[baldrick]

I just happened to search for Sigma lenses with a Pentax fit on eBay this morning and was presented with the 14mm f2.8 for £350........I bought it!

[jenufa]

Ah the lens bug

[baldrick]

Originally Posted by jenufa

Ah the lens bug

The Tamron version is £800ish and from the reviews I've found online the Sigma is supposed to be better so £350 isn't too bad methinks!

[h4rri]

Nice Enjoy. The only drawback with this one was the fact that the hood was in-built so no chance for filters. Be careful with it and make sure you post some snaps when it's here

[jenufa]

Gets some good reviews . Post some shots of what it can do when you get the time.

[Pirate!!]

If you're after Sigma or other 3rd party lenses, check this out.

[baldrick]

Originally Posted by h4rri

Nice Enjoy. The only drawback with this one was the fact that the hood was in-built so no chance for filters. Be careful with it and make sure you post some snaps when it's here

It can take gel filters....

[baldrick]

Originally Posted by Pirate!!

If you're after Sigma or other 3rd party lenses, check this out.

Without a bottomless pit of money it's so hard to make a choice isn't it! I could have saved £80 and bought the 10-20 but I would lose out on the speed...

I will try the 14mm and if I don't get on with it I can always put it back on eBay!

That 10-20 Sigma is great as it's a DC lens, designed for APS-C sensors, so you get an actual 10mm!!!!

[h4rri]

Originally Posted by baldrick

It can take gel filters....

Ah I was reading DP and it mentioned this as the only drawback

It is a damn fine lense

[baldrick]

Originally Posted by baldrick

It can take gel filters....

Can you get ND Grad gels?

[tryingtimes]

Cokin do a big mount to fit on the outside of lenses for their systems.

It has 3 grubscrews (I guess they may mark the lens).
Sizes are max 84mm for P-series and max 118mm for X-PRO.

Just a thought

[Brammers]

Originally Posted by baldrick

That 10-20 Sigma is great as it's a DC lens, designed for APS-C sensors, so you get an actual 10mm!!!!

This is not true! It being a DC lens means it's designed for the smaller sensor of an APS-C camera. It won't cover the full 35mm frame, you'll get serious vignetting. It doesn't mean you get a true 10mm, it's still converted, so it'll work out as 15mm or 16mm, depending on the camera you mount it on.

That 14mm prime looks great, can't wait to see some shots

[baldrick]

Originally Posted by tryingtimes

Cokin do a big mount to fit on the outside of lenses for their systems.

It has 3 grubscrews (I guess they may mark the lens).
Sizes are max 84mm for P-series and max 118mm for X-PRO.

Just a thought

Isn't the problem with filters on a fast ultra wide angle lens just the sheer size/shape of the front element? Surely you'd need a bowl shaped filter or an huge piece of flat glass to cover the whole lens?

[Brammers]

The problem for this particular fast ultrawide is that it's hood doesn't come off and that it's got no filter threads!

[tryingtimes]

Originally Posted by baldrick

Isn't the problem with filters on a fast ultra wide angle lens just the sheer size/shape of the front element? Surely you'd need a bowl shaped filter or an huge piece of flat glass to cover the whole lens?

Yes - it would need some investigation. The Cokin X-Pro filters are 130mm wide though so might well do the trick.
However they are very expensive - I think an X-Pro polarizer is £200

[baldrick]

Originally Posted by Brammers

The problem for this particular fast ultrawide is that it's hood doesn't come off and that it's got no filter threads!

But surely, even if it did have threads, the filters would need to be curved to match the front element of the lens?

[Brammers]

Don't think so. Many of my front elements are curved and I've got flat filters on all of them.

What you would have to do would be to get the filter far enough forwards, not merely so that it doesn't touch the front of the glass, but also that the edges of the filter (the metal ring) doesn't block light to the recessed edges of the glass, causing vignetting. On such a domed, wide angle lens this would probably be very, very, very wide and a long way forwards.

[baldrick]

Originally Posted by Brammers

Don't think so. Many of my front elements are curved and I've got flat filters on all of them.

What you would have to do would be to get the filter far enough forwards, not merely so that it doesn't touch the front of the glass, but also that the edges of the filter (the metal ring) doesn't block light to the recessed edges of the glass, causing vignetting. On such a domed, wide angle lens this would probably be very, very, very wide and a long way forwards.

I think we're getting at the same thing, because of the shape and size of front element on this type of prime you either need a very big flat filter or a curved one that matches the lens.

Do any of the 14mm f2.8 lenses work with filters?

[baldrick]

The 14mm will give 87.9 degrees of coverage on my D-SLR but on a full size sensor/35mm body it would give 113.9 degrees!

[Brammers]

Have had a quick look at some wide primes.

Apparantly Sigma's 8mm fisheye 14mm 3.5, 14mm 2.8 & 15mm 2.8 fisheye all take rear slip-in gelitin filters. Never heard of these but I'd guess they'd be similar to the drop in filters you'd get on a mammoth lens (600mm etc)

Tamron's 14mm apparantly does the same.

Minolta's 16mm fisheye apparantly has the filters built in!!!

Zenitar's 16mm fisheye takes a rear mounted 26.5mm filter. Not sure how that works either.

The widest lens I can find that takes standard, front mounted filters is Tokina's 17mm 3.5m which takes a 72mm filter.

Next up is the Sigma 20 1.8, with an 82mm filter.

All of that taken from dyxum.com's lens list.

So, I guess the OP doesn't want to be looking for big, front mounted clamps, but instead for svelte, rear mounted gelitin filters. Wonder what's actually available!

[baldrick]

Originally Posted by Brammers

Have had a quick look at some wide primes.

Apparantly Sigma's 8mm fisheye 14mm 3.5, 14mm 2.8 & 15mm 2.8 fisheye all take rear slip-in gelitin filters. Never heard of these but I'd guess they'd be similar to the drop in filters you'd get on a mammoth lens (600mm etc)

Tamron's 14mm apparantly does the same.

Minolta's 16mm fisheye apparantly has the filters built in!!!

Zenitar's 16mm fisheye takes a rear mounted 26.5mm filter. Not sure how that works either.

The widest lens I can find that takes standard, front mounted filters is Tokina's 17mm 3.5m which takes a 72mm filter.

Next up is the Sigma 20 1.8, with an 82mm filter.

All of that taken from dyxum.com's lens list.

So, I guess the OP doesn't want to be looking for big, front mounted clamps, but instead for svelte, rear mounted gelitin filters. Wonder what's actually available!

As soon as I get the lens I'll know how the rear filters work, but I think you're limited to tints/NDs/corrections. A unless you have complete freedom with the rear mounted gels you can't use graduated/polarising filters?

It's something of an irony that the 'ultimate' landscape lenses can't be used with the filters to make the picture really special!

[baldrick]

It's here, almost! I've got a card saying I need to pay £75 VAT and customs charges so I'll get it in the morning!!!

[nonsoloinglese]

I read in the Sunday Times 'InGear' supplement that you do not pay import tax on digital still cameras, was that a porkie pie?