Note : whatever I am discussing here applies iff (if and only if) you are going to print bigger than 12x18 sq. inch size of a photograph. Below that size you just need a DSLR and any lens, yes I said any lens. And that will give you same result as $8000 camera with $1900 lens.

Here I am going to discuss something which is going to fascinate most of the crop sensor camera shooters. And this is about beautiful Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 lens.

So what makes this lens so special?
Very first thing is, it is an ultra wide-angle lens. Maybe not a big deal then what makes it so desirable? That is its widest aperture f2.8, means a lot of light in low light situation. As well as it has one very impressive point - it is the sharpest lens ever I have used on a DX (cropped sensor) body. I have no fear to announce it the "Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8" of the DX territory. This lens is amazingly sharp with fixable distortion. Though nothing is better than Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 if you shoot architecture. It may not be as sharp as Toking 11-16mm but it has negligible distortion on DX and FX (yes on full frame too, because it is full frame lens).

So Tokina 11-16mm does not have any flaw?
No, that is not true. It has a very big flaw and that is its chromatic aberration (color fringing). Yes this is the worst lens ever I have used which has such a bad CA. Sigma 12-24mm does not have this flaw. But don't you worry, I am going to let you know how to overcome this CA issue. No worries. Just read through. Don't be scared of chromatic aberration :) ever, after all you are shooting digital.

Is Tokina as Sharp as Full Frame Lenses?
Yes, I am happy to say it is as sharp on my D7000 as 24-105mm on my Canon 5D. Maybe D7000 makes it more desirable lens because of D7000's huge dynamic range in perfect condition ;). But I won't give up 5d either for this :P.


for more descriptive review read from here:
My review on my blog