Iplex's reviews

Tokina 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840 AF-II

Having seen one of these lenses fail to attract a single bid on ebay, I'm amazed.

This is an excellent lens - leaps and bounds ahead of the equivalent Sigma in build quality, and certainly on a par with it performance wise.

This lens is built like all lenses should be! - solid alloy body, silky smooth zoom, and a focusing rind that appears to run in a bearing race.

What's more, it's compact size makes it ideal for leaving on the camera for those 'wlak around' shots

Opinions have been divided on image quality. I can only comment on my own lens, and that produces sharp contrasty images, particularly when stopped down to f/7

Focus tracking is good - this lens was well able to keep up with a rapidly moving model race car, which turned and accelerated erratically.

Bottom line? - you certainly canl get better image quality - but you'll pay five time (and more) the price of this lens to get it.

You won't, however, get better build quality, even if you do pony up a small fortune for another lens - like all the Tokina ATX series lenses, build quality is exemplary. Just one twist of the cheap 'n' nasty 'plastic-on-plastic' zoom ring of the comparable Sigma 135-400 lens will be enough to tell you that the Tokina is *the* one to go for.

As for the ebay bidders who passed the Tokina 840 by? - they missed a bargain, if you see one for sale, grab it.