Posted 12th February 2010
A month ago I bought a Canon 10-22mm F3.5-4.5 USM AF EF-S wide angle for my 7D mainly for HD video use (but for some occasional stills use too). I read a ton of on-line reviews on what seems like every camera forum and site on Earth before I did and it was not an easy choice but I thought I'd share why I went the direction I did. This might help you if you’re considering a wide angle lens for the Canon 7D (or the new Canon 550D perhaps). The two main choices are the Tokina 11-16mm F2.8 AF versus this Canon 10-22mm. Both are super lenses and which one is right for you depends on your own needs, but for me, in no particular order;
Tokina 11-16 Pros
(1) Constant F2.8 - no other super wide zoom lens for the 7D can match that!
(2) Sharp
(3) More solid build quality
(4) Bigger/wider focus ring
Tokina 11-16 Cons
(1) Very susceptible to lens flare - and I like to take lots of pictures with backlighting (often sun backlit) for effect, so this was an important issue for me. I've seen some flare issues and resulting loss of shots with my otherwise excellent Canon 17-55 F2.8 IS AF USM EF-S and did not want any worse than that. This could be an issue with such a wide lens used for video where you're moving around (from what I've experienced with the 17-55, especially outside with a low sun).
(2) Very limited zoom range, really it's a prime with a very fine adjustment for framing! Sure, in video work I'm not going to do any zooming anyway (with the poor ergonomics of the 7D for run and gun, except maybe the odd zoom crop in post).
(3) In the UK at least, very similar in cost to the Canon (which I got with Hoya filter and special Canon shade for £600, by the way). There seems to be a shortage of Tokina 11-16mm lenses at the moment. So those that have them are making a killing...
(4) Very slightly slower and noisier autofocus (AF) - but it's super wide so it’s not an issue as very little is not in focus or needs focus adjustment (and in video I only use AF before I hit record anyway). Or, if I want to throw away a second in edit and re-autofocus, whilst I'm still video recording, I just press the ‘AF On’ button on the back of the 7D (this works even during video recording). Mostly, I manual focus with video though for obvious reasons.
(5) Moderate, i.e. noticeable, chromatic aberration, possibly more than Canon from what I've read.
Canon 10-22 Pros
(1) Less barrel distortion - except perhaps at full wide, 10mm, but very consistent across the range for a wide angle. This is very important to me as I'm doing a lot of architectural / commercial design videography on the wide end with my EX3 and that has quite noticeable barrel distortion (which has resulted in some shots being totally unusable in editing).
(2) More useful zoom range, meaning I don't have to swap lenses so often, and a nice overlap with my next lens up. It’s possible to put it on and do a range of wide and semi-wide shots as it’s got a very versatile range.
(3) Little bit lighter in weight - very minor point but I do like to keep my 7D kit as minimal in weight as possible - as I walk a lot with it (it’s a lot more portable than my EX3 kit ever will be!).
(4) I like the Canon "anytime manual" focus ring approach, where you can just give it a nudge if you don't like what AF gave you before you hit record. With the Tokina you have to snap the focus ring into a different position to go full manual (much like on my EX3) - which may give a judder if you're hand holding whilst recording video and just want to tweak focus to catch a fleeting moment better.
(5) Closer minimum focus than the Tokina - allowing a bit more creative scope (and it goes a tad wider to 10mm too!). Note to self, better polish my shoes as they'll be in shot sometimes!
Canon 10-22 Cons
(1) Slower lens, F3.5 is as fast as it gets on the wide end and by the 20-22mm area it's F4.5, so really more an outdoor lens or I might need to light my subjects if indoor (which I often do anyway if it's paying work). Bit of a pain it's not constant aperture - for video when framing / setting up the shot. Anyway, I'm also planning to buy a super fast general lens sometime for the 7D for indoor and low light work, so no worries.
(2) You have to buy the shade separately - come on Canon get real!
(3) That's another EF-S lens I've just bought - mind you I don't think the crop format is leaving our (or more importantly my) future anytime soon...
Both appear to be great lenses - but that's why I just spent about £600 (including the necessary extras) on the Canon offering. I hope this helps you decide what’s best for you but check out the first link below (a relevant thread on DVinfo) for comments from others on wide angles for the 7D.
DVinfo thread: Canon 10-22mm versus Tokina 11-16mm
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