Ive been shooting on my a7III for like four years now and usually stick to my 35mm or 85mm primes but I just got booked for this last-minute real estate gig for a tiny studio apartment downtown and Im realizing I have literally nothing wide enough. I was looking at the Sony 16-35mm GM but thats way out of my budget right now especially with such short notice. My logic was that maybe I could grab a prime like the Viltrox 16mm or one of those Samyang/Rokinon lenses but Ive heard such mixed things about the autofocus consistency on the older Samyangs and I cant afford a miss on this shoot next Thursday.
Ive got maybe $500 to spend tops. I saw the Tamron 17-28 used but even thats pushing it. Is the Sigma 16mm f1.4 only for crop sensors? I keep forgetting which of their DN lenses are full frame. Im kinda panicking because the space is super cramped and my 35mm is gonna make it look like a closet. Whats the sharpest thing I can get that wont break the bank or have crazy distortion? Needs to be native E-mount so I dont have to mess with adapters...
> Is the Sigma 16mm f1.4 only for crop sensors? I keep forgetting which of their DN lenses are full frame. Yeah, the Sigma 16mm f1.4 is definitely an APS-C lens. If you slap that on your a7III, the camera will automatically jump into crop mode and youll lose a ton of resolution, so definitely avoid that for a professional gig. For a $500 budget, you should seriously look at the Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 FE. It is probably the best bang-for-buck wide angle out there right now. It has an actual LCD screen on the lens barrel for focus distance and aperture, which is pretty slick. Technical specs are solid too... it uses aspherical elements to keep the distortion low, which is exactly what you need for real estate so the walls dont look like they are melting. If you want something even cheaper, check these out:
- Samyang AF 18mm f/2.8 FE - super light and usually around $300. The AF is way better than their older stuff.
- Tamron 20mm f/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 - very sharp and handles flare well, tho the autofocus is a bit slow. Personally, Id go with the Viltrox if you can swing the extra few bucks or find a used one. The 16mm focal length is gonna be a lifesaver in a cramped studio compared to an 18mm or 20mm. 35mm in a downtown studio sounds like a nightmare lol, you definitely need the wider field of view.
