Tokina AT-X 280 AF PRO (28-80mm)

I've been using a many lenses in my life from large format Linhof to medium Mamiya and small picture - Canon lenses. I've bought (400$) the 28-80 2.8 Tokina lens because I own 80-200 2.8 and I know the excellent Tokina AT-X quality and durability.
And when I've completed the tests of the 28-80 I wasn't disappointed at all.
The sharpness is excellent from f2.8 to infinity, color contrast is perfect, not to soft and not to high. Just like it should be. It's heavy and stable when I'm shooting the picture (Canon body+lens 2kg).

Build like a tank - glass and metal, 0.8 kg.
Internal focusing, SD glass, 2 aspherical elements corrects aberration, high contrast and sharpness right to the edges.
The next great "+" is the one touch focus clutch mechanism. I like it because I'm able to fast change the focus to make "special effects" - I like it.
eBay price (300 - 400$) is very very low comparing to the quality and performance of the lens - buy it if you have a chance.
Brand new price is 650$ and it is worth of every penny.

No more in production.

Canon 17-40 L
Mamiya 45 2.8
Tokina 828 80-200 AT-X AF PRO

I've never needed but available.

I have owned this lens for 2 years or so now and it continues to be my most used "people" zoom. I really cannot understand any negative comments about this lens except maybe at F2.8 where it is noticeably soft but again that too can be very good for portraits. It compares well enough with my Nikon 50mm F1.4 at max aperture.

Consider that I recently owned the "legendary" Nikon 17-55 F2.8 AFS DX and out of the 2 lenses chose to sell the Nikon! I admit the Nikon was much sharper at F2.8 than the Tokina which is the Nikon's strength but from F4 the gap has closed considerably and by F5.6 the Tokina is easily up with the Nikon.

In the studio using flash and shooting at F8-F11 (as dictated by studio flash output) the Tokina is more versatile and the lens I just keep coming back to. Lately I have largely gone back to primes for maximum quality & detail for landscape shots however this zoom even gives the primes a run for their money!

This lens is not only a useful 120mm F2.8 lens at the long end but can also be used with film cameras which helps as I still have an F5 as well as a D2X.

One thing I really like is that not only is the lend internal focussing but it also doesn't cnage length when zooming. Also layout is the same as most Nikon "PRO" lenses, i.e. zoom ring closest to the body and zooms in same direction.

This is an absolute top performer. I also think the People who wrote negative reviews must be doing something wrong...

If it had AFS it would have been perfect!

Sharp from F4 to F11
Contrasty results with strong colours
Nice bokeh - perfect portrait lens
Extremely well made - equal to the best pro Nikons (even 28-70 F2.8)
Easy to switch from AF to MF
Not a "G" type lens so has aperture settings!
Can be used on 35MM and Digital alike
Stands up to continual use and will last forever (mine still looks like brand new)

Bit heavy & bulky for travel photography (even more so then Nikon 17-55)
F2.8 performance not great but I never expect good max aperture performance
AFS would have been nice

Nikon 17-55 AFS DX F2.8
Nikon 28-105 F3.5-4.5
Sigma 28-105 F3.5-5.6
Nikon 17-70 DX

Never used

I researched long and hard (partly on this site). After reading some of these reviews, I was confused. They seem to be all over the map. When this lens arrived, I immediately set up a test of it vs a tamron 28-300 3.5-6.3 and a nikkor 35 2.8. I expected it to outperform the Tamron but not the Nikkor. I can't figure it out but it beat both. I tested all only at 5.6 (portraits mainly shot here). Tokina was significantly better than Tamron at 28, 35, 50, 65, and 80. I was very pleased! It may not have been a fair test against the nikkor since it was a 22 year old lens. Maybe technology has improved greatly but it beat the prime hands down-I am very suprised at this. The focus clutch is perfect for my style. Use auto focus but pull back on ring and instantly switch to manual. I looked at the 28-70 2.8 nikon: three times the cost, slightly faster focusing, quieter-build quality not as good.

Build quality is excellent. Focus clutch-no need to use on camera switches. fast focus. very sharp and contrasty.

Only weakness I see is the lens mm markings are silk-screened vs embedded.

Nikon 35 2.8 Nikon 105 2.5 Nikon 24 af 2.8 ordered two hours ago! Tamron 28-300 3.5=6.3 many Mamiya 6x7 lenses large format wide angles

n/a

Having read some of the reviews of this lens and now having used it, I can't believe the negative reviewers have been using the same lens! Some people have actually said this lens is soft! I don't think so. I bought it to replace my Nikon 35-70f2.8 because I needed a wider zoom range. The Nikon is a fine lens and very sharp. But listen up (brand snobs are not going to like this so turn away now), the Tokina is sharper - across the comparible zoom range. Both lenses are not as sharp at F2.8 and better at f5.6, but both are sharp enough for publication. But then all lenses are better two stops from fully wide open. The Tokina resolves slightly more information than the Nikon. This is a beautifully built lens, it feels solid and is beautifully damped. The images are contrasty and sharp, sharp sharp. If you are a brand snob, go ahead and buy the Nikon 28-70 f2.8 AFS, remortgage the children and sell your wife to get it. Or buy this. It won't focus as quick, it isn't quite as prestigious - but picture editors won't be able to tell the difference and all but the extreme snob will claim to justify the vast difference in price tag.

Very sharp. Beautifully built. Fantastically smooth operation.

Minor, very minor irritation that the f stop ring lock is not quite as stiff as it could be.

Lots.

After 3 years constant use, this lens has been pointed at a wide variety of subjects in an even wider variety of situations and has never let me own in any respect - nor have any of my clients ever responded negatively to any images produced by this lens (well at least not from a technical point of view ! ). Build quality and finish is first rate. 'Real world' optical performance is superb throughout the entire focal range. Colour rendering is neutral. I have never encountered a problem with flare - even under high contrast studio lighting conditions (though sensible working methods are always observed to minimise this risk anyway). Resolving power and overall sharpnes is both remarkable and consistant. All in all a big bang for your buck ! If you're a brand snob - consider this little known fact - Tokina have for many years now manufactured (under licence) a range of lenses for Zeiss Contax - need I say more !?

Superb optical and mechanical performance. High quality finish and construction, Very sharp with neutral colour rendition. Constant fast aperture.

None that I have encountered. Physical weight and size might be a problem for some users who like to travel light.

A variety of Nikon, Canon and Contax/Zeiss lenses during 20 years in corporate and advertising photography.

Never needed.