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I've ordered the Canon 70D and I'm looking for a good wide angle lens for interior architectural photography. I've got a good opportunity to get a Sigma 12-24mm Full Frame Ultra Wide Lens fairly inexpensively but obviously since the 70D is not full frame I can't take full advantage of this lens.

Anyone have any suggestions or will this lens do awesome anyway? I've heard such good things about it.

Thanks!!

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  • \$\begingroup\$ You have to be very specific in what your needs are if you don't want this question closed. You say you're going to use it for interior architectural photography. How tight spaces are we talking about? Are you lighting the scene yourself? Is the lens going to be used for anything else? How concerned about sharpness are you? \$\endgroup\$
    – Hugo
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 5:25
  • \$\begingroup\$ I would suggest a shift adaptor. \$\endgroup\$
    – BBking
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 6:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ @BBking - how would a shift adapter help? Chris is wanting wide angles but makes no mention of needing perspective control... \$\endgroup\$
    – Darkhausen
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 10:59
  • \$\begingroup\$ It was only a suggestion. Interior architectural gave me the impression there wasn't much space. Funny how all the photos in the accepted answer are all outdoors... \$\endgroup\$
    – BBking
    Commented Apr 22, 2015 at 5:30

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If you are seriously into this sort of photography, have you considered picking up a used EOS-1Ds mark II or a 5D MK 1 or 2?

I have 1Ds II and despite being 13 years old, its image quality (with good glass - I have the 17-40L and the 24-105l) is outstanding and at 17Mp, the resolution is good too and the cameras are cheap to buy.

Having said that, when I had this lens, I found it to be an excellent performer on my EOS-10D and you still had to be careful not to get your feet in the picture!

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thank you very much for the responses. I ended up picking up a used 5D Mark II and you are right that is an amazing difference having the full frame camera. You guys are great thank you for the advice!! \$\endgroup\$
    – Chris Keeran
    Commented Apr 28, 2015 at 1:14
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The Sigma 12-24 is a full frame lens. On a crop sensor camera like the 70D, it will have similar field of view as a (12 x 1.6= ) 19.2 to (24 x 1.6= ) 38.4 mm lens.

You might compare this to shots taken with other lenses near this full-frame length. Comparing this to an 18-55 might help, as you will get a sense of the middle range of the Sigma lens on the wide side. (18 is between 12 and 24).

In my experience, the widest that is really useful on a crop sensor is 10mm. Beyond that the distortion gets severe enough that it is difficult to correct in Photoshop. This is from personal experience, where I have found it quite difficult to control distortion in taking shots. Not impossible, just difficult. Of course, on a full frame camera, 9 and 10mm are often even more distorted.

Here are two examples, outdoor architectural shots, captured at 10mm with a Sigma 10-22mm, on a Canon 40D. They are of similar subjects, buildings in Rome. However, in the first, the camera is angled up, creating significant distortion. The second is camera level, which reduces distortion.

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It is also important to compose carefully, as tall objects at the edge of the frame will be more noticeably distorted.

enter image description here

Therefore, IMHO, if you manage your composure correctly, your 12-24 will be quite useful.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ +cmason Could you please elaborate on why the widest you would go on a crop sensor is 10 mm? How does the distortion differ from a full frame sensor? I haven't heard this claim before. Wouldn't the full frame sensor reveal even more distortion because it doesn't crop out the edges of the frame, like on a crop sensor camera? \$\endgroup\$
    – Sam Figueroa
    Commented Apr 21, 2015 at 12:40

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