Tokina | Dan Bailey's Adventure Photography Blog

The Tokina 70-200mm f/4 AT-X for Nikon Offers Excellent Quality and a Budget Friendly Price

Posted on March 3, 2017 by DanMarch 5, 2017

A fast telephoto zoom is an essential piece of gear in any serious photographer’s camera bag. A lens like this opens up your shooting possibilities in a big way, especially when it comes to capturing fast moving subjects or photograing in low light conditions.

If you like to shoot action, adventure, wildlife, nature, outdoor portraits, or if you just love the creative compression a longer lens give you in your compositions, then a fast telephoto zoom is highly useful, and in my book, it’s well worth the investment.

Problem is, they’re not cheap, and they’re not very light. Especially the f/2.8 versions. That’s where the f/4 versions come in- they offer great performance and reduced weight at a great price, and with the VR image stabilization, that extra stop hardly makes a difference.

Enter the Tokina AT-X 70-200mm f/4 PRO FX lens for Nikon. It’s a very high quality telephoto zoom lens that offers great optics, excellent stabilization and a much easier price tag then its Nikon equivalent.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the Nikon 70-200mm f/4 ED VR is an excellent lens- it’s the last Nikon lens I bought before I went mirrorless, and I got a lot of use out of it. I often referred to is “The Adventure Photographer’s Dream Lens. (You can read my full review here.)

However, the Nikon version costs $1399, where the Tokina AT-X 70-200mm f/4 PRO only costs $899. (With the current $100 mail in rebate, it’s down to the $799 mark.)

Extremely Powerful Focal Length

This lens will work with any Nikon body. With a full frame camera, you’ve got the standard 70-200mm viewpoint. Use it on a Nikon DX body and you’ve got the equivalent of a 105-300mm f/4 lens.

Either way, with this lens, you’ll get a wonderful level of bokeh and compression that will make your subjects stand out from the background and give them a high level of prominence in the frame.

At the short end of the zoom range, you’ve got a highly capable portrait-style focal length that works great for shooting people outside and capturing details in nature, or whatever type of scene you’re working.

At the long end, you’re able to zoom in and bring those distant subjects up close and isolate them against a nice, blurry background. This kind of technique is highly effective for creating simple, powerful imagery that tells at story without cluttering the frame.

Lens Construction and Quality

I’ve used Tokina lenses in the past and I’ve always found them to be great glass. I had an old 17mm AT-X back in the 90s and early 2000s, and it saw an awful lot of abuse over the years. It was one of my most-used lenses and I shot many of my favorite (and most published images) with it.

I even had a photo used by Nikon one time that was shot with my old Tokina 17mm. (Shhhhhh… that was back in the era of slide film before the days of EXIF info and metadata.) I never told them.

The Tokina AT-X 70-200mm f/4 PRO is built with 19 elements in 14 groups, and it features three Super-Low dispersion elements, which minimize chromatic aberration and improve clarity and contrast throughout the entire focal length.

The VCM (Vibration Correction Module) allows up to three stops of image stabilization and helps negate any limitations you might find from losing that one stop of light in the aperture.

The autofocus is driven by an ultrasonic motor that operates an internal focusing mechanism, so the lens doesn’t change size as you change your point of focus or zoom to a different focal length.

Overall

For price, quality and weight, the Tokina AT-X 70-200mm f/4 PRO is an excellent lens that gets high marks from other people who’ve used it. If you don’t want to shell out over $2,000 for a f/2.8 Nikon telephoto zoom, and even $1399 is a little too far out of your budget, then I’d highly recommend checking out this option.

Overall, it will perform better and greatly expand the kinds of subject matter you can capture than most kit lenses and it will save you save you $500 over the Nikon version. ($600 savings right now with the current rebate.)

The only downside I see is that it doesn’t come with a tripod collar. It’s extra, but with the stabilization, it’s quite easy to hand hold this lens. (I rarely use the tripod collar on my Fuji 50-140 2.8 zoom lens, in fact most of the time, the collar just sits in the drawer.) So, I don’t see this as any kind of deal breaker, unless you plan to use it on the tripod a lot.

Here’s a list of some other very good lenses from Tokina. If you’re in the market for new glass, this might be a good post to check out.

Support this site. If you’re in the market for new gear, consider purchasing through these links. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it’s an easy way for you to show your support for the time I take writing these articles and reviews. Thanks ! 🙂 -Dan

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10 Highly Recommended DSLR Lenses

Posted on January 9, 2017 by DanJanuary 24, 2017

Cameras come and go, but good glass is forever. More than any other piece of gear, lenses determine how your photos look. As a photographer, they’re your eyes to the world, and they’re the most important tools that help define your style.

You probably have a favorite lens- we all do. That one lens that gets used more than any other piece of glass in your kit. The one you’ve used to make some of your favorite images. Here are my favorite focal lengths. There’s something really cool about having that tried and true piece of photography gear that you know so well.

At the same time, it’s always great to expand the kit. After all, photographers love to buy gear. And there’s nothing wrong spending a few bucks on your hobby- your passion. If you’re looking to upgrade to a new lens or want to try out a new focal length, check out the glass on this list. To help you out, I’ve gone through the best selling lists and pulled out the essential lenses I think are worth considering

1. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

Back in the day, everyone started with a 50mm lens. With the advent of kit zooms, that trend has waned in recent years, so it’s good to see that people are buying fixed 50mm lenses again. Everyone should have a 50, or a 50mm equivalent. They’re fast, light, compact and they’re superb for portraits. Plus, they replicate how our own eyes see. For a single walk-around lens, you can’t beat a 50. Nikon has a 50mm f/1.8 as well.

2. Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G

As I said, everyone should have a 50mm equivalent lens, and if you shoot Nikon DX cameras, this is the one for you. The 35mm focal length gives you that classic 50mm angle of view that closely matches what you see with your own eyes. Up close, they have a very shallow depth of field, so they’re great for close portraits, and since they’re fast, their ideal for low light and travel.

3. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM

Ultra wide angle zooms are very popular and for good reason: They’re ideal for shooting landscapes, and with good image stabilization, they work extremely well for shooting travel and interiors, especially under low light.

The Canon EF-S 10-18 is a reasonably inexpensive lens that gives you excellent performance and versatility on your crop sensor EOS camera. The OIS gives you up to 4 stops of stabilization and enhanced lens coatings help reduce flare and chromoatic aberration. All in all, this a quick and quiet lens that will give you a wide range of creative options.

4. Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS USM

You can never go wrong with a fast 70-200mm telephoto zoom lens, but those f/2.8 models are pretty darn expensive. For most people two grand is just out of they budget. If you can swing a single grand, though, the f/4 versions offer excellent performance for shooting wildlife, sports, distant nature and portraits, all as assignments. The Canon 70-200mm f/4L is an lens that you’ll truly love if you’re wiling to spend the money. Nikon has their own version, the 70-200mm f/4VR lens.

5. Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto

If you love shallow depth of field effects and shooting portrait, then an 85 is an absolutely essential lens for you. I had a Nikon 85mm f/1.8 for years and now I have the 90m f/2, and I love the look that this kind of short telephoto gives. In fact, I consider my short teles to be among my favorite lens of all time. They’re extremely sharp, relatively compact and produce wonderful imagery. All I can say is get one- you’ll fall in love with it. I promise. What it lacks in variable focal length, it will make up a hundred times over in sharpness and image quality over a cheap kit zoom lens. Here’s the Nikon version.

6. Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 ED IF VR

We’d all like to have a super fast f/2.8 telephoto zoom, but those things are expensive and they’re heavy. Nikon’s 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 offers very good performance for a reasonable price. The AF-S autofocus is very fast, the VR give you excellent stabilization and the 300mm focal length gives you a long throw when you’re shooting sports, wildlife, nature or distant subject matter. Overall, this is a really good lens that will greatly expand your creative options without breaking the bank. Definitely make sure you get the VR version, though.

7. Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS Zoom Lens

Sigma makes some very nice lenses and this is a real winner. With a fast, fixed f/2.8 aperture, the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 is available for Nikon, Canon, Sony and Pentax mounts, and it makes for an excellent all around lens. It has a sturdy build, fast autofocus, and a useful zoom range that makes it ideal for everything from landscapes, portraits, astrophotography, and shooting intimate travel photos. Given its f/2.8 speed, I’d go for this one over the slower 18-55mm lenses that most companies make.

8. Canon 17-40mm f/4L USM

If you’re a Canon shooter and are looking for a top notch landscape lens, this would be a great choice. With a close focusing distance of only .9 feet, this lets you get those classic, sharp foreground-to-backgrond landscapes compositions that wide angle lenses offer. At the other end of the range, the 40mm focal length is ideal for environmental portraits. The Canon 17-40mm f/4L USM lens is also weather resistant, which adds to its appeal as a versatile outdoor photography lens.

9. Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX

Tokina also makes some very good glass. I had a Tokina 17mm f/3.5 for years, and I loved it. I also beat the heck out if it and it held up quite well to my abuse. The Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX lens offers excellent performance for the price. I like it because it’s wider than most mid range zooms and it has a fixed f/2.8 aperture, which makes it ideal for shooting star trails, northern lights and other night photography scenes. In fact, it’s rated an an excellent astrophotography lens. Overall, this a superb wide angle zoom that gets consistent good marks from people who use it.

10. Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro USM

This is a fantastic lens. Killer glass for portraits, great for travel and the macro lets you bring those very small subjects to life in a big way. Some photographers consider this to be one of the best, sharpest, most useful lenses that they own. With superb edge-to-edge sharpness, optical image stabilization, and true macro capabilities, this offers serious performance at a really good price. Period. If you’re a Nikon shooter, I’d highly recommend the Tokina AT-X 100mm f/2.8 Pro D Macro lens. It will give you similar performance at less than half the price of the comparable Nikon version.

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A Look at Tokina Lenses for Nikon, Canon and Sony

Posted on September 7, 2016 by DanJanuary 23, 2017

I realize that not everyone has the budget for a full arsenal of dedicated Nikon and Canon lenses. I was there once. That’s why there’s a big market for third party lenses. There’s nothing wrong with using a third party lens on your DSLR, but as with anything, you get what you pay for. Not every lens or lens brand is equal.

I really like Tokina lenses. Always have. I bought a Tokina AT-X 17mm f/3.5 back in the late 90s and proceeded to beat the heck out of it for the next decade or so. I loved my Tokina 17mm, it was built like a tank, it could withstand tons of abuse, and it made great looking images. In fact, many of my favorite adventure photography were made with that lens.

Tokina has a great lineup of lenses for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Micro Four Thirds. They also have a line of lenses designed with PL mounts for Epic Red and Arri motion picture cameras, and they have a selection of Cinema lenses as well. They’re all built in Japan and use SD Super-low Dispersion glass, for maximum optical quality and minimized chromatic aberration.

Currently, they have four series of glass for still/video photography:

While there are two many to list in this post, here are a few models I would highly recommend to budget minded photographers. If you’re looking for high quality, professional-grade, yet affordable glass, you should give this line of lenses a serious look. With every model, you’re getting a comparable lens to the same brand name equivalent, but for a fraction of the price.

If you read the reviews, you’ll see that Tokina lenses consistently get high marks for build quality, distortion control and their ability to produce high quality, sharp images with good contrast and reduced chromatic aberration.

Also, many of the Tokina lenses have rebates right now. Check out the current savings.

Tokina Full Frame Lenses

AT-X 17-35mm f/4 PRO FX – For Canon and Nikon

The Tokina 17-35 f/4 is a compact wide angle zoom designed for full frame cameras. With Super-Low Dispersion glass and one aspheric element, this is a an excellent and versatile lens for a wide range of styles and shooting situations. It’s ideal for travel, shooting wide expanse landscapes and working in tight spaces.

Rated to be as sharp as Nikon’s 17-35 f/2.8, at a fraction of the price, the Tokina 17-35 has very little distortion compared to other ultra wide zooms in all price categories. It’s also weather resistant, which contribute to it’s versatility and build quality.

AT-X 24-70mm f/2.8 PRO FX – For Nikon and Canon

For many photographers, the 24-70 f/2.8 is a workhorse universal zoom lens for shooting a wide variety of subject matter. While the Tokina 24-70mm f/2.8 is not an inexpensive or small lens, it still costs about $700 less than the comparable Nikon and Canon models, making it a very affordable alternative for shooters on a budget who don’t want to sacrifice quality.

With a fast, fixed f/2.8 aperture, fast Silent Drive-Module autofocus, SD glass three aspherical elements, and high quality construction, this lens has excellent optics that will hold up with even the highest megapixel DSLRs, including the Nikon D810 and Canon’s 50MP 5DSR.

AT-X 70-200mm f/4 FX VCM-S – For Nikon

Another workhorse zoom lens, the Tokina 70-200mm f/4 is comparable to Nikon’s excellent 70-200 f/4 VR lens, although the Tokina version costs about $400 lens.

Designed with solid build quality, 3 stops of VR, a fast ultrasonic AF motor and SD glass elements, this lens produces very sharp, crips images that will hold up on any of Nikon’s DSLR bodies. One reviewer said it produced some of the best bokeh he’s seen from a zoom lens of this style. Pairing this with the Tokina 24-70mm lens above would give you a workhorse professional quality two-lens kit that would get you through just about any photo shoot.

AT-X M100 AF PRO D – For Nikon and Canon Full Frame and APS-C

The Tokina AT-X M100 is a thing of beauty. Not only is it a macro lens that’s capable of shooting 1:1 closeups, it also makes for a incredible short telephoto for shooting portraits and mid-distance subject matter. And, it’s less than half the price of the Nikon 105mm macro lens.

DxOMark tested this on the Nikon D800 and called it a “Solid Performer.” It has good sharpness throughout the range, minimal vignetting and great distortion control. Also, being a true macro, it’s capable of shooting with full 1x “life size” magnification, and it makes a wonderful portrait lens. This is one of the real standouts in the Tokina line and I’d highly recommend it to any photographer.

Tokina APS-C Lenses

AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 PRO DX – For Nikon, Canon and Sony

With an all new internal silent focusing motor, and updated optics, the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 is an award winning and very popular ultra wide angle compact zoom lens for crop sensor cameras.

Featuring a fixed f/2.8 aperture and SD glass, this lens yields excellent contrast and sharpness at a price that’s friendly to budget minded photographers.

AT-X 12-28mm f/4 PRO DX – For Nikon and Canon

Less than half the price as Nikon’s 12-24 lens, the Tokina 12-28mm f/4 is one of the most popular and highly rated lenses in their line. For good reason. It’s very sharp, it does a great job controlling distortion and it has very close focus, which means you can shoot dramatic close ups with lots of background detail.

With a very solid build, internal zoom elements and a fast silent autofocus motor, and their standard focus clutch, which allows for easy manual focus control (this feature is incorporated on many of their lenses), this is a fantastic wide angle zoom for DX and crop sensor cameras.

AT-X 14-20 f/2 PRO DX – For Nikon and Canon

This is Tokina’s fastest lens. With a very fast maximum aperture and the optical performance of a fixed lens, the 14-20mm f/2 is an ultra fast, wide angle zoom that’s great for shooting in low light. It’s almost like having a trio of high performance fast primes (equivalent views of 21mm, 24mm and 28mm) at your disposal in a single lens.

An awesome landscape and travel lens, it achieves excellent image quality, contrast and distortion control. With four SD elements, great built quality and a relatively compact design, the Tokina 14-20 f/2 is an outstanding lens that costs about half the price of the Nikon 14-24 f/2.8, and it’s a stop faster.

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