Recently I had the pleasure of giving the Tokina AT-X 24-70 F2.8 Pro FX lens a test run.
First impressions, the lens shows itself to be a decent competitor in this space. On taking it out of the box, the weight and feel of the lens were what instantly struck me. Weighing in at just over 1 kg, it is at the heavier end of the spectrum in comparison to the Nikon & Canon Competitors.
Aside from its weight, it has a very sturdy and solid feel. I think that its durability can be accounted for in its metal body and the rubber focus clutch mechanism ring. I will say that the distinctive push/pull ring is signature to the brand and is generally really easy to use. However, a word of advice, remember to pull it all the way to be effective.
The lens hood is a petal style which also has an interior velvet lining. Again, another signature touch of Tokina.
I have had the lens with my Nikon D610 body for the last three months now. I've been using it for events, still life and landscapes (landscapes being my preferred genre) - it's been my general go to lens throughout. In the time that I've been using it, I haven't been disappointed with it. I've found that the lens produces sharp image quality, good colour and nice bokeh at F2.8.
One thing that I did see was that there was some very mild fringing and vignetting (once I'd uploaded the images to my computer), however I found that this was easily fixed in LightRoom and at no detriment to the image quality.
Overall I've found the lens to be a quality build, producing excellent image quality at a great price point! It's a great option for a walkabout/general use lens. I've really enjoyed using it and have definitely been impressed! It's a lens that I will keep in my camera bag kit!
PROS:
- Sharp Image Quality
- Good Colour Quality
- Sturdy / Solid Build & Feel
- Decent weight to the lens
- Signature AF/MF Focus Clutch Mechanism
- Versatile - a good all rounder
- The focus ring rotates Canon Style (wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad thing! haha)
- Excellent Price Point
CONS:
- If you don't pull/push the AF/MF Focus Clutch ring properly, it doesn't click in and work properly
- There is no inbuilt vibration stabilisation in the lens. This isn't a big concern for this type of lens, but there are other brands that do have this inbuilt.
- Minor Fringing and Vignetting
- Some may find the lens a bit too heavy and may also think that it may look a bit old school, but remember don't let looks deceive you!
SOME IMAGE EXAMPLES THAT I HAVE TAKEN USING THE LENS:
