If you're looking for a wide angle, Tokina has an awesome lens. I myself purchased a sigma 10 - 20 and am very satisfied with the results.

The 14-24 is a superb lens. It is easly the sharpest lens I have in my inventory. As a selling point this lens is also used by "CANON" shooter with an adapter. I think that says quite a bit if CANON shooters want it as well. The only drawback as you pointed out is the huge glass out front with no protection. You have to disipline yourself to keep that lens cover on except when shooting.

phiggys & jameskhoo,

Thanks for the information and comments!

I have done some additional search , and as you both pointed out, the 14-24 glass is in fact probably the best choice. At least for me. It seems to be that it is even sharper than the 14 mm prime! And one of the best in its kid on the market in over all performance. The extra 11 degrees that I get from those 3 additional mm give me that extra edge on perspective that I was looking for! I want to do time lapse night photography and it sems to be that this is a commonly used glass with magnificent performance.
Now to enjoy myself with this great glass!
Thanks again!

You may find the following link useful ?

http://www.howardedin.com/articles/fov.html

17mm will give you a 93degree angle of view on a FX sensor
16mm will give you a 96degree angle of view on a FX sensor
15mm will give you a 100degree angle of view on a FX sensor
14mm will give you a 104degree angle of view on a FX sensor

It is amazing the difference just 1mm can make to be honest I sold my 14-24mm as I already had a Nikon 14mm f2.8 prime but I have added to my kit a Sigma EX 15-30mm f3.5/4.5 that I am very happy with.
But when shooting a bridge recently the difference between the 14mm and 15mm end of the zoom was dramatic in perspective.
Note that just because a lens states a certain focal length it does NOT always prove to give you that angle of view or width.
Any lens will change it focal length during focussing it is not unusual for a lens to be shorter when at it's close or minimum focus setting.
I hope this helps?

The 14-24 is a superb sharp lens and if angled properly, the distortion is very minimal. Also as i like to shoot wide, the 3 degrees more offered a more dramatic perpective esp in landscape. I found out that it doesnt even need a PL filter as it manages to keep the sky and water very blue indeed. This is my fav lens. You may also want to look at the 16-35, cheaper and just as sharp.