Tokina 28-70 f/2.8 or Tamron 28-75 f/2.8

shutterbugsdesign · Jul 8, 2010

I'm looking for a mid-range lens and I decided to go for a third party lens. Anyone using either of the lens? Let me know what experience you have with these lenses, any advantage or disadvantage?

If you can post a sample of your image taken with it will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

benhasajeep · Jul 8, 2010

I don't have the lens your looking at buying. But I do have 2 Tokina's that I am very fond of. A 11-16 f/2.8, and a 300mm f/2.8. The Tokina's seem to run soft wide open. But stopped down a bit they perform very very well. They are built to me anyway extremely well. I am all Nikon equipment now and they have the feel of my good nikon lenses. I have had 2 older Tamron's but they were cheaper lenses so can't really compare them to top line models. I have also had a couple Sigma's in Canon flavor when I had Canon equipment. Their fast lenses seemed to be up to the task no problem with them, but their slower lenses felt a bit cheap to me.

shutterbugsdesign · Jul 9, 2010

benhasajeep said:
I don't have the lens your looking at buying. But I do have 2 Tokina's that I am very fond of. A 11-16 f/2.8, and a 300mm f/2.8. The Tokina's seem to run soft wide open. But stopped down a bit they perform very very well. They are built to me anyway extremely well. I am all Nikon equipment now and they have the feel of my good nikon lenses. I have had 2 older Tamron's but they were cheaper lenses so can't really compare them to top line models. I have also had a couple Sigma's in Canon flavor when I had Canon equipment. Their fast lenses seemed to be up to the task no problem with them, but their slower lenses felt a bit cheap to me.

Thanks for the response benhasajeep!
Aside from the mid-range I'm also looking at tokina 11-16 f2.8. I'm mostly going to use these lenses for wedding.

I'm currently using nikon and planning to buy another canon camera soooon..

Since you both have two of these camera bodies, does Canon's color really outstand Nikon when it comes to portrait shots? If I may ask, what do you usually shoot? landscape, portrait? thanks again!

rryukken · Jul 13, 2010

I just bought a used Tamron 28-75mm f2.8, non BIM version, it's a very capable lens.

shutterbugsdesign · Jul 13, 2010

rryukken said:
I just bought a used Tamron 28-75mm f2.8, non BIM version, it's a very capable lens.

what camera body are you using? do you have any sample image? thanks!

dimwit · Jul 13, 2010

I actually just got the Tamron lens in the mail yesterday, so I can't give any real review of it, but here's a few sample pictures I took for a friend of mine who was also considering it.

The fact that the zoom ring operates in the opposite direction of Canon lenses is a minor annoyance, but that's just a matter of muscle memory. The zoom lock is nice. The zoom isn't terribly smooth, but it's not bad, and may just be a symptom of buying it second-hand. The reports of the AF being loud are true, but not really any more than some Canon lower-budget lenses I have. That said, the AF is pretty fast, and has been very accurate over the several hours I've spent on it since I got it, and hasn't had problems with "searching."

shutterbugsdesign · Jul 13, 2010

thanks for sharing your images dimwit! I'm really considering tamron over tokina now.

PatrickCheung · Jul 13, 2010

i've got the 28-75/2.8... crazy sharp lens

i bought it last december, used it almost exclusively till maybe a month ago when i picked up the 85/1.8 and 35/2.

my only complaint is that it's a bit slow when focusing...

its great for flower macro work... well... macro work in general... anything but insects cause a focal length of 75mm still means you gotta get up close to them. it's also a decent portrait lens,the bokeh isn't bad...

i'm trying to sell it... if you've got a nikon body and you're interested, message me... it's the built in motor version

sample images:

and more on my flickr... all my 2.8 and macro shots are taken with it.

shutterbugsdesign · Jul 14, 2010

Nice shots PatrickCheung!
I'm thinking of buying it locally though in a couple of months, warranty and stuff..

Thanks for sharing your images and for the feedback regarding this lens! =)

JohnnyL · Jul 14, 2010

I have a tamron 28-70 and tokina 11-16. I like tokina's design better and it feels more sturdy. focusing on the tokina is also much faster than the tamron ( maybe because it's a wide angle ). I would get the tokina.

Ejazzle · Jul 16, 2010

I chose the tamron and am very happy with my decision.

rryukken · Jul 16, 2010

Here are couple of sample photos with my Tamron 28-75mm f2.8, non-BIM version, all photos @ 2.8

Mike_E · Jul 16, 2010

Do you mean the Tokina AT-X Pro 270 f2.6~2.8 (28-70mm) or the Tokina AT-X Pro 280 f2.8 (28-80mm)?

If you shoot Nikon these work Very well. Canon's auto focus won't quite get there. Just about the only people I've heard gripe about these lenses shoot Canon although shooting wide open is a bit soft. So unless you live down there it's not a problem. If you shoot people in the dark (you might not want to admit that

) it's not a bad thing after all, stylistically speaking.

They are built like a tank and the AT-X 280 (if you can find one of these in a Nikon mount, Angenieux lenses ~these are of the Angenieux design~ have a bit of a cult following) also has a manual focus ring that you can use without having to switch the selector on your camera, just like the newer Nikons.

The only real downside is that 77mm filters cost significantly more than the smaller variety.

ooops, here's one in Estonia http://cgi.ebay.com/Tokina-AT-X-PRO-AF-28-80mm-F2-8-SD-zoom-lens-fit-Nikon-/150467883505?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN&hash=item230895b1f1#ht_500wt_1156