So I'm still rockin' my Rebel T2i, and all I have for lenses is the 18-55mm stock lens that came with it and the Canon 50mm f/1.4. Mostly I've just used the 50mm for all my projects, which has been great, but it's a hell of a challenge to get any decent wide shots. In ideal circumstances (i.e., a truckload of cash), I wouldn't even bother with SLR lenses and just grab a pro video camera, but at the moment I'd like to spend less then a grand on some kind of wide-angle lens. The thing about grabbing an ultra wide angle (i.e., 18mm or less) is that, while the fisheye effect is cool, I might not always want it, and I would have to go back to the 50mm. Wide aperture (i.e., f/2.8 or wider) is important to me, since I do a lot of indoor shooting. I have absolutely no idea if I should consider zooms or not, or if I should stick to primes.

It really is just damn hard to know what a lens is going to look like before you actually get your hands on it. So, if anyone already has experience with wide-angles, I'd love some advise.