Hi there, I was wondering if any of you had the chance to use the new Tokina 19-35mm IF AF lens. Its supposed to be a replacement to the 20-35mm Mk II, but I'm concerned about its quality... especially if any of you had encountered incompatibility problems with it and the EOS 50 (or any Canon camera).

I'd really appreciate your help.

Thanks!

-- Lester Ledesma (Loosecanon@NetAsia.Net), November 10, 1999

Answers

I have not seen the Tokina version of this, but I understand it is the same lens as the Vivitar/Phoenix/Cosina versions, of which I own and use on a Canon Elan IIe (same as the EOS 50e).

Works great, no incompatability issues. The lens is moderately sharp and suffers from mild distortion, mostly at the wide end. For its price it's great. You can do better, but at a lot more cost. At the time it was the only thing I could afford and I have not regretted it.

-- Jim Strutz (jimstrutz@juno.com), November 10, 1999.

There are 2 versions of this lens made by Tokina. The cheaper version, which is identical to the Vivitar, Phoenix, etc, is called "AF EMZ" and weighs around 10oz. The newer version, replacing the old 20-35 II, is called "AF 193" which weighs around 14oz and sports HLD glass. This is the higher quality version. Go to the B&H web site for additional info.

-- Liem Phan (liem.phan@f22.boeing.com), December 03, 1999.

http://www.jafaphotography.com/wide.htm has reviews

Summary follows (posted here in case the site above goes down; it's very hard to find solid reviews on super-wide zooms and even rarer to see a group test like this. Only other group super-wide zoom test I know of is in the May<->June 1999 issue of Practical Photography, which will have MTF tests as well; sorry, don't have it =( ):

Tokina 19-35 f-3.5-4.5 AF. Available mounts: Canon, Minolta, Nikon.

Verdict: This is one of the sharpest and most affordable wide-angle zooms. Minimum focusing distance is a major plus. Although this lens is not built as tough as the 20-35mm f-2.8 AT-X version, sharpness has not been sacrificed. Avoid using thick polarizing filters as Vigenetting can accrue. This lens will satisfy any photographer including pros. Overall Performance: 19mm: very good. 24mm: very good. 28mm: very good. 35mm: very good. Rating: 16/20 ============= Tokina 20-35 f-2.8 ATX Pro AF. Available mounts: Canon, Minolta, Nikon.

Verdict: One of the best wide-angle zooms in the market. Includes all four popular wide-angle focal lengths in one rugged body. Fast maximum aperture give bright viewing, perfect when focusing the lens manually. Focus Clutch Mechanism is a great addition, but you need to return the focus ring at the same position where you changed from auto to manual focus and vice-versa. Some may find this uncomfortable. Distortion is present at wider settings which is typical of all wide-angle lenses. It is a pro quality lens and costs less than its competitions. Overall performance: 20mm: excellent. 24mm: excellent. 28mm: very good. 35mm: very good Rating: 17/20 ============= Vivitar/Phoenix 19-35mm f-3.5-4.5 AF. Available mounts: Canon, Minolta, Nikon.

Verdict: Don't let its low price fool you. I was very surprised with the results. Images were sharp with good colors. It provides adequate close focusing. Take caution when removing the lens. Make sure lens is not locked and turn by holding the rear of the lens. One of my workshop participants tried to release the lens by turning the front of the lens which caused it to become loose. This is a very good lens for beginners wanting a wide-angle zoom at an affordable price. Overall performance: 19mm: very good. 24mm: very good. 28mm: very good. 35mm: very good Rating: 15/20 ============= Nikon 20-35mm f-2.8D IF AF

Verdict: This lens will easily replace four fixed wide-angle lenses without sacrificing any quality. Stop down three to four stops, and this lens will give images that can be enlarged to gallery size prints. This is undoubtedly one of the sharpest wide-angle zooms. Add more close focusing to this lens, and it can put an end to the production of fixed focal length, wide-angle lenses. As with other wide-angles, distortion can't be eliminated. It was more at 20mm, less noticeable at 24mm, and none at 28mm and 35mm. This lens can be used in low light situations with wide open aperture with great results. Its major drawback? Price. Overall performance: 20mm: excellent. 24mm: excellent. 28mm: excellent. 35mm: excellent Verdict: 19/20 ============== Minolta Maxxum 24-50mm f-4 AF

Verdict: About the same size as a 50mm lens, this lens can easily be handheld. Constant f-4 aperture provides bright viewfinder. It covers most widely used focal lengths for general purpose photography with very good overall sharpness and contrast. Lens needs some improvements at 35mm and 50mm at wide-open aperture. It is capable of producing high quality images between f-8 and f-22 where lenses of this class are most likely to be used. Overall performance: 24mm: very good. 28mm: very good. 35mm: very good. 50mm: very good Rating: 16/20

============= Minolta Maxxum 20-35mm f-3.5-4.5 AF

Verdict: An outstanding lens capable of producing sharp and contrasty images at all focal lengths. It is not a constant aperture lens and slower than some of other lenses in its class which makes it more affordable. Focus ring is narrow which can make it a little difficult to manual focus. It is a solid lens and very easy to handhold. A perfect lens for Maxxum owners wanting all the wide-angle they can get in one package and still be able to produce quality images. Overall performance: 20mm: excellent. 24mm: excellent. 28mm: very good. 35mm: very good Rating: 17/20 ============= Canon EOS 20-35mm f-3.5-4.5 EF USM

Verdict: A perfect, affordable wide-angle zoom, and a great alternative to the pricey EOS 17-35mm f-2.8L. Its autofocus is very fast, but I like a larger focus ring for manual focusing. Lens is very solid. It is extremely sharp at 20mm and 24mm settings. Except for slight loss of sharpness at wide open apertures at 28mm and 35mm settings, lens produced sharp images at all f-stops. It also has a very good close focusing capability. Overall performance: 20mm: excellent. 24mm: excellent. 28mm: very good. 35mm: very good Rating: 18/20 ============== CANON EOS 24-85mm f-3.5-4.5 USM AF,

Verdict: I was more than pleased with test results. This lens will cover everything from landscape to portrait with sharp and contrasty results. Distortion is well controlled. Lens is capable of producing sharp results at all focal lengths, but needs improvements at 85mm at wider apertures. Its focusing ring needs to be a little larger. A quality lens in a small package. Overall performance: 24mm: very good. 28mm: very good. 35mm: very good. 50mm: very good. 85mm: very good

-- David Chien (chiendh@uci.edu), January 23, 2001.

very high distortion at all ranges the focusing ring feels loose as it rotates in vain poor results

-- karl_kirkegaard (karl_kirkegaard@yahoo.com), March 27, 2001.