Tokina AT-X 16-28MM F/2.8 PRO FX Pro Reviews

Autofocus is based on Tokina's new 'silent' DC motor, which proved fast, quiet and accurate, but not as quiet as the USM, AF-S and HSM competition. There's no full-time manual override, but the lens does feature Tokina's trademark push-pull focus ring for easily switching between autofocus and manual focus. Despite being a full-frame lens, we found a drop-off in sharpness between the centre and edges of APS-C format images. Even centre sharpness wasn't very impressive, especially at the maximum aperture of f/2.8.

One of the Tokina's obvious advantages is very competitive pricing when pitched against similar lenses from both Canon and Nikon. There is no evidence here to suggest that any corners have been cut along the way and Tokina's zoom therefore deserves serious consideration by anybody who might otherwise have chosen one of the other brands - not least because its overall score puts it very much on a level with its obvious competitors at around half their prices. Equally importantly, this first full-frame Tokina lens bodes very well for other models that will follow. As a result, we should be seeing a lot more Tokina lenses on full-frame digital cameras in the future.

If this lens was judged on sharpness alone, it represents excellent performance for the price. Unfortunately issues such as the high levels of chromatic fringing towards the edges of the frame and distortion make this less of a clear-cut winner. As both of those issues can be corrected to some degree in software afterwards, this lens is still an interesting alternative to the manufacturer's own offerings, especially if these times of austerity mean that your budget is limited.

The Tokina AF 16-28mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro SD FX is a high-performance ultra-wide zoom lens and as such a welcome third party alternative to Nikon's native offerings - but it's not a lens without flaws. Its primary weakness is corner softness at f/2.8. However, the center quality is great and the borders are generally sharp as well. The corners start to catch up at f/4 and they're very good at f/8. Vignetting is, of course, visible at f/2.8, specifically at 16mm but the issue is well controlled for this lens class. Lateral CAs, an old Tokina decease actually, are modest and not overly field-relevant when stopped down a little bit. Typical for such lens it shows some barrel distortions but they're, again, comparatively moderate even at the very wide end of the range. Flare is well controlled for a lens with such a large and bulbed front element. Technically the Tokina delivers very solid performance for an attractive price.

The Tokina AF 16-28mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro SD FX is a high-performance ultra-wide zoom lens that gives the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 USM L II a run for both the money - but it's not a lens without flaws. Its primary weakness is corner softness at f/2.8 but that's not unheard of in this class anyway. However, the center quality is great and the borders are generally sharp as well. The corners start to catch up at f/4 and they're very good from f/5.6 onward.