-internal zoom, internal focus -build quality -gets you out to 19mm for not a lot of money -reasonable AF performance

-flare control is awful without using the hood, which as others have pointed out is not supplied with the lense -images are a little flat and lack punch... a polarizer seems to help here. -distortion at wide focal lengths and large aperatures, but honestly, what did you expect? It's certainly not as bad as it could be for the $$ and once you get past 22mm or so it's under control

This is a great choice for an ultra-wide zoom if you don't want to drop the $$ on a name brand or a better third party offering (Tokina ATX-Pro or Tamron 20-40). Don't expect gorgeous results, but don't be surprised if you like the prints you get back. For the money it's really tough to beat this lense.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Canon EF50mm f/1.8 Canon EF28-135 IS

Cheap compared to the capabilities, Lightweight, Results acceptable for most amateur and intermediate photographers

At the edges of the frame (at the wide end) the image seems to be a bit blurred when taken at open aperture, 77mm wide filters, Acceptable distortion

I've used this lens for a few months, and I'm very pleased with the effects. For as little as 300 USD, it allows me to have my very own, very wide angle lens - very useful while photographing interiors and taking interestingly looking outdoor shots. I like this lens and allways take it with me. The only real weakness is that at the wide end, with the aperture open, the image seems blurred at the edges (when enlarged to more than A3 size) - all needs to be done is to close down the aperture a little - fault that you can surely live with,especially when you pay as little as 300 USD.

Customer Service

Never had to contact them - the product works well.

Cheap Better than ok construction 19mm

Flare can be a problem outside Hood not included Large expensive thin filters needed

Had very little use for this lens except for a few scenic shots here and there. It wes not as sharp as my 50mm 1.4 Cannon lens nor could my flash cover the 19mm wide end for good indoor shots. I bought a STO-FEN Omni Bounce for my flash and now I find myself photographing interiors more than anything else. Yes there is some distortion of straight lines at the edges but hey for the price I can't complain. I just do not put the straight lines at the edges of my interior photos if possible.

Customer Service

none needed

Similar Products Used:

Canon 50mm 1.4 Tamron 28-80 Tamron 70-300

Good built. Great optics, consistantly great shots. Good contrast. price

Are you kidding?

What can I say about this lens. It's my most consistant and favorit lens. Contrast is very good, build:- well last weekend I was at the Botanic garden shoting the some shots of the family when it fell to the pavement and bounce two feet off the ground. I picked it up hopeing for the worse. However, not a trace of damage was evident. I am very happy with this lens. What a deal.

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

Canon 100-300mm 5.6L Canon 50mm MkII Conon 28-80mm MKII Conon 75-300mm II Sigma 105mm 2.8 Macro Sigma 400mm APO Macro

- Price/Value

- Flare, I sold this lens because I was not happy with flare control of this lens - Not very contrasty - Manual focusing not easy but then this is a wide angle.

Great value for money. Very good lens if you use wide angles only occasionally. If you are going to use wide angles a lot, get a better lens, lik Tamron 20-40.

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Sigma 15-30mm Canon 17-35mm (not much though)

Price & build quality

Distortion, weak contrast, flare

Great price but you get what you pay for. Build quality is very good although don't expect to sell many of your images with this lens. Flat contrast, not very sharp, and distoration at the wide end is very noticable with anything that has a straight angle to it.

Customer Service

Haven't needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 28-80, Tamron 24-135

The lens is relatively light - although plastic, with metal mount, there''s still a lot of glass in it. The price makes it accessible to most anyone wishing to expand their arsenal of lenses.

There really should be a hood as part of the package. At the wide settings, if your subject has enough light to shoot, it will probably flare on this lens (or any other ultra-wide). The hood also helps protect the front element - pretty important with a 77mm front opening.

I bought this lens in Pentax mount along with a ZX-M to mount it to. This means I''m manually focusing an autofocus capable lens. As such, the focus ring is a bit light, but with smooth action and no dead spots. At such wide angles, I can''t imagine ever needing autofocus - the purpose of the lens is to capture hyperfocal images. The image is bright on my ZX-M and balances well on its plastic body. For a small investment, this lens has given me a great new look at photographic subjects. 19-20mm gives WAY more angle of view than my previous widest lens, 24mm.

Similar Products Used:

This is my first Tokina lens.

Well built; lightweight because of lens barrels made of polycarbonate; good sharpness and contrast; fast AF;

some distortion at 19 mm (doesn't disturb for outdoor photography, only if you want to take architecture photos);
no lens hood included

I would recommend this lens to everybody, who cannot afford the more expensive lenses from Canon, Minolta, Nikon,...; It's very good for outdoor and nature photography;

Customer Service

not needed yet

Similar Products Used:

none by myself; heard only about the new Nikon 18-35 mm - this lens is well corrected at the edges, but shows some ugly distortion somewhere between the edge and the middle, where most people won't check in the shop;

Great price, easy to use, smooth operation

None found yet with the exception that the filters are fairly hard to find at a reasonable price and a lens hood wasn't provided

Great lens for the money, especially for a non professional that wants to take photos
beyond the capabilities of the "standard" 28-70mm zooms

Customer Service

Not yet, and hopefully never

Similar Products Used:

Vivitar 19-35 AF

Absolutely adore this lens for it's near perfect color rendition, light weight, good range and relatively low flare esp. in its price range. Get a hood if you're kepping it cranked out to 19mm, though. I'd rather spend the serious bucks on primes for "serious" photography, leave them locked away until such time as I am feeling serious, and use this the other 90% of the time. The construction quality, while appearing only fair to me at first, has proven itself through much (ab)use in extremish weather conditions. I'd of course like it to be faster, but that'd entail an extra pound or so in weight and an extra 600 dollars on the price tag.

Could be faster, both aperature- and focus- wise.

Feels plasticky.

I also have another Tokina, the AT-X 28-70/2.6-2.8, and again it is a wonderful, convenient zoom, with considerably more solid construction than this unit. Tokina, quality wise, blows Sigma and Tamron out of the water for this market seg.

Customer Service

Not needed so far.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 24/2.8D
Nikon 28/1.4D
Nikon 35/2