Tokina vs Nikkor

rmstudios · Jan 23, 2012

Dear friends, I am ready to buy my first macro lens. Now I am between 2 great lenses. Tokina 100mm and Nikkor 60mm 2.8. I am really lost and have to make up my mind today. Most of my friends recommend Tokina, but I wonder if it is as good as Nikkor and if I can do some portraits with it as well? My macro lens will be used for flowers photography in natural light, mounted on D7000.Thank you for your help.

jriepe · Jan 23, 2012

Why is it between just these two lenses? You don't have to pay for the Nikon name to get a great macro lens. The 90mm Tamron is a very sharp inexpensive macro lens that at present has a $50 rebate. I wasn't aware Tokina made a 90mm macro but I've read good reviews on their 100mm.

Jerry

jake337 · Jan 23, 2012

I love tokina's 100mm f2.8 at-x pro d macro but I'm sure they're all pretty darned good. More about the focal length you want to use than brand.

IgsEMT · Jan 23, 2012

is there a way you can pick up both and try them out?
I've had 50/50 luck with 3rd party glass. It seems to me that quality control on them doesn't exist.id recommend brand name for one- QC and should you choose to sell it in near future the value doesn't decrease THAT much

jake337 · Jan 23, 2012

IgsEMT said:
is there a way you can pick up both and try them out?
I've had 50/50 luck with 3rd party glass. It seems to me that quality control on them doesn't exist.id recommend brand name for one- QC and should you choose to sell it in near future the value doesn't decrease THAT much

True, although prices on the Tokina have only went upward.

mjhoward · Jan 23, 2012

The 90mm Tokina is a 1:2 lens, not a true macro lens. You should be looking at the Tokina 100mm which is a 1:1 lens.

rmstudios · Jan 23, 2012

Most people would prefer Tokina , because of its working distance from the subject---is it true?

jwbryson1 · Jan 23, 2012

I own the Tokina 100mm f/2.8 macro and love it! Solidly built and tack sharp.

mjhoward · Jan 23, 2012

rmstudios said:
Most people would prefer Tokina , because of its working distance from the subject---is it true?

Working distance is a product of focal length. Of coarse a 100mm macro lens is going to have a greater working distance than a 60mm macro lens. A lot of shooters find that advantageous. That said, shorter focal length macro lenses have their place too. For instance if you're working in a small studio for product shots, you may not always be shooting 1:1 and you might not want to have to set your camera up 12 ft away. The Tokina 100mm is a very good and affordable alternative to the Nikon 100mm macro, not the 60mm macro (apples and oranges).

cgipson1 · Jan 23, 2012

I have the Tokina.. good lens! The 60mm is not going to work well for insects if that is what you want it for.. the working distance is very minimal... you would be better off with the 85mm or the 105mm if you go with Nikon lenses. Personally I would grab the Tokina!

rmstudios · Jan 23, 2012

Thank you friends! I will go with Tokina 100mm. I think this is great lens and of a good quality as well. Adios.

KmH · Jan 23, 2012

You'll get a lot of practice fixing the CA.

Derrel · Jan 23, 2012

rmstudios said:
Most people would prefer Tokina , because of its working distance from the subject---is it true?

Yes. I prefer a 90 or 100mm macro over a 60mm--UNLESS the subject is paper documents--in which case the 60mm is the handiest length.

jake337 · Jan 23, 2012

KmH said:
You'll get a lot of practice fixing the CA.

Maybe shooting directly into the sun, I've seen no issues when using flash. But then again I'm just an amateur so It's not as important to me.

mjhoward · Jan 23, 2012

KmH said:
You'll get a lot of practice fixing the CA.

I've had little to no problems with CA with my Tokina's. I've never done any PP for correcting it. I think this is a bigger problem on the older Tokina's but has been minimized in recent iterations. I just took this photo last night with my Tokina 16-50mm @ f/4 I think. It is the worst of all my Tokina's in terms of CA and even it performs pretty well. Aside from a crop, this is SOOC.

That said, there are a few circumstances where CA shows a little more, such as shooting a dark object into the sun, but even then, the CA is not too bad and can be pretty easily fixed.