Tokina 12-24 on 1DmkII

Hi Folks,

I found a Tokina 12-24 on Ebay for $400, So I just couldn't resist giving it a try. I've wanted one of these lenses for a while, because they project an image circle suitable for APS-C cameras, however, they ARE compatible with other cameras, unlike Canon's EF-S mount.

So I can use it on my 1DmkII or on Sarah's 20D!

On the 1DmkII, the usable zoom range is 15-24 which is not too shabby. At 15mm the lens vignettes a bit at F4, but is good by F5.6 and great by F8:

F4 @ 15mm:

F8 @ 15mm:

And just for fun, here's a photo at F8 @ 12mm!!

Pretty cool, eh?

Mini-review: This lens is almost exactly the same as the $1,000 Nikkor 12-24DX, however, MSRP is $500. There are a few differences, as kindly noted by MikeO and repeated here. The zoom ring is at the BACK of the lens where it should be :-) The lens is the "AF-S" or "USM" type, so no screw drive = good fast focusing. The AF-MF is switched by pulling the focus ring back toward you (Tokina trademark). The lens focuses very close.

Most importantly, the build quality for this lens is SUPERB. Tokina lenses are built of higher quality materials than the Nikkor. The optics also seem to be superb based on my few test shots.

I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this lens over the Sigma 12-24 for APS-C users and for 1.25x crop shooters. It is smaller, does not have a protruding front element, and is almost as wide. I haven't tried Sigma's 10-20 yet, so I can't compare the two.

Lastly, here's a shot of the cruizer taken from 10" from the car:

Cheers

James

Nice Lens, and I certainly can appreciate a man that keeps his best foot forward and shiny to boot.

Marc

Would like to see a photo of his Ferrari with this lens...........

I'm not the guy w/ the Ferarri Ike, that's another guy. I have a Ferrari "junior" lol.

Cheers

James

I would like to see some hairy feet photos with this lens to go along with all the hairy hands photos we've seen over the years.

I have been shooting the Nikon 12-24mm quite a bit recently underwater. and it is not bad. I post this because I have been rather rude about it in the past on these forums!

When used with a dioptre I am very happy with its performance on my D2X. It is not a stunning lens, but it is not a complete dog either!

Not got any pictures to post, but there are a few here:

http://www.sportdivermag.com/gallery.jsp?ID=2466

So if the tokina is better still - then maybe there is some merit in this focal length range afterall.

Alex

I think you are going to have to sell the lens to pay for fixing that oil leak!

It's power steering fluid, but good catch!

Seriously though - I have heard rumors that Tokina makes many of the lens components for Nikon and Canon. That's the way a lot of the Japanese companies work evidently. Has anyone else heard this?

Cheers

James

Thanks for the comments on the 12-24mm Nikkor Alex:

With a diopter....without a diopter.....now with a diopter again????

Have we come full circle on this?

What do you recommend? Should I be using a diopter for this lens behind a 6" Ikelite dome afterall? Karl, Starbuck, James what is your opinion?

I'm planning to upgrade to the 8" dome eventually but have put that on hold until I get my housing back from Ikelite. Upgrading my housing strobes and sync cord to iTTL is mighty expensive.

With a diopter....without a diopter.....now with a diopter again????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My view on this remains unchanged. I have always said that the lenses work without a dioptre. But you need a dioptre to compensate for the dome. So in theory you should have one for optimum performance. I always do. Any am convinced that my set up is better than no dioptre. But I have also given up arguing this one! If other people don't want to use a dioptre I don't mind them having inferior image quality! Makes my shots look better.

IMO a correctly setup dioptre/dome combination will out perform a no dioptre. But a poorly set up dioptre/dome may be inferior to no dioptre. Also with the current vogue of ultra-wide (weitwinkel) zooms (many of which are not that great optically to begin with) it is much harder to get this setup right as the optics change during zooming. Plus many of the lenses have significantly domed front elements that make fitting a dioptre optically compromised and even physically impossible.

Alex

Wow James, I guess those pictures put you in the old "introverted engineer" category.

You know the old joke -- How can you tell an engineer that's an introvert?

He's the one in the room looking down at the tops of his shoes.

How can you tell an extroverted engineer from an introverted one?

He's the one staring at the top of your shoes.

I should also add that a diopter might be problematic with the Tokina 12-24 as you need a very thin filter to keep it from vignetting at 12mm . . .

Thanks , I'll have to try one out !

My Sigma 12-24 has lived on both my Fuji S2 and now my Nikon D2x as my lens of choice for my topside landscape work, where sharpness is the key. I can't knock the Sigma, I'll have to try a side by side test.