Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

Rock solid lens for the cash. Has solid output and clarity. The auto focus works very well and is quiet to boot. The studio portraits I have taken are tack sharp with very good colors and tones. If you don't have the budget for "L" glass like the Canon 24-70mm then go with this one, especially over the Sigma and Tamron models of similar focal lengths. You wont be disappointed. My only issue with this lens is the lack of image stabilization but it really hasn't been an issue for me as of yet.

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

Recently I've bought 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital by Tokina. Before I've used Canon 18-55 lenses. I couldn't ever compare this lenses because Tokina much more better. Tokina gives high quality sharp images with deep colour. Very good lens for landscape and portraits.

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

i like my lens strong and rugged. i have a tokina 11-16 with f2.8 ultra wide angle and i thought that was really cool especially when i use it for music videos. and so i decided to go all the way to get as much as i can buy. so i got another tokina 16-50mm and have just order for another tokina 16-135mm

for the price and what these tokina lenses can do i think its more tokina for me in my lens kit and a few from others.

for the handling,play with your 16-50mm and you will be amazed what you can come up with... IT IS VERY FLEXIBLE

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

Great lens. The best you can get with fixed maximum aperture for the price.
Some cons I would list:

- It's only available for APS size sensors;
- Shows some distortion at the wide end;
- The "clutch" system used to engage manual focus sometimes gets stuck and can take a second or two to work;

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

I use and abuse my camera gear EVERY day. I throw my lenses and body around like and expect them to perform great. I needed a lens for my crop body that was fast and could take the abuse. The kit lens (28-135mm) was not wide enough, the Tamron 17-50mm was too plastic-y and too loud for my liking (I sometimes shoot performances), and the 17-55mm IS wasn't built well enough for its price. I took a stab at this Tokina 16-50mm and it fit the bill.

Its got a tank-like build, the AF is quick and fast, the focus ring is huge, and the bokeh is smooth and creamy.

My only complaints are that the hood is loose when you put it on and that the lens isn't as sharp as the Tamron wide open, though not by much. I probably wouldn't complain if I wasn't so spoiled by the 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.8. At 2.8 they're TOO sharp :)

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

i do a lot of photography in high schools and colleges, much of this is of the candid varity
i find this lens to be very responsive and very accurate focusing.
my only oomplaint is the its too easy for lens
to switch from auto to manual focus.

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

I keep this lens on my 7D camera 90% of the time because it is so perfect for most any situation--wide when you need it, fast, and the smoothest and largest focus ring in the business--there's no fumbling around for focus. I also have the Tokina 11-16, so this one fills the gap all the way to 50mm. These are my first Tokina lenses but they will not be my last.

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

Since getting this lens, it hasn't left my camera. I had purchased the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 earlier as I'd heard it was a sharper lens. While that lens was alright, the Tokina just feels so much more substantial. The focusing is quieter, and that extra degree of wide is also welcome.

I was shooting a party that was lit by candles and I was using a 28mm f1.8 canon. It was ok, but was having trouble focusing in the low/inconsistent light, so I threw on the 16-50. Even though it only opened up to 2.8, it had much more accurate focus, and I had a string of keepers. The lens really saved me that night.

Maybe I just got lucky, but this lens is sharp, quiet (not usm, but not bad) and built like a tank. I'm not afraid to take this lens everywhere. That and the mf/af switch is pretty trick.

So yeah, a little more pricey than the Tamron, but that price goes into a much better focusing system, and beefier overall construction.

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

I use this on my Red One digital cinema camera. I also own a Canon XTi and will soon upgrade to the 7d. So this lens and the other 2 Tokina DX Pros are working great.

Although I haven't shot a lot with it yet, what I have seems o be very bright with great color. (Obviously) matches well with the Tokina 11-16 F2.8 and the Tokina 50-135 F2.8

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

I bought this as a "set" with the Tokina 11-16mm F2.8 and the Tokina 50-135mm F2.8

Although I will also use them on my (upcoming) 7D, they are primarily for use on my Red One digital cinema camera. And therein lies the problem with this particular lens. The other 2 Tokina's, when you zoom/change the focal length remain the same physical length distance from mount to front element). The 16-50mm almost doubles in length. Not normally a problem, except when used in a cinema setup, the lens is mounted between the large camera body and a large matte box on a set of 19mm rails. So if you change the focal length, either you have to reset/move the matte box or possibly allow a light leak, defeating the purpose of the matte box.

So in short, crisp lens, at least in the limited amount of testing I got to do, but if the fact that the lens grows as you zoom is an issue, might look to another solution.

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

I only can recommend it. I use it daily and am very satisfied with performance, sharpness, colours, simply with everything.

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

I got this wide angle lens to shoot people and landscapes. The lens does a great job. The only draw back is that the lens is a bit heavy and takes a little getting use to. However, all in all, this lens is a real winner and worth the money.

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

Tokina did it again with the glass. Color rendition is superb, well thru my Mark II anyways.
Lots of vignetting but to think of the angle of view, I expect it. I like the push pull focusing, and this lens is sharp. I took it to the VANS warped tour and it was amazing, even in an afternoon Miami rain.

Comments about Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 AT-X 165 PRO DX Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS Digital:

I was looking for a decent, well built lens that covers 18-50mm for my Canon 10D (1.6x crop) with a fast aperture. I have a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 XR Di LD, but found that the wide end wasn't wide enough on this camera body. This zoom lens is very nicely built... feels nice in hand. I like the texture Tokina has applied to the body of this lens. The zoom, and focus rings are very well dampened... not too stiff, not too loose. Mounted to my 10D w/grip, this kit is way lighter than my 1D/24-70 f/2.8L combo. Remove the grip from my 10D and this should make for a great travel/vacation set-up. It's focus speed is okay, not as fast as Canon's USM, but it's no slouch. The buzz while focusing isn't as bad as I expected. The color/contrast produced by this lens is okay, not Canon L, but still very good. Having only owned this lens for a short while, I'd say that I don't regret getting it. It's a bit pricier than other third party zoom lenses with the same focal lengths.

Expertise: Avid amature

Problems Encountered: Not really a problem as much as it's inherent with any fast aperture lens... photos taken at f/2.8 at any focal length with this lens (straight out of camera) came out soft. Compared to my Canon Ls, much softer. With a little tweaking using post processing software, the photos were much better.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Canon 24-70 f/2.8L, Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 XR Di LD, Tokina 12-24 f/4