Tokina AT-X 11-20mm f/2.8 AF Pro DX

£499/$449 This lens has a fast, constant attraction

okina was one of the first independent manufacturers of ultrawide zooms for DX format cameras, in the shape of its 11-16mm lens which has since been updated. This ‘Pro’ lens is similar in many respects, including its f/2.8 aperture rating, which remains constant throughout the whole zoom range.

Optical finery includes three aspherical elements, of which two are all-glass moulded elements, with an extra ‘precision-moulded’ element. There are also three SD (Super-low Dispersion) elements. The AF system is quick, but relatively noisy, driven by an electric motor. Typical of Tokina lenses, this one has a ‘one-touch focus clutch’. This enables you to swap between AF and manual focus quickly and easily by snapping the focus ring forwards or backwards.

TPerformance

Although the AF system feels outdated and there’s no stabilization, the Tokina performs well in terms of image quality. Levels of sharpness are great throughout the aperture range and across the whole image frame.

Sharpness

Levels of sharpness are very good from the centre to the extreme corners of the image frame.

Fringing Distortion

The Tokina has the best lab-score of any DX lens in the group for barrel distortion.

There’s a bit more fringing in the corners of the frame than in the other DX format lenses.