User manual | wide-angle primes - Gentec International

WIDE-ANGLE
PRIMES
Pick a prime number to go wide with.
Matthew Richards plays the angles
OME of these lenses
in this group test can
really stretch your
viewing angle, shoehorning
more into the frame. Others
don’t really go any wider than
most standard zoom lenses, but
aim for enhanced image quality
with less distortion. These often
give wider available apertures –
ideal for low-light shooting.
All of the lenses in this test
group are compatible with
Dave Fieldhouse www.davefieldhousephotography.com
S
DCM170.kit_group.indd 122
full-frame cameras, apart from
the two APS-C format Fujifilm
lenses. These tend to have shorter
focal lengths than most of the
other contenders, so they can give
generous viewing angles after the
crop factor is taken into account.
All of the lenses in this test
group are rectilinear rather than
curvilinear (fisheye) optics, so it’s
a level playing field. Let’s take a
look at the individual strengths
and weaknesses.
THe ConTenDerS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 Usm £410/$540
Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 Is Usm £460/$600
Fujifilm XF14mm f/2.8 r £650/$900
Fujifilm XF16mm f/1.4 r Wr £730/$1,000
nikon AF-s 20mm f/1.8G ED £650/$800
Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UmC £280/$370
Samyang 24mm f/1.4 ED As UmC £480/$500
Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG Hsm | A £700/$850
9/24/15 10:45 AM
WIDE-ANGLE primes
KIT Zone
Winnats Pass, Derbyshire: a classic Peak
District view that requires a head for
heights – and a wide lens to cram it all in.
DCM170.kit_group.indd 123
November 2015
D i g it a l C a m e r a
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KIT Zone
WIDE-ANGLE prImEs
Full-frame Canon EF
Full-frame Canon EF
Canon eF 20mm
f/2.8 USm
Canon eF 24mm
f/2.8 IS USm
£410/$540
£460/$600
An old lens with modern touches
Lightweight, with an extra bonus
omething of a veteran,
this 23-year-old lens
dates back to 1992. It’s
one of the stockier optics here, but
is still lighter and more compact
than the Samyang or Sigma lenses.
It gives an extra-wide 94° viewing
angle on full-frame cameras
(measured on the diagonal of
the frame), although the widest
available aperture of f/2.8 is
relatively modest.
Despite its age, the lens boasts
some up-to-date features, such as
ring-type ultrasonic autofocus and
Canon’s Super Spectra coatings to
combat ghosting and flare. Build
quality feels ‘consumer’ rather
than ‘professional’, but includes a
focus distance scale with depth of
field markings. The optical design
is based on 11 elements in nine
groups, with a sparse five
diaphragm blades controlling
a not very rounded aperture.
uch newer than Canon’s
20mm lens, this 24mm
option was launched in
2012. Like its similarly youthful
28mm and 35mm wide-angle
stablemates, it features optical
image stabilisation, which makes
it unique in this test group. The
seven-blade diaphragm gives a
more well-rounded aperture than
Canon’s older 20mm lens.
Again, the aperture itself isn’t
exactly ‘fast’ at f/2.8, and this time
around, the viewing angle of 84°
is relatively blinkered. It feels
rather difficult to come up with a
compelling reason to buy this lens
if you already have a 24-70mm
f/2.8 zoom in your kit bag.
With a price tag of £460/$600,
you could also be forgiven for
thinking that Canon has a cheek
charging extra for the ‘optional’
lens hood.
S
Performance
Autofocus is fast and very quiet,
with the usual full-time manual
override that’s enabled by a
ring-type ultrasonic system. Image
quality is good overall, but there’s
a lack of sharpness towards the
edges and vignetting is extreme
at apertures wider than f/5.6.
124
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DCM170.kit_group.indd 124
M
SHarPneSS HIGHER IS BETTER
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
f/2.8 f/4
f/5.6
Centre
f/8
f/11
middle
f/16 f/22
Edge
Edge-sharpness is poor through most of the
aperture range; best performance is f/5.6.
FrIngIng LOWER IS BETTER
f/2.8 1.85 f/8 2.59 f/16 2.49
Red and cyan fringing is noticeable towards
the edges, even on an APS-C format body.
DISTorTIon NEARER 0 IS BETTER
-0.57
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
VerDICT
FeaTUreS
BUIlD & HanDlIng
PerFormanCe
ValUe
oVerall
NovEmbEr 2015
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
f/2.8 f/4
Performance
Performance-wise, the image
stabilision system gave just under
a four-stop benefit in our tests.
Sharpness across the whole frame
is better than from the Canon
20mm lens, and vignetting is less
of an issue here. Distortion is
slightly more pronounced, but
more regular and easier to correct.
f/5.6
f/8
Centre
middle
f/11
f/16 f/22
Edge
Sharpness is better through the aperture
range, compared with Canon’s 20mm lens.
FrIngIng LOWER IS BETTER
f/2.8 2.06 f/8 2.24 f/16 2.13
Less colour fringing than from the Canon
20mm but it’s not a stand-out performer.
DISTorTIon NEARER 0 IS BETTER
-1.67
-4
1
Barrel distortion has an irregular moustache
shape when used on full-frame bodies.
SHarPneSS HIGHER IS BETTER
-3
-2
-1
0
1
Barrel distortion is a little worse than
from most competing lenses in the group.
VerDICT
FeaTUreS
BUIlD & HanDlIng
PerFormanCe
ValUe
oVerall
www.digitalcameraworld.com
9/24/15 10:46 AM
KIT Zone
WIDE-ANGLE prImEs
★
★★For
★★
T
eS Ilm
B UJ I F
F
APS-C Fujifilm X-Series
APS-C Fujifilm X-Series
Fujifilm XF14mm
f/2.8 r
Fujifilm XF16mm
f/1.4 r Wr
£650/$900
£730/$1,000
Quality build meets strong performance
A new upmarket, weather-sealed lens
here’s a high-quality feel
SHarPneSS HIGHER IS BETTER
to this lens, with its metal
2,500
barrel and focus ring.
The 1.5x crop factor of Fujifilm’s X
2,000
mount system gives it an effective
focal length of 21mm, along with
1,500
an eye-popping viewing angle of 89
degrees. The design looks retro and 1,000
features an aperture ring and depth
500
of field scale, with markings for all
apertures between f/2.8 and f/22.
The aperture ring enables easy
f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11
f/16 f/22
and intuitive control in Aperture
Centre
middle
Edge
Priority and Manual shooting
Centre-sharpness is excellent, but edgemodes, with one-third EV
sharpness takes an f/stop or two to catch up.
incremental click-steps. In its
A position, automatic control is
FrIngIng (aT F/8) LOWER IS BETTER
engaged for Program and Shutter
f/2.8 0.43 f/8 0.44 f/16 0.52
Priority modes. The smooth-acting
There’s very little colour fringing, even at
focus ring is similarly slick, with
the extreme corners of the image frame.
a push-pull mechanism for
DISTorTIon NEARER 0 IS BETTER
switching between autofocus and
manual focus, as featured in many
-0.31
Tokina lenses. In the manual focus
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
position, the focus distance
This lens beats everything else in the
becomes visible.
group for minimising barrel distortion.
he look and feel of this
lens are very similar to the
Fujifilm 14mm. That’s no
bad thing, with its precision metal
parts, smart aperture ring and
push-pull focus ring. This lens
has a slightly longer effective
focal length of 24mm, and a
correspondingly narrower viewing
angle of 83° rather than 89°.
Enhancements over the Fujifilm
14mm lens include a more complex
optical design based on 13
elements in 11 groups, rather than
10 elements in seven groups. Nano
coatings are applied to further
reduce ghosting and flare, and the
minimum focus distance shrinks
from 0.18m to 0.15m, enabling a
larger maximum magnification
ratio of 0.21x instead of 0.12x.
There are nine rather the 14mm’s
seven diaphragm blades, and the
build adds weather seals that are
lacking on the 14mm lens.
Performance
The superb build and handling are
matched by excellent performance.
Sharpness is fabulous across the
whole frame at all but the widest
f/1.4 aperture, where it drops in the
corners. Fringing is practically
non-existent, and there’s only
minimal distortion.
T
Autofocus is quick and quiet, and
centre-sharpness is impressive.
There’s very little distortion, and
colour fringing is minimal. The
overall image quality is excellent,
making this lens a good ultra-wide
option for Fujifilm X cameras.
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DCM170.kit_group.indd 125
VerDICT
FeaTUreS
BUIlD & HanDlIng
PerFormanCe
ValUe
oVerall
T
Performance
NovEmbEr 2015
SHarPneSS HIGHER IS BETTER
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
f/2.8 f/4
f/5.6
f/8
Centre
middle
f/11
f/16 f/22
Edge
Edge-sharpness is better than Fujifilm’s
14mm lens throughout the entire range.
FrIngIng (aT F/8) LOWER IS BETTER
f/2.8 0.29 Mid 0.47 Edge 0.46
There’s almost no fringing, even around
high-contrast transitions at the corners.
DISTorTIon NEARER 0 IS BETTER
-1.81
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
Images aren’t quite as distortion-free
as from the wider Fujifilm 14mm lens.
VerDICT
FeaTUreS
BUIlD & HanDlIng
PerFormanCe
ValUe
oVerall
D I g I Ta l C a m e r a
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KIT Zone
WIDE-ANGLE prImEs
★
★★
★★ REATE
G LU
VA
Full-frame
Full-frame
Canon M Fujifilm X-Series Nikon FX Pentax K
nikon aF-S 20mm
f/1.8g eD
Samyang 14mm
f/2.8 IF eD UmC
£650/$800
£280/$370
A new Nikon with added attractions
One size fits almost all mount options
ikon’s antiquated
SHarPneSS HIGHER IS BETTER
D-mount 20mm f/2.8
2,500
was finally replaced by
this G-mount offering last year.
2,000
The aperture ring has gone, which
was superfluous on Nikon SLRs
1,500
anyway, and the addition of
ring-type ultrasonic autofocus
1,000
makes autofocus available with any
500
digital Nikon SLR, including those
that lack a built-in AF drive motor.
The new lens also features a
f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11
f/16 f/22
faster f/1.8 aperture, nano-crystal
Centre
middle
Edge
coatings for better control of
Centre-sharpness is great, but edgeghosting and flare, two ED
sharpness drops off significantly.
(Extra-low Dispersion) elements
and a closer minimum focus
FrIngIng LOWER IS BETTER
distance of 0.2 instead of 0.25m.
f/2.8 1.75 f/8 2.38 f/16 2.46
It’s not weather-sealed, but
Fringing is well-controlled and autodoes feature a rubber ring on its
corrected in recent Nikon cameras.
mounting plate. Unlike the two
DISTorTIon NEARER 0 IS BETTER
Canon lenses in this test group,
it comes complete with a hood
-1.5
and carrying pouch.
his Samyang lens is
available in a massive
variety of mount options.
However, as a full-frame
compatible lens, it naturally gives
its greatest viewing angle of an
astonishing 116° when paired with
a full-frame body. On APS-C
cameras with a 1.5x crop factor, you
still get an ultra-wide 94°, but just
76° in FT and MFT mounts. All
editions have purely manual
focusing, with no autofocus facility.
Until recently, only the Nikon
fit option came complete with
an internal processor to enable
camera-driven aperture control,
and the illumination of focus assist
lamps in the viewfinder. A new
Canon edition of the lens is also
now available, which boasts the
same electronic enhancements.
N
-4
Performance
The relatively wide f/1.8 aperture
is nice to have, but edge-sharpness
is poor if you don’t stop down to
at least f/4. Overall sharpness
is significantly better than from
Canon’s 20mm lens, and vignetting
is less severe. There’s also slightly
less colour fringing, but a bit more
barrel distortion.
126
Canon EF
Samsung NX Sony A Sony E Micro Four Thirds Four Thirds
Nikon FX
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-3
-2
-1
0
Barrel distortion is low in magnitude and
more regular than from the Canon 20mm.
VerDICT
FeaTUreS
BUIlD & HanDlIng
PerFormanCe
ValUe
oVerall
NovEmbEr 2015
1
T
SHarPneSS HIGHER IS BETTER
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
f/2.8 f/4
Centre
f/8
f/11
middle
f/16 f/22
Edge
It’s not as sharp as most here, but edgesharpness is better than Canon’s 20mm.
FrIngIng (aT F/8) LOWER IS BETTER
f/2.8 1.1 f/8 1.15 f/16 0.81
The lens does a pretty good job of
correcting chromatic aberrations,
DISTorTIon NEARER 0 IS BETTER
Performance
The manual focus ring is smooth
and precise. Image quality is
pleasing on the whole, with
reasonably good sharpness
throughout the aperture range
for such an ultra-wide lens.
However, vignetting and barrel
distortion are heavy, and the
built-in lens hood precludes the
easy attachment of screw-in filters
or filter holders.
f/5.6
-3.22
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
Barrel distortion is heavy and, as with the
Canon 20mm, has a moustache effect.
VerDICT
FeaTUreS
BUIlD & HanDlIng
PerFormanCe
ValUe
oVerall
www.digitalcameraworld.com
9/24/15 10:46 AM
KIT Zone
WIDE-ANGLE prImEs
Full-frame
Canon EF
Canon M Fujifilm X-Series Nikon FX Pentax K
Samsung NX Sony A Sony E Micro Four Thirds Four Thirds
Full-frame Canon EF Nikon FX Sigma SA
Samyang 24mm
f/1.4 eD aS UmC
Sigma 24mm
f/1.4 Dg HSm | a
£480/$500
£700/$850
Best served in Nikon flavour
A new addition to the A line
ike the wider Samyang
SHarPneSS HIGHER IS BETTER
14mm that’s also on test,
2,500
this manual-focusing
24mm lens is available in the same
2,000
selection of 10 different mount
options. This time, however, it’s
1,500
only the Nikon F-mount flavour
that has built-in electronics. On
1,000
Canon SLRs, you can’t control the
500
aperture from the camera, and
have to keep manually opening the
aperture every time you need a
f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11
f/16 f/22
bright viewfinder image for
Centre
middle
Edge
focusing. Similarly, only the
Sharpness is more impressive than from
Nikon-fit edition has electronics
the Samyang 14mm lens, across the frame.
needed to drive focus-assist lamps
in the viewfinder.
FrIngIng (aT F/8) LOWER IS BETTER
Again, the 24mm lens is
f/2.8 1.39 f/8 1.75 f/16 1.75
full-frame compatible, but viewing
Marginally more colour fringing than from
angles on crop-sensor cameras are the Samyang 14mm, but well-controlled.
rather more restrictive. On the plus
DISTorTIon NEARER 0 IS BETTER
side, filters are much easier to use,
thanks to the provision of an
-2.2
attachment thread (77mm) and
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
a bayonet-fit hood.
igma’s range of Art lenses
has rightly been earning
a reputation for quality.
One of the newest prime additions
to the line-up, this 24mm lens
gives an 84° angle of view on
full-frame cameras. It’s two full f/
stops faster than the Canon 24mm
lens on test, but it’s significantly
larger and more than twice as
heavy at 665g.
Build quality is excellent and
includes top-grade materials,
although the lens isn’t weathersealed. Feature highlights include
ring-type ultrasonic autofocus, a
nine-blade diaphragm, three FLD
(F Low Dispersion) elements and
four SLD (Special Low Dispersion)
elements. It’s certainly not a cheap
lens, but it’s worth bearing in mind
that Canon’s direct equivalent, the
EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM, costs an
eye-watering £1,225/$1,550.
Performance
Autofocus is fast and extremely
quiet. Image quality is sublime,
with exceptional corner-to-corner
sharpness. Colour fringing and
distortion are also very well
controlled, and vignetting is also
minimal at apertures of f/2.8 or
narrower. It’s a real beauty. A Sony
A-mount version is due soon.
L
The 24mm lens is very soft at its
widest f/1.4 aperture, but centresharpness is pretty good through
the rest of the aperture range.
Along with its longer focal length,
vignetting and barrel distortion
are rather less noticeable than
with the Samyang 14mm lens.
www.digitalcameraworld.com
DCM170.kit_group.indd 127
There’s noticeable barrel distortion, but it’s
regular and easy to correct during editing.
VerDICT
FeaTUreS
BUIlD & HanDlIng
PerFormanCe
ValUe
oVerall
S
SHarPneSS HIGHER IS BETTER
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
f/2.8 f/4
f/5.6
Centre
f/8
middle
f/11
f/16 f/22
Edge
Sharpness is exceptional, and the dip
in corner-sharpness at f/1.4 is still fine.
FrIngIng (aT F/8) LOWER IS BETTER
f/2.8 0.79 f/8 0.64 f/16 0.76
Colour fringing is extremely low, even at
the extreme edges and corners of images.
DISTorTIon NEARER 0 IS BETTER
-0.77
-4
Performance
NovEmbEr 2015
-3
-2
-1
0
1
There’s only a very small amount of barrel
distortion, and it’s very regular in shape.
VerDICT
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WIDE-ANGLE prImEs
THe VerDICT
It’s a win for Sigma’s a-team
The excellent Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM | A comes first
ontinuing a theme in which the
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 A won last issue’s
group test of standard primes, the
24mm takes top honours this time around.
It’s beautifully built and has impeccable
handling. Autofocus is fast and deadly
accurate, corner-to-corner sharpness and
peripheral illumination are excellent, while
distortion and colour fringing are absolutely
minimal. The overall image quality is simply
spectacular, making it the best buy for Canon
and Nikon cameras.
While we weren’t completely won over
by Fujifilm’s standard 35mm lens for its
X mount cameras last issue, we’ve been
thoroughly impressed by its 14mm and 16mm
wide-angle lenses. Both have great handling
C
HOW THE
LENSES
COMPARE
Canon EF 20mm
f/2.8 USM
Canon EF 24mm
f/2.8 IS USM
and deliver excellent image quality, although
the 16mm edges ahead with greater
sharpness, superior control over colour
fringing, and a weather-sealed build.
Nikon’s 20mm lens is the best of the rest.
It outguns the competing Canon 20mm for
sharpness and peripheral illumination,
justifying its higher selling price. Meanwhile,
Canon’s 24mm lens is the only one in the
group to feature image stabilisation but,
apart from its conveniently small size, there’s
not much to recommend it over a zoom lens
like the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 VC USD,
which also features stabilisation.
The Samyang 14mm and 24mm lenses are
best suited to Canon and Nikon full-frame
SLRs (just Nikon for the 24mm).
Fujifilm XF14mm
f/2.8 R
www.canon.co.uk
Contact
Fujifilm XF16mm
f/1.4 R WR
www.fujifilm.co.uk
Nikon AF-S 20mm
f/1.8G ED
Samyang 14mm
f/2.8 IF ED UMC
www.nikon.co.uk
Samyang 24mm
f/1.4 ED AS UMC
www.sigma-
www.syopt.com
£280/$370
Sigma 24mm
f/1.4 DG HSM | A
imaging-uk.com
Street price
£410/$540
£460/$600
£650/$900
£730/$1,000
£650/$800
£480/$500
Mount options
EF
C
EF
C
FX
FX
FX
N
Full-frame
compatible
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Elements/Groups
11/9
11/9
10/7
13/11
13/11
14/10
13/12
15/11
Diaphragm
blades
5 blades
7 blades
7 blades
9 blades
7 blades
6 blades
8 blades
9 blades
EF M
X FX K
EF M
X FX K
NX A
E MFT FT
NX A
E MFT FT
£700/$850
EF FX SA
Autofocus type
Ultrasonic (ring)
Ultrasonic (ring)
Electric motor
Electric motor
Ultrasonic (ring)
None
None
Ultrasonic (ring)
Manual AF
override
Full-time
Full-time
Push-pull
Push-pull
Full-time
N/A
N/A
Full-time
Min focus
distance
0.25m
0.2m
0.18m
0.15m
0.2m
0.28m
0.25m
0.25m
Max
magnification
factor
0.14x
0.23x
0.12x
0.21x
0.23x
Unspecified
Unspecified
0.19x
Angle of view
(diagonal)
94°
84°
89°
83°
94°
116°
84°
84°
Optical stabiliser
No
Yes (4-stop)
No
No
No
No
No
No
Filter size
72mm
58mm
58mm
67mm
77mm
N/A
77mm
77mm
Included
accessories
None
None
Hood
Hood
Hood, pouch
Built-in hood,
pouch
Hood, pouch
Hood, soft case
Dimensions (d x l)
78 x 71mm
68 x 56mm
65 x 58mm
73 x 73mm
83 x 81mm
87 x 94mm
83 x 95mm
85 x 90mm
Weight
405g
280g
235g
375g
355g
530g
565g
665g
FeaTUreS
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PerFormanCe
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oVerall
KEY:
128
Canon
Fujifilm
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DCM170.kit_group.indd 128
Nikon
Pentax
NovEmbEr 2015
Samsung
Sigma
Sony
Four Thirds
www.digitalcameraworld.com
9/24/15 10:46 AM

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