Maxmad's reviews

  • Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX SD

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Sharpness, contrast, build quality, fast aperture
    chromatic aberration

    I'm currently shooting with a Canon EOS 40d with the following lenses:

    Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX
    Canon EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS USM
    Canon EF 70-200/4 L IS USM

    I have owned and used, but later sold, also the following lenses with the EOS 40d:

    Canon EF 50/1.4 USM
    Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM
    Sigma 30/1.4 HSM

    I needed a true wide-angle alternative to my APS-C sensor camera and I was contemplating whether to buy the Canon EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5 USM, the Sigma 10-20 4-5.6 HSM or the
    Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 PRO DX. After reading a bunch of reviews, pixel-peeping hundreds of images at 100% magnification and finally handling the lenses in a camera store I finally decide to go with the Tokina option. The deciding factor was the vastly superior build quality, the fast aperture and the very nice smooth handling of moth zoom, focus and AF/MF switch. Even though it had been highly rated in various revviews I was prepared to see compromises in the sharpness/vignetting and distortion at the wider end and at maximum aperture. Well, to my surprise the lens has proven itself to perform absolutely briliantly, even wide open at 11 mm! Stopped down to f 8 it is tack sharp even in the extreme corners. Sharpness and contrast are at least as good as my other current Canon's, the 17-55/2.8 and the 70-200/4L, which BTW are VERY sharp indeed.

    The only weakness of the lens is chromatic aberrations, especially at the wider settings and at max aperture. However, since both RAW converters I employ, Canon's DPP and Adobe's Camera raw, have excellent correction for CA it's not a problem when shooting RAW, which is what I do 100% of the time.

    It would of course have been nice with an ultrasonic motor drive, but on such a wide-angled lens the throw of the focusing mechanism is so short, end the micromotor in the Tokina is actually reasonably quiet anyway, so it's really a minor issue.

    Warmly recommended!

    -Max

    reviewed October 31st, 2008 (purchased for $650)