Landscape Lens: I am looking for a landscape lens. I want to spend between $400 and $600. I am looking at: Nikon AF-P DX 10-20 F4.5-5.6 $306.00 Signa EX DC HSM 10-20 F3.5-22 $399.00...

tcanzano Loc: Bristol, NH

I am looking for a landscape lens. I want to spend between $400 and $600.
I am looking at:
Nikon AF-P DX 10-20 F4.5-5.6 $306.00
Signa EX DC HSM 10-20 F3.5-22 $399.00
Tokina ATX-I 11-20 F2.8 $529.00

Any other suggestions?

Quixdraw Loc: x

Have no experience with the others, but have the Nikon. Not a pro lens, but small & light. Does a good job. If the landscape includes trees at the edges, the low end slants them in a bit.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

tcanzano wrote:

I am looking for a landscape lens. I want to spend between $400 and $600.
I am looking at:
Nikon AF-P DX 10-20 F4.5-5.6 $306.00
Signa EX DC HSM 10-20 F3.5-22 $399.00
Tokina ATX-I 11-20 F2.8 $529.00

Any other suggestions?

As a Nikon guy, I would go with the Nikon AF-P DX 10-20 F4.5-5.6 $306.00

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

tcanzano wrote:

I am looking for a landscape lens. I want to spend between $400 and $600.
I am looking at:
Nikon AF-P DX 10-20 F4.5-5.6 $306.00
Signa EX DC HSM 10-20 F3.5-22 $399.00
Tokina ATX-I 11-20 F2.8 $529.00

Any other suggestions?

Nikon AF-P DX 10-20 F4.5-5.6 $306.00
Would be my choice hands down.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

quixdraw wrote:

Have no experience with the others, but have the Nikon. Not a pro lens, but small & light. Does a good job. If the landscape includes trees at the edges, the low end slants them in a bit.

The slanting is commonly observed with many wide angle lenses and is related to perspective. If you have your camera level and take a shot of a set of vertical lines going horizontally across your field of view, the ones on the outside will be curved. Usually you're standing on the ground and the vertical lines are stretching upwards at the edges so you're basically looking up at the top corners and the lines will curve in. The effect will be pronounced if you look upward slightly with your camera. You are seeing more of the upper sections of the vertical lines which are curving inward. If you were on a tall ladder and looking downward slightly with your camera the lines would curve inward at the bottom corners. That would make the lines slant outward a bit instead of inward.

Some lenses can distort the image to compensate for that perspective, but doing so is a distortion, not an accurate representation of the image.

Shift-tilt lenses can introduce some controlled distortion that way.

tcanzano Loc: Bristol, NH

Thank you all for the reply. Looks like I need to get the Nikon.

Hamltnblue Loc: Springfield PA

When I was shooting do, my favorite was the Nikon 16-80 f2.8 -4.
Tack sharp but a little higher than your price range.
B and h has them used for about 750.00
Might be able to find one a little cheaper

tcanzano Loc: Bristol, NH

Thank you for your reply.

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

tcanzano wrote:

I am looking for a landscape lens. I want to spend between $400 and $600.
I am looking at:
Nikon AF-P DX 10-20 F4.5-5.6 $306.00
Signa EX DC HSM 10-20 F3.5-22 $399.00
Tokina ATX-I 11-20 F2.8 $529.00

Any other suggestions?

I just bought the Tokina from KEH. Excellent plus with hood and caps. 377.00. Love it on my d500. I have had it about 5 weeks. The only thing I don't like is the manual focus auto focus control. You pull the ring towards the camera. Once I figured it out it works well but I still don't really like it. The photos and focus are great.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

tcanzano wrote:

I am looking for a landscape lens. I want to spend between $400 and $600.
I am looking at:
Nikon AF-P DX 10-20 F4.5-5.6 $306.00
Signa EX DC HSM 10-20 F3.5-22 $399.00
Tokina ATX-I 11-20 F2.8 $529.00

Any other suggestions?

Ultrawides are special purpose lenses with limited application for landscapes. I shoot full frame and use a 45, 85, 70-200 and 100-300 for my landscapes. If I need a wider angle of view, I just shoot multiple overlapping images and stitch a panorama.

I know it doesn't answer your specific question, but it does sort of fall under the "any other suggestions" part.

I would rent one of the above - you may find that the novelty of an ultrawide, and the forced perspective, objects in the background looking like they are hundreds of miles away, the volume deformation (round objects taking on a football shape due to the optical characteristics such wide lenses - gets old pretty fast. To my eye, the very wide lens is not a go to lens for landscape.

You can see some samples of my stitched panorama landscapes here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gene_lugo/albums/72157687713807602

Stitching is easy - and best done with longer focal lengths. You don't need a tripod to stitch - and you don't have to be precise about keeping the camera level - as long as you cover your shot with enough overlapping images.

https://petapixel.com/2016/10/27/stitching-panorama-forget-wide-angle-lens-home/

https://www.digitalphotomentor.com/5-mistakes-beginners-make-using-a-wide-angle-lens-and-how-to-avoid-them/

https://photographylife.com/landscapes/the-hidden-benefits-of-panorama-photography

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

"Ultrawides are special purpose lenses with limited application for landscapes." I agree with Gene. Many photographers use a 24 mm lens for landscape photography or an 18 mm if using the DX format. I use but not that often my Nikon 12-24 f4 AF-S that does fine between the 18-24 mm range with my D610 full frame without vignettes.

I looked at the images Gene included in his answer and they are fine images with no distortions. The article about the mistakes beginners make when using a wide angle is a very educational read. One advantage of panoramas is the size of the final file especially to those interested in large enlargements or those that end up selecting only part of the photograph to enlarge.

anotherview Loc: California

24-105mm zoom lens. It will do most all you need for landscape photography.

tcanzano wrote:

I am looking for a landscape lens. I want to spend between $400 and $600.
I am looking at:
Nikon AF-P DX 10-20 F4.5-5.6 $306.00
Signa EX DC HSM 10-20 F3.5-22 $399.00
Tokina ATX-I 11-20 F2.8 $529.00

Any other suggestions?

Nosaj Loc: Sarasota, Florida

tcanzano wrote:

I am looking for a landscape lens. I want to spend between $400 and $600.
I am looking at:
Nikon AF-P DX 10-20 F4.5-5.6 $306.00
Signa EX DC HSM 10-20 F3.5-22 $399.00
Tokina ATX-I 11-20 F2.8 $529.00

Any other suggestions?

Why are you looking at wide angle lenses?
Consider 24-70mm zooms.

skipwv Loc: West Virginia

I use the Nikon 10-20 on my D7200 and love it. Sharp, lightweight, and delivers good images. Not a “pro” lens but very good.

tcthome Loc: NJ

[quote=Gene51]Ultrawides are special purpose lenses with limited application for landscapes. I shoot full frame and use a 45, 85, 70-200 and 100-300 for my landscapes. If I need a wider angle of view, I just shoot multiple overlapping images and stitch a panorama.

I use to almost use the Nikon 14-24 for landscapes. More & more I have been using the 70-200 & stitch when need. If I had the 24-70 I might use that more. Anyway the wider lens is great when a close foreground subject is being shot & the distant objects aren't as important IMHO.