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. It’s a very good lens at any price, and amazingly good at this price.

You’ve already heard the obvious. This lens is quite sharp even wide open as the new autofocus motor and system work quickly and efficiently. How sharp? Very, very sharp. The first copies were released for Nikon and it was as good as anything except the legendary Nikon 14-24 f/2.8 in Nikon mount. I haven’t gone head-to-head with the Canon 16-35 yet, but I can believe the Tokina will hold its own, at least in the center. It’s not bad in the corners even wide open and it’s excellent at f/4 retaining its sharpness throughout the zoom range.

It does vignette a bit wide open, but it’s gone by f/4. I don’t notice any significant distortion at either end. There may be a bit, but it wouldn’t be obvious unless you’re shooting a grid, which I haven’t done. 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 will rent all we can get, I’m sure.