Tokina 12-24

Love my Tokina 12-24. It's my favorite lens. Stays on the camera about 50% of the time. It's got L-class build quality, it's sharp, even wide open, and very low distortion. The only real negative is the CA in certain situations, but I can easily correct that with PTLens in about 10 seconds, so it's really not an issue for me either.

Here are some samples with this lens, there are a lot more with this lens on my website:
Chicago at 14mm
The Hancock Center at 12mm
The Spire of the Ulm Cathedral in Germany at 12mm
Hohenschwangau, Germany at 24mm

kram wrote:
If you are going to continue with 1.6 crop cameras, the Tokina is a very good option. Yes, despite the fact that the Canon and Sigma give you an extra 12mm.

For me personally, I stick to around 14-18mm on this lens and so dont miss the extra 2mm much. The build quality is awesome and the color reproduction is very good too.

Forget resale value - you arent going to sell it in a hurry

Check out some of the wide angle shots in the New Zealand folder in my gallery.....

Kram, I did check out your gallery. That map that you have, showing where you photographed is a fantastic idea. Nice gallery too...one of the most user friendly I've visited.

Seems like there is a ton of positive feedback for the Tokina. That is what I was hoping for. Thanks for the great info.

it's a great lens, wish I had more uses for mine. You will have tons of fun with it.

Here is a review - http://www.photozone.d​e …s/tokina_1224_4​/index.htm

I am agree with all the coments, I am also very happy with my Toki and it gets wonderful images, a little CA (like others, but controled, only with hihgh contrast backlit). Only drawback is if you plan to go to an FF camera. For the rest, it´s a very good investment fro the money.

I've just got back from a week in the UK lakes and it was my first real test of the Toki 12-24. It has become one of those 'Keeper' lenses. All the wide angle work in the gallery below was with the toki
http://www.richardlind​ley.co.uk …s_2006/scenes/i​ndex2.html

ive been eyeing this lense.. looks decent

tracer bullet wrote in post #1992670
You have / have had each of the 3 lenses I'm considering right now. I've been wanting one for several months now, just haven't found a good price on ebay yet.

Since you've tried all 3, how did you settle on the Sigma? Why didn't you keep the Canon or Tokina?

I sold the toke b/c I got a 1D MII N and didn't want any cropped sensor lenses, then I changed my mind and got a 30D and a siggie. Yes, I'm a recovering GASaholic (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). My buddy has the Canon so I've tried that as well.

Optically, they are all very good. So unless your default printing size is above 12x18, sharpness is a moot point. The toke is really built nice, like a tank with a felt lined hood like a L lens and a pretty fast motor. The constant f4 is nice too. No FTM MF ring though. It's color is a bit cooler than the Canon. There is a bit of vingetting at 12mm with a regular CPL but the hood is big enough for you to reach in and rotate the filter though. The only optical issue is the CA at the wide end and the 12mm as there is a noticable diff. between 12 and 10.

Canon is a very nice lens with fastest AF, but it's the money factor. Too much dough and you have to fork out another $40 for a hood? No way. It also feels the cheapest compared to the other two.

I ended up with the Sig b/c I wanted the 10mm wide, it's relatively fast enough at f4-5.6, although the variable aperature is a bit of a pain. It feels very good with a very quiet AF motor and FTM MF ring. The hood is very small that you cannot rotate the CPL with the hood off, but no vingetting with a full thickness CPL, which is nice. The color is a bit warmer than the Canon. So I went with the Sigma b/c of the price, optics, quiet/fast AF, FTM MF ring, and the 10mm wide. Afterall, if you are gonna get an "ultra" wide, why settle for 12mm when 10mm is available without any sacrifices?