Despite the widespread popularity of full-frame 24–70mm f/2.8 lenses, Tokina has never made an auto- focus version of this versatile wide-to-telephoto zoom—until now. And what a debut! At $999 (street), it comes at a very appealing price, too.

The lens has 15 elements in 11 groups, including three molded all-glass aspherical elements for even illumination across the sensor. It also sports a hard-to-make convex lens element with a large diameter, the first time Tokina is using this design. There are also three SD (super-low dispersion) elements to help maximize resolution.

In length it’s about average for the class, within a quarter of an inch of similar glass from Canon, Tamron, and Sony Zeiss. (The comparable Nikon is about an inch longer and the Sigma more than half an inch shorter.) But at 2.32 pounds it’s the heaviest of all, though the extra weight was not overwhelming (the variation is within about a quarter of a pound). The lens has a brass mount attached to an aluminum base and zoom/focus unit.

The zoom and focus rings are easy to grip, and manual focus turns relatively smoothly though a little short for us (about 60 degrees, compared to at least 90 degrees on most 24–70mms). Autofocus is quick and quiet, and the lens has Tokina’s well-liked push/pull focus clutch for shifting between manual and auto.

In the Popular Photography Test Lab, our SQF tests for sharpness and contrast brought surprising results. Although all the competitors produced excellent results at our 11×14-inch benchmark, this Tokina did better than expected at the 16×20 size, maintaining an A rating at mid-apertures at all focal lengths. At 50mm it held that excellence at those apertures into the 20×24 equivalent, the largest we measure. This was better than comparable Canon and Tamron zooms at all focal lengths, and beat Nikon and Sigma at 24mm. Only the Sony Zeiss beat it (slightly) at all focal lengths.

Our DxO Analyzer 5.3 tests found Visible barrel (0.49%) distortion at 24mm and Slight pincushion (0.13% and 0.22%) at 50mm and 70mm, respectively, similar to most of the other lenses. Again, only the Sony Zeiss stood out, with Slight barrel at 24mm and Imperceptible distortion at the other two focal lengths.

For light falloff, the Tokina did well at all focal lengths, but the Sony Zeiss had no falloff at all. In close focusing and maximum magnification, the Tokina matched the others or came in mid-pack.

But granted this zoom goes for $1,000 less than that Sony Zeiss, it wowed us. Optics proved better than or as good as comparable Canon and Nikon glass, at almost half the price. Sigma’s streets for $200 less than this lens, and Tamron’s for $300 more. But it looks like that large-diameter convex element gave it an optical edge, making Tokina’s first foray into the 24–70mm f/2.8 a roaring success.

TEST RESULTS

Distortion: At 24mm, 0.49% (Visible) barrel; at 50mm, 0.13% (Slight) pincushion; at 70mm, 0.22% (Slight) pincushion

Light falloff: At 24mm, gone by f/5.6; at 50mm, none; at 70mm, gone by f/3.5

Close-focus distance: 14.08 in.

Max. magnification: At 24mm, 1:10.07; at 50mm, 1:5; at 70mm, 1:4.11

SPECIFICATIONS

24–70mm (24.72–71.54mm tested), f/2.8 (f/2.42–2.89 tested), 15 elements in 11 groups. Focus ring turns 60 degrees. Zoom ring turns 90 degrees. Focal length marked at 24-, 28-, 35-, 40-, 50-, and 70mm.

Diagonal view angle: 84–34 degrees

Weight: 2.32 lb Filter size: 82mm

Mounts: Canon AF, Nikon AF

Included: Lenshood

Street price: $999

INFO: kenkotokinausa.com

The post Lens Test: Tokina AT-X 24–70mm f/2.8 PRO FX appeared first on Popular Photography.

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When we tested Sigma’s 18–35mm f/1.8 lens in our November 2013 issue, we saw it as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon: the industry’s first f/1.8 constant-aperture zoom and the fastest for cameras with APS-C sensors. Well, Sigma managed to top itself. And its 24–35mm f/2 DG HSM Art lens, the first full-frame f/2 zoom, provides roughly the same optical performance as Sigma’s 24mm f/1.4 and 35mm f/1.4 primes.

This $999 (street) lens has 18 elements in 13 groups, including large-diameter aspherical elements. This ups the weight to 2.16 pounds, though it balanced nicely on our test cameras (the Canon EOS-1D X in the lab and EOS 5D Mark III in the field). Both zoom and focusing rings are amply sized and ribbed, but the focusing scale in feet is almost invisible; the meter scale is fine.

The nine-blade aperture produces nice bokeh, but its minimum is only f/16, which makes deep-focus, long-exposure landscape and sunset shots more difficult. Autofocus is quick and virtually silent.

On our optical bench in the Popular Photography Test Lab, the lens garnered excellent SQF results for sharpness and contrast at all focal lengths. Comparisons are difficult, given its speed and focal-length range, but it outpaced full-frame f/2.8 wide-angle zooms, edging out Canon’s EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II at 24mm and Nikon’s older 17–35mm f/2.8D at 28mm. More surprising was how well it did against prime lenses in its range, especially at maximum aperture, where sharpness is often an issue. While Sigma’s own 24mm f/1.4 logged a better SQF score at f/2 at our highest magnification of 20×24 (it’s one of the sharpest lenses we’ve ever tested), at 35mm this new zoom lens did slightly better than Sigma’s 35mm f/1.4. It also outshone Canon and Nikon’s 24mm f/1.4 models as well as Canon’s 35mm f/2.

In our tests using DxO Analyzer 5.3, distortion fell in the Slight range at 24mm and 35mm (similar to the all those primes, as well as Canon’s zoom), but at the mid-focal length of 30mm, this lens tamed distortion to an Imperceptible (0.08%) pincushion, nice for a wide-angle. And it iced the 2004 Nikon zoom, which showed Very Visible distortion at 28mm and 35mm.

Vignetting, gone by f/3.5 at our three tested focal lengths, beat the Canon primes by more than a stop and both the wide-angle zooms at 24mm and 35mm. Plus, close focusing, at 10.37 at 35mm, led the pack by as much as an inch, and this zoom also provided the best subject magnification, with a maximum ratio of 1:3.16.

Finally, consider the price. With this zoom, you get three popular wide-angle focal lengths at a fast speed, losing only a stop compared with the top primes. If you were to buy Sigma’s 24mm and 35mm f/1.4s, you’d spend nearly twice a much. So if you’re a wide-angle fan, take a close look at this trailblazing zoom.

TEST RESULTS

Distortion: At 24mm, 0.22% (Slight) barrel; at 30mm, 0.08% (Imperceptible) pincushion; at 35mm, 0.15% (Slight) pincushion

Light falloff: At 24mm, gone by f/3.5; at 30mm, gone by f/3.5; at 35mm, gone by f/3.5

Close-focusing: 10.45 inches

Max. magnification ratio: At 24mm, 1:7.28; at 30mm, 1:6.51; at 35mm, 1:3.16

SPECIFICATIONS

24–35mm (24.84–34.30mm tested), f/2 (f/1.92–2.14 tested), 18 elements in 13 groups. Focus ring turns 130 degrees. Zoom ring turns 60 degrees. Focal length marked at 24-, 28-, 30-, and 35mm.

Diagonal view angle: 84–63 degrees

Weight: 2.16 lb Filter size: 82mm

Mounts: Canon AF, Nikon AF, Sigma AF

Included: Lenshood, soft case

Street price: $999

INFO: sigmaphoto.com

The post Lens Test: Sigma 24–35MM F/2 DG HSM Art appeared first on Popular Photography.

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