Wide angle lens - Canon, Sigma, Tamron or Tokina?

[gdavies]

Hi there
I'm looking to get a wide angle for my Canon 450d. Appears the main choices I have (within my budget, say max £650) are below:

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Tamron SP 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 Di II
Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Tokina 12-24mm f4 AT-X 124 PRO DX
Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX 11-16mm f/2.8

1. How do the above compare?
2. I realise Canon is the best quality but in some cases its nearly double the price. I'm not an avid photographer (mainly just taking holiday shots) and so would I be very dissapointed if I went for one of the cheaper ones?
3. I hear the quality control can be a bit more hit and miss on some non Canon lenses. What sort of test shots would I need to take to find out whether I had a "bad" one?
4. Any others recommended apart from the above?
5. Anyone recommend somewhere to buy (in UK). Jessops have a sale starting tomorrow so keen to burn some £££ asap.

Cheers!
Gareth

[prinothcat]

not being a Canon user, I can only give you my gut reaction.. based on what I have seen and read.
As far as lens quality goes
Canon
Tokina: They're both nice, which focal length you choose is a factor of your shooting needs. Can be hard to get your hands on one though they tend to sell out as fast as they are stocked. That in itself may tell you something... the 11-16mm is probably wider than you want for what you describe as your targeted usage.
The rest...

I'm across the pond as it were, so have no idea where you can get the best buy.
Test shots? Shoot what you like to shoot and look at the results. If it doesn't look right and you are certain you did everything right have it checked out and return it as needed. I personally feel that "test shots" are for pixel counters and of little use to the normal photographer. Since you are looking at wide angles for the most part, however, have a close look at the sharp edges on strong contrast images. You are looking for color abnormalities called Chromatic Aberration (CA for short) The better the lens the less pronounced these fringes of color will be. They are there on all but the very best lenses. CA's are a product of the design constraints placed on the developer that allow the lens to be affordable. Better quality lenses will tend to limit the presence of CA to the edges of the image. You can google up Chromatic Aberration and get all sorts of useful and also highly technical information (maybe less useful) should you so desire it.

[denis99]

Hi

I use a sigma 12-24 on a Canon 40D.

I've got some good results, have a look at the link - choose the obvious landscape galleries, these are all taken with the 12-24.
http://www.pbase.com/denis99

[gdavies]

thanks for your replies. I've gone for the Sigma 10-20mm.

[shutterpug]

Yes... I was also having that dilemma and opted for the Sigma and have been very pleased with it! Have fun with your new lens!