Tokina has made some fine wide-angle lenses at good prices for crop sensor cameras: the 11-16 is unique in offering a wide fixed aperture DX lens, and the 12-24 f/4 PRO was also very good. They were obviously practicing to get ready for a wide angle FX lens. You can read the rest if you want, but the bottom line is this lens rocks. Its a very good lens at any price, and amazingly good at this price.

You’ve already heard the obvious: it’s quite sharp even wide open, the new autofocus motor and system work quickly and efficiently. How sharp? Very, very sharp. About as sharp at f/2.8 as the 16-35 f/4 VR is at f/4. How’s that? I know you’re going to ask if its as sharp as the 14-24 f/2.8 and I won’t make the call. But its close enough that it will be a hard call to make, at least in the center. Its not bad in the corners even wide open and excellent at f/4. And its good throughout the zoom range.

It does vignette a bit wide open, but not badly and its gone by f/4. I don’t notice any significant distortion at either end. Not saying there’s not a bit, but its not obvious unless you’re shooting a grid, which I haven’t done. But nothing as noticeable as the barrel distortion at the wide end of the 16-35 f/4 VR. Overall, this is a home run lens. If you don’t have a full-frame wide angle you can’t go wrong here. Just buy it if you can. Don’t worry about us, we’ll rent all we can get, I’m sure.