Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Value, May 31, 2007
When I recently purchased a D80, I found myself lacking a true wide angle lens. I have always preferred prime lenses, but even the Nikkor ultra wide primes received only lukewarm ratings.
I was one step away from purchasing the Nikkor 12-24mm f4 zoom, but every report that I read said that the Tokina was pretty much its equal at only half the price.
Frankly, I have always had misgivings about third party lenses. I tried a few many years ago and was sorely disappointed. While I'm sure that there are still some poorly made third party lenses, the high end offerings from Tokina, Tamron and Sigma really give the camera brand lenses a run for their money. I guess that computer designing has leveled the playing field.
Anyway, what about the Tokina? As far as I'm concerned, it's a keeper. While I haven't done side by side comparisons with the Nikkor lens, 13X19 enlargements from the Tokina are everything that I could ever want.
If I had to pick a nit, it would be that the Tokina shows a bit of chromatic abberation at the edges. This is easily dealt with in the RAW converter and most people wouldn't notice it anyway. As I said, I'm picking nits here.
If you're in the market for a lens in this range in Nikon mount, the Tokina is the only f4 other than the Nikkor which is twice the price. Don't be a snob as I once was. Check out the third party offerings and base your decision on the results that they deliver and not on brand alone.
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56 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
wide-angle warrior, January 9, 2007
i was searching for something a little "wider" for my d80 and researched the tokina, the tamron, the sigma, and the nikon. couldn't really justify paying 2x more for nikon, and the tokina's good-to-drooling reviews made it an intriguing option.
when it arrived a few days ago, it was impressive-looking, although i wish i would have gotten the usa model with the 3-year warranty for like a $50 difference. the good news is this thing is built very very solidly--it reminds me of a piece of samurai armor, with a very japanese/"eastern"-type feel to it. it's all black, with gold piping. it feels almost ancient, despite being a solid piece of tech with quality glass.
the tokina is a samurai warrior of a lens, super rugged and very heavy due to its build quality. its eye pops out at you like a bug. it's not a cheapo lens at all--amazon's third parties have it for around $500, but it lists at $899--but a very good choice for the price if you don't feel like you have to have all-nikon everything (don't think they make underwear yet, sorry). it has a useful mf/af slide right where you need it. when you slide it to mf, the distance meters kick in on the second focus ring. that's a good thing, because this lens can sometimes hunt a bit, so you may find yourself switching on the fly.
however, it's no ninja at f/4. this is not a quick lens at all, which probably wouldn't make it great for wide action shots. (for that, i went with the sigma 15mm fisheye which is still pretty wide at 22.5mm equivalent with the dx sensor.)
it's not as useful a close up lens as i would have thought--go with the $100 50mm nikkor 1.8 prime if a portrait lens is what you're after--because the wide angle takes in everything and makes the subject look farther away. but, damn, it picks up stuff not visible to the naked eye. the bug eye gives excellent depth of field, and photos have a 3-d quality to them. you can get around the f/4 a bit because the large area of the glass lets in a lot of light, which makes it better at nighttime/low-light conditions than you might think, as long as your subjects aren't moving too fast.
after i got it, i shot a historic victorian from a third floor balcony with no flash and iso 1600 that came out amazing. it picked up stuff i didn't see in the viewfinder, and lent it a nice soft hue picking up all the available light from around it. then i went and shot some sunsets of the bay area from lawrence hall of science that were awesome, postcard or poster quality. no retouching necessary. worked just as good with no flash as with in-camera flash; some non-flash shots came out better--just set auto iso and no worries.
maybe not absolutely necessary for a casual point-and-shooter, unless landscapes are your thing, but for semi-pro to pro, it's a good addition to the kit for those times when the 18-70 or 28-80 isn't wide enough. you can work around the slowness by hitting burst, but interestingly the burst doesn't work with all settings.
once it's in your kit, you'll find yourself seeking out opportunities to let this lens's abilities rise to the forefront--is it guiding you, or are you guiding it?
the tokina wants you to take your time and compose a nice shot, not dash off a quick flick. so if you're planning on shooting people or live stage shots, though, you're gonna have to get pretty close (if you want them to be recognizable): set up 3-7 feet away, set the AF to "C", fire off a burst, and hope for the best. but for, say, a group of people in front of a landmark or monument, this lens is ideal dialed to 12mm with the infinity setting on mf. or you could do af and let the lens work for you.
summary:
wide enough for most dslr users (18mm equivalent)
solid, tank-like build quality and "eastern" feel to it.
great landscape lens. will make you seek out panaoramic shots.
no noticeable focus problems except for the occasional hunt.
excellent clarity and available-light shooting.
great in low-light conditions w/ iso boosted and no flash.
not that fast at f/4 so not great for action.
lens hood makes it look like a godzilla monster, but needed probably in extra-sunny conditions becasue the lens is so freakin' huge, also you might want to dial down the exposure (-1.3 to -1.7 on the d80.)
no case supplied; big and bulky in a bag, even w/out the hood, not great for a small bag if you want to fit anything else in it.
also make sure you get ultra thin filters; other reviewers pointed to vignetting problems if you don't use them.
would have been a 5 if it was a little faster and a little lighter, but not a purchase i'll regret. worth the money if you're serious about building a nice kit or are into landscaping, architecture, or real estate. could probably workfor weddings too as long as subjects are sitting or standing. not a great choice for sports photography, except maybe a team picture.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than Nikon (?), September 15, 2007
I originally bought the Nikon 12-24mm lens, it was expensive. I took it home and found that it simply was not sharp. I may have gotten a bad copy of the lens. I was disappointed and returned it.
A month later I decided to try another copy of the lens. However, after reading about the Tokina, I decided to try it instead. I am extremely pleased. The photos are very sharp. I found no chromatic abberation as reported by other reviewers. Colors are well balanced and saturated. I can't fault it in any way. The lens is solidly built. I highly recommend it. However, before you buy any lens, be sure to read the Amazon reseller's return policy. Some of the camera stores they sell through charge a 15% restocking fee for returns.
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