Photoclubalpha

Report in Dyxum from out of Japan that the Tokina 11-16mm constant 2.8 will be released on 24 February 2010.

For anyone thinking of buying a UWA in the next few weeks it may be better to hold off your purchase if this is genuine.

Does that lens really worth considering it?

Well, the latest "rumour" on Tokina returning to A-mount offerings starting with the 11-16 W/A Zoom seems to come from DPReview
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. ... e=34410588
I cannot make the translation work.
If it is indeed true it can only be good news. Perhaps Tokina are then even thinking of making their new 16-135 mm Zoom available in A-mouont as well? That would be exiting if the IQ and distortion pass muster. I might buy it then. Maybe the combination of 11-16 and 16-135 Tokinas on a new Alpha A700 successor at say 16-17Mp 7D "beater" would be the ultimate camera/lens combination for non FF users. I can perhaps start dreaming about this for the 2011 shooting season.

I have one with the Nikon mount and find it very good even if the zoom range is limited. Some may query the need for a f 2.8 wide angle, but it is a quality piece of glass well put together.

When I bought it the price was about 60 % the price of the Nikon 12 - 24 mm zoom which made it acceptable to me. I just don't use a wide often enough to justify paying more.

This is a well liked lens on other mounts.
Price seems to be about £490 odd for Canikon variants (warehouse express prices)
Good to see this one arrive, maybe a few more might turn up.

I'll be honest, f2/8 isn't something I would desire on an UWA myself, but hey..some might. APS-C only, but Ken Rockwell reckons it's ok on FF from 15mm.
I've a passing interest in that Samyang 14 mm lens, but it's been delayed to address some issues.

One thing's for sure, this Tokina will probably kill the 10-24mm. Not sure where the $1000 price came from on DPR!

f/2.8 makes a huge difference on an ultrawide - not for shooting, for focusing with AF. On the A700 it kicks in the f/2.8 sensor and doubles the accuracy of AF. On lesser cameras, it uses the maximum virtual aperture of the AF sensor, which wideangles tend to reduce - like having a better baselength of rangefinder.

I would guess that if Tokina is reintroducing Sony fit lenses it's in direct response to Samsung. Samsung has used Tokina for their entire GX DSLR lens range. It now looks as if that will disappear and the N-system is their future. Despite the co-ownership of Pentax and Tokina by Hoya, which has restrained Tokina from making Alpha mount lenses for the last couple of years, Tokina will not want to be forced into losing sales.

There is also one further possibility, that Sony may buy some lenses from Tokina. Minolta did so; there was a kit 28-80mm made by Tokina, and the 100-400mm zoom was a design Minolta bought exclusive rights to (it was designed by Tokina and made by them for Minolta). Maybe the 11-16mm could be scheduled to appear as a Sony lens too...

David

It's now officially been announced on dpreview!

Just to add here, maybe I am alone in not using AF that often on UWA lenses
The times I have, I've never noticed a problem with my Tamron AF 19-35mm F3.5-4.5, it's actually fast for AF, and no accuracy issues to report, that includes the 35mm end.

I'd rather save a bit of weight and size myself (and some cash) by losing the f2.8, but as ever..that's open to debate.

Owning a Sigma 10-20 that doesn't get too much used, I will not jump for the new UW Tokina.

But it's a good sign they start again to offer lenses for Sony. I am not up to date with their offering any more but remember from the past they had some good ones.

Hooray for choices!

Photozone have a review of the Tolkin AF 11-16 f/2.8 on a canon

Looks like a not bad lens.

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/379-t ... on?start=1

The Tokina AF 50-135mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX looks like a not bad lens. I wonder what Tokina lens with get a Sony mount next?

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/277-t ... ew?start=1

Stevecim

You do need to exercise some care about extrapolating results from an older Canon 8 MP sensor with a x 1.6 form factor to a new Sony 14 MP x 1.5 sensor let alone whatever the supposed A 6/ A 7 models may bring.

All I can say is that such lenses as the Tokina 11-16, 16-50 and 50-135 used on a Nikon D 90 with a newish Sony 12 MP sensor produce extremely good results and that such cameras as the A 700, D 90 and D 300 with these lenses can produce consistent pro standard results. Don't have much experience with the Canon 7D so can't comment about newer higher resolution Canons.

Will they produce results as good as FF high pixel cameras with the very best lenses ? No they can't, it's just not possible - but for 99 % of daily requirements they will get the job done very nicely. I am too much in love with my CZ 16-80 to recommend replacing one with a Tokina 16-50 though.

These are the type of lenses that are smaller, lighter and cheaper than FF that do justify many photographers staying with decent APS-C cameras rather than upgrading.

OK, I've put up a revised version of my February 2009 report elsewhere on the Tokina 11-16mm:

http://www.photoclubalpha.com/2010/02/0 ... -sd-if-dx/

Should help people see what the lens is all about!

David

Thanks for that David. This is a lens that may well end up on my wish list once I raise the finances for a dedicated landscape lens.

Anybody else frustrated at the useless lens reviews made with Canon's more flattering 1.6x crop factor?