Thread: Photo jong ? Wide angle lens for Nikon D3100 recs

I'm pretty new to the whole DSLR thing. Been shooting for a year or so with the kit lens and have now sprung for a 50-200 and looking to add a wide angle. Any recs for a wide angle that's not too terribly expensive? Will I hate life if I go the manual focus only route? Thanks mags

I love my Tokina 11-16 f/2.8. Mine is EF mount but I think they make it for DX. Not sure what you mean by not too expensive as that is relative. But it's certainly cheap in regards to performance.

Thanks mang, best bang for under 1k is what I'm looking for.

Are you looking for an UWA like what I posted or are you looking to take the place of your kit, like a nicer 17-55 or something?

UWA for sure. I actually like the kit lens quite a bit.

You are going to need something that has an internal focus motor for your D3100. So AF-S for Nikon lenses and HSm for sigmas...

On that route, the Nikon 10-24mm (~800$) is probably your best bet for under $1k if you want to go over $1k, the 12-24mm is a bit better optically, but not quite as wide. I would stay away from the sigma wide angles, they aren't the greatest.

10-24mm
http://www.adorama.com/NK1024AFSU.ht...e=rflAID021866

Not hard to find a 12-24 for under $1k used.

If your not looking for $1k semipro lenses for your d3100 I would suggest you sell your other lenses and get the nikon 18-200mm vr. It's sort of the all mountain ski of dx lenses and will serve you well for many cameras to come. $450ish but you will only need one lens.


If you want a separate dedicated UWA that's not a fisheye the nikon 12-24mm can be had for cheaper right now since the 10-24mm came out. Tokina's are a good value but are now similar in price to the 12-24 and you will like the colors and contrast better on the nikon.

Originally Posted by benthos

Tokina's are a good value but are now similar in price to the 12-24 and you will like the colors and contrast better on the nikon.

I know Ken Rockwell can be kind of a blowhard, but he ranks the Tokina as the best UWA lens for any DX or APS-C DSLR. http://www.kenrockwell.com/tokina/11-16mm.htm

the tokina won't focus on the d3100

Well that's stupid.

There are lots of choices for under $1k. There are a few that can be had for half that.

I have a nikon 12-24 that I think I'm ready to sell. I've had it awhile, but it's in great shape.