Which is the best wide angle landscape lens?

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One question I often get asked is – Which is the best lens for shooting landscapes?

This question can be easy to answer if budget was not taken into consideration because almost every manufacturer has a top end wide angle lens that gives amazing image quality. But the issue with those top end lenses is that they are costly.

So my answer will be based on taking into account both budget and quality.

And the answer is – Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 (Nikon mount)
Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 (Canon mount)

But why do I recommend this lens?

Let’s look at the different factors:

First of all, being under 40k, this is probably one of the cheapest wide angle lens out there.

• Secondly, it allows you to shoot really wide at 11 mm.
• The aperture opens up to f2.8 making this lens great for astro-photography and low light situations.
• Unlike other expensive f2.8 lenses, this one has an ordinary front element to attach filters thereby enabling the photographer to use cheaper circular ND filters and not having to buy expensive square ND filters and holders.
• Even though this is a lens meant for crop sensor cameras, it can be used with full frame cameras without vignetting at 16mm, thereby making it a great wide angle prime lens (16mm f2.8) for full frame cameras.

Considering all the above points, I would vote this lens as the best wide angle lens that you can get your hands on currently.
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