Tino

We are planning a trip to the Rockies starting in late May and am wondering if it would be worth it to add a new wide angle lens. I have a D7100 with a 18-55 lens. I wonder if it is worth purchasing a little bit wider lens. Specifically, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX Autofocus Lens. Would that lens be that much more beneficial?

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Only if it is sharper. I don't think you'll gain much as far as composition goes.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Not unless it’s a Nikkor.
—Bob

Ourspolair

I have been using a Sigma 10-20mm lens for several years. I think you should look at one. Yes, you will get quite a lot more from the wider lens.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

Your existing zoom starting at 18mm equates to the angle of view of a 27mm lens with the Nikon 1.5x crop factor. So you do already have a "wide angle" lens.

Personally I love the perspective and incredible depth of field you would get with an "ultra wide" angle lens. I love how you could keep something a foot away from you in focus while also keeping distant objects in focus, if you use a small enough aperture like f8 or f11.

With the Tokina starting at 11mm you would have the angle of view of a 16.5mm lens which would put you in "ultra wide" territory.

However, something like the 10-20mm Nikkor or Sigma zooms would take you deeper into that territory with an effective angle of view of a 15mm lens.

Shooting full frame with my Nikon F100 (film) and the Nikon full frame digital I am planning on buying I am thinking of going a little wider myself with a Rokinon 14mm prime. I used to have a Sigma 15-30mm zoom and shot that exclusively at the 15mm end.

I am a big fan of going as wide as you can, without going to fisheye, although I also used to have a Sigma 16mm full-frame fisheye which was fun for the right subjects.

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

The "answer" depends on what you shoot. But that lens would take you from somewhat wide now to really wide. It would open up a new range of compositional possibilities.

CO

Tokina's ultra wide angle lenses have had problems with ghosting and flare. LensTip.com does extensive testing of lenses. The Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX is one that has a lot of flare and ghosting. See their testing of ghosting and flare here and see sample photos.

https://www.lenstip.com/379.9-Lens_review-Tokina_AT-X_116_PRO_DX_II_AF_11-16_mm_f_2.8_Ghosting_and_flares.html

I would recommend the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD lens. I purchased one for my D500 approximately one year ago. It's fully weather sealed, has vibration compensation, and has very well controlled ghosting and flare. Its HLD (High/Low torque-modulated drive) focusing motor focuses very accurately.

Fully weather sealed

(Download)

HLD (High/Low torque-modulated drive) motor

(Download)

Merlin1300 Loc: New England, But Now & Forever SoTX

Rent one for your trip. See how much you use it.
I have a Tammy 10-24 3.5-4.5 and rarely use it outdoors.
But it's indispensable for indoor shots where you need a wide view.

Boris77

I have a D7100 and bought the Nikkor 10-24. The wide angle tends to produce empty landscapes in my hands, and I learned to construct my panoramics in Photoshop from a series of exposures.
Years ago I spent a number of days in the Rockies with just a mid-range zoom (and a tripod) with satisfying results.
I would not invest in a wide angle lens for a trip to the Rockies, but the Tokina 11-16 is a good lens. I only bought the Nikkor because of its wider range.
Boris

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

These discussions are always interesting. What's also interesting, though, is to do a quick search of the literally hundreds if not thousands of barely used ultrawide lenses. Tons of folks think they need one until they get it and find out that they really don't.

I have a 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom that I bought three years ago for night sky photography. I still use it for that and have also learned a couple of other things to do with it, but not landscapes. Things just get too small and too far away to be interesting, even when used with a D850, which has a lot of capability to resolve small details.

The suggestion above to rent an ultrawide first is a good one. If doing that just doesn't work for you, I'd suggest buying something economical like the Nikkor 10-20mm DX. It's not particularly fast, but it is a pretty neat $300 or so lens that will let you investigate what you want to do with it and make a more permanent choice later. If you don't end up using it, you aren't out a ton of cash.

Ultrawide photography is more than just sticking a short focal length lens on your camera. The difference between 18mm and 10mm on your camera is very significant. It introduces a whole array of challenges that you will need to learn to solve in order to get good results. It can be fun, but it's also quite a bit of work.

Have fun deciding, though. And let us know what you decide.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I have a Nikon 12-24 zoom I use on my D7100, and I am very happy with it.

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

I have one of the Nikon 10-24 3.5-4.5 models and I love it for doing close up work or architectural features. Think about an old cabin with a wraparound porch - at 10mm you can stand in the corner and get a really cool shot of the entire porch along both walls, old cars, airplanes etc. Close focus distance is something like 9" and with the right aperture everything close and far will be in focus - I think it's a great, fun lens but I don't think I've ever used it for landscapes....

They have a cheaper model now that has received good reviews for around $300 which isn't much more than your Tokina. I've only had one Tokina lens, an ancient 80-200 2.8 and it was an amazing lens for the time... built like a tank and great image quality.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I agree that an ultra wide angle is best used for close up work where you want to exaggerate the distance between subject and background or for interior work in tight spots. For those big vistas you’ll be seeing I would definitely be stitching shots into panoramas.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

The Tokina is better optically than the equivalent Nikon 10-24, although the Nikon is not bad (except in the corners at 10mm). It has a, shorter zoom range but you gain that great f2. 8 aperture.

I find a wide angle absolutely essential in landscape photography, especially when mountains are part of the equation. My favorite for crop is the Sigma 8-16mm.

tcthome Loc: NJ