Why the 5mm?

Z

zm15

Senior Member
So, please forgive since I'm relatively new to photography and am still working on understanding everything.

I recently came across the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 lens. And I was wondering, why even bother with those 5mm? It would appear that the zoom is so short that it wouldn't matter.

Any explanation for a greenhorn would be appreciated :)
 
AC016

AC016

Senior Member
Yep, seems a bit silly. This is an ultrawide lens and for people who really like wide angles, seems a bit silly to go beyond 11mm. However, if you put this on an FX camera, the extra MM will help in getting rid of the vignetting that is seen between the 11-14mm range - at 14mm it is very slight. Other than that, this is a DX lens and i suppose it is nice to have a little flexibility.
 
Marcel

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
It sometimes does matter, specially when you're backed against a wall and still need to backup. :)
 
D

DTigga

New member
I use a Nikon 10-24 on a D5100 and it's one of my favorites. When you're using a crop sensor camera, it's hard to get a decent ultra-wide. This one translates to 15mm (1.5 x 10mm) which just falls into the ultra-wide classification (16mm is considered only wide).

The difference between 15mm and 16mm can be dramatic, yet it depends on the lens. Some lenses handle distortion better than others, which will alter the perception of depth.
 
R

Rick M

Senior Member
Physics and IQ. Ultra wides really struggle with the physical properties of lens curvature. The shorter range provides better IQ within that range. Another example would be the Fx 14-24, only covering 10mm allows it to have better IQ than other UW's like the 16-35 (not that it's not good, but you get the idea).
 
D

dervari

Senior Member
I scored some great Geminid meteor photos with a Sigma 4mm. No worrying about "was that one in the frame?" :)

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