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Product Description
The new Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX is an ultra-wide angle lens with a fast f/2.8 aperture for better photography in low-light situations. Many photojournalists consider having an f/2.8 aperture a must for any lens in their camera bag.
Based on the award-winning optical design of the AT-X 124 PRO DX (12-24mm f/4) lens, the new AT-X 116 PRO DX has a slightly shorter zoom range to maintain optical quality at wide apertures.
Tokina’s exclusive One-touch Focus Clutch Mechanism allows the photographer to switch between AF and MF simply by snapping the focus ring forward for AF and back toward the camera to focus manually. There is no need to change the AF-MF switch on Nikon cameras** and there is no second AF/MF switch on the lens for Canon, everything is accomplished by the focus ring.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
266 of 268 people found the following review helpful
By Casch
What more could you want. I've used Canon's great 10-22mm and it is a nice lens but as a comparison here is what I found.
-Sharpness goes to the Tokina hands down. While wide open @ 2.8 it might be about equal by the time the Tokina is stopped down to the 3.5 that the Canon is wide open there is no comparison.
-Zoom Range obviously goes to Canon. Much more usable here than the limited almost fixed focal length Tokina. Actually you might even say that the Tokina is close to a prime. Also I liked that extra 1mm on the wide end (it is very noticeable). Myself I don't mind the limited zoom as I'm always on the wide side and don't even use the 16mm.
-Build Quality again this belongs to the Tokina as it is built like a tank as are most of the pro grade Tokinas. Canon's build quality good for this consumer designed lens but is not up to their L (pro) standards.
-CAs Chromatic Aberrations or purple fringing If you are shooting into high contrast scenes (a bridge against a sky background) this is a real problem for both lenses but the Canon is MUCH better here. This is becoming less important as PhotoShop is able to remove it effectively.
-Lack of barrel distortion goes again to the Tokina which is very slight, especially for a ultra wide zoom. It is much better corrected than the Canon.
-Focus Speed Canon with their USM is fastest but not by much. However, the Canon is quieter too. I do like the clutch system of the Tokina once I got used to it. For manual focus (and I use that a lot) the Tokina is well damped, smooth and usable something that can't be said for the Canon.
-Flare Bad in both lenses but here Canon is better as well. Contra light is a demon in both lenses and care should be taken to always use the hood. Provided with the Tokina and conspicuously absent in the Canon which will set you back another 35 dollars or so.
-Aperture Obviously this goes to the Tokina. Not only is it 2.8 constant aperture it is very usable and sharp. It gets marginally sharper when stopped down but it is SHARP even wide open. The biggest improvement is at the edges when stopped down with the center remaining very sharp throughout. To get the same performance from the canon you need to get to about f5.6 to pull in the edges with further improvement to f8.
Well to wrap it up, the Tokina is quite a lens. Couple that to a savings of about $250.00 and it is a no brainer. While no lens is perfect, and with the CAs this lens has it certainly isn't as well, it maintains great quality and the rugged build make it a good choice for me. I am a semi-pro and take about 10 to 15 thousand exposures a year. I need that rugged build. I own several Canon L lenses and this isn't out of place in my bag. I don't miss that 1mm much as with an ultra wide about 3 or 4 steps back gets in the same view. It would be nice to have the range the 22mm gives but not at the expense of the 2.8 aperture.
My recommendation. BUY IT. You won't be sorry.
1/18/2012
Please read the discussion about this lens review. It adds much to the review itself.
-Sharpness goes to the Tokina hands down. While wide open @ 2.8 it might be about equal by the time the Tokina is stopped down to the 3.5 that the Canon is wide open there is no comparison.
-Zoom Range obviously goes to Canon. Much more usable here than the limited almost fixed focal length Tokina. Actually you might even say that the Tokina is close to a prime. Also I liked that extra 1mm on the wide end (it is very noticeable). Myself I don't mind the limited zoom as I'm always on the wide side and don't even use the 16mm.
-Build Quality again this belongs to the Tokina as it is built like a tank as are most of the pro grade Tokinas. Canon's build quality good for this consumer designed lens but is not up to their L (pro) standards.
-CAs Chromatic Aberrations or purple fringing If you are shooting into high contrast scenes (a bridge against a sky background) this is a real problem for both lenses but the Canon is MUCH better here. This is becoming less important as PhotoShop is able to remove it effectively.
-Lack of barrel distortion goes again to the Tokina which is very slight, especially for a ultra wide zoom. It is much better corrected than the Canon.
-Focus Speed Canon with their USM is fastest but not by much. However, the Canon is quieter too. I do like the clutch system of the Tokina once I got used to it. For manual focus (and I use that a lot) the Tokina is well damped, smooth and usable something that can't be said for the Canon.
-Flare Bad in both lenses but here Canon is better as well. Contra light is a demon in both lenses and care should be taken to always use the hood. Provided with the Tokina and conspicuously absent in the Canon which will set you back another 35 dollars or so.
-Aperture Obviously this goes to the Tokina. Not only is it 2.8 constant aperture it is very usable and sharp. It gets marginally sharper when stopped down but it is SHARP even wide open. The biggest improvement is at the edges when stopped down with the center remaining very sharp throughout. To get the same performance from the canon you need to get to about f5.6 to pull in the edges with further improvement to f8.
Well to wrap it up, the Tokina is quite a lens. Couple that to a savings of about $250.00 and it is a no brainer. While no lens is perfect, and with the CAs this lens has it certainly isn't as well, it maintains great quality and the rugged build make it a good choice for me. I am a semi-pro and take about 10 to 15 thousand exposures a year. I need that rugged build. I own several Canon L lenses and this isn't out of place in my bag. I don't miss that 1mm much as with an ultra wide about 3 or 4 steps back gets in the same view. It would be nice to have the range the 22mm gives but not at the expense of the 2.8 aperture.
My recommendation. BUY IT. You won't be sorry.
1/18/2012
Please read the discussion about this lens review. It adds much to the review itself.
98 of 98 people found the following review helpful
By Jeff Beard
From the moment I pulled the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 out of the box from the rental store, I wanted to keep it.
The build quality of the Tokina is far and away better than the popular Canon EF-S 10-20mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. More metal less plastic, so it just feels like a better product out of the box. It's built more like my Canon L lenses.
The Tokina comes with the lens hood (the Canon 10-22mm does not but ironically costs more).
This lens works very well for indoor or other low light photography (sunrise/sunset). It has great contrast. I used this lens on a Canon 400D/XTi and got I felt were excellent results (I'm talking not about my skill as a photographer rather the ability of the lens to deliver consistent crystal clear and richly colored images :).
Images taken with this lens are sharp as a tack (I uploaded one however the Amazon image processing degraded it significantly).
Some possible downsides:
The zoom range is smaller that the 10-22mm lenses but I don't feel that it was a problem. I value the 2.8 f-stop over the zoom range.
The lens is a heavier than the Canon 10-22mm. I personally do not have an issue with this even when packing it into the back country but it's something to be aware of.
Also, this lens is designed specifically for 1.6 crop factor cameras (XTi/400D/40D/etc) so if you end up buying a full frame body you'll need to replace this lens.
Bottom line: I recommend this lens.
The build quality of the Tokina is far and away better than the popular Canon EF-S 10-20mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. More metal less plastic, so it just feels like a better product out of the box. It's built more like my Canon L lenses.
The Tokina comes with the lens hood (the Canon 10-22mm does not but ironically costs more).
This lens works very well for indoor or other low light photography (sunrise/sunset). It has great contrast. I used this lens on a Canon 400D/XTi and got I felt were excellent results (I'm talking not about my skill as a photographer rather the ability of the lens to deliver consistent crystal clear and richly colored images :).
Images taken with this lens are sharp as a tack (I uploaded one however the Amazon image processing degraded it significantly).
Some possible downsides:
The zoom range is smaller that the 10-22mm lenses but I don't feel that it was a problem. I value the 2.8 f-stop over the zoom range.
The lens is a heavier than the Canon 10-22mm. I personally do not have an issue with this even when packing it into the back country but it's something to be aware of.
Also, this lens is designed specifically for 1.6 crop factor cameras (XTi/400D/40D/etc) so if you end up buying a full frame body you'll need to replace this lens.
Bottom line: I recommend this lens.
64 of 67 people found the following review helpful
By L. Freel
Amazon Verified Purchase
On returning from Italy and evaluating my images (1200), I find this lens to be a real keeper. Photozone.de was my deciding source to purchase this lens where their review and tests indicate this is the sharpest lens in its class. CA's as mentioned there were an issue in a couple of high contrast images and easily corrected in Photoshop. Field curvature is noticable especially in the St Peters interior image above and can be minimized with camera position and focal length settings. Unfortunately I did not have a tripod and a point and shoot technique ruled. The 16mm longest fl will take some getting used to and does not provide much range. I carried a Canon 28-135mm IS for the longer shots.
The f/2.8 at all fl was nice for the darker interiors of buildings on my Canon 30D. Lens construction seems solid without any focusing issues.
New to wide lenses, flare caught me a couple of times, I'll remember to watch for it more often, I know it's common with these wide lenses.
I have posted four customer images above of Florence, a bath house in Pompeii, St Peters in Rome and a narrow street in Sorrento.
Update May 2009
Our photography group traveled to Antelope Canyon Arizona and this lens still impresses. Using a monopod for the visit there was counter to most others along using tripods. The guided tours at Upper Antelope permitted us only 3 minutes to get the shot before moving on. Although I had to use an ISO of 800 on the Canon 30D for most of the visit, the images were sharp corner to corner. DOF with this wide lens is huge so I used manual focus set on infinity and didn't worry about AF in the dim environment. I set aperture priority to f2.8 for the dark shots as most of them were. An outstanding lens.
Update November 2011
I use this with my new 5D mk11 at 16mm with minimal vignette. Most noticable faults are the CA and edge softness.
The f/2.8 at all fl was nice for the darker interiors of buildings on my Canon 30D. Lens construction seems solid without any focusing issues.
New to wide lenses, flare caught me a couple of times, I'll remember to watch for it more often, I know it's common with these wide lenses.
I have posted four customer images above of Florence, a bath house in Pompeii, St Peters in Rome and a narrow street in Sorrento.
Update May 2009
Our photography group traveled to Antelope Canyon Arizona and this lens still impresses. Using a monopod for the visit there was counter to most others along using tripods. The guided tours at Upper Antelope permitted us only 3 minutes to get the shot before moving on. Although I had to use an ISO of 800 on the Canon 30D for most of the visit, the images were sharp corner to corner. DOF with this wide lens is huge so I used manual focus set on infinity and didn't worry about AF in the dim environment. I set aperture priority to f2.8 for the dark shots as most of them were. An outstanding lens.
Update November 2011
I use this with my new 5D mk11 at 16mm with minimal vignette. Most noticable faults are the CA and edge softness.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excelent!
Great build quality, great performance. A little heavy but that was expected. Recommended as a complement for an amateur lens collection.
Published 3 days ago by Yuri
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT QUALITY...
I like everything about this lens. The price point is perfect and you get the performance that you would expect from lens/glass that cost 4-times this amount.
Published 16 days ago by Kenny Tenny
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Wide Angle Lens for Crop Sensor Cameras
In the last couple of months, my hobby of photography has steadily encroached onto my professional side. Read more
Published 20 days ago by The Pes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good buy
I purchased this as a gift for my wife. She absolutely loves it. The wide angle capabilities are jaw dropping and I highly recommend this lens.
Published 22 days ago by Kenneth Kiboro
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great quality and tough built
I have been a professional photographer for 6 years, and this is the best wide angle lens for a DSLR (non full frame) camera. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Juan Alfonso Reece
5.0 out of 5 stars
my favorite lens
I am a "semi-pro" videographer and photographer and I must say sincerely that this is my favorite lens. I use it in my Canon 7D. I also have a Canon 24-135 4.5-5. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sir Einstein A. Guzman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Lens for Slider and Steadicam Footage
This is an awesome lens for getting slider and steadicam footage, as it is so wide it will add to the stability of the footage. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jack H.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very wide at 11mm
Well it's a pretty nice and sharp lens. This is all that I can say at this time. Obviously it's a wide lens and does its job very nicely. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ravi
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great lens!
Love the lens! Got it for my 7D videography, and it's definitely becoming a part of my "absolute arsenal" of film tools. Read more
Published 2 months ago by B. Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can't imagine not having this lens
This is seriously an incredible lens. I have a Canon 7d and use this for a ton of different things, mainly film. I often find myself in small rooms or tight places when shooting. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jimmy Faseler
