Tokina 12-24 f/4 AT-X :)

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So, I was in the market for a wide-angle lens and I opted to get the Tokina 12-24. It was mainly between this lens and the Sigma 10-20 (The Nikon was just simply out of my price range). I opted for this one because the build quality is absolutely top-notch, and a few bad reviews I read this morning about the sigma sealed the deal. A couple of them said that there was a large inconsistency in the build quality of the sigma's and they would have extremely soft edges, and the left side would often be beyond soft to the point of blurry. I've also heard other bad things about Sigma, so I thought I'd be happier in the long run with the Tokina (even though I'm missing that extra 2mm of wideness).

First Impressions:
This lens is a tank! It's pretty damn heavy and makes the kit lens feel like a toy. The build quality is really quite good. It is very well put together and makes my d80 look about 5 times more expensive (which is a bad thing as I'll be hauling it around Europe in a couple months). It's also a pretty large lens. It's nothing compared to a fast telephoto, but for a wide-angle, it's enormous. The zoom ring feels really well damped with the focus ring a little less so. The coating is the common texturized on most lenses, but is a little more aggressive then the stuff that comes on Nikon's consumer lenses. All in all, it certainly looks like a professional quality lens, even though it is an off-brand. Apparently the optics are the same as those that come in Pentax lenses (Tokina and Pentax have the same lens line-up from what I've read). I have a lot of respect for Pentax, so that also helped sell me on the lens.

I just brought it home so I haven't had a chance to test out it's IQ. It's also very typical Portland winter weather, meaning it's 38 degrees and pouring outside so I won't be able to put it to use until it clears up. The field of view is durastically wider than the 18mm on my kit lens, and that's what I bought it for, so I'm happy so far.

I am perfectly aware of some of the issues that will come with this lens such as possibly severe chromatic aberrations, but I should be able to correct them when converting from RAW. In the reviews I've read they didn't appear to be that much worse than the competition, but we'll see. Some people swear by this particular lens, and hopefully so will I.

Sample images will be up as soon as the weather permits, which may be a long time here in Portland.

Pics of the lens:
101_2316.jpg

101_2315.jpg
 
Good review!! I think I might go for the Sigma though because of the HSM, but this lens seemed to fit your needs very well
 
Good review!! I think I might go for the Sigma though because of the HSM, but this lens seemed to fit your needs very well

Yeah, try and buy it from a shop so you can return it if need be. The good examples of that lens I hear are pretty top-notch, but there seems to be a risk of getting a bad one. If I had a d40 I would definetely get the sigma (as it's basically your only option outside of dropping $900)
 
I have the 12-24 Tokina and the Nikon 17-55 f2.8....

The Tokina is my wide lens of choice....especially when speed is not the issue...I think you will be amazed at the crispness and color...
 
So far I really like the lens. I've been able to go out and take some shots and the results are pretty sharp. I still need to practice a bit more with it, but so far, I like it. It's pretty wide and I got my tripod feet in a couple shots when shooting at a downward angle, so I have to watch out for that. One of the best shots I got this evening had a tripod foot in it that needed to be cropped out. I can imagine this would be an even larger issue with a 10mm lens. I'm really looking forward to walking around and getting some urban and architecture shots.

I also really like shooting at 24mm. I was looking for a good walk around lens when I got my 50mm and I found it to be not nearly wide enough and the 24 seems to suit me a bit more. I think this lens will probably stay on my camera almost all the time now.
 
It's also very typical Portland winter weather, meaning it's 38 degrees and pouring outside so I won't be able to put it to use until it clears up.
Sample images will be up as soon as the weather permits, which may be a long time here in Portland.
No kidding. Actually, we had a pretty bitchin' sunset today in the Gresham area. Don't know if the weather in portland was clear enough to see it.
 

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