:
  • Sigma 4.5mm EX DC for 1.5x cropped sensors (eg. Nikon DX)

• produce a rectangular image covering 180deg in the diagonal
• examples:
  • Olympus mZD 8mm f/1.8 Pro fisheye lens
  • Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye
  • Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye for full frame
  • Sigma 10mm EX DC fisheye for 1.5x cropped sensors (eg. Nikon DX)

• cannot use filters as these lenses generally have a protruding convex front lens which also causes flare if light sources hit its surface
• usually cover 35mm range of 14-18mm or more giving 114-75 degrees
• great for creative effects, interiors and street photography
• examples:
  • Olympus mZD 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO lens - awesome weatherproofed lens
  • Panasonic Micro Four Thirds 7-14mm f/4 - the most compact high quality ultra wide zoom
  • Olympus ZD 7-14mm f/4 digital - big, heavy, weatherproofed,expensive
  • Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED - superb lens but very big, heavy and expensive
  • Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 II OIS, rear drop in filter on EF mount version

• general purpose wide angle zooms ideal for much landscape and travel work
• usually cover 35mm range of 21-45mm although some may only be 24mm at the wide end.
• can use a polariser filter &/or Cokin-type filters for gradient effects to manage the high contrast sky/subject.
• examples:
  • Olympus mZD 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro weatherproof lens
  • Olympus ZD 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5 (22-44mm)
  • Sigma 24-35mm f/2 Art Lens

• these attempt to cover the 16-35mm range and still allow use of filters although vignetting is likely when using focal lengths less than 21mm
• a great compromise for travel but unfortunately these lenses tend not to be as sharp and tend to have more aberrations
• examples:
  • Nikon 12-24mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S DX (18-36mm giving 99-61deg)
  • Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM (15-30mm on Nikon or 16-32mm on Canon APS-C)
  • Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 for APS-C giving 16-35mm (107-63deg)
  • Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM for full frame cameras (becomes 21-46mm on 1.3x crop)
  • Olympus ZD 9-18mm f/4-5.6 (18-36mm range)
  • Olymus m.Zuiko 9-18mm consumer level lens for Micro Four Thirds system

• generally, non-zoom lenses will give the following advantages over wide zoom lenses:
  • more compact & lighter
  • less aberrations
    • better for architecture where straight lines are important, although for this purpose, perspective control lenses may be needed.
  • less lens flare - this is often critical when photographing landscapes & nightscapes where you often need to shoot into the sun or near bright light sources
• unfortunately there are very few examples explicitly designed for digital, but I would love a high quality one giving 21mm focal length.
• examples:
  • Samyang 10mm f/3.5 manual focus for full frame (2019)
  • Samyang 14mm full frame lenses
  • Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8 ED IF (21mm equiv.)

• Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART full frame
• Olympus M.ZD 12mm f/2.0 ($A999 or ~$US710) for Micro Four Thirds system - gains image stabilisation when used on Olympus cameras
• Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II (~$2200) for full frame Canon dSLR - one of the best options for low light but the kit is big, heavy and expensive and no image stabilisation
• Nikon 24mm f/1.4(~$2200) for Nikon FX dSLRs - one of the best options for low light but the kit is big, heavy and expensive and no image stabilisation
• there are no comparable capabilities on DX or APS-C sized dSLRs other than expensive 14mm f/2.8 lenses.
• Olympus Four Thirds dSLRs have the 14-35mm f/2.0 option but this only gives 28mm fov.
• Sony NEX and Samsung NX mirrorless camera systems have 16mm f/2.8 lenses only, and no image stabilisation
• see Options for a wide aperture 24mm effective lens – different systems compared

• these cover a range 24-70mm or more and are great travel & general purpose lenses 
• examples:
  • Olympus mZD 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro weatherproof lens
  • Olympus ZD 12-60mm (ie. 24-120mm) f/2.8-4.0 SWD lens
  • Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM for full frame
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM for full frame
  • Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED (coming 2008)

• see perspective control lenses
  • allows one to shift the lens up/down or sideways relative to the camera to minimise distortion when shooting tall buildings, etc.

• Micro Four Thirds system with Olympus m.ZD 12mm f/2.0 lens:
  • a great lens with high end optics and lovely manual focus controls including DOF scale.
  • its wide aperture makes it very usefulfor low light work including street photography at night.
  • this is THE kit to get for compact travel, just add a Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens or Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH lenses for low light or street work.
  • other EXCELLENT options are the Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 ultrawide zoom lens, Olympus m.ZD 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 lens, Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN asph lens for Micro Four Thirds
• Olympus E510/520/620/30/3/5 with Olympus ZD 7-14mm f/4 lens:
  • body 540g $A1300
  • lens $A2700; 780g; splashproof, dustproof, no filters;
  • live preview with sensor dust protection and 3-4EV CCD-shift image stabilisation
  • incredibly wide focal length range for most travel when matched with the ZD 12-60mm.
  • 35mm effective focal range: 14-28mm
  • total weight 1320g
  • total price $A4000
  • in my opinion, THE BEST for some really creative shots and great for church interiors with the IS
  • combines well with the new ZD 12-60mm (ie. 24-120mm) f/2.8-4.0 SWD lens for Cokin-filtered landscapes, etc
  • THE BEST option for hand held super wide angle shots in dim light (eg. church interiors) - see travel
  • THE BEST option for street photography although I would have preferred a flip out LCD like the E330.
• Olympus E510/520/620 with Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5:
  • body 540g $A1300
  • lens 485g splashproof, dustproof, 72mm filter $A1400 - great for use with Cokin filters
  • live preview with sensor dust protection and 3-4EV CCD-shift image stabilisation
  • very usable focal length range for most travel, landscape uses.
  • 35mm effective focal range: 22-44mm
  • total weight 1025g
  • total price $A2700
  • combines well with a 14-54mm general purpose zoom
  • THE 2nd BEST option for hand held super wide angle shots in dim light (eg. church interiors) - see travel
• Canon 450/550D with Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5:
  • body 
  • lens 385g not dust proof or splash proof and half a stop less aperture although wider; 77mm filter;
  • vignetting at wider angles with Cokin filters
  • sensor dust protection apparently ineffective and no image stabilisation but lower noise at high ISO
  • 35mm effective focal range: 16-35mm
  • total weight 
  • total price 
  • poorer option for hand held wide angle shots in dim lighting (eg. church interiors) as wide angle is f/3.5 and no IS.
• Canon 550D or Nikon D90 with Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC lens:
  • just released in 2010 and will give 12-24mm coverage on APS-C but no filters
  • close focus 24cm
  • lens 545g
• Canon 5D with OM adapter and Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5 and Olympus Zuiko OM 28mm f/2 lenses:
  • body 895g $A5000
  • OM adapter ~$50
  • lenses:
    • Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm f/3.5 EBay $A350 180g 49mm filter
    • Olympus Zuiko OM 28mm f/2 EBay $A300 250g 49mm filter
  • no live preview, no sensor dust protection and no image stabilisation but lower noise at high ISO and full frame
  • should give the best quality images of the options compared (better than Canon wide angle zoom lenses)
  • beautiful compact lenses and filters and easily add more (eg. fisheye, 50mm, etc) but no AF
  • 35mm effective focal range: 21 and 28mm
  • total weight ~1400g
  • total price $A5700
  • not a bad compromise if only you could get the body at a cheaper price and it had the features of the Olympus.
  • you could also add the Olympus OM 18mm but on Ebay these are pretty expensive at near $A1000.
• Canon 5D with Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM:
  • body 895g $A5000
  • lens $A1600 475g - weather resistant; 77mm filter but 1 stop less aperture.
  • no live preview, no sensor dust protection and no image stabilisation but lower noise at high ISO and full frame
  • optical quality not as good but versatile with wider range
  • vignetting at wider angles with Cokin filters
  • barrel distortion especially at edges
  • 35mm effective focal range: 17-40mm
  • total weight 1375g
  • total price $A6600
  • not a bad compromise if only you could get the body at a cheaper price and it had the features of the Olympus.
• Canon 1D Mark III with Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM:
  • body 1335g $A6400
  • lens  635g; $A2959?; NB. 82mm filter;  weather resistant; 
  • live preview, sensor dust protection and lowest noise at high ISO and almost full frame with 10fps and fast AF
  • no image stabilisation with this lens
  • 35mm effective focal range: 21-46mm (widest possible with this camera is the very expensive 14mm lens giving 18mm)
  • total weight 1970g
  • total price $A9400
  • what a great camera but its expensive, big and heavy - you would have to be a fanatic to carry this around all day and extra paranoid that no-one steals it.
  • lens, although better than the EF 17-40mm is still no match for the Olympus ZD 7-14mm optically. 

• see a catalogue of Micro Four Thirds lenses 
• Olympus mZD 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO lens
• Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 ultrawide zoom lens
  • the lightest, most compact 14-28mm lens available and gives excellent results - highly recommended!
• Panasonic 8mm f/3.5 fisheye
• Olympus M.ZD 8mm fisheye
• Olympus m.ZD 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 lens
  • the lightest most compact ultra wide zoom available for any system with this sensor size or larger
• Olympus m.ZD 12mm f/2.0 lens with zone manual focus control - very nice lens!
• Olympus mZD 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro weatherproof lens
• Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 pancake lens for Micro Four Thirds
• Olympus m.ZD 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens
  • consumer quality lens
• Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens
• Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN asph lens for Micro Four Thirds
• Olympus Four Thirds dSLR system lenses such as Olympus ZD 7-14mm f/4 lens but manual focus only on the early Panasonic cameras
• rangefinder lenses such as Leica M, Olympus Pen
• C-mount video lenses but with vignetting

• 2x crop makes using film-based lenses not as worthwhile for super wide angle except perhaps for 8mm fisheyes:
  • Peleng 8mm fisheye which loses its circular effect on the 2x crop but its cheap
    • see http://www.pauck.de/marco/photo/stuff/peleng_fisheye/peleng_fisheye.html 
• Zuiko ZD 8mm f/3.5 fisheye digital:
  • 180deg field of view; 0.135m macro; no filters; 7 blades circular; weather proof;
• Zuiko ZD 7-14mm f/4 digital:
  • 14-28mm in 35mm equiv., rectilinear super wide angle zoom with super ED glass
  • 114 to 75 deg field of view with 0.25m macro; weather proof. 7 blades;
  • cannot use filters; RRP $A2800;
  • one of the BEST ultrawide zooms in existence
  • http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/lens/dea/products/lens/7-14_40/index.asp 
  • http://www.ayton.id.au/wp02/?p=36 - my blog on this lens
• Zuiko ZD 9-18mm f/4-5.6 ED (Sept 2008):
  • consumer level ultra-wide 2x zoom covering 18-36mm effective range;
  • 280g; close focus to 25cm; 72mm filter; 7 bladed iris;
  • “In fact, the ZD ED 9-18mm f4-5.6 lens announced just recently would have been unthinkable before. It was only because it became possible to mass-produce an aspherical lens with enormous variable ratio that it was possible to make it a compact lens without sacrificing image quality.”
• Zuiko ZD 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5:
  • 22-44mm in 35mm equiv.; weatherproof;
  • 89 to 53deg field of view with 0.28m macro; 7 blades;
  • 72mm filter; RRP $A1350?
• Zuiko ZD 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 SWD digital (mid-2007):
  • 24-120mm in 35mm equiv.
  • SWD ultrasonic AF for quiet, faster AF similar to Canon's USM
  • weatherproof; great travel lens;
• Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM
  • focus to 24cm;
  • 77mm filter; 6-blades; 495g;

• Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G:
  • introduced 2007, this is perhaps THE BEST AF wide angle lens under 21mm
  • easily beating the new Canon 16-36mm f/2.8L II
    • see http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/nikon1424_17mm/nikon1424_17mm1.html 
  • matches the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L & even beats it in corner resolution
    • see see http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/nikon_14_24mm_1/nikon14_24mm_a.html 
  • luckily for Canon users, they can now use this lens via the Nikon G adapter which may be the best argument for buying a Canon 1DsMIII.
• Nikon 14mm f/2.8D ED drop in rear filter; new GBP700 Ebay; not very good at all
  • see http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/14mm/14mm_test_9.html 
• Nikon 15mm f3.5 AIS equiv. to 22.5mm; 39mm screw rear filters; used $US850 Ebay - why pay so much for a 23mm lens?
• Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 PRO FX
  • introduced late 2010; weather sealed; silent AF
• Tamron 15-20mm f/2.8 VR
  • http://www.dpreview.com/articles/4651324149/tamron-15-30-f2-8-vs-nikon-14-24-f2-8-shootout/3
  • comparable image quality to the Nikon 14-28mm f/2.8

• 1.5x crop makes using film-based lenses not worthwhile for super wide angle
• see also:
  • Nikon lenses
  • http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_wide.html#top 
• Sigma 4.5mm EX DC circular fisheye for DX
• Sigma 10mm EX DC rectilinear fisheye for DX 
  • macro to 1.8cm 
• Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye:
  • 180deg field of view; 0.14m macro; drop in filters; 7 blades rounded;
• Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC:
  • no filters; 545g
• Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM:
  • 15-30mm in 35mm equiv.; 0.24m macro; 77mm filter; non-rotating front element;
• Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6:
  • very good lens for the price, if you don't mind the smaller aperture.
  • less distortion than the Canon/Nikon 14mm primes!
  • see http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/14mm/14mm_test_9.html 
• Nikon 12-24mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S DX:
  • 18-36mm in 35mm equiv.; 7 blades rounded; 77mm filter; internal focus; RRP $A2100;
• Nikon 17-35 AF-S 2.8 ED works well at 18-21mm being up there with the best at this range but problematic pincushion at higher than 25mm is a big issue which requires upsizing of the centre to correct, so not for architectural work. For Nikon DX cameras the total range becomes 25.5-42.5mm
• Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD IF:
  • for cropped sensors only; 15-36mm on DX cameras; 77mm filter; 370g; coming 2008;
  • http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08090204tamron_10-24mm.asp 
• Tokina AT-X Pro SD 12-24mm f/4 IF DX:
  • easily beats the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM and Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di-II
  • not so good at 24mm end and complex CA difficult to remove; not good for close up work.
  • almost as good as the Olympus ZD 9-18mm
  • http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/tokina_12-24_4_n15/page4.asp 
• Tokina 10-17mm
  • http://www.kenrockwell.com/tokina/10-17mm.htm 
• Tokina 14-20mm f/2
  • announced Jan 2016
• Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 fisheye:
  • http://www.kenrockwell.com/zenit/zenitar-16mm.htm 

• 1.6x crop makes using film-based lenses not as worthwhile for super wide angle
• unfortunately, high quality options in the ultra-wide range are very limited on these APS-C cameras
• widest rectilinear is 16mm in 35mm terms (compared to 14mm in Olympus and in full frame cameras).
• see also:
  • Bob Atkin's comparisons
• Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5:
  • equiv. to 16-35mm, this has reasonable build quality and minimal aberrations with good resolution. Not dust proof. RRP $A1400; 385g; 77mm filter; 63-107deg; 
  • for the 1.6x crop, it is more useful wide angle than EF 17-55, EF-S 17-85, EF 17-40 but could be sharper and more weatherproof.
  • said to be better than the Nikon 12-24mm, the Tamron 11-18mm, and the Sigma 10-20mm
  • less distortion at 10mm than a Canon 16-35mm L on a full frame.
  • http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/1022.htm 
• Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM:
  • equiv. to 27-136mm; good lens but only f/5.6 and can't use on full frame; RRP $A1100;
• Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM:
  • 16-32mm in 35mm equiv.; 0.24m macro; 77mm filter; non-rotating front element; 6 blades;
• Sigma 12-24mm
  • 19-38mm equiv.; a great lens but you need to find a good one as they are quite variable in quality.
• Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD IF:
  • for cropped sensors only; 16-38mm on APS-C cameras; 77mm filter; 370g; coming 2008;
  • http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08090204tamron_10-24mm.asp 
• Tokina AT-X Pro SD 12-24mm f/4 IF DX:
  • easily beats the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM and Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di-II
  • not so good at 24mm end and complex CA difficult to remove; not good for close up work.
  • almost as good as the Olympus ZD 9-18mm
  • http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/tokina_12-24_4_n15/page4.asp 
• Tokina 10-17mm
  • http://www.kenrockwell.com/tokina/10-17mm.htm 
  • Tokina 14-20mm f/2
    • announced Jan 2016
• Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM:
  • 26-56mm on 1.6x crop; 82mm filter;  weatherproofed; 
• Canon 15mm f/2.8 rectangular fisheye:
  • http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/imagealign.shtml 
• Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 fisheye:
  • http://www.kenrockwell.com/zenit/zenitar-16mm.htm 

• unfortunately, high quality options in the ultra-wide range are extremely limited on these APS-H cameras with NOTHING available wider than 18mm
• Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM:
  • 21-46mm on 1.3x crop; 82mm filter allows polas without vignetting;  weatherproofed; av. street price $US1600;
  • better image quality than the EF 17-40mm f/4L, but at 24-35mm, neither of these comes close to a EF 24-70mm f/2.8L
  • http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/16-35.shtml 
  • http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/canon-17-40.shtml 
• Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM:
  • 31-137mm; 77mm filter; 670g; 3 stops IS; nice, light  travel lens; RRP $A2000
  • see under full frame 
• Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L:
  • see under full frame 
• Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L USM:
  • = 18mm; see under full frame 
• Canon 15mm f/2.8 rectangular fisheye:
  • 19.5mm lens on 1.3x crop but being a fisheye has substantial barrel distortion; $A1249
  • http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/imagealign.shtml 
• Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 fisheye:
  • http://www.kenrockwell.com/zenit/zenitar-16mm.htm 

• can use legacy 35mm film camera lenses with adapters, but perhaps best to avoid zoom lenses as lens flare can be a big problem as it is exacerbated by reflections from sensor onto rear element.
  • Note: Be aware that using a non Canon adapter may invalidate your warranty or may damage your camera. You use these adapters on your own risk.
• see using manual lenses on Canon EOS cameras
• you want the best wide angle lenses for these Canon's, then check here:
  • http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/compatible.html 
  • 14-16mm - Leica R 15mm f/2.8 but mirror may hit it & v.expensive; Zeiss 15mm; Sigma 12-24mm; Canon 14L; see here;
  • 18mm - Olympus Zuiko 18mm and Nikon 17-35 AF-S are among the best see here
  • 19-21mm hall of fame table - Olympus Zuiko 21mm is the BEST value for money lens if you don't mind manual focus.
  • 24-25mm hall of fame table - Olympus Zuiko and Leica 24mm f/2.8 are the best
  • 28mm hall of fame table - Olympus Zuiko f/2 and Leica f/2.8 are the best
  • shift lenses - Zeiss PC35 Distagon; Zuiko 24 and 35mm shift; Canon EF 17mm and 24mm TSE; Nikon tilt shift lenses;
  • NB. the Canon lenses, even the L series are no where as good as these. 
• see also Canon lens chart and http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/375132 
• AF lenses designed for digital:
  • Sigma 8mm F4 EX DG Circular Fisheye:
    • 180deg field of view; 0.2m macro; drop in rear gelatin filters; 5 blades;
  • Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG DIAGONAL Fisheye:
    • 180deg field of view; 0.15m macro; drop in rear gelatin filters; 7 blades;
  • Sigma 20mm F1.8 EX DG ASPHERICAL RF:
    • 94.5deg field of view; 0.2m macro; 82mm filters; rear focus; 9 blades;
  • Sigma 24mm F1.8 EX DG ASPHERICAL MACRO:
    • 84.1deg field of view; 0.18m macro; 77mm filters; rear focus; 9 blades; used $US240;
  • Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 PRO FX
    • introduced late 2010; weather sealed; silent AF
• auto-focus lenses:
  • see Canon EF wide angle lenses
  • Sigma 12-24mm
    • the widest zoom lens available
  • Tamron SP AF 14mm f/2.8 LD Aspherical IF:
    • RRP $A2749; min. focus 0.2m; macro mag. 1:6.5; rear filter slot for gelatin filters; 661g
  • Sigma 14mm F2.8 EX ASPHERICAL HSM:
    • 114deg field of view; 0.18m macro; drop in rear gelatin filters; 7 blades;
  • Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6:
    • very good lens for the price, if you don't mind the smaller aperture.
    • less distortion than the Canon/Nikon 14mm primes!
    • see http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/14mm/14mm_test_9.html 
• manual focus lenses:
  • see also perspective control lenses such as:
    • Canon 17mm f/4 TS-E
    • Canon 24mm f/3.5 TS-E II
  • other manual focus EF-mount lenses:
    • Carl Zeiss 18mm f/3.5 (announced Sept 2009)
      • see http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09091401carlzeiss18mm.asp 
    • via Tamron adaptall mount for EOS:
      • Tamron SP 17mm f/3.5:
        • 82mm filter thread on petal lens hood which is difficult to use
        • soft wide open and flare issues - see http://www.jr-worldwi.de/photo/index.html?Tamron_Adaptall_SP_17mm_3.5_151B.html 
        • http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000bBc 
  • using MF lenses on EOS cameras:
    • usually need to use in stop-down mode if non-EOS so need lenses with a DOF preview button, and using them can be a bit of a pain.
    • http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-manual-lenses/ 
  • via an Olympus OM to EOS adapter:
    • adapters:
      • ensure it has a stopping set device to prevent damage to the camera.
        • info at http://www.outbackphoto.com/the_bag/paul_adapter_note/essay.html 
      • AF-confirm OM-EOS adapter:
        • http://optix.happypage.com/AFOMEOS.html and on EBay for about $US75
      • Kindai Japan - $US163
      • Cameraquest - $US175
      • Ebay search - usually available for $US20-45 
      • a new adapter with built-in computer chip for MF confirmation is coming
    • see Olympus OM lenses
    • see Olympus USA Ebay store
    • Olympus Zuiko 8mm f/2.8 fisheye:
      • 180deg circular field of view; 0.2m macro; internal wheel filters; 6 blades; used $US1100;
    • Olympus Zuiko MC 16mm f/3.5 fisheye:
      • 180deg diagonal field of view; 0.2m macro; internal wheel filters; 6 blades; used $US500-700;
    • Olympus Zuiko MC 18mm f/3.5:
      • deg field of view; 0.25m macro; 72mm filters; 6 blades; used $US700-900;
      • requires 49-72mm step up ring to attach filters.
    • Olympus Zuiko MC 21mm f/2:
      • deg field of view; 0.2m macro; 55mm filters; 6 blades; floating element thus better macro performance; used $US500-700 but great quality ones may go for $US900-1100; 
      • the 4th best 21mm lens in the world, beating even the excellent Leica 21-35mm.
      • see http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/21mm_7.html 
    • Olympus Zuiko 21mm f/3.5:
      • deg field of view; 0.2m macro; 49mm filters; 6 blades; no floating element; used $US300-400; $A600 Ebay
      • this is extremely popular for the 5D - sharpness at f/5.6 and smaller, minimal distortion and good contrast, compact
      • performance close behind the Zuiko 21mm f/2, making it the 3rd best 21mm lens in the world.
      • http://www.stefanrohloff.de/20_olyspecial.php?en=1
    • Olympus Zuiko MC 24mm f/2:
      • 84 deg field of view; 0.25m macro; 55mm filters; 8 blades; used $US300-600;
    • Olympus Zuiko MC 24mm f/2.8:
      • 84 deg field of view; 0.25m macro; 49mm filters; 6 blades; used $US140-250;
      • one of the sharpest 24mm lenses available for the Canon, but best when stopped down to f/5.6-8.
      • astoundingly good at f5.6-8 at distance, and produced the highest resolution captures of anything shot thus far at 24mm.
        • http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/24mmcup/final/24mm_final1.html 
    • Olympus Zuiko 28mm f/2.0:
      • the best 28mm film lens not so good on cropped sensor digital cameras as soft wide open with purple fringing
      • 16-9.net 28mm lens ratings
        • OM 28mm f/2.0 beat Leica, Nikon, Canon, Carl Zeiss on all aspects - resolution, distortion, and CA.
  • via an M42 to EOS adapter:
    • Pentax Asahi:
      • 17mm f/4 - used $US125
      • 20mm f/4 
  • via Leica R to EOS adapter:
    • Leica R lenses:
      • BUT issues with the oversized mirror on the 5D hitting the rear element on some of these lenses!
      • see here for Leica-Canon compatibility table
      • Leica R 15mm f/2.8 - mirror may hit it.
      • Leica 19mm - 2nd best lens in 19-21mm range in the world.
      • Leica 24mm is not a stellar performer (and doesn't fit a Canon body)
  • via Contax to EOS adapter:
    • Carl Zeiss lenses for Contax/Yashica:
      • BUT issues with the oversized mirror on the 5D hitting the rear element on some of these lenses, esp. the 15mm.
      • Zeiss 15mm f/2.8 Distagon T -  ~$US2000 on EBay 
      • Zeiss 18mm f/4 - see here; not as good as the 21mm; waveform pincusion distortion; 
      • Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 - the best 21mm in the world by a country mile, seems much sharper at f/2.8-4 than Zuiko f/2 lens but much the same at smaller apertures see here but is big and sells on Ebay for $US3000 for mint condition used models! Suffers from waveform distortion which can be difficult to correct.
      • Zeiss 25mm is an older lens which doesn't seem to reach its siblings' level of picture quality.
  • via Pentax K to EOS adapter:
    • AF-confirm Pentax-EOS adapter:
      • http://optix.happypage.com/AFPKEOS.html and on EBay for about $US75
  • via Nikon to EOS adapter:
    • a new adapter allows MF confirmation as with Canon EF lenses in MF mode (not Nikkor G lenses though)
    • Nikkor 15mm f/3.5 is popular
    • Nikon 17-35 AF-S 2.8 ED works well at 18-21mm being up there with the best at this range but problematic pincushion at higher than 25mm is a big issue which requires upsizing of the centre to correct, so not for architectural work.
  • Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 fisheye:
    • needs to be stopped down to f/11
    • http://www.kenrockwell.com/zenit/zenitar-16mm.htm 
• manual focus shift or “Perspective Control” lenses for 35mm cameras and Canon EOS (+/- via adapter):
  • see also: 
    • see also perspective control lenses

• Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8 ED IF (21mm equiv.)
• Pentax DA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 ED IF fisheye zoom (15-25.5mm equiv)
• Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4 ED AL IF (18-36mm equiv.)
• see Pentax

• 35mm SLR cameras:
  • see as for Canon full frame
• Bronica SQ:
  • Zenzanon PS 40mm:
    • 87 deg field of view equiv. to 23mm; cannot use Cokin filters as 95mm filters; used $US200-300;
  • Zenzanon S 50mm f/3.5:
    • 76 deg field of view equiv. to 28mm; 0.5m macro; 67mm filter thus can use Cokin filters; used $US150-200;
• Mamiya 645:
  • Mamiya 45mm f/2.8 lens 4 low dispersion:
    • 74 deg field of view equiv. to 28mm; used $US560 Ebay
• Hasselblad V series:
  • Hasselblad 40mm CF FLE - 93mm filter; used $US1825;
  • Hasselblad 50mm f/4 CFi - used $US1400; RRP $US3466;
• Panoramic film cameras:
  • 135mm film based:
    • Hasselblad XPan I (1998) / II (2003):
      • can shoot regular 35mm frames or double width frames of 24x65mm
      • both the wide angle lenses cause some vignetting so one needs a centre filter to compensate and thus lose 1.5 stops due to the centre filter on the 30mm & for best results need to be stopped down 2 stops or use Photoshop.
      • 30mm f/5.6 lens equiv. to 15mm view in pan. mode giving 94deg horiz.; RRP $US2500; requires accessory viewfinder; 
      • 45mm f/4.0 lens equiv. to 23mm view in pan. mode;
  • Fuji G617:
    • 105mm f/8 large format lens equiv. to 24mm lens; 4 images of 6x17cm per 120 roll; 3m macro;
  • Noblex 6×12:
    • 146 degree field of view;
  • Fuji GX680III:
    • interchangeable lenses; perspective control;

NB. 67mm Schneider centre filters retail at about $A550.