Tokina 11 16mm review

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Tokina 11 16mm f2.8 AT-X Pro DX II review – this is II version of the lens, the lens has an earlier version as well without noting I. The Canon versions apart from the coating is similar, the Nikon version has got a new focus motor to use it in beginner Nikon bodies.

Specifications:

Focal length:11-16mm

Max aperture: f2.8

Weight:560g

Dimensions:84x89mm

Close focus distance: 30cm

Filter size:77mm

Angle of view: 70.2 – 91.3 degree

Built quality:

Seems the Tokina 11 16mm is very solidly built, but feels not heavy or big. This partly can be because it is an Aps-C lens, designed for the smaller sensor which helps with weight/size department. the build quality is very nice: one have a feeling to wants to own this product. One of the rings is too tight for my taste.

Optical quality:

The lens produce nice, sharp, contrasty images. The contrast level seem much better than the contrast of the Sigma 10-20 or Samyang 14mm f2.8 lenses. The contrast is good from the wide open f2.8 aperture. The Samyang has perhaps better resolution stopped down, but wide open has much less contrast. The Canon is not so sharp as the Tokina but better against flare and has better focusing system. Perhaps the Tokina is the best wide angle for Canon Aps-C camera today. The lens has one significant weakness: if we want to make big prints the chromatic aberration is quite pronounced in high contrast situations. If we use the pictures in smaller size the aberration is not so visible. The distortion is not big for such a lens.

Tokina 11 16mm

Tokina 11-16mm f5.6 ISO 800 1/200s Canon 30d

Tokina 11-16mm 11mm f2.8 ISO 800 1/400s Canon 30d Seems the lens already sharp wide open

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What is it good for ?

The question can be sound stupid, but this lens is an ultra wide angle lens (UWA). This wide angle lenses is a real fun as well as the super tele lenses. This lenses make possible nice wide angle pictures inside a room, where it is not possible perhaps with normal or kit lenses or this lenses can make dramatic landscapes. The advantage of this lenses that these have a huge depth of field, meaning everything is usually in focus if we don’t make close pictures.

Main rivals :

The main rivals are the Canon 10-22mm, Sigma 10-20mm (there are two versions f/4-5.6 and f/3.5), the Sigma 8-16mm f/4-5.6, the Samyang 14/2.8, the Samyang 8/3.5. I I haven’t tested yet the Sigma 8-16mm and the new Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5. The Canon is not as sharp as the Tokina, but surprisingly seems very good against flare and has little distortion, and has small CA. I would buy the Tokina, as I prefer better sharpness and contrast. The downside of the Tokina is the rather limited range(11-16mm) compare to the Canon or the Sigma 8-16mm. On the other hand the f/2.8 brightness is very good, which the other lenses lacks. The Samyang 14mm is a terrific lens, but has a very strong barrel distortion (more complex moustache distortion on Full frame), not as contrasty at bigger apertures, manual focus only, no electronic connection with the camera, means for example image datas, like aperture, shutter speed cannot be checked on computer, but has very little CA. At middle apertures (f/5.6) it is extremely sharp (very high resolution). The Samyang 8mm is a fisheye, even bigger distortion, not as sharp in the corners as the 14mm, but wider. Quite good at f/5.6.