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2 38135 10/21/2011
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Keywords: Tokina Canon Nikon Zoom 35mm FX AT-X PRO


colinjames

Registered: November 2010
Posts: 8
Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 AT-X PRO FX SD review by colinjames
Review Date: 10/21/2011 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Total Spent: $800.00| Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Sharp, fast 2.8 , build, focus is fast and accurate
Cons: 2.8 at 28mm, flare with long exposures

Tokina did a great job with this lens. Debated a long time over Nikon 17-35mm - but landed here. I previously owned the Nikkor 14-24mm, so carrying this around is no problem. save your money over Nikon. Newest version has nice cap and ass gasket. Wish 28mm @ 2.8 performed like 16mm - but prefer the wide end to be sharp. Really useful focal length for DX. Close focus is great, but of course be wary of bulbous McGee. Zoom is stiff - may ease up but remains to be seen.


What else for the same money? A used 16-35mm f4 or an old 200,xxx serial 17-35mm 2.8? Perhaps primes for half the price? I think this lens is money well spent.


Looking at samples from new full frame Tokina 17-35mm f4 indicates some intense CA - the 16-28mm handles it well happily and is easily corrected in LR. Will keep an eye on the newcomer from tokina. Build and size/weight resemble one of my previous favorites - the Nikkor 20-35mm - but let that go due to poor close focus distance...
Creyr Glas Lightworks

Registered: July 2009
Posts: 10
Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 AT-X PRO FX SD review by Creyr Glas Lightworks
Review Date: 2/3/2011 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Total Spent: $890.00| Rating: 10 

 
Pros: wide coverage, very sharp, great color and low CA/vignetting
Cons: Can't take a front filter, sticky zoom

I traded my Canon 24-105 F4 IS for this lens because I needed a wider range of coverage, and did not need the long telephoto reach. I knew I was taking a chance on this since there were no reviews anywhere. But after testing this lens against the Canon 16-35L, and the Canon EFs 10-22, I decided this lens gave me superior color and range for my applications (which is studio work for models and landscapes).


First, optically, this lens is fabulous. I find it on par with any L series lens for color rendition, sharpness and overall image quality. I feel I lost no quality in moving from the 24-105 to this lens. The constant 2.8 is great and by the time you hit F4 I think the overall DOF is quite sharp and large. I am very happy with all things optics/image quality from this lens.


Second, this lens is fully weather sealed and is very well built. Its admittedly quirky to have that fish-eye like front element, and its a very long and heavy lens, but I am very confident in its quality, I trust it will give me years of good service.


A few notes for those who want to know. It cannot take front filters due to the front lens element. As I understand it, this lens is very similar to the Nikon 12-24 (http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1122/cat/13). From the one review I could find, this lens offers similar optical features/quality. Also, it has the focus clutch mechanism, which you either tolerate or love.


In the end, this lens either fills a need or not, and for me, it was the better choice than other options for the Canon mount (I even had the money to get the 16-35L and chose this one). I would highly suggest testing it out if it fills a need in your lens lineup.


 






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