|
|
| Box and contents |
The Sony A580 was used for this review. For a better
understanding of terms and methods used in this review, go here. The usual center, mid-section and corner crops are located at the very bottom
of the page.
Introduction.
As of this review, Tokina only makes one lens for the Sony "alpha" mount, and
that's the Tokina AT-X pro SD 11-16mm F/2.8 (IF) DX. That's a long and fancy name, and here's what I think all the letters
stand for; AT; advanced technology; X means "extra" maybe? Pro means is has a solid build quality, and can
take abuse. SD means Super-low dispersion glass is used (dubious claim), IF means the focusing is done internally, and
doesn't move anything on the outside, (but see focusing section below for caveat). Finally, DX, which means this lens
only works properly on APS-C sized sensors. The Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 has a very good build quality,
with a mix of metal and plastic, and a spattered satin black finish, unlike anything from Sony or Sigma. This lens sports
a focus distance window, (no DOF scale), a rubber ribbed manual focusing ring at the front that doubles as an AF/MF switch,
and a rubber ribbed zoom ring at the back with focal length marks at 11mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 15mm and 16mm. Oddly, the
focal length index mark is an off-yellow color, see first and second product shots. The lens has "aspherical"
and "77mm" printed in white on the underside, and uses a cheap sticker for the serial number and "Japan"
label. Zooming from 11mm to 14mm causes the front optical group to retract about 2mm, and slightly
extends from 15mm to 16mm; this has no effect on filter use, but using a UV filter would keep dirt from entering the gap created
by this action. Works on full frame sensors without APS-C size capture on, but clips corners
hard between 11-14mm, although not bad at 15-16mm stopped down some. There is no "distance integration"
with this lens, and who cares? The entire focal length isn't covered by the camera's pop-up flash, so don't use the
flash with this lens, otherwise you'll see a bright middle, and dark sides, along with a big shadow at the bottom from the
lens at the super wide end. You'll need to get an accessory flash to cover 16mm, and use a wide angle diffuser for the
11-15mm range. Also, if you absolutely need a little flash, use pre-flash TTL instead of ADI flash in the menu, otherwise
the flash won't work right. The 11-16mm focal length covers roughly the same area as 16.5-24mm on a 35mm
film or full frame digital camera. EXIF focal length data reads correctly at the index marks for
11mm, 12mm, 15mm and 16mm. At the 13mm mark the data reads 12mm, and at 14mm the data reads 13mm. There is no
14mm reading in the EXIF data, which is normal for a super wide zoom, don't ask me why.
In
the box is the lens, front and rear caps, plastic petal type hood, and owner's manual. Focusing.
This lens uses the slot-screw focus drive type system that was standard for older lenses from Minolta and Sony, it's a little
noisy but fairly quick, however, accuracy will depend on your camera's focusing system and calibration. Unfortunately,
my copy is not very accurate on the Sony A580. All focusing is done internally, so your polarizer and graduated neutral
density filters will stay in the position you originally set them in. There's an AF/MF switch integrated into the focusing
ring (see product shots), and when the ring is pulled towards the camera, it allows you to manually focus the lens.
You have to turn off the camera's AF system first, otherwise you may damage the lens. Warning; when the focus ring is
pulled back in the Manual position, the ring will turn when the AF is still engaged, just so you know. The focusing
ring turns about 85°, which doesn't really allow enough movement for precise manual focusing.
Requisite product shots.
|
| Side shot showing AF/MF slide ring |
|
| Moving front group |
|
| Back side, only five contacts |
General information and specifications.
|
Lens
|
|
|
Box contents
|
Front cap, rear cap, hood, and users manual.
|
|
Cost
|
|
|
Build quality
|
Very good.
|
|
Additional information
|
Shorter zoom range than its rivals.
|
|
Specifications below
|
|
|
Optical configuration
|
13 elements in 11 groups
|
|
Angle of view
|
104˚-82° APS-C
|
|
Aperture
|
9 blades, curved
|
|
Full frame and APS-C
|
Made for APS-C cameras only, but will work on full frame using APS-C size capture.
|
|
Depth of field and focus scales?
|
Focus distance scale in window.
|
|
Minimum focus, image plane to subject
|
About 11.5" (292mm)
|
|
Minimum focus, end of lens barrel to subject
|
About 6" (152mm)
|
|
Hard stop at infinity focus?
|
No.
|
|
Length changes when focusing?
|
No.
|
|
Focus ring turns in AF?
|
No
|
|
Filter size
|
77mm.
|
|
Filter ring rotates?
|
No
|
|
Distance encoder?
|
No
|
|
Max magnification
|
1:11.6 or 0.09x
|
|
Min. F/stop
|
F/22
|
|
Sony teleconverter compatible?
|
No
|
|
Length changes when zooming?
|
No
|
|
Dimensions WxL (my measurements)
|
3.3" x 3.6" 84mm x 91mm, widest at filter ring.
|
|
Maximum extended length (my measurements)
|
3.6" (91mm)
|
|
Weight bare (my scale)
|
19.2oz (546g) bare
|
Optical qualities summary. Lens
flare/ghosting. Below average control. Multi-colored ghosts and red arcs show up depending on zoom length
and the position of the light source. Control seems a little better towards 16mm. See examples below. Light
fall-off. Excellent control at all focal lengths. See samples below.
Color
fringing (CA). Lateral color fringing control is about average for a super wide zoom. I see mostly purple
and cyan along the edges of the image at all focal lengths. Axial color fringing is controlled well. See color
fringing example farther down the page.
Bokeh. Harsh at F/2.8, but looks a little smoother at other apertures and focal lengths, see examples below. Color.
Seems about the same as Sony lenses.
Close up filter. N/A Coma.
A tiny bit at F/2.8, 11mm, gone at F/4.
Regular filters cause a very small
amount of additional light fall-off at 11mm, F/2.8, but not noticeable in real pictures. Filter
size. 77mm, the standard for wide angle zooms. Distortion. Minor
to strong barrel distortion at all focal lengths, see samples below.
|
| Strong barrel distortion at 11mm |
|
| Moderate barrel distortion at 12mm. |
|
| Minor barrel distortion at 14mm. |
|
| Minor barrel distortion at 16mm. |
There is barrel distortion noticeable at all focal lengths, being strongest at the super-wide end, and
quite minimal near 16mm. This barrel distortion has a simple curve, and can be straightened well in post processing.
Bokeh samples.
|
11mm F/2.8
|
11mm F/4
|
|
|
|
|
16mm F/2.8
|
16mm F/4
|
|
|
|
Bokeh looks harsh at F/2.8, and somewhat smooth at F/4, 11mm, but still harsh at all apertures as you
zoom out. It's really hard to get any background blur (especially at 11mm!) unless you focus on something very close.
Bokeh is out of focus highlight blur, and not simply how far out of focus the background is. Light fall-off samples.
|
11mm F/2.8
|
11mm F/4
|
|
|
|
|
16mm F/2.8
|
16mm F/4
|
|
|
|
Light fall-off is not something to worry about with this lens. Adding a regular thick type filter
makes the corners just a hair darker at 11mm, F/2.8 only, but not noticeable in real pictures. Full image light fall-off.
This image of my backyard shows light fall-off at 11mm, F/2.8, which is very minimal. Specs, 11mm,
F/2.8, ISO 200, 1/2000sec, +0.30eV. Flare and
ghosting.
|
Red arcs and other ghosts 11mm, F/5.6.
|
Ring and pink/blue spots near center, 16mm, F/5.6.
|
|
|
|
Ghosting control is generally not very good. I see red arcs and multi-colored ghosts depending
on the focal length and position of light source in the frame. Coma samples
Coma takes the form of weird, smeared blobs at points of light in the corners of the image, especially
in super wide angle lenses. The Christmas tree lights here show just a small amount of coma at 11mm, but it clears up
quickly by stopping down the aperture. 100% crops from the far corners.
Let's check out the macro capabilities of this lens.
The sample shot was taken with the Sony A 580 16.2MP camera, so don't compare it with some others that were taken with the 12.2mp A700.
The subject is a standard US stamp, 0.87"x 1.0" or 22mm x 25mm. Also, note the macro shot was taken as
close to the subject as focusing allowed; in this case about 6" (152mm), measured from the front of the lens barrel to
the subject. I see a small (0.09x) reproduction size, which is poor by today's standards, so don't plan on using this
lens for close ups. No larger image, what you see is it. As a side note; the "1996" on the bottom left
of the stamp measures a mere 1mm wide.
|
| As close as you can get, F/5.6. No larger image. |
|
| Color fringing crop from far right side, 11mm, F/5.6 |
This crop is from the last 700 pixels on the middle right side.
I see some moderate purple and cyan color fringing along the wall openings, but is mostly removable in RAW using CA sliders.
Conclusion. The
Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 lens has some really nice features, like a great build quality and constant fast aperture. It also
has some areas that need serious updating. The Tokina performs superbly at the shorter focal lengths,
with sharp centers that nearly match the mid-sections and corners when stopped down. It has some of the sharpest corners
of any super wide zoom I've ever tested, and that's saying something! Light fall-off is almost non-existent, even with
a wide open aperture! Build quality is first rate, and it uses standard 77mm filters, another plus for this lens.
Unfortunately, this lens has some problems, and one of them is a deal breaker for me. First, the
smaller problems; at longer focal lengths like 15-16mm, overall sharpness is only average, not great like at shorter lengths.
Ghosting control is below average for a super wide zoom of the twenty first century, so keep strong lighting out of the image
if possible. Color fringing is about average for this type of lens, but it is manageable. Next is the focal length,
it's awfully short, and almost too short for interior and real estate photographers, where you need to be around 15-16mm for
most shots (see first problem above), any wider and the image just looks wrong. Finally, the deal breaker; Tokina's
AF system on my copy is extremely inaccurate, and easily the worst I've ever encountered. It's not my camera, but it
could be Tokina quality control. You could focus manually, but why should you at the price of this lens? Usually,
I've found that setting the focus to the infinity mark and stopping down to F/5.6-8 gives great results on Sigma super wide
zooms, but not the Tokina, it's not reliable at infinity, sometimes you need to run it to the hard stop past infinity for
a sharp shot. Reviewing the image and confirming that it's sharp after taking the shot is the only way to use this lens
in my opinion. More than likely Tokina isn't paying a licensing fee to Sony to be able to use its AF protocol,
therefore, Tokina has to back-engineer Sony's AF system. Apparently, they don't know how. They should probably
try to get a Sigma engineer to jump ship and deliver a good working copy of their ass backwards designed AF System for Sony,
because it's much better than Tokina's! Check out this comparison test between three super-wide zoom lenses. Last thoughts; this is a good lens for someone that will use it at the widest focal lengths, (where
it performs with unmatched excellence in sharpness), and check their shots for the proper focusing. For all others;
forget this lens and get the better Sigma 10-20mm F/3.5 for the same price, or the Sigma 10-20mm F/4-5.6 for substantially less money.
|
