Tokina 11 16 dx ii review

In November 2007 the Tokina company launched an ultra wide-angle lens, the AT-X 116 PRO DX AF 11–16 mm f/2.8. At that time it was a unique instrument - no other producer was offering such a fast device of that type. Our test showed that the lens was also well done - we expressed some serious reservations concerning two problems: the chromatic aberration, a flaw often encountered when it comes to the wide angle Tokinas, and work against bright light. That latter issue was especially troublesome because, as a result, you had to deal with a huge contrast decrease even in a situation when the source of light was situated far from the frame.

In January 2012 Tokina decided to introduce a successor of that lens. One glance at the chart with parameters and you know that hardy anything was changed; the weight of those instruments seems to be the only noticeably different feature.

What justifies the II symbol in the name of the new device? The producer claims that the anti-reflective coatings have been improved. Still does such a change really justify a launch of a new version and a new test procedure? Yes, it does. First of all new coatings might suggest a better performance against bright light and it was one of the biggest issues of the previous version of this instrument. It is not all. The resolution, as measured by us, is, in fact, the MTF50 function value and it is not only sensitive to the number of details but also to the overall contrast of a photo, which is influenced by the coatings of a given device. Following this train of thought you can say that a good choice of coatings is very important when it comes to a wide angle lens; in such an instrument the beams of light fall at obtuse angles to the elements and it is known that the efficiency of coatings decreases along with the increase of the angle of a light beam. Improving the coatings can influence not only work against bright light but also the MTFs or vignetting. When better coatings are implemented the corners of the detector get more light.

Please Support Us

If you enjoy our reviews and articles, and you want us to continue our work please, support our website by donating through PayPal. The funds are going to be used for paying our editorial team, renting servers, and equipping our testing studio; only that way we will be able to continue providing you interesting content for free.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - advertisement - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

There is one more argument for repeating the test of the Tokina 11-16 mm: the old model of that lens was tested on the Canon EOS 20D in 2008. Nowadays many people use far more densely packed sensors - their resolutions can oscillate from 12 to 24 Mpix. The Canon EOS 50D which we currently employ in our tests, will be a better tool to assess the performance of a new lens as it is more likely to be attached to one of contemporary digital cameras.

You shouldn’t forget one more thing. The Tokina 11-16 mm f/2.8 still remains the fastest ultra wide zoom lens, designed for smaller sensors – small wonder we’ve got plenty of queries about the test of its new version. As we always try to take wishes and questions of our Readers into consideration, we are publishing this review – enjoy your reading!

We would like to thank the Delta company, the sole distributor of the Tokina brand name lenses in Poland, for lending us the tested lens.

You are also invited to get acquainted with our test procedure, described in the article "How do we test lenses?" If you feel it’s still not enough, please go to our FAQ section where you can find some further explanation.

Brand new kit breaking the bank? No problem. Take a snoop in the photography bargain bin to discover used camera kit that's still top quality at a fraction of the price.

It's what every photographer wants: good quality camera gear at affordable prices. Photography is a notoriously expensive art to get into and just buying some basic kit could end up costing you a cool grand, easily. With the current economic climate there's never been more urgency to save money, but that doesn't mean you have to skimp on quality.

We'll be taking a look at secondhand or slightly older photography kit that's just as good today as the day it was released. Whether that's lenses, tripods, DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, or simply useful accessories everything in the bargain bin will be much more affordable than its current-model counterpart. So let's take a look at our first piece of kit, the Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8 lens.

Specifications

• Focal Length: 11-16mm
• Maximum aperture: f/2.8
• Minimum aperture: f/22
• Elements/groups: 13-11
• Coating: Multi-coating
• Angle of view: 104° - 82°
• Filter size: 77mm
• Minimum focusing distance: 0.3m (11.8in)
• Number of aperture diaphragms: 9
• Weight: 550g (19.4oz)
• Mount: Canon EF and Nikon F

Price

Floating around $340 / £250

Description

The Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8 is a crop-sensor (APS-C) lens for Nikon and Canon mounts that offers high-quality optical performance in a small package. It's a no-frills lens that doesn't feature much beyond autofocus and manual focus options, and a zoom ring that goes from its ultra-wide 11mm to 16mm (roughly 16.5mm to 24mm effective focal length). It doesn't feature an outright AF/MF switch but instead operates the switch via the moving out and in of the focus ring on the lens body itself.

Its fast f/2.8 aperture is perfect for low light shooting and makes autofocus easier with lower light levels. The best subjects to shoot with this kind of lens would be astrophotography and landscape work where making the most of the fast aperture would be most beneficial. Though it also works well as an environmental portrait lens, especially useful for street or architectural photographers looking to fit a little more of the scene into view on their crop-sensor body. That's because it only has a minimal amount of barrel distortion and straight lines, even right up to the edge of the frame, look pretty true to life.

The sharpest section is right in the center of the frame and when shooting wide open there is a vignetting around the edge which can be easily overcome with some lens corrections in your favorite editing software. Overall though, the construction is solid and feels weighty without being too heavy. It definitely feels like a legitimate, strong lens that earns its place in your camera bag as one of the better ultra-wide zooms for APS-C cameras. It's even good for the portrait or environmental photographer that lacks the field of view where the standard 18-55mm kit lens or 24-70mm lens gets a little too close.

What I Liked

1. Affordable
2. Pin-sharp
3. Fast aperture
4. Internal focusing

What Could Be Improved

1. Limited focal length range
2. Crop-sensor lens
3. No image stabilization

Verdict

The Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8 is a useful and versatile lens. It has minimal distortion and makes it easy to take group portraits right up to the edge of the frame without worrying about things looking odd. The fast aperture makes it an ideal lens for interior real estate, or other indoor low light shooting and is constant throughout the zoom range. Its clever design to switch between manual and autofocus is unique but easily knocked if adjusting the focus ring a bit too vigorously.

On the whole, it's a sturdy lens that feels legitimately solid and looks great in its matt black and gold trim. It's a great price secondhand now, too, which makes it a must purchase for anyone shooting on an APS-C camera who wants that extra bit of width, whether for astrophotography, landscapes, or just wanting a little extra in the frame and needing to do it in low light.

Jason is an internationally award-winning photographer with more than 10 years of experience. A qualified teacher and Master’s graduate, he has been widely published in both print and online. He won Gold in the Nikon Photo Contest 2018/19 and was named Digital Photographer of the Year in 2014.

Is Tokina 11

The Tokina 11-16mm is the sharpest ultrawide I've ever used on a DX Nikon. It's sharper than my Nikkor 12-24mm! Performance doesn't vary with focal length, which is unusual, and also makes it much simpler to describe. The Tokina 11-16mm is always sharp in the center, even wide-open.

Does Tokina 11

Image stabilizationThe Tokina 11-16 mm II has no built-in image stabilization. Given the constant f/2.8 aperture and the focal length range of this lens, there will be very few situations where image stabilization will be missed.

Is Tokina a good brand?

Tokina lenses have a reputation for high quality for many years. Compared to some other third party brands, well, there just isn't any real comparison. Next time you see a lens brand name that you don't recognize, consider a Tokina instead.

Can Tokina 11

The Tokina 11-16 mm is a lens designed for small sensors but it doesn't mean it can't be attached to full frame cameras. We decided to try it as well – the results can be seen below. As you can notice the image circle of the lens is too small to cover a full frame detector in the range from 11 to 14 mm.