Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX Digital Lens - EOS

The effects that this lens had on my photography were wonderful. All of the sudden my pictures took on a new dimension with magazine/newspaper quality that really shines. It is a bit pricy, but if you can afford it I would strongly recommend that you spring for it. It's enough to give a wide angle look that almost doesn't seem like a wide angle look (it does not look like a fish-eye effect) looks natural and right!Tokina 11-16mm AT-X116 Pro DX digital zoom lens has an extremely wide angle lens with a f/2.8 aperture that works well in low lighting. Images captured with this lens are sharp and of good quality. The Tokina lenses are mostly used with Canon EOS cameras. The lens also has a smaller zoom range that retains the visual quality of images shot over wide spaces. The one touch focus hold mechanism gives photographers the chance to switch between Auto Focus (AF) and Manual Focus (MF) by swapping the focus ring forward for automatic focus and swapping backwards towards the camera for manual focus. Professional photographers attest that this is a working horse in their camera bags.For a very accessible entry level price, a budding photographer will have in their hands this solid, and extremely useful unit. It is also pocket friendly compared to other lenses that cost more than $1000. The build quality of this Tokina lens is mostly made of metal than plastic which ensures sustainability. It also has a lens hood that is not found on well-known lenses like the Canon lens. The barrel is also very sturdy considering that this is an ultra-wide zoom lens. The customer service at Tokina is great.There are incidences where the lens' sides have trouble fitting with the camera. If this happens, all one has to do is ship the lens to Tokina and they will fix the sides based on your camera's specs. The 3 year warranty that comes with the lens is a seamless guarantee of quality. Shopping for a wide angle lens doesn't need to be a hustle as Tokina tops the list. Perfect for taking concert shots, elevated topographical shots and the sky at night.The starbust flare of for example street lights at night is simply breathtaking. Some hitches with this lens include the fact that it only supports 1.6 cropped sensor cameras and doesn't work on full framed cameras. Compared to other lenses, the zoom range for this lens is smaller than the rest of the 10-22mm lenses. However the 2.8 aperture balances off this hitch. It is also impossible to use the built-in lens that comes with the camera since it will cause shadowing.The lens is also heavy mainly because of the metal build and as such carrying it for long distances can be tiresome. Overall, many users and review sites all agree that this is the best ultra wide lens in the currently in the market.

In the last couple of months, my hobby of photography has steadily encroached onto my professional side. As my skills have progressed, the advantage of using photography to emphasize part of my clients work has been an attractive selling point, and added another facet to the list of services I can provide to them. That being said, expanding into interior photography has also provided new problems due to current limitations of my gear. For this sort of photography, a wide-angle lens is simply a must.Even though I do carry a five year old camera in the Canon Rebel XSi (and yes, there are some niche categories where such a camera is more than enough to use in a professional setting), the biggest hurdle was the lack of a true wide angle lens since the kit lens, at its widest (18mm) isn't enough of a true wide-angle once the crop factor kicks in. Not to mention the barrel distortion the kit lens produces is atrocious at this wide focal length.In truth, this focal length can be considered a specialized tool, just like interior photography is a specialized subset of the photography spectrum. With such a focused approach to fulfilling such needs, you'll need something that works the part masterfully. Thankfully, Tokina has created a wonderful lens that can match the specific needs of photographers of my ilk.The Tokina 11-16 is a wonderful lens. It's fast, has solid construction and it's tack sharp at certain apertures. Yes, it does carry the same problems associated with these types of lenses, and some of its shortcomings are hard to overlook, but overall, its a great lens.The good? It carries its f2.8 aperture throughout the "zoom" range, meaning low light situations wont be hampered by a decrease in aperture as you move up to higher focal lengths. Having an f2.8 aperture with a wide-angle lens might be unnecessary, but it's there and having that wide aperture can be a blessing if you want to keep ISOs low in certain situations. In my case, I keep the lens and camera strapped to a tripod, just for the sake of keeping horizons level and minimizing the need for post processing. Handheld shots have been good in decent light and the nature of its focal length affords me with low shutter speeds below 1/50 count. Would you keep it at f2.8 for these types of shots? Depends on your demands for sharpness. I've found my copy to be sharp enough, but not tack sharp when handheld at f2.8 at the 16mm end. Your quality will vary depending on how well you can keep yourself steady and the available light. Although, in those conditions, you're asking for trouble anyways.When I do use my lens properly and for its intended purpose, that's where I see its prowess radiate. Sticking this sucker on a tripod with proper lighting and opening the aperture to f5.6 and above for deep focusing, the Tokina 11-16 produces some spectacular sharp, detailed results. Images are crisp, lines are straight and the details pop. For an interior design lens, it will satisfy.There are a couple caveats though. Firstly, with such wide angle lenses there will always be an issue of chromatic aberrations. This being a fairly wide angle lens, I've encountered CA, specially purple fringing when dealing with windows on a bright sunny day. Pixel peeping, you'll find it. You can always correct it in post, but I've found it a bit excessive at times. With the subject matter that I shoot, window treatments and curtains, I can't avoid it as I'll always be shooting towards a window in bright daylight. Ideal? Probably not, but I've dealt with it enough that I know what I have to do to correct it in post.Secondly, there is the matter of barrel distortion. This isn't much of an issue for this lens, but it does show up at 11mm and it's virtually gone by the 13-16mm range. A niggle, but nonetheless something to consider. This isn't enough to dismiss this lens. And lastly, another niggle, is the "zoom" range. At 11-16mm this doesn't go toe-to-toe with Canon's 10-22 EF-S as far as zoom range is concerned. However, I find this range suitable for my needs and, as I stated above, it's a specialized lens.Construction wise, this thing is a tank. It's a solid build and one with considerable weight under its belt. The focus and zoom rings have good travel and feel sturdy. You have to work it to get it to where you want, which is something I like. There are also no moving parts at all that will extend or retract the lens like some other zooms out there. Tokina is also kind enough to give you a lens hood to avoid flair. Nice touch.Lastly, inherent in this lens is the fact that this will only work on crop sensor cameras. Some might look down on this, but it is the nature of the beast. If you want to upgrade to full frame, well, you'll be hindered by the huge vignetting that occurs when using this lens on a full frame camera like the 6D, 5D's and 1DX. Bringing this puppy along your upgrading path is not recommended.Overall, I find that an acceptable hindrance for what you do get in return. With its high IQ and construction, extremely minimal barrel distortion and it's wide zoom range, you can't go wrong with the Tokina 11-16. I would recommend it.