If you’re seriously interested in travel photography, you probably need to add a solid wide angle lens to your kit if not already in there.

Perfect for capturing scenery, cityscapes, market scenes and pretty much any situation with activity, wide angle photographs pull you right into the midst of the action.

Its no wonder, according to professional photographer Jim Richardson, most National Geographic photographers prefer wide angle lens for capturing those award winning and visually stunning shots.

That said, vendor specific wide angle lenses like Nikon Nikkors can definitely break the bank in terms of price, but vendors like Sigma come out with comparable topnotch lenses that cover at least 99% of the same functionality at half the price.

The Sigma 10-20mm ultra wide angle lens (the much cheaper equivalent of the $1,650 Nikkor 14-24mm Wide Angle Lens) has a silent Hyper-Sonic Motor (HSM) for high-speed autofocus.

In our What’s In Your Backpack Series, professional photographer Ryan Libre also touted the benefits of carrying this ultra wide lens, and I personally travel everywhere with mine.

Its Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements help compensate for color aberration, and it measures in at 3.3 inches round by 3.2 inches long with a weight of 16.4 ounces.

Comes with a one (1) year warranty.

Price: $429.00 | Sigma for Nikon | Sigma for Canon