Tokina 11-16 Review

The week before Thanksgiving I picked up a couple of new lenses.  I always cruise the Craig's List ads for photo and video looking for good deals and I have found quite a few.  The gentleman selling these lenses had switched to FX format (full frame sensor in Nikon language) and didn't need the DX lenses so he was listing them for a really good price.  They even had the original boxes so how could you go wrong.  I haven't had a lot of time to shoot with them, but I thought I would do a preliminary review on the 11-16 mm super wide zoom.

The full name of this lens is Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX II
It comes with a petal style hood

It is a solid piece of glass and quite heavy. That could be a turn off for some, but really if you are buying this lens then you have a special need for it such as real estate, or group portraits.  it zooms very smoothly and focuses fast.  There is a little noise in the focus motor but not a big deal in nearly all settings.  It has the Tokina push-pull ring to switch from auto to manual focus and I really like that feature.  No fumbling for a little switch to change to manual focus.  

The lens is very sharp with not as much distortion as you would expect at 11mm.  Keep in mind again, it is a DX lens with a crop factor on a Nikon of 1.4, Canon would be 1.5 if I am remembering correctly.

Below is a picture of my parlor which is about 10' X 10' taken with the Tokina at 11mm with no distortion correction, straight as shot in camera:

Below is the same shot of the room with the 18-55mm kit lens standing in the same spot zoomed out to 18mm:

You can see the benefits for real estate work.

Just for reference, below is the same shot taken from the same place with a 35mm prime:

Another big plus is the fact that this lens is f 2.8 so I expect it to really shine in low light situations (no pun intended).

Other than the weight, one other drawback is the fact that it takes 77mm filters and I don't have anything else that takes that size.

The other drawback is that due to the size of the lens, it casts a shadow on the floor if you use the on-camera flash.

So to sum it up, if you have a need for a super wide angle lens, check out the Tokina 11-16 mm f2.8 Pro DX II.  It is a very solid, smooth working lens. A lot of glass for the money

Especially if you can find a good deal on Craig's List

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Back in the Saddle

There have been a ton of things going on in my house for the last month and a half keeping me from my semi-regular blogging duties.  While the issues are by no means over, I hope to be able to "pop" in here from time to time and share pictures and thoughts.  I'll explain all the "stuff " that has been happening in a later post, but just so you know, it involves medical issues with family members. 

So i wake up this morning and it's Thanksgiving and I am thinking about what there is to give thanks for.  I look up and there is a bright golden ray of morning sun streaming through the East facing picture window and it was falling directly on our tabletop cactus garden.  I grabbed my camera and with the 3 or 4 minutes I had before the sun moved to a different location, I was able to get several shots of small cacti bathed in golden sunlight.  Up close they look like corals in a saltwater aquarium.  You would be hard pressed to figure out that they are just small cacti in a small tabletop dish garden on a Thanksgiving morning in a house that apparently has plenty to to be thankful for.

Here are the pictures:

click on any picture for a larger image. 

 

 

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Fall is Festival Time

Towns and cities cross the country are having fall festivals this month.  I find this a good excuse to eat funnel cakes, corn dogs, and giant ears of corn on the cob dipped in some butter like substance.  There is also a phenomenon sweeping the country, or at least the South, that proves the theory that anything can be deep fried and eaten.  I have tried everything from deep fried Twinkies and Snickers bars, to deep fried ice cream and I will admit that 375 degree oil and some powdered sugar improves most things.  I attended the Belmont, NC Fall Festival over the weekend and met some very nice people, along with a number of politicians.  The array of fried food was not as stunning as something you would encounter at a state fair, but it was nonetheless impressive.  My favorite was deep fried Kool-Aid.  My diet wouldn't allow me to try it, but all the kids around speculated that it would be good.  Now that I think about it, nobody actually tried it.  Maybe some things are too weird...even for the South.

Here are some pictures from the festival.

click on any picture for a larger image.

 Yes, that's a giant snake around his neck.  A live albino python something or other.

Make plans to visit a Fall festival near you.  It's a great way to meet, great people, politicians, giant snakes, kids, clowns and maybe try some fried Kool-Aid.


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For a good Cause

I had the opportunity today to shoot some pictures at the 4th annual Cruise-in for the American Cancer Society.  This was a huge collector car, hot rod, and truck show and there was even a boat or two.  I think every car manufacturer was represented and some of the customization was fantastic.   Here are some of the shots I took.

Click on any picture for a larger image.

The number 7 race car in the last photo was dedicated to victims and survivors of breast cancer.  They were asking for signatures so I signed my mother's name as a breast cancer survivor.  Almost every family has been affected by cancer in some way.  Consider making a donation to the American Cancer Society.

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