Lens suggestions needed

I'm looking for a wide angle lens for my Canon 40D. Looking to spend under $1000. Can anyone provide some suggestions? I tried out and liked both a Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 and also a EF 16-35mm, but wanted to get feedback from those in the know before making a final decision. I'd like to purchase something in the next couple of weeks before my Oregon trip so I can put it to good use.

Also, looking for a wireless remote for the 40D.

You can email me at stormamy at juno dot com.

Thanks in advance!

I was very impressed with my Tokina 12-24 on the 40D. Sharp from edge to edge at the wide end and no CA. The price is right too. I know the Canon 10-22 is highly thought of, but I have no experience with that lens.

I loved the Tokina 12-24 when I was shooting with a Rebel. Great lens.

The 16-35mm is overkill for a crop sensor. There are some great EF-S lenses - the 10-22mm is one of them. I also used/loved the Tokina 12-24mm lens - both I and II versions. Hard to beat the quality for the price of that lens. Tokina is the best all-around buy for crop sensor wide angle zooms, in my opinion.

At typical nature/landscape apertures, you won't see much of a difference in quality with these EF-S wide angle zooms. It'll be more about 10mm vs. 12mm, and price.

I have the 11-16 Tokina and I love it!!

Those are two very different lenses. Personally, when I was shooting the Rebel XT, I found the 17-40 to not be wide enough. At 16mm you're barely getting wider, around a 25mm equivalent, which would be a minimum for me. Sounds like that 12-24 might be worth looking into.

As you can see from the chart above, there's quite a bit of difference in the field of view between 10mm and 12mm on a wide angle lens.

I use a Sigma 10-20 with my 40D and have been extremely happy with the results..
I compared the much more expensive Canon 10-22 lens with the Sigma at LightRules and I'm glad I did. See what you think...
You even get a lens hood included with the Sigma lens, which the more expensive Canon lens fails to include. A lens hood is almost requisite equipment for wide angle lenses, and it's just inexplicable to me why Canon fails to include one

Note that there are several wide angle lens comparisons at the LightRules site for a variety of lenses (incl. ones mentioned above).

"Also, looking for a wireless remote for the 40D."

I'm a cheapskate, so the first thing I recommend is using the 2 sec. timer w/mirror lockup. If that doesn't suffice, then there are dozens of third party wireless remotes for Canon DSLRs available from trustworthy dealers on eBay. I've purchased camera filters, an intervalometer and a regular remote from eBay in the past with no problems, and saved lots of $$$ to boot.
Hope you have a wonderful trip!

I have the Canon 10-22 and a 17-40L (which I shoot on film and crop digital). The lenses have almost identical image quality, though the 10-22 is slightly less resistant to flare. But really where they overlap, I don't think you could tell them apart and they look very similar on their respective formats at their wide end. Based on the Tokina 28-70 f2.8 ATX Pro I own, the canon optics are superior in flare resistance, but I understand Tokina has improved their coatings since that lens came to market. All of these options are under 1K.

The only third party UWA lens I'd avoid is the Tamron. Tamron makes some really great lenses, but their crop UWA zoom lenses have always fared poorly on tests compared to Nikon, Canon, Sigma and Tokina.

Amy, I purchased the 11-16 Tokina for my Nikon just for my Oregon trip last year. I used it for the first time photographing Multnomah Falls. I've been very happy with it.

Canon 17-40L would have been my suggestion..easily within your price range and a great lens.

I really liked the 10-22 as well. If your going to upgrade to full frame anytime soon you might want to take that into account.

You can pick up the sigma reasonably cheap too! http://denver.craigslist.org/pho/1713241755.html I know you aren't in Denver but you should be able to find it elsewhere for similar prices.

I personally don't like the build quality of Sigma lenses. Optically they are generally good. That is why I went with the Tokina 12-24mm. I got both super sharpness and great build.

Canon 10-22 or Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6, and Tamron 10-24 would be the three I'd look at. I think the Sigma is the best deal and its a nice lens. When three different UK photo mags tested ultra wide zooms they all picked it as the best buy. The Canon ranked equal or slightly better in IQ but the Sigma is no slouch and priced much nicer. There are a couple of newer models in the field like the Sigma 8-16 you might consider too.

Good luck!

Canon 10-22 or Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6, and Tamron 10-24 would be the three I'd look at. I think the Sigma is the best deal and its a nice lens. When three different UK photo mags tested ultra wide zooms they all picked it as the best buy. The Canon ranked equal or slightly better in IQ but the Sigma is no slouch and priced much nicer. There are a couple of newer models in the field like the Sigma 8-16 you might consider too.

Good luck!

I've got the Canon 10-22mm lens for use on my 50D and I've been very happy with it. Very sharp and about as close to "L" glass as I've ever seen in a non-L lens. The focal length is great too, as it converts to roughly 16-35mm equivalent on a full frame. Not a bad price for such a high quality lens, either.

I agree w/ Todd that the 16-35mm or 17-40mm lens likely won't be wide enough on a crop sensor. When I want to go wide, I want to go really wide - not semi wide, which is what you would get w/ either of these lenses on a crop sensor.

Hope this helps!

I haven't used the other lenses mentioned, but I love my Canon 10-22mm. A little bit of distortion at the widest end, but very sharp and great color and contrast.

I tried the Canon 10-22mm, the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 and the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 before making a purchase. While I thought the contrast, clarity and (obviously) speed of the Tokina better, the oddball zoom range kind of bothered me. The Tokina also had a better build quality than the other two; it's a tank. I really wanted it but had reservations.

The Canon felt like a a cheap toy compared to the other two and it's performance didn't provide me with any compelling reason for it's higher price. I really didn't like it at all. (Or any other EF-S lenses I tried, although I never tried the 17-55mm f/2.8, which is supposed to be close to L grade, but I digress).

I bought the Sigma because the price to quality ratio was just right (aka bang for the buck). The Sigma is just a great lens and I really liked it (I used it on a 40D). My only issue with it is that at certain apertures and angles when you shoot with the sun in the frame it didn't handle flare very well (this is a known issue; see dpreview.com for more info.)

I really appreciate all the comments! I've posted topics on other regional forums and only gotten back 1-2 replies. I think I will test out the Canon 10-22 on my Oregon trip and the Sigma and Tokina on my Maine trip. That should give me a good feel for what to buy. Thanks so much for all the feedback. It's great to have a group of experts to talk to!

After all the suggestions and reading plenty of reviews, I opted for the Canon 10-22mm. Thanks again for the suggestions! I'm very excited to test out my new toy!