Tokina EF 19-35mm

[BCampbell]

Just picked up a Tokina EF 19-35mm on eBay for $51, shipped.

Haven't had a huge opportunity to test it out, maybe this weekend, but just wondering if anyone else has used this lens, if you have any personal opinions. I've done plenty of searching and read other advice and reviews out there, just looking for anyone's personal experience.

I'm hoping it'll replace the kit lens for me -- I'm using the old old original 18-55mm, so the bar is set pretty low.

Initial impression is man, this thing is built like a tank! Apparently I did not get the "plastic fantastic" version, it weighs a couple pounds.

[OsmosisStudios]

Depends greatly. it seems there is a very broad sample variation in both the metal-build and plastic-build versions. Check it for focus accuracy and sharpness.

Most people have said it was VERY slow to focus, though, so be prepared.

As an aside: I hardly consider that range to be a replacement for the kit lens. I'd have gone for something more like the 18-50 f/2.8 lenses from Tamron and Sigma instead.

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Depends greatly. it seems there is a very broad sample variation in both the metal-build and plastic-build versions. Check it for focus accuracy and sharpness.

Yeah, I seem to have gotten a solidly built metal one -- it's actually Quantaray branded but supposedly they are all rebrands of each other. Heading out of town this weekend to give it a workout, wanted to know what I should be prepared for.

Most people have said it was VERY slow to focus, though, so be prepared.

Yep, I gave a quick test just to make sure everything is working and it's slow, and slaps hard at both ends.

Any personal experience?

As an aside: I hardly consider that range to be a replacement for the kit lens. I'd have gone for something more like the 18-50 f/2.8 lenses from Tamron and Sigma instead.

Those aren't $50

Got it for a few reasons. I don't shoot much in the 35-50mm range (APS-C), and I have the 50mm f/1.8. The 300D kit lens is pretty abysmal; anything that's sharper is a bonus. Also, this is an EF lens, and I do plan to jump to full frame in the not too distant future; no, this isn't something I'd want to use on a 5D forever, but it covers the wide angle range until I get a 17-40L or 28-70L.

Plus, it was $50. If I don't like it, I can flip it or give it to a friend. I might even try another version; they're easy to pick up for less than $80, and I might like a lighter, plastic one.

[BCampbell]

For anyone curious, I took a few test shots this weekend.

Constitution Marsh, Garrison NY, 02.20.2010 - a set on Flickr

These are all somewhat stopped down (the widest is at f/5; somehow my software saves the EXIF of one as f/11.3!), but i do have some wide open that I have to process.

Really this is a $50 lens. I'm very happy with it for $50 and I probably won't be using my kit lens very much, between the 19-35 and the 50mm f/1.8. I'll probably have this on my camera quite a bit since I like to take a lot of wide urban and landscap shots. We'll see what I think in a few months.

[BCampbell]

Another update, I know this is not a high-demand lens but I actually found it extremely useful for the price.

Since I first posted this I did indeed pick up a 5D as planned, and having an EF zoom in this focal range has been a huge help. In comparison, the only current zooms from Canon that can go this wide are the 16-35L ($1800) and 17-40L ($850), and I guess you can count the 8-15 Fisheye ($1400). There are some third party wide zooms but all over $800 -- I think you see where I'm going here. Even brand new the Tamrom/Tokina/Promaster/Quantaray/whatever branding you get is only $150 or so. There is an older Canon 20-35 3.5-4.5 that runs around $200 on the used market that I'd like to try, too.

Anyway, you can see many photos I took with the Quantaray 19-35, the heavy metal version. The first several pages there are all on the 5D. That lens started to show some signs of (ab)use, with the zoom ring getting very tight around 24mm, so I grabbed a Cosina 19-35, which is the lighter plastic construction, for $40.

You can see for yourself, but really for $50 this is not a terrible lens. There is definitely some softness in the corners and much more so at the wide end, and heavy distortion. There's some vignetting as well. Of course these are all things you still deal with even with the L zooms, but it's not as well controlled. At the 35mm end things look much better. The plastic version seems to have a bit of an edge, but there's one very notable difference: it has a rotating front element, so you will not be able to use certain screw-on filters. The metal version does not have a rotating front element. The plastic version does seem to focus faster, it's been useful for quickly grabbing street style photos.

Note the vast majority of the linked photos have either very minimal or (more likely) no cropping, but do have exposure and sometimes vignetting correction.

Overall, if you have a full-frame or APS-H camera and need a functional wide zoom, this will fit the bill. There's no way it matches up to more expensive lenses, but then again you can't buy those for beer money. I'm really happy with these.